Fresh herbs are key to delicious cooking, but when you eat them as much as I do, buying them from the shops can get insanely expensive. Growing them is fun and super easy, especially in a climate as lovely as ours! With only a bit of time and space it is possible to grow enough herbs to flavour all of your cooking creations.

It is possible to start plants from seeds, buy them as seedlings, or propagate (aka clone) them from adult plants yourself. With a simple technique and a little love and care, you can propagate a garden's herbs ad infinitum. With all your new plants, you will have enough for yourself and your friends to have a serious pesto party!

Here is the basic rundown for propagating herbs. This technique works best for leafy herbs such as mint, basil, lavender, or sage.

You will need the following things:
-A mature plant (This can be yours, a friend's, or the lavender at the Shenton Park train station. Propagation doesn't hurt the plant and promotes growth.)
-A sharp cutting instrument like a scalpel or razor
-Small pots or planting tray
-Soil
-Rooting hormone (or honey!)

Note: Rooting hormone is available at any garden or hardware store. If you don't feel like making the small investment, it is possible to go without but your success rate may be lower. I've heard that dipping the cuttings in honey works just as well, and since honey is one thing that I have an obscene amount of, that is what I have been doing recently.

Odds are that not all of cuttings will survive, so it is best to make a few more than you think you will want!

Step 1: Take your parent plant and select a healthy branch with some new growth at the tip. Using your blade, cut off the last few centimetres or so of the branch, or right below the first set of mature leaves.

Step 2: Gently cut off all of the leaves except for the last few shoots at the tip. It is important when cutting that you slice cleanly without crushing the stem, cutting at a slight angle and not straight across to give the node more surface area. What you're left with will be a few baby shoots on a short stem, with a couple of fresh-cut nodes at the bottom -- this is where new roots will grow.

Step 3: Dip the cut tip of your branch into rooting hormone (or honey) and gently place it into your small pot of soil. You want very little stem sticking up, just enough to give the shoots some room.

Step 4: It is important to keep the babies well watered and warm at this stage. I keep mine in a wee greenhouse, but you can also use a terrarium or tray with some cling-wrap on top to keep the warmth and moisture in. Make sure they stay nice and wet, and in a few weeks they will sprout roots and new leaves.

That's it! You're on your way to unlimited herbs. If you do this a few times a year, you will always have plants at different stages of growth to work with. Anyone can do it!

Lauren

Lazy Oaf - Ponies in Space Crop Shirt - $115 AUD

Lazy Oaf is such a fun label! Throw one of these items into a basic outfit and you'll have instant focal point that will turn heads without looking over the top. This Ponies in Space top is awesome and works dressed up or down.

Lazy Oaf - Cat Leggings - $85 AUD

If you're not afraid to put eyes on your thighs give these leggings a try, though you risk neighbourhood dogs chasing you to the bus stop. You should also expect to be referred to as "the girl with the cat legs" by partygoers (in a good way, you'll look great). Again these will work in a number of ways, but only the bravest would wear them as pictured above!

Check out some of the other playful Lazy Oaf items below, available at Forrest Chase right now!

Lazy Oaf - Lemons T-Shirt - $75 AUD

Lazy Oaf - Surfs Up Shirt - $105 AUD

Lazy Oaf - Hot Dawg - $105 AUD

Lazy Oaf - Surfs Up Shorts - $115 AUD

Maynard

The next part of the José González collaboration has been released! Check it out below.

NAME: José González
BORN: 1978 Gothenburg
OCCUPATION: Musician
INTRESTS: Spanish guitar, philosophy, tofu
BEST SONG EVER: Arvo Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel or Nina Simone
singing - I shall be released.
AND WHAT ABOUT VELOUR: I was buying some of their shirts when I
was asked if we should do something together.. so we did!
FUTURE PLANS: Release a Junip (my band) album and write a new
solo album. In the long run: just continue with music and enjoy life.

Adan Velour Chinos

The Fox Hunt in Northbridge stocks some awesome Adan Velour chinos, and Pigeonhole Forrest Chase also have Alex Velour chinos for women so be sure to try some on next time you are nearby!

We've had a lot of interest in our new stock of Bellroy wallets lately. I know it's probably because the wallets are well made and reasonably priced, but for me they just feel right in the hand. Strangely, I've found it pretty difficult to find a decent wallet in the past, so here are a few that stand out to me from the Bellroy range.

Note Sleeve - The pull tag allows you to reach your cards easily

This Note Sleeve wallet is a great all rounder. A feature present on many of the wallet designs is the pull-tag, which is designed to help you grab cards in a hurry. I can't count the times I've heard tapping feet while I fumble with my wallet for my smartrider or credit card.

Passport Sleeve - Includes a tiny pen, never use airport pens again!

I really wish I had an excuse to buy one of these, but I recently returned from travel so I fear I won't be leaving any time soon! If you are travelling though, this Passport Sleeve is a really good way to make sure your passport is with you at all times. Again, the leather feels really nice in the hand, it will make your airport experience that much better. It holds boarding passes and cards too, so it is totally capable as a travel wallet for day to day use.

