Harvest with Glee

Who forgot to check the zucchini's?

2012-02-24T00:15:00.000-08:00

Yes its that time of year again when we all (well some of us) go into the patch one morning and find a monster ! but a tasty one.

Zucchini Romaneso has produced lovely creamy fleshed fruit in abundance and we have been happily eating them in salads,stir-frys and pickles.

Tonight I'm trying fritters which should use up a couple more.

I would love to try Zucchini bread and wondering if anyone has a favorite recipe they would like to share??

This weekend is going to be a hot one for those who are living in Victoria so please take care and keep cool.

Mondays Harvest

2012-02-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the day to remove all plants which had finished producing or were looking tired and worn out (bit like me after being on the end of a hoe all day but thats another story) due to lack of rain and yes i admit a bit of attention too.

Last plants to remove today was the corn after harvesting the last of the cobs, all small but still plump and hopefully tasty for our tea tonight. Will also make a little relish which has become a bit of an obsession of mine lately!

12 little cobs

Whilst weeding and digging over the soil i accidently chopped through the vine of my butternut pumkin,
normally i wouldn't harvest them for a couple more weeks so lets hope this little beauty has had enough sunshine.

Only pumkin plant that ended up producing fruit and as you can see there's 3 more on the plant so i'm happy with that!

And the last of today's harvest are plenty of cherry tomatoes these will go in tomorrow nights dinner of Risotto made to Barb's delish recipe found here.

Be Inspired.......... check out what other keen gardener's are harvesting kindly hosted by Daphne's Dandelions you never know what you may discover...................

Happy Gardening!!!

Going Native.

2012-02-17T01:26:00.000-08:00

Well i wasn't going to start my new garden until Autumn but early Febuary saw a week of cooler weather and i was just plain sick of looking at a pile of dry soil/rocks while having my morning cuppa.
The new Garden is quite a challenge as it covers such a large area which iv'e broken down into sections to make it easier to complete.

The Grand Plan is to have rockery of native plants (bird attracting) at rear and side of cottage (section 1)
On one side of the cottage , A small Olive grove, Veggie Garden and Orchard which can be watered from a small dam. ( sections 2,3,4)
At the front of the cottage a couple of trees for shade and interest but nothing to big to block out the beautiful views . (section 5)

So i began on section 1, digging over the soil breaking up clumps of clay and shale and watering in wetta soil granules. I had previously sprayed weeds so they were all dead and easy to dig in.

Of course the most enjoyable part is visiting the nursery which was Goldfields Revegetation situated about a 10minute drive out of Bendigo. All plants are grown from seeds or cuttings taken from indigenous plants in quite a large area of central Victoria, so you can obtain plants which are most suitable for your area. I brought my plants as tubes $1.95 each i find these adapt the quickest to conditions, develop a strong root system and usually all survive.

Scaevola "Mauve Clusters" looks a little lost here but in no time it sould be trailing over the rocks.

When doing some earthworks lots of rock was unearthed, such beautiful warm colors.

I have also planted the following:

Correa's

Eremophila's

Sedum's

Kangaroo Grass

Wallaby Grass

Dianella (Flax Lilies)

And of course Alfred likes to oversea my work and lay in the lucerne mulch.

Perfect spot for brecky and visiting pup also enjoy, this is Alfred's brother Jed and playmate, boy do they provide some laughs.

Hope you all have a great weekend in your garden or otherwise!!!

Just Becuase

2012-02-15T16:14:00.000-08:00

Harvest Monday

2012-02-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

One crop which i have been gleefully harvesting is potatoes.

Tubers planted in last years compost/pumpkin tank, and covered with lots of rotted down lucerne mulch and straw from the chook pen.

Some of these potatoes went into making one of my favourite meals.

potato, flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and egg yolks.

A simple tomato sauce with home grown tomatoes, garlic and onion and topped with a little chopped parsley and basil................

Head over to Daphne's Dandelions and see what else has been harvested today around the globe.

Summer Delight.......

