Haiku Friday

...on a Saturday.

Freshly picked, trimmed and sauteed, 

with garlic butter.

hops

Its scent is so subtle and delicately floral. Quite beautiful. Did you know it lookes like this. The hops vine grows on our garage trellis just behind the wood oven and recieved a small pruining when the Gnomes dropped by. We're not using the hops for brewing (maybe someday) but the Gnomes will give it a shot.


Such a pretty flower, like a fat grub, with the yellow pollen sitting at the base of the petals of the cone like structure.


Im hoping for a free sample of the brewed kind...

inglorious basteurds

the possums that is. Little buggers...that's putting it nicely. I had been eagerly awaiting the full ripening of these monsters; the rouge de marmande, as the season has been late late late for us here in the Hills and we have been living off lots of small cherry varieties. These are suppose to be early goers! bah! I woke up this morning to this. They are hanging at just the right height for possums and are just beginning to soften, sweeten and hue. I'm right royally peeved.

being irregular

Irregular not of body, just habit. My blogging brain has been replaced with a hectic schedule. The Bloke is caught deep within the green bowels of his election campaign and subsequently 'aren't we all'?. I'm juggling my work with his schedules, meeting crossovers, the kids look after themselves and the studio, once a spot for creative pursuits is home for an average of four meetings per week and is election campaign headquarters for the Greens up here in the hills. We've transported thousands of cups and glasses up there but still lug the kettle. Must get kettle.

The reason for my absence is just too bloody much going on.Its all good but like Tricia, the gardens getting a bit of a thrashing, damn cabbage moths and ,well so is the house, home beautiful's not coming round here this week that's for sure. In between meetings and work I have actually managed to get to the park a few times this week and surprised myself how protective Ive been with the bean- gentle soul he is and jeez- there's some nasty little buggers out there aren't there? Mother bear has come out to play at the park a few times this week. I gave the little shits the most evil eyes I could and they just glared right back. Yikes. Boys are whole new revelation.

The house is full of inter-state anti-GE dudes at the moment, all in Adelaide for the GE conference on this weekend. Western Australia has just caved in to Monsanto, South Australia is the last mainland state to remain GE free. We're surrounded. Word is that both the Liberal and Labour governments are committed to keeping the anti_GE moratorium for now. So lots of great dinner table conversations and networking has been going on at Chez Pan. Just havent had time to talk about it. So really, 'scuse my irregularity until the election is over. March 10. Vote Greens!

tomato tee pees

I've taken a new tack with the tomatoes this year. Tomato tee pees.
They seem to be working well so far. I decided to do it this way for a few reasons. One is that we have a few bamboo groves around the garden so we use bamboo for most of our vegetable trellising, fencing and other basic structural needs and unlike regular tomato stakes, they are slippery and smooth and don't take to normal methods for tomato staking and supporting, the other is that I don't have to sacrifice perfectly good stockings at that time of the year when I'm least like to care. This year i planted more tomato plants than we have tomato stakes so a new method of providing structural support was required. Ive got tomatoes everywhere; in pots and in the ground.

As tomatoes apparently love to be free, hang loose and don't really appreciate trying to be fully productive under restrained circumstances (being adhered to a stake) I tried a tomato tee pee method this year. This tee pee approach allows for movement of the plant in a breeze and apparently encourages growth and development due to some molecular/biological function in the stems that I quite frankly cant be bothered looking up and explaining. As I also hate having to tie up tomato plants periodically during growing season, this method looked very attractive as it requires just one major time investment.

A tee pee of bamboo is erected over each plant and secured at the top with twine or wire. A piece of twine is then tied to the base part of the major tomato stem and then tied to the top of the tee pee. The new growth at the top of the plant is then 'twirled' around the twine as it gains height, which takes about 2 seconds a plant to swing around the twine. Soooo easy to do and it allows for that movement. No gagged and bound tomatoes at Chez Pan this year.

