Successful composting involves the right conditions; and while you can control certain factors by changing the type of waste matter you are adding, factors such as oxygen levels and temperature can be difficult to manage. The correct choice of composter can allow you to easily cater for this and help you to achieve composting success.

If climate and location are possible issues for you, an insulated composter is recommended to regulate temperatures in both hot and cold climates and locations.

Composters with adjustable air vents can also assist with oxygen control and those that are sealed and elevated can prevent rodents from attacking your compost, while allowing for a wider range of waste materials to be composted.

So, which composter is right for you? We breakdown some of the main elements worth considering before purchasing a composter, so that you can get the best out of your composter including materials, type and size.

Rotating Versus Fixed Composters

Both fixed and rotating composters are effective options for producing your own organic compost soil at home. However, several additional benefits of a rotating model outweigh fixed design models - offering you the best conditions and functionality.

Benefits of A Rotating Composter

• Fast Waste to Compost Time – The compost process time is reduced due to the ability to easily and thoroughly mix your compost.
• Pest Control – Rotating bins are totally sealed and off the ground so rodents and animals accessing your compost is not a concern
• Durability – Composters that are d

Understanding the value of finished compost is one of the best ways to get into composting.

Often referred to as “Black Gold” by organic gardeners, it’s relatively easy to make, virtually free and good for the environment. So why wouldn't you want to do it?

We have compiled our top 10 reasons to start composting today. But first, let’s learn a little bit more about what compost is.

What is Compost?

In its simplest form, compost is produced by the natural decomposition of organic waste which can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months depending on the size and mix. Composting is a natural process that turns organic matter into a dark, rich substance as organisms begin to decompose the organic material. Organic matter includes but is not limited to garden waste, kitchen scraps, leaves, grass clippings, paper, cardboard and straw.

Compost and organic matter are a valuable soil addition as they can improve soil structure, aid in necessary microbial activity within the soil, attract good bugs such as earthworms, and can suppress several soil-born diseases.

An important note to remember is that you can never add too much compost into your soil. Good compost is the colour of dark chocolate and should smell earthy.

So now that you know what compost actually is, below are our top 10 reasons why you may want to give composting a go - at home or in your place or business.

10 Reasons to Compost

We’ve put together a selection of delicious and healthy ice cream and sorbet recipes that you can make quickly and easily using your BioChef Blender and enjoy the tastes of Summer. From coconut to banana, peaches to blueberries, and even Kale! You won’t be disappointed with these scrimptions, no guilt, n’ice cream and sorbet desserts.

These ice cream (or what we like to call n'ice cream) and sorbet recipes can be made in the BioChef Living Food Blender, the BioChef High Performance Blender and even the BioChef NutriBoost personal blender. Please note; when using the BioChef NutriBoost Bullet Blender to make these ice creams and sorbets, you will need to reduce the ingredients to approximately half (equal to 1-2 serves only) to ensure best results.

Important: When using frozen fruit, make sure you allow your fruit to slightly defrost by taking it out of the freezer 10 minutes before putting it into the blender.

‘Milk’ in these recipes can be substituted depending on your dietary requirements. Coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk and dairy milks are all fine to use.

 

Coconut Bliss Ice Cream

Deceptively creamy but dairy-free, this delicious ice-cream is like a coconut party in your mouth!

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• ¼ cup maple syrup

You don't have to use fruit in your juice! Vegetable juices are packed full of nutrients and are a vital addition to any raw food diet. Make sure you leave the skins on your veggies when juicing because so many nutrients can be lost after peeling. Your Cold Press Juicer will preserve all the living enzymes in your vegetables for the healthiest juice possible!

We have put together some healthy juicing recipes, using our Oscar Neo DA 1000 and the BioChef Axis Cold Press Juicer to get you started.

 

Garden Juice

The combination of watercress, spinach and carrots makes an ideal drink to increase blood oxygenation.

Ingredients:

• handful watercress
• 4 leaves bok choy
• slice of onion
• 4-5 carrots

Preparation instructions:

• turn the notch on the Juicing Nozzle to 2
• then juice the carrots alternating with the bok choy and watercress
• now juice the onion and stir mixture

Preparation time: 8 min

Yield: 2 glasses

Preparation hints:
Watercress is usually available in supermarkets with the herbs and sprouts. If you can’t find watercress, inspire the management of your local supermarket to start offering some. Watercress is also wonderful in salads, soups and on bread. Feed the carrots by the thin end first.

Nutritional information:
Watercress is exceedingly rich in sulphur, phosphorus and chlorine. It is a

The health benefits of cold pressed living juice are abundant and so many people around the world are joining the Living Juice revolution. The best produce can be found at your local farmer's market or green grocer. Buy as much fruit as you can. It's time to start juicing!

