Corin Redgrave, reknown British actor of the famous Redgrave acting dynasty, passed away recently on April 6 at the age of 70. His funeral was splashed all over the British tabloids.

One of the things I noticed was that he was laid to rest in a wicker coffin, which I thought was a very cool coffin to use. Wicker coffins are very eco friendly and are among the greenest ways to a carbon neutral end. It’s cheap (not that the Redgrave family is in need of money) and sustainable. I’ve written about eco friendly coffins and how my grandpa was cremated. Surprise, surprise, his body wasn’t entirely burned down to ashes. Not something I ever imagine cause I suppose I watch too much tv and had assume everything could be stuffed into a cremation jar. You can read more of it here at Eco Friendly Burials

Anyways, Corin Regrave had a wonderful send off and his funeral was peppered with many British “acting royalties” like his sister Vanessa Redgrave, Corin’s niece Joely Richardson and her brother-in-law Liam Neeson (of the Star Wars fame), his sister Lynn Redgrave and her daughter Annabel, Corin’s former co-stars and friends Simon Callow and Sir Ian McKellan, Kika Markham and Corin’s actress daughter Jemma Redgrave. Corin Redgrave was a remarkable actorwho was also well known for his Marxist stand. He is a sad loss to society and the world of theatre.

Joely Richardson and Liam Neeson

Images from http://www.dailymail.co.uk and http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk

I was just drooling over this really beautiful and elegant planting bed. Definitely something I would consider creating if I lived in an apartment.

The planting bed you see belongs to the Casa Camper hotel in Barcelona. There are all sorts of herbs for the hotel chef to use.

What a wonderful sight!

I just found this can of dehydrated raw organic wheatgrass and barley grass  supplement, and to tell you the truth, I’m happy, cause I’m too lazy to grow wheatgrass, and I live too far away from my favorite Juice Works juice bar that sells wheatgrass shots.

I’m happy as well because there are companies now that realise we need raw food, full of enzymes and vitamins instead of stuff full of artificial colorings, chemicals we can’t pronounce, cancer causing preservatives in our food.

So ok. When you look at the can, how do you know it’s raw food since it doesn’t say so on the can. In the case of this particular Green Balance can, it says “dehydrated at body temperature 37 degrees Celsius”

Food that is preserved raw should be dehydrated not more than 120 degrees Farenheight or about 49 degrees Celsius.

Often times, we do need supplement like these because think about it, how many of us can grow wheatgrass everyday?

Wheatgrass juice is so good for us. My uncle, who is a doctor says, it really helps our blood. Plant blood he calls it. Wheatgrass stimulates metabolism and the body’s enzyme systems by enriching the blood. It also aids in reducing blood pressure by dilating the blood pathways throughout the body.

Try buying raw wheat grass powder the next time you step into an organic / wholefood store. Add a little of the powder into your drinks. Heck, bring a small bottle to the office and add that to your morning coffee if you so incline. Add just a bit at a time until you get used to the flavor!

ps you can get this product at many Watsons pharmacies and at quite a few organic stores

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Loving Earth Raw Food Products now sold in Kuala Lumpur

How virgin coconut oil is made

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There’s a video circulating around that shows how virgin coconut oil is made.

How Coconut-Oil Is Made from Clean Program on Vimeo.

I think it’s awesome, and it shows how much work and love goes into the process.

We in Malaysia are very lucky to have an abundant of coconuts, and I use a quicker method to make virgin coconut oil, but mine does not last long, meaning it turns rancid fast if the oil is not stored in the fridge fast enough after making it. Even then, it doesn’t last that long either. Maybe a few days the most. That’s ok though.

Good food, good ingredients are not meant to last that long. Maybe it’s part of nature. Raw smoothies can’t keep well. It’s best to drink it right away after making it. Ditto for coconut oil, and coconut milk.

Here’s my version of making virgin coconut milk. It yields, hmmm, about 2 tablespoons or so.

Get about 2 mugs of thick, fresh coconut milk.

Put the coconut milk in a large glass container.

Leave it aside at a warm place for maybe 2-3 hours. You will see the oil separating from the milk below.

I live in the tropics so the coconut oil separate real quick in the warm temperature. You may have to wait overnight if where you are currently is colder.

So anyways, I have tons of pictures of how coconut milk is made here in Malaysia.

This is the coconut milk machine. The dessicated coconut comes out of one section, while the coconut milk is poured out from another section (where the man is standing)

by http://myloismylife.blogspot.com

Then, there is the older, cheaper version which only allows the person to scrape one coconut at a time

by http://www.bingregory.com

How my mum used to make coconut milk in the old days

http://food.laurieashton.com

Just straddle the bench with the scraper out front and scrapes the coconut against the blade. You can scrape a coconut pretty quick with this baby.My dad just bought a new one recently, but we decided to put it away as there’s quite a few curious toddlers in the house right now.

Squeezing the coconut milk from the scraped coconut

by http://www.bingregory.com

In the old days, women would slow fry the scraped coconut in a wok. When it was dry, you will see the coconut oil starting to float up and separate from the coconut meat.   This coconut oil would have the most wonderful toasted coconut oil fragrance.