It’s finally here: summer in Sydney!! Welcome to the last IMK post for 2013. This series has certainly been fun and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. It’s all thanks to Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.
In My kitchen: Is Smoked FALKSALT.
It’s no secret I love salt. I’d pick savoury over sweet any day of the week and my absolute favourite cocktail of all time has to be the Margarita, salt crusted of course!
I was given this lovely jar of Smoked Salt by FALKSALT by my gorgeous Sister who just got a job at one of Sydney’s finest deli’s. The salt is imported by Simon Johnson and comes all the way from sunny Cyprus. As soon as you lift the lid, the smoked hickory aroma hits you and I find I have to stop myself from eating the salt crystals as is.
Adding the smoked salt to roast veggies take them to a whole new dimension and it’s amazing how much flavour they contribute.
In My kitchen: Is this hand painted spoon rest from Dubrovnik, Croatia
I bought this gorgeous spoon rest on our travels throughout Europe many years back. I love the olive design and colour scheme and at only $1 Australian it was a major bargain.
It adds a splash of colour to my dull and beige kitchen
In My Kitchen: Green Tea with Certified Organic Ganoderma
A close friend has become a distributor of Organo Gold products and kindly gave me some samples to try. I had never heard of Ganoderma before and when she explained that it was a cancer fighting mushroom, I was intrigued to say the least. Ganoderma, or Reishi as its known throughout Asia has been used for the promotion of health, longevity and treatment of cancer in traditional Chinese medicine. The tea thankfully tastes very much like any other green tea with no mushroom aftertaste.
In My Kitchen: Hangs this gorgeous Christian art work.
My gorgeous Armenian friend kindly gave me this art work to hang in my house. I don’t know the story behind the artwork but I can clearly see it is a religious piece depicted by the halos and angel wings the two figures. The artwork was purchased by my friends Dad in 1980 in the USSR, current day Armenia and it is very special to my friend as her father has since passed. She went on to marry a kind Muslim man many years ago and requested the artwork be hung in a Christian house where she feels it belongs. I felt very humbled when asked and it hangs proudly in my kitchen, the heart of the house.
In My kitchen: home-grown garlic
My last listing for the IMK 2013 series is very special to me. It was listed on my very first IMK post in April this year and that was garlic. I bought a gorgeous bunch of organic and locally grown garlic from my farmers markets and was so taken back by its taste I decided to try my luck at planting a couple of cloves. I really do mean a couple, I didn’t want to waste any of my precious garlic and thought I could ‘spare’ 2 cloves. Well, I really do wish I planted more because from those 2 cloves, I just pulled out 2 large bulbs from the garden 7 months later. They are currently drying near my kitchen window and I can’t wait to eat them, raw and in all their glory in garlic dip
Thank you for joining me the last IMK for 2013. My previous entries can be found here.
Gourmet Wog 
I love this insight into your kitchen, what a fabulous idea! Also, your garlic looks wonderful, and I bet it’s amazing in your garlic dip. I haven’t stopped thinking about that garlic dip since you posted it a while back!
Thanks Gab! I think garlic dip should be on your menu tonight! xx
I love your spoon rest. I am constantly on the lookout for a good one with a lovely background story. Well done on the garlic. I have had limited success growing it but that hasn’t stopped me trying.
Thanks Tania! I hear people say garlic is so easy and others say its so hard. Just depends on the season and weather I suppose! We had a fairly wet June, but then cold and dry July-October in Sydney which seemed to be perfect for them. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again! xx
G’day! I loved your kitchen view this month Lisa, true!
I bet there would be some interesting story behind the art work too!
Hoe unique the salts and love the handmade spoon….had a very special one but it broke and broke my heart too!
Always makes me happy reading posts from you!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks so much Joanne! Shame about your spoon rest, hope you find a similar one soon to mend that void!! xx
Hi Lisa, that is a lovely story about the picture. I am sure if you ask someone with a religious bent they would know what it depicts. If you know the theme it will make it all the more precious. This year you should keep 4 cloves for planting and then 8, before long you will have a real harvest 🙂 Really like your spoon rest. BTW how long will my garlic sauce last in the fridge? G
Oh yes, I definitely plan to try my hand at garlic again. Problem is Sydney weather can be so temperamental, we had the perfect condition for it this year, but knowing my luck it’ll probably rain or be a warm winter next season and the garlic won’t grow. Time will tell 🙂
I keep mine for up to a week. If you were making the other version without raw egg, it’d be good for up to 3 weeks, but the egg version doesn’t last as long. I use mine as a marinade too, just rub some onto raw chicken, fresh/dry oregano, lots of lemon salt and cracked pepper…it makes the best roast chook 🙂
I am on to it.
