Saturday 19 October 2013

Around here

Q
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
We harvested our first zucchinis this week. And I tried out a slight variation on this recipe for ricotta-stuffed fried zucchini flowers.
Untitled
Untitled
We also harvested our first onions. We're a month early, but we needed the space. The two garden beds seemed more than adequate when we started, but we're beginning to think that real estate in the beds is too valuable to be taken up for six months growing onions. Ma is hanging the onions in the garage and has tasked me with braiding them.
Untitled
I made pesto with our basil. Tonight we had pesto chicken with the fried zucchini flowers and butter beans from our kitchen garden.
Untitled
Voila my new recipe book. While I waited for Juliet to arrive, I photocopied recipes from my cookbooks and organised them in a folder. Yep, it sounds a little OCD, but it's made menu planning so much easier.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Wanted: a green thumb!



It is galling! Some things are growing wonderfully, other things are growing woefully. I mentioned the peas (honeypods) in my previous post. Still no solution that I know will work. I have changed the location of them (YEP, DUG 'EM UP) into a bed freshly composted and tilled. And freer from overcrowding. My beds will always be overcrowded, just the nature of this particular gardener. But the connundrum is that where they were, they were being crowded out by the beans. Yet peas and beans require similar conditions. So, some balance. The peas are a failure, but the beans are looking wonderful.
Some more learning required. Root vegetables are not my strong point. Twirly carrots, and probably twirly radish. The carrots taste okay, but look appalling. Another issue, of course, is that we are spoilt by 'perfection' at the greengrocer. I will plant some more carrot on Friday, not Thursday as it is predicted to be 40C. Need to till the soil to a deeper degree. More tilling and more compost. And no stones. If the precious root veggies hit a stone, they go around it. Hence, twirly.


The herbs and the tomatoes are healthy in the extreme. All the herbs are growing well, even the chives which had been limp and jaundiced, but are thriving with the added attention. I think, perhaps, I should have dedicated an entire garden bed to the tomatoes, their growth habit is virile! And the two smaller plants are awash with brackets of fruit. I just hope all the flowers are able to set fruit, Even the Grosse Lisse is setting fruit. Should be up to our armpits come Chrissie.

What to say about the zucchini? This one will be ready to eat come this weekend. And there are two more very similar. I want to read about fried zucchini flowers. Does it stunt the fruit if the flower is removed early?
think that one of the most galling things about gardening is that it is either feast or famine.

Thursday 3 October 2013

Gingerbread Girl

We have news.

The Gingerbread House welcomed its newest member yesterday.

Juliet Paige Lynn arrived on Wednesday 2 October 2013 at 5.32pm. She weighed 3.4kg and measured 51cm.

Grand daughter to Ma, daughter to Mama and Dada, and baby sister to Alannah Jane. Mama and Juliet should be home on Saturday.