2012-02-01T02:51:00.000-08:00

We gardeners are a patient lot, planting seeds, tubers,canes and bulbs in the hope of a wonderful harvest, how long would you wait for fruit from a tree?
Memories of Mulberry picking as a child and the beautiful sweet fruit that was eaten straight from the tree and then with ice cream for dessert was enough for me to want to plant one when we first brought our farm.

Sixteen years on and our precious tree has over come many trials, firstly rabbits which liked to chew the tender young branches, then a ten year drought when any spare washing water was feed to the thirsty roots, and of course fighting for the few berries from the numerous birds visiting our garden.
Each year I've spread manure and pruned where needed..........
Each year I've watched and waited...........
This year i netted.................
This year i have many plump juicy berries............
Enough to enjoy for breakfast with yogurt and muesli...........
And even enough to make a few jars of jam...........

Mulberries ripen in stages over a couple of weeks and are easy to tell when ripe as they are nearly black in color.

They are large berries, mulberry on the right, blackberry on the left.

Great flavour and as i only had a small amount i cooked them with some red plums and made 4 jars of jam.

The Mulberry Tree is a long lived tree and in many country towns and old farms they can be found once planted by the early settlers and now over a hundred years old.

A little blackberry picking too............

A bumper year for blackberries too!!
I think one of the things i love most about about berry picking is the time spent with family and friends, talking and laughing while picking, time just floats by........

Monday's Harvest

2012-01-23T04:53:00.000-08:00

Harvesting plenty of beans(bush and climbing) zucchini and the first of my tomatoes.

I also have lots of onions in store too so today i decided to spend the day making assorted pickles.

The first batch is called Garden Harvest Pickles and included:
Zucchini
Beans
Onions
Garlic
Carrots and 3 green chillies (shop)

Next up Zucchini Pickles, a good one to make when you have a couple of very large, oh i didn't see you there lurking under the leaves zucchini.

First time i have used this recipe and it did involve quite a bit of chopping and soaking (2hrs) but i hope in about a months time it will be well worth it.

Ingredients from the plot included :
Zucchini, Onions , Garlic, 1 Red pepper (shop)

The last pickle, Indian style Onion pickle i have made once before on Xmas day to serve with roast pork. It was a real hit with the whole family and we ate it hot , so it will be interesting to see how it tastes cold in a months time.
Recipe calls for 1 kg of Red onions and lots of different spices and herbs.

Tastes better than it looks!!

What with washing bottles and lids, chopping, washing dishes more chopping it was a long day, last lid went on at 7pm but very satisfying!!!

Lunch was tomato and fetta quiche.

Make a cup of tea, relax and visit Daphe and see whats being harvested around the globe.

Dream Time

2012-01-11T02:39:00.000-08:00

After the excitement of Xmas and the New Year i tend to need a bit of quiet time, well lots of quiet time.

Sunday morning was the perfect time to put on the trainers and head out, the night before we had a lovely fall of rain and the morning was cool with a fresh breeze.

I wasn't alone i saw 3 different families of kangaroos and a pair of eagles.

At the highest point of my walk you can see Mt Franklin, once a volcano and now a popular spot for campers.

I walked along dreaming of the coming year and the possibilities of my own personal development, what could do this year to be a better friend, wife, mother, sister, daughter ?
Each year i try to learn something new, what could i enrol in this year ?

I'm not making any New Year resolutions, what happens will happen.

A beautiful patch of Wallaby grass, native to this area.

One thing i would like to do this year is collect the seed from local native plants and grasses and see if i can grow any to re-vegetate areas on our property.

Do you have hopes or dreams for the New Year ?

Monday's Harvest

2012-01-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

The smaller potatoes are called Red fir and are lovely steamed, and served with a little butter and chopped parsley.

And the big ones, what a suprise i got when i unearthed them!!!!

Oh a little bit of Italy(seeds) grown here : Red Torpedo

Great in Salads .

Pop over and visit Daphne's Dandelions and see what others are harvesting.

Merry Christmas !!!Real Men Can Decorate!!

2011-12-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a little hand -sewing each night for new decorations for my Festive Fallen Branch Table Piece inspired by Veggiegobbler and hubby did comment a few times about having a REAL tree.

So imagine my surprise when i drove in the driveway!! it did bring a big smile, and he even thought of presents too!!!

So this morning i finished the last of my Christmas hearts..................

I had dreams of setting up a long table in the garden of our Farmhouse, white table cloth, flowers, and bunting in the trees but with temperatures predicted in the high 30's we will be inside far away from the blowflys which is so typical of Xmas in Country Australia.

We are spending 2 days with our family in our Farmhouse before our first guests arrive for the Summer Holidays and then where back into the Caravan and the Reno!!!

I will be busy working over Xmas and the holiday period so am taking a rest from blogging and hope to catch up with you all in the New Year!!
I wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas and hope you all have a wonderful time with your families. May your days be filled with Laughter, Joy, and Happiness !!!

Go easy on the plum pudding !!!!

Where I blog and the Reno!

2011-12-15T02:05:00.000-08:00

While i was in Italy my very talented husband started to rebuild a wee small cottage.

Walls, windows and doors were ripped out.

Progress is happening BUT it is a bit slow so.......

Our kitchen is on the veranda and that's where i Blog with a very nice view although at times a bit cold and windy!

The other end of the veranda is the temporary kitchen, note bucket under the sink. About a month ago we had a big storm and the whole Kitchen blew off the veranda (neighbours had a chuckle) and hubby just gathered it all up and rebuilt it again while i combed around the grass for lost forks and coffee cups.

Well i may as well show you where we sleep too!

Part of the new decking hubby is building

And a huge pile of rocks which were dug out when putting in new pipes which will become part of the new native garden which is my job. (we have his and her jobs)

The area i have to create the new garden is huge (1acre) and i must say i am feeling a little overwhelmed. There is exsisting stands of gum trees for some shade and also native grasses including wallaby grass.
I think the best thing will be to divide the area into sections and only work on one at a time. I'm also looking at lots of books and gardens for inspiration, Phoebe recently posted a beautiful garden which is certainly inspirational and a work of love.

Maybe a visit to some open gardens may help too with ideas....................

Just Because

2011-12-13T01:43:00.000-08:00

Long Grass

Ants

Sunshine

Wind

Blue sky

First big day out.

Seed collecting and a BIG surprise!!!

2011-12-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

While watering the Veggie garden this morning i noticed just how many different vegetables are either flowering, nearly flowering or just about finished flowering and ready for the seed to be collected.

I try to leave one healthy plant from each variety to go to seed, when ready collect seed and put in paper bags or envelopes, label and use when needed.

I hope to collect the following over the next week or two.

Dwarf Green Kale, Red and Yellow Chard, Chives, Lettuce and Spinach.

Some of the flowers are really quite pretty like the Carrot.

Leek

I love the little caps on the elephant garlic

We also had a little surprise this afternoon, we are goat sitting for our neighbours and while hubby was busy mowing the grass he heard Harriet call out (not her usual call) and yes she needed a little help.

I was busy at work when Bob called and said we had a "baby" so i missed all the excitement !

Little female kid all cleaned up and feeding!! Can't wait for our friends to arrive home and find her.

Anyone else had a surprise today?

Festive Fallen Branch Friday

2011-12-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

How did Christmas arrive so quickly?
It only seems like the other day we were all counting down the days to spring and now its summer, 2 hot days in a row and all my young lettuce seedlings are looking extremely sad.
The beans , zucchini and tomatoes are OK , carrots starting to go to seed and potatoes wilting..........
Much to hot to be outside 35C yesturday so a little more work done on my Festive branch, using only what i have in store (packed in numerous boxes)............and i do have quite a bit......

Found a whole roll of hessian

Oh how i love the special gifts my children made at kinda and primary school, this little book made by my eldest daughter Kaleigh when she was about 7 years old, shes now 24!
Looks at home nestled beside the Festive Branch. Won't she get a surprise!

I can't believe all the things I'm finding that id forgotten about in my shed while I'm supposed to be hunting for Xmas stuff....................Like boxes of photos.

Who likes a good laugh??? not to sure whether to show this photo or not ........... my family looks a little strange, guess which ones me ? I'm thinking this was taken about 35 Christmas 's