Allottment blogging

I really love this concept, that a patchwork of the faces of kindred spirits can form a literary quilt of a garden plot; an allotment of ideas, of 'how does your garden grow' (with designated space for fanciful food ideas and a nod to fashion).
This is quite possibly my ideal story , a heavenly tale. It comes attached to a giveaway of unimaginable delight. Ms Flint, you're all style.

Write a post on your blog about an allotment garden
real or imagined
what would you plant in yours?
what will you wear whilst tending it?
when you pause for elevenses, what will you have?


Here goes.

I would start with a border, an edible border of course, something tall, private. Espaliered fruit trees, a peppercorn too, bay and definitely a quince or two and honeysuckle and jasmine winding to enclose the space, I love to garden alone with my thoughts. Hidden. A wooden gate is essential, with a huge old lock. Memories of The Secret Garden. Inside this fragrant and fruiting fence i would hedge the line with lavenders and rosemary, some roses too. Gravel paths would form curving frames for a riot of vegetables of heirloom sorts; pinks, purples, yellows, whites, reds, oranges and stripes and spots complement an array of greens. A heavenly rainbow of edible offerings. The dark, covered ground would hold blood red beets, purple and orange carrots and creamy white parsnips. Asparagus fronds would tempt, peas dangle from natures poles, beans sway, cukes climb, potatoes rest and an earthen pile in a corner is forked, its goodness taken to feed the soil and hold the drink, unwanted growth pulled. Hours pass. A seat piled with cushions under the peppercorn would beckon. A book too. Sit. Boots removed. Feet aired. Toes wiggled. Ahhh. My back creaks and i stand and stretch. Age. An old worn, riddled cotton tank and cut off jeans even feel too hot. Panama removed. Wet hair shaken. The beloved bloke had placed a tray. A gin, some lemon, ice cubes melt. Mint is picked. Pheasant pate, fresh butter and toasted sourdough. Fragrant tomato, green oil, giant basil and coarse black pepper float on buffalo mozarella. I sit, I eat, I look and listen. My book waits.

water bog

remember this?...

well, its amazing what can happen when you take a small kid out for an afternoon!!

it can turn a house bound, stay-at-home dad into a digging maniac and you return to it looking like this! Not a bit of black plastic in sight, edged in a rather rather naff style and complete with drooping, replanted rhubarb (which he assures me love a boggy patch) and some native water grasses.



The idea is that all the 'grey water' run off from the studio (anticipated to be not very much; some handwashing from doing gardening, art, vege cleaning, small amounts of dishes washed with phosphate free, grey water friendly 'detergent' will be collected heree as the pipe feeds directly into the 'bog'. If I can ensure the runoff water is 'clean' enough Im hoping a family or two of frogs will move in (and that we can eat the rhubarb).

If you've got some expereince with artificial bogs like this, Id love some hints. Next project are some gates on the deck! Those old Greenpeace 'Save the Whale' signs that we religiously slot in and out of the decking are driving me crazy!

funk gardening

you know the feeling when you want to write but youre all 'blocked up'? Theres too many things going on and not enoug clarity about any of them. Its all too fresh. Thats where Im at. Befuddled and a bit overwhelmed with all of lifes 'stuff'. Theres B1s first real heartache with unrequited feelings and her complete inability to manage them meaning of course that EVERYTHING is my fault. Theres my good friend handing up her PhD and jetting off to New York for a month whci has plunged me into the depths of the 'im never going to finish' despair. Actually i have been feeling so funky that not even a good Spring session in the garden pulled me out of. Must be hormonal. Im hoping its hormaonal coz Im feeling way out of control. Despite the funk, i did have a great weekend in the garden in between ferrying kids arounds for what seemed like hours and hours. Inner city living with teens is looking like a great idea! Heres what my Sunday looked like. Proud glimpses of a recovering patch of rhubarb ( netting obviously did the trick! must have been possums or rats!)