If you don't already have a juicer and you are wanting to follow a healthy raw food diet, it is essential that you purchase a Cold Press Juicer, which will quickly become your favourite appliance in your Raw Food Kitchen.

We have put together some healthy juicing recipes, using our Oscar Neo DA1000 and the BioChef Axis Cold Press Juicer, to get you started

 

Meine Mango

Mangoes have one big advantage; they have a great and strong taste. Mangoes can be quite expensive, but the good news is that one mango is more than enough for a good juice. There are at least twenty-two different types of mangoes with the most exquisite taste. Usually we are lucky to be able to purchase one or two different variations during the stone fruit season. On your next holidays in the tropics have a look for them.

Ingredients:

• 1 mango
• 1 papaya
• 4 oranges

Machine set up:

• First place the Juicing Strainer into the drum and onto the screw. Attach the drum cap onto the end of the drum by turning it counter clockwise until you feel it sits firmly. Then screw the Juicing Nozzle onto the drum cap turning it counter clockwise onto notch 0.
• Place your Juice Pitcher under

Distilled water has the inherent ability to work much like a magnet. It can pick up rejected and discarded minerals and then with the assistance of the blood and lymphatic system, transport them to the kidneys for elimination from the system. Inorganic minerals rejected by the cells and tissues or the body can, if not evacuated, cause arterial obstructions and even more serious damage. These are minerals which must be removed and which Distilled Water is able to collect.
Dr Norman Walker

The human body is made up of 72% water so it's very important to ensure that any water we are drinking is of the highest quality. A relatively small 5% drop in bodily fluids causes a 25-30% loss of energy.

An estimated 66% of people don’t drink enough and are suffering some degree of dehydration, and we may only be operating at 70-75% of our capacity.

The purity of the water we drink therefore becomes more crucial. Our world class 2800 Waterlovers Water Distiller MKll remove more than 99.9% of standard water impurities, making sure that the water you drink provides the maximum health benefits.

By heating ordinary tap water to 100°C, killing bacteria and viruses that may be present. As the steam rises, dissolved solids, impurities and other contaminants are left behind.

The pure steam is captured and condensed in the stainless-steel coil, where it begins to cool. The high quality distilled water then percolates through an activated coconut shell carbon filter that is kept free from bacteria by the purity of the distilled water.

The pure, distilled water is captured in the 3 litres ultra durable Borosilicate Glass storage jug in around 3.5 hours. Compared with about $6 for bottled water, this home water distiller can make 2.8 litres of top quality water for about 25c.

As one of the greatest solvents known, water helps prepare substances for tr

The latest type of cold press or slow juicer on the market is the 'Whole Slow Juicer', 'Wide Mouth' or 'Whole Apple Juicer'. Its primary selling feature is that it has a wider chute and can therefore juice whole fruits or vegetables without the need for preparation.

While there is only a small range of whole slow juicers on the market today, with the most widely known being the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer B60000, BioChef - the brand and product range developed by Vitality 4 Life - also offers a whole slow juicer named the BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer.

Oscar, one of the very first cold press juicer brands in the world has also released a whole/vertical model juicer; the Oscar Neo XL.

Let's put them to the test to find out which is the better Whole Slow Juicer?

One of the most important comparison factors for whole slow juicers is the design of the chute and juicing mechanism. The

Wheatgrass has the ability to provide the human body with 98 of 102 elements including calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, phosphorus but also many amino acids, vitamins and minerals. More than that, wheatgrass is 70% chlorophyll, which provides more energy than any other element. Produce which contains chlorophyll builds red blood cells, aids bloodstream function and improves blood sugar problems. It delivers high levels of oxygen to the brain and makes body tissue function at optimal levels. Nutrient-fuelled chlorophyll is absorbed by the body tissue, refining, rebuilding and rejuvenating them.

Compare food dehydrators in New Zealand with our handy Food Dehydrator Comparison table. Below we outline the features and benefits of each dehydrator, making it easier for you to make the right choice.

You can shop and compare our range of BioChef Food Dehydrators here.

With the ever increasing popularity of dehydrating foods at home, it's not uncommon to be presented with a wide range of options from both leading New Zealand and international brands - whether you're shopping online or browsing the shelves in department stores across New Zealand you're sure to come across a variety of brands and styles.

We've found customers are less familiar with the newer square/ rectangular design as they are with the circular style dehydrator with stackable trays. Therefore, we believe it's imperative that we outline the difference between the two to better help you decide which food dehydrator is the right one for you.

Circular style dehydrators have the heater and fan positioned at either the bottom or the top, which causes food closest to the fan to dry at a different rate than food positioned at the opposite end. This drying system can have a number negative effects on the quality of the dried food, including:

• Food items often need to be alternated from top to bottom throughout the drying process for a consistent finish - in turn, requiring careful attention throughout the entire drying process
• Having the heater and fan positioned at the top or bottom of the dehydrator doesn't allow for even drying temperature which can cause the

Trying to maintain a healthy diet, but still love to snack on sweet things? Homemade Fruit Leather may be a great addition to your raw food diet. Not only are these delicious home-made 'roll-ups' a healthy alternative to commercial snack foods, but they taste fantastic! Perfect for a mid-afternoon snack to tackle those sugar cravings and the kid's lunch boxes. Plus, they're so quick and easy to make!

A fruit leather or fruit roll up is basically blended fruit which is poured out into a thin consistency and dried out. You can think of it like making a smoothie and drying it out! Fruit leathers generally consist of blended fruit however other ingredients can be added to enhance flavours and make unique combinations including yoghurt - to give the roll ups a creamy texture - or spices such as cinnamon work really well too.

The best tools to have when making fruit roll ups are a good quality blender and a food dehydrator. A blender will allow you to chop and blend the ingredients together in just a few moments and give you a beautiful smooth texture. Also, by having a blender there is no need to stew the fruits over a stove prior to straining or pureeing. You simply put the raw ingredients into a blender and the work is done for you. The fruits then retain their living enzymes and nutrients as they have not been exposed to heat and stewed for hours.

The food dehydrator will replace an oven in the fruit leather making process. A food dehydrator usually costs about 4 cents an hour to run compared to an oven which costs around 60 cents an hour to run! This adds up when the average time taken to make a fruit leather is 8 hours!

You can find our favourite

Compare the leading global brands of horizontal slow juicers: Oscar, Omega and BioChef. Let us help you to compare important details like price, warranty, wattage and more!

Vitality 4 Life have distributed the Oscar Juicers for more than 10 years in the New Zealand. We have always regarded the Oscar Juicers to be the finest in the world, with their high quality parts and superior juice extraction, the Oscar Juicers in our opinion have been previously unrivaled.

BioChef has recently released their latest slow juicer - the BioChef Axis; the very first horizontal style juice extractor from the brand. Fitting with their brand message, the BioChef Axis delivers on value and quality. Significantly cheaper than other horizontal counterparts, the BioChef Axis is also backed by one of the longest warranties of any machine - a testament to the quality of the product.

Let's see how the BioChef Axis compares to Oscar & Omega in terms of features:

Compare: Price & Specs

Price

The most obvious difference between the four models is price. The BioChef Axis is significantly cheaper at just $449, offering great value and more affordability in comparison to the other juicers.

It is important to note, that to pay more for an Omega Juicer is simply to pay extra for a brand, not for any superior technical specifications or differences in quality. The Omega is rated at 150 watts (on manufactures website), does not come with a Pulp Adjustment Nozzle and parts are made from Ultem not Tritan.

Pulp Adjustment Nozzle

The BioChef Axis, Oscar Neo DA 1000 and the Oscar DA 1200 all come with a Pulp Adjustment Nozzle, which allows you to control the pressure under which the produce is juiced. When the nozzle is set at '0', this

It is estimated that the average adult will get sick between 2-3 times a year and instead of fighting the common cold naturally, most people will opt to gorge on over the counter pharmaceuticals. Dr Norman Walker wrote "the human body is inextricably dependent on the quality of food that it intakes". Our bodies rely on nutrients that come from the fibres of fresh fruits and vegetables that help us when we encounter ailments and illness.

There is no more powerful medicine than the properties which come from freshly squeezed fruits and vegetables. Dr Norman Walker spent years researching the benefits of cold press juicing and concluded that juicing was the most efficient and natural way to cure ailments because it was the only method which separated minerals and water in fresh produce from the fibres, and was digested into the bloodstream in a matter of minutes.

When you juice you cleanse your colon, digestive system, blood, urinary system and saturate your tissues with nutritional value to aid in general nourishment. Juicing everyday can help prevent diseases and help the body to heal. Try a recipe from our medicinal juice recipe collection below when you are feeling unwell, tired or stressed as they will help you to fight of any winter ailments you might be experiencing.

Juice for Infection

An infection is your body's way of saying it has been overloaded with waste matter and toxins and is a warning for you to take better care for yourself. Drinking juice and fasting for a day or two can do wonders to the recovery of your body's organs and will help in the prevention of accumulated waste and toxins inside the body. The following juice recipe is a great antibiotic juice for all types of infections.

Ingredients

• 1 inch long piece of fresh Aloe Vera
• 1 Apple
• 2 Carrots
• A handful of alfalfa leaves