Saturday 30 January 2016

PVAS Busy Bee 16 January 2016


 On Saturday 16th of January, the Valley was visited by a team of motivated volunteers to work on a range of projects.  Despite the 38C weather and humid conditions, teams took to the tasks with amazing enthusiasm. 


 Activities included the digging of deep trenches surrounding the newly built Biodome to bury a fox proof wire ‘skirt’. The volunteers were visited by the resident sheep and goat kids, who were keen onlookers. 


 A new water trough and sight wire was installed in the donkey paddock, with pipes dug and plumbing completed to ensure a reliable water source to the south paddocks.


 Five trailer loads of leaf litter and twigs were removed from the Sanctuary entry, reducing the flammable fuels at the front gate, adjacent to the dog and rooster areas.


 Following four hours of hard labour, the crew enjoyed a delicious vegan smorgasbord. The volunteers provided an amazing spread of donated treats, including sausage rolls, homemade cheese and apple slice. The rain and thunder cooled the lunch break beautifully.


 We are always appreciative of the efforts of Sancutary volunteers.  Busy bees are held regularly and details can be found on the Sanctuary Facebook page.


Saturday 9 January 2016

Recipe: Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower

By Chris R. 


We rarely go out on New Year’s Eve, preferring to remain at home to watch over the animals should there be fireworks or any other disturbance which may cause a bush fire. This gave us a great opportunity to make a tasty vegan meal for some of our visiting volunteers. We trialed a Mediterranean roasted cauliflower.  It was served with vegan sausages and salads – delicious, light and easy for a hot summers night!

Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients
-One whole cauliflower, green outer leaves and stem removed
-One tin of crushed tomatoes
-2 tbsp vegetable oil
-2 tspn crushed garlic
-¼ cup red wine
-Two large sprigs of fresh basil
-¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley
-Black pepper to taste

Method
-Mix the olive oil and garlic into a paste and coat the washed cauli with the mix.  
-Place in an oven tray and pour over red wine.  
-Cover the tray with foil, bake for one and half hours on 180 degrees C.
-Remove from oven, pour over tinned tomatoes, scrunch up the fresh basil and scatter over.  Add black pepper to taste.  
-Cover and bake for a further 30 minutes.
-Uncover cauli, bake for ten minutes until top golden.
-Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.