Raw Rob: Raw food, wild food & consciousness

Are young coconuts safe to eat?

There have been rumours going round recently that young Thai coconuts were dipped in formaldehyde before being exported, which many of us hoped was not true. Matt Amsden (of RAWvolution) decided to find out by having a coconut tested, and thankfully for us young coconut lovers, the test came back negative - no trace of formaldehyde in any part of the coconut. Read the full story here.

1 comment June 20th, 2008

Raw and Ripe Olives

I’ve always liked olives, but one day while I was living in Spain, I had a fresh, raw and truly ripe olive. What a revelation! When ripe, they are quite different to the processed olives generally available. Olives quickly became one of my favourite foods. I would spend hours sat under an olive tree eating ripe olives.

I think olives are usually mis-understood. Most olives start off green eventually turning black. People assume that when they are black they are ripe. This is not the case, if you’ve ever picked a black olive off a tree, you will know that they are not ripe, they are still very bitter. Processed olives are picked when they are either green or black and still unripe and then processed with either salt or chemicals to get ride of the bitter flavour and make them edible.

Nature has it’s own way - the black olives fall from the tree and ripen in the sun on the ground. They shrivel up slightly and then they can be eaten without any processing.

So now you can imagine how happy I am to finally have raw ripe olives available in the Funky Raw shop!

Add comment June 19th, 2008

Mango Custard

Mmm, my favorite honey mangos are back in season, I usually like to eat them just as they are, but I did try a recipe and it was amazing:

• 2 honey mangos
• flesh of 2 young coconuts
• squirt of agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons mango powder
• small amount of the young coconut water

Take the flesh of the mangos and blend with the young coconut flesh, and a little of the coconut water (the amount you use will depend on your blender, but you only need a little). Once it’s smooth, add a squirt of agave and the mango powder and blend a little to mix that in.

It does work fine without the agave and mango powder, the agave adds a little sweetness and the mango powder thickens it and gives it a stronger mango flavour.

I’m sure this mango custard has many uses, I’d suggest pouring it over a bowl of freshly chopped local strawberries would work well…

Enjoy, love Rob

Add comment June 16th, 2008

Raw stall at Milton Keynes Farmers Market

At the Wolverton farmers market in Milton Keynes, there will be a stall called Rawsome, which will be selling a selection of Funky Raw products including cacao powder and butter, lucuma, coconut butter, Larabars and the Funky Raw magazine. Mary is also selling her own raw chocolates.

Plus of course you will find stalls selling locally produced organic fruit and veg. The next market is tomorrow, it happens every first and third Saturday of the month, outside the Town Hall on the corner of Creed Street and Stratford Road from 9am-1pm.

1 comment June 6th, 2008