The Bloke finishing of the vege patch extension, especially for a bumper crop of tomatoes.
The cabbage patch (!) weeded of wild rocket, more cabbage seedlings and some cauliflowers as well planted up and the potato patch topped up wth turned in green manure (rocket waste after removing all the good bits which made 3 more litre jars of pesto!) and 35 more potatoes planted.
The rasberries are sprouting away on the right of the pic here just next to a new bean structure which is sporting no beans yet but some purple ones are in and in went some early capsicums which im hoping wont get frost bite!
The tub was purchased ready to catch the grey water run off from the studio sink. This is intended as frog bog and will get planted down in that green space just infront of the walkway.
My tomoates and lettuce are doing well if not looking a little light stretched!
That pizza oven rain hats gotta go before the house and garden get opened to paying customers! and to the left is not a neglected dead old vine, its last years hops plant left to provide structure for this years growth.

And this is a sight to soothe my grumpy arse. One of my anticipated spring garden events is the oranges in full colour contrasted with one of my favourite bulbs, the grape hyacinth. they make a fantastic foil for each other.


I made some totally fantastic pita breads, Katrines broadbean felafels, a yoghurt, cucumber and feta tatzaki, hommous and a tomato parsley salad for a fantastic felafel pita meal but we were so hungry after a day in the garden that i couldnt be bothered searching for the camera. All i can say is that it was well worth the effort of home made pita( so bloody easy and soo bloody good) and felafel. 3 litres of limoncello got finished up for the first stage and I couldnt find any happy pork up here in the hills, so its on my list for tomorrows market day. Stay tuned for a salami making session.

lazy gardening tips

What does a lazy gardeners saved seeds from last season look like?
...someting like this!

This technique requires no washing, stripping, drying or sorting of sloppy seed and pulp! Plop mashed insides, in this case tomato ( works for cucumbers, zucchini...sloppy seeds) on paper towels, spread somewhat, leave to dry in cool dry spot. Fold and store or leave in piled stack. Write on each towel what type of seeds they are. When ready to plant out, chop paper towel into small bits and plant out seed/s (with piece of towel is ok). Voila! easy seed saving for lazy gardners. Works every time.

Ready to go today were last years best producers; yellow pear, green zebra, black russian and a pink 'somethingorother' (i just labelled that one 'pink' obviously thinking at the time that the rest of the name would be obvious when planting time came!). The weather does tend to push you outside at this time of year. The winter vege patches really need some serious attention dont they? straggling old sorry things they are at this time of they year.. I did attempt weeding and general prepping on most of the patches today but small person issues hindered the whole hog happenning -what else? and at one point nearly rolled himself sideways over the edge of a 2m dry stone wall and onto the driveway, how he managed such a feat under and behind the grapefruit and mandarin i dont know but small people have a way of doing the seemingly impossible don't they?, and quickly!

I did however manage to weed a carrot, beetroot and tomato bed and de-rocket the cabbage patch. I found a few cabbages that i had cut back ready to pull from last season , but didnt, and they have sprouted two leaders on either side of the cut and are producing small heads in each. A bi-annual cabbage! Extra perfect for the lazy gardner, but the ones i planted out a few months ago are really looking quite good, the 'foil' of rocket forest surrounding them really keeps the pests at bay as they cant see the leaves well when they fly over looking for cabbage! Brilliant companion planting.

Another lazy gardning trick that is a stroke of engineering brilliance is leaving last summers' bean stalks on the bamboo trellising we use. The old winding thick stalks provide the perfect easy grip surface for the new seasons peas on the rather slippery bamboo. Pea anti-skid, free. The peas i put in a few months ago have survived the onslaught of winter slugs and are now a good 2 ft tall.

Didnt quite get around to potting up the tomato seeds...

window farming

I found this on city farmers news (another great blog jam packed with great info) but im not sure how much of this is designer dreams but it appears to be viable for small size herbs and vegetables and a cool way to use some plastic bottles. Not totally into hydroponics either but worm wee is good! Could be a winter soloution for herb access and those cherry tomatoes...

If anyone gives it a go, let me know.

Haiku Friday

the pressures of time.
life runs away, weeds flourish.
f*#k f*#k f*#k f*#k f*#k

oh no, pesto!

Its that time of the year again when the rocket is shooting away and I start looking at it like its a green manure crop and not something to be ingested. For me, feeling guilty at letting it all go to waste is a great motivator, so i put in the hours required to cut, trim and wash the rocket and the usual real killer of my best laid plans, shelling all the walnuts required for the pesto. All up i managed to use about a twentieth of the rocket and about a tenth of our walnut stash from last seasons crop,
a head of our garlic and a chunk of local parmesan and olive oil. viola. pesto! or as B1 said 'looks like something out of Harry Potter' i tend to agree.
But its so fresh and fragrant and flavoursome, the three F's! that it will definitely get devoured in a myriad of ways.

On an aside, the kid is thriving but i had forgotten just how enthusiastic about helping one year olds can be. Murphys Law about kids helping; when theyre old enough to do a good job they no longer want to do it. Everytime i get out the broom and start to sweep the floor, he rushes off to the laundry to grab the dustpan and brush, whizzes back and redistributes the pile I've made in a blustering effort to complete the task. Life is definitely taking more than twice as long these days...

a moment of fancy [or something]

Im not sure what i was thinking when i decided to bypass the normal approach of just picking a tiny bunch for a tiny vase for the kitchen windowsill to be enjoyed when doing the dishes. A moment of whimsy perhaps? a fanciful idea of high tea and snooty minds? I saw these in bloom around the garden yesterday while 'taking' a walk with the boybean and immediately related these delicate faces to the stomach. It flabbergasted the husband that's for sure, that I took the gastronomique approach. Sugared violets... why not? I should really have asked myself 'why? , but there you go, Taurean by nature.


Certainly after i had finished dusting /embedding /burying them under the rather unrefined organic sugar, which had resisted the most full strength industrial kitchen whizzer (by this stage damned if i was gonna let some crunchy sugar get the better o me) they looked more than a little pedestrian, in fact rather agricultural. More like the sugared peanut at Christmas than the refined end product Mrs Beeton would have preferred. I think i failed. Big time. First time and never again. But the nearly- teen -bean verdict was very enthusiatic upon consumption of a morsel from the fridge 'OMG, they taste AWESOME!' So there ya go.

Chalk that one up to expereince to never be repeated. Sheesh. What do i even cook that needs a sugared violet? What to do with leftover violets which have no stem that you just couldnt bear to entomb? Chuck them in the Okonomiyaki of course!

raspberries

they are in.
20 canes, hopefully enough to provide us with a bit more than just garden grazing quantities. We will have to wait and see...

My kind of conference

now here's a conference worth attending. Im loving this website.

rain gardening

Its not generally my favourite way to do it, but time was running short, plus Im pretty stubborn and I had committed to getting it done this weekend.
Boy in bed = time to do stuff = plant artichokes; they're the funny looking short pale grey frondy things that appear quite limp . i planted a row of five behind and three in front. They should look quite striking in this spot, me thinks.
Didnt count on it being quite this wet.

I have discovered over the years that whenever i dont let self imposed limits stop me doing any kind of stuff, im always really pleasantly surprised at how i feel afterwards. Its really empowering to not let minor discomfort stand in the way of achievement. Also, being outside in the rain getting soaking wet always throws me back into childhood.

Sadly you cant see the rain still dripping from my nose nor just how much trouble i had taking a shot that wasnt all nostril or feet using a camera that inverted me and moved the image in reverse.

Im hoping they like this spot out the front of the house by the road and that not too many teenagers give them a thwack on the way past nor that they get suddenly repossessed at their peak and turn up on someone elses' table.

garden tour [with Gnome]

This is my blatant attempt to win a fantastic cook book from Mad Gnomes. Check it out. Some great giveaways in swap for a Gnome pic! This gnome is carved from a dead tree that still has roots in the ground and he wears his original bark coat. He looks a bit cranky (a mad gnome?) and sits amongst the agapanthus that line the driveway keeping a lookout...