The whole gang! - In-store or online.

These are my personal picks, but if you check our online store here you'll see there's a style to suit most any purpose. If you are in Perth and want to see the range in person, visit our store on the upper level of the Forrest Chase concourse, or our store on Level 3 of the enex100 shopping complex. The staff will be happy to take you through them!

Maynard

Plain Granola

There are many false stereotypes regarding Californians, but one that I completely embody is that WE LOVE GRANOLA. I certainly do. I eat it for breakfast almost every day. When I moved to Australia and discovered it wasn't really a thing here, I was horrified. Seeing how expensive a skimpy box of UNTOASTED "muesli" was, I realised I would have to take matters into my own hands if I wanted to survive. Thus I devised this recipe for granola, or toasted muesli if you must, that I will now share with you.

My roommate and I used to have a fanatical devotion to this stuff, and the weekly toasting became something of a ritual. Finishing off the supply without making more was tantamount to treason. Just remember, the process is infinitely customisable and in no way an exact science. I don't give measurements here because it all varies on what taste you want and how much you've got. In any case, its extremely easy to make and much cheaper and tastier (and probably healthier) than the store bought stuff.

Rolled oats from the market

WHAT I PUT IN IT

-Organic rolled oats

-Goji berries

-Cacao nibs

-Coconut flakes

-Cashews

-Ground peanuts (crushed by hand or in a coffee grinder)

-Walnuts

-Pumpkin seeds

-Flax seeds

-Dried apricot

Ready to go!

To get all this stuff, I suggest buying in bulk. In Perth there is a wonderful store called Kakulas Brothers (and Kakulas Sisters in Fremantle) where I get everything. It's extremely cheap, so I tend to stock up and then deplete my stash gradually.

Have you tried cacao nibs?

If you've never tried cacao nibs, they are the raw form of chocolate before it gets processed.  Supposedly its good for you, but I just love the dark smokey flavour   The goji berries are a tasty addition, and they also are a good source of antioxidants and vitamin A.  The flax seeds are also nutritious -- since I'm a vegetarian, I eat them as much as possible to supplement my Omega-3 acids.  Basically, it comes down to adding whatever sounds good to you, but I recommend including at least one type of nut and dried fruit with the oats for texture.

The nuance in the recipe is all about the toasting.  I toast it in stages: the things that go in first get nice and toasty while the things that go in last stay fresh.

HOW TO DO IT:

Rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and cacao mixed together

Heat the oven to around 220 and fill an oven dish with your rolled oats.  You can use as much as you want, but try not to fill it too deep because then it won't toast evenly.  At this stage, I add only the nuts, seeds, and cacao to the mix and stir them through.  It is also possibly to glaze the oats with honey or sugar syrup to really make them crisp up, but I skip that in favor of dousing mine with fresh honey right before eating.

Toasting!

Pop your dish in the oven for about 30 minutes, giving it a stir every 10 minutes to make sure the toastiness is evenly distributed.  Once the nuts are becoming golden-brown around the edges, its almost ready.

At this stage, I add the coconut flakes and goji berries.  I discovered that lightly toasting the gojis unlocks a delicious crispiness, but they also taste great fresh and probably healthier that way.  Put the dish back in the oven for literally one minute.  The coconut browns really fast, so keep an eye on it and don't let it burn!

Once that's done, you can take your dish out and add the dried fruit. Let it cool, then transfer to an airtight jar for freshness. That's it! I eat mine with greek yogurt, honey, and some fresh fruit for the ultimate experience. Don't be afraid to experiment! Just go forth, get creative, and get toasting!

Lauren

Sometime next week you should see The Horse leather shoes ride into Pigeonhole Forrest Chase and Shafto Lane. These equine inspired shoes are made by a husband and wife team in Sydney following a cobbler tradition that spans four generations. If that isn't enough of a family affair, the shoemakers have named their shoe designs after their own grandparents, uncles and aunties! For me this speaks to the quality standard they keep, I can't image making a bad shoe and then giving it my grandma's name, she'd serve it to me for Christmas lunch! Here's a sneak peek.

Check back for more on The Horse.

Maynard

After the closing of 140 William, and weeks of shifting and setting up, we are pleased to announce that Pigeonhole Forrest Chase is now open! Forrest Chase is a one stop shop for fashion, jewellery, giftware, homeware, stationery and photography items with a Pigeonhole twist! The new store is located on the west-facing upper level walkway that surrounds the Myer store in Perth. Many people pass the store every day while walking from Perth Railway Station into the city, and as a result the visibility is slightly higher than 140 William which sometimes felt a little tucked away. We're pretty excited to see what people think! Pigeonhole Forrest Chase is open daily from 9am to 6pm, so check it out next time you're in town!

To celebrate the launch of Pigeonhole Forrest Chase tomorrow, we will be taking 10% OFF everything in store! The store is located on the upper level facing Forrest Place (where they had the Friday night food markets). We can't wait for you to visit!

Sale on for one day only!