I love that artwork and isn’t it special that you were invited to honor it in your home. That salt is pretty special. I’m trying to imagine the aroma. 🙂
Thanks Maureen, it certainly is a gorgeous piece of art. Oh you would so love the smell, think bbq and ribs and hickory and all things smoke pressed into a jar. Mmmmmm
Me, I wouldn’t hesitate to eat the salt straight out of the container! Heavenly.
Heavenly it certainly is! Thanks for stopping by Kathryn 🙂
Thanks for sharing the beautiful story behind your artwork. I must try planting garlic 🙂
You should Tandy, I think you’ll do well, we have a similar climate
Lisa, your smoked salt sounds heavenly on roasted veggies — or on anything! And speaking of heavenly… the woman on the left in your beautiful art work appears to be “with child” — I’m wondering if the scene depicts Mary’s visit to Elizabeth? Just a guess, but that would coincide perfectly with Christmas and your December IMK post!
I think you’re very right Kim! I never noticed that before and I’ve been staring at the piece all day.
Hey Lisa .. Beautiful artwork, just super! I too have a salt fetish, but sadly I like sugar also! Just hauled out a few garlic this weekend .. 25 or so. You must plant more. Wonderful alliums that need no attention ..well the odd spray with seaweed of course, 🙂
25 garlic bulbs are amazing Julie! You’re well covered for a long time!
Lisa, that smoked salt sounds quite divine… I had some a while back too, but it was a different brand. Do give the garlic another shot… you won’t need to buy it again each season.
Thanks Lizzy, the salt is indeed divine, I cant get enough of the stuff! Sometimes I go into the kitchen just to get a whiff of the stuff!
Congrats on your garlic harvest! You will savour every clove I’m sure. My sister once travelled through Italy and she brought me back one of those spoons. I treasured it. Unfortunately it was broken in a house move. I was gutted. It’s a long way to go back to Italy to get another one xx
Bugger about the spoon Charlie, you or your sister must go and get another one…any excuse to go to Italy!
You grew garlic!! Hooray! We didn’t manage to get any this year – we have grown small bulbs in the past, but this year I think we planted them too late and they got too wet and rotted away. Yours looks magnificent! How touching that your friend asked for the artwork to be hung at your house! And can you believe it, I found that FALK salt in the local IGA a few days ago – I’d been importing it from South Australia until now! 🙂
I did indeed Celia! Hooray! FALKSALT in IGA?! WOW! Mines from Simon Johnson and apparently cost a bomb! I must head to IGA for the next batch…
Wow an honor to be given that religious artwork. You dont get ones that look like that these days.
It looks like the Virgin Mary when she visited her cousin Elizabeth to tell her that she will have a child (John the Baptist). Gorgeous artwork! Hold onto it and pass it on to your children 🙂
You might be right Naz! Thanks for stopping by! x
Love Love Love your olive spoon rest! I’ve been a fan of gourmet salts for a long time and smoked salt is truly special. The story of your art is fabulous! As an art major, I find such things captivating. Could it be the story of the angel and the virgin Mary? A true treasure you have there.
Good for you to grow garlic! I’ve tried and tried with no results. I’ve heard it takes two years to produce bulbs? No idea, only it doesn’t seem to want to grow for me, radishes either.
Thanks for sharing your kitchen!
Thanks so much for your lovely words! I don’t really know the arts story but I find the picture so captivating! It was my first try at growing garlic, I hope we’ll have more success in the years to come. Radishes on the other hand, I struggle with them too!
I’ve often wondered what people used smoked salt for, but now I know. Your garlic looks good – I’ve never had much success growing it. I shall have to persevere.
You definitely should Anne, home-grown garlic is the best!
I use a soap dish as a spoon rest in my kitchen – if I remember, I will post a pic of it in our January edition of IMK. We are also big salt lovers in our home and we once grew garlic when we lived in Johannesburg. Not sure why we haven’t grown it here again.
Have a super week ahead Lisa.
🙂 Mandy xo
OOhh a soap dish as a spoon rest is interesting! I’d love to see your pic Mandy! 🙂
Hi Lisa!
I love hickory salt too- I use it on pulled pork as it is roasting. I’ve never tried that brand, but I like the smoke flavor and fragrance. Your spoon rest is so pretty- I like the brown in the background with the bright blues and greens.
And the hanging is lovely- the story behind how you got it even lovelier- how sweet that you were chosen over all her friends as the right Christian home.
Garlic- I’ve never grown it- but my cousin has a gourmet garlic business where he grows acres of different garlics every year. He even sells the scapes and people make pesto with them. Yours is really pretty- I like it hung on the wall like that. If you had more you could have made a braid out of the leaves.
Thanks Heidi! Smoke salt on pulled pork sounds like a winner!
I never thought to make pesto with garlic scapes, what a great idea! I’ll have to borrow that one for next garlic season! xx
Wow, I’m impressed with your garlic. That is something I hope to try growing some day! I love a good quality salt as well…so many interesting things in your kitchen.
Lisa you have friends in all the right places. I’m curious about your salt – I have some smoked chilli salt that gets used every day and it goes into everything including chocolate cake. Your garlic looks like the real deal – you won’t be glowing in the dark at least…..
ooh Nancy, smoked chilli salt in chocolate cake sounds very intriguing! I’d love to see your recipe for that!
Mmmmm. Smoked anything is my achilles heel! You’ve done so well with your garlic, you have every reason to be proud of it! Such fabulous things in your kitchen!
Me too Jas, smoked anything. Woke up this morning craving ribs. Crazy cat!
A great IMK post, Lisa. The story behind the picture is wonderful. How touching that she gave the photo to you and your family. Hanging it in your kitchen, “the heart” of your home, was a very good idea. If one of the figures has wings, I think it depicts the Annunciation, when the angel appears to Mary and tells her that she is to become the Mother of the Messiah. If those are not wings, then I agree with the earlier commenter that it depicts Mary’s visit with Elizabeth.
Hi Lisa – I’m very envious of that salt. You can just see the smoke in those flakes. I’ll have to look out for that. Great job on the garlic too – very clever to think to plant some. Now you (and I) know it works, you (and I) can plant some more! Thanks for the tour and for also visiting my own IMK.
Oh yes, lots of smoke in both the look, smell and taste. Its amazing stuff!
Lisa! Absolutely amazing post. I’m a salt lover as well and am crazy about finishing my dishes with large salt, flaky or crystals. Sel gris is my favourite.
I am in love with that Armenian painting. It is truly a work of art and what an honour for you to have it in your kitchen.
I’m jealous. I think you are going to benefit greatly from your sister’s new job 😉
Thanks Bernice! I think so too, crazy sister is contemplating quitting. I told her she was nuts and she wasn’t to do so until she (I) made the most of her staff discount 🙂
Love the IMK post! Especially the garlic, oh and your spoon is nice too 🙂 A friend of my husband wanted us to try our hand at selling Organo Gold stuff, I as a little nervous about all the herbals, I took a herbal sleeping pill once and it gave me hallucinations!!
LOL Nazneen, i’d love to hear more about these hallucination! The only ‘trip’ I’ve ever taken was when I was giving birth to my daughter. I accepted the gas pipe and well let me tell you, I have a dozen and one stories from that crazy experience! 😉
I’m a savoury girl too. Love your spoon rest.
Thanks Gustoso!
Hi Lisa! I enjoyed peaking into your kitchen – thank you for sharing! I’d love to hear your secret to growing that gorgeous garlic – mine died a very sad death after a glorious start!
oh bugger Marian! It was my first attempt at growing garlic, beginners luck I suppose!
Enjoyed this peek into your kitchen. The garlic looks wonderful. Do you ever roast it and eat it warm on French bread? The best!
oh yes, I do very much love a good roasted garlic!
i absolutely love falk salt!!! i use it a lot!!
Ooo! That salt sounds amazing – I’d find it difficult not to eat it as is, too. And how lovely that your friend knew her special artwork was being given to someone who would appreciate it.