Actually, while i was out taking a photo of our gnome, I had thought a garden tour may be of interest to some of you. I know i love to see where everyone lives, locate your stories, gardens, vegetables and lives, its the nosy parker in me.
The vegetable garden is not very abundant at the moment, offering us kale and potatoes, rocket, carrots, cabbage, lettuce and the last few yellow pear tomatoes each day. These tomatoes are the only ones i have 'wintered off' ( well actually just couldnt be bothered pulling them out).

The citrus are producing like crazy; on the go and in the fridge are oranges

mandarins which are small but sweet and juicy and grapefruit and my favourite lemons are about to ramp up into full production mode.
Courtesy of the Gnomes in the last day or two are some artichoke plants and 20 odd rabberry canes. Sweet. Looking forward to joys of both of these. I need to get them in the ground today.
These pics were taken just now so you can see its not pretty weather for gardening but i promised myself to get them in this weekend as we leave for holidays in 2 weeks.

I do believe that its something furry not slimy that is ravaging the rhubarb, decimating it. Im not sure if its got much of a fighting chance? I will cover them with some wire and see how it fares.



The dragon at the bottom of the garden has shed its skin and is looking rather wiry and cold; fitting for a dragon no? and the only colour left are the azaleas in the japanese stone garden.

The solar cels are still ticking the meter over but the boat that simon has been building since before we met is a little behind schedule, what with a new persons added to the mix, full time fathering, building the studio and the garden always needing something doing and wood chopped...
Its not the boat we intend to use on our big adventure!
ahh winter...sometimes i love it...

from little things, big things grow

so i started with a manageable amount...
over time, they grew,
and grew,
and grew until finally i had so much bean sprout i was overwhelmed. I had removed them from their sprouting jars days ago as the roots had begun to weave around the insides and quite frankly they were freaking me out with their very apparent 'aliveness'. They had been happily sprouting in a huge bowl since then. The stupid thing is none of us like raw sprouts all that much, especially in winter. I sprouted these up for pad thai, thinking that the one cup or so of dried bean wouldn't make that much...pad thai made, sprouts used and heaps left over.

So last night i faced off with the sprouts, a do or die moment where it was either use the lot or ...or...hang onto them in indescision (and compost next week?). I managed to use 6 cups of fresh mung bean sprout for our dinner; I was dead impressed with myself.

Mung bean fritters,
served with sauteed kale and steamed new potatoes.
Brilliant.

Besan flour, brown mustard seed, egg, splash of stock , lemon juice and tumeric and the sprouts.
We ate the lot.

first potatoes

boiled kipflers, eaten whole with skins on, dipped in mayo, bitten and dipped again...OMG! Today i will add anchovy and capers... Id prepared the first new spuds for the boybean for last nights dinner, chopped up into small cubes and topped with some fine grated pecorino, the delicate curls contracting when they met the heat of the spuds...thought he'd love them as they were so sweet and soft, but no. I ate the rest! Happily.

For me, pulling up new potatoes is one of lifes natural wonders and a moment filled with fear and anticipation; fear that you will spear the best of the bunch *crikey!*, and anticipation of just how many will be unearthed and how big they will be * you beauty!*

The potato patch soil is so soft and dark, crumbly in all the right ways and the earthy, musty smell thats released when im removing vines and their secret stash makes me happy to the core. This patch has been well composted and it shows. I will definitely miss my garden when we set off to sea and im a little overwhelmed at the unknown challenges of trying to get some fresh stuff growing aboard a boat. Challenge may be an understatement? No composting too, so how to deal with food scraps? Yikes, much food for thought.

Pulling potatoes. It's up there as one of my most favourite gardening moments.

kale karma

I'm not normally a violent person.
Until now.

I dont spray with organic pesticide.
Maybe I'll start. Maybe a kale isolation unit could resolve the problem. I used to just 'remove' offending pests.

I can overlook the holes in the outer leaves of the cabbages, who needs the outer leaves? And why dont they eat the chard? We have plenty of that.
But oh the kale, NOT THE KALE!
My coveted Tuscan kale...
That pushed all my Tarantino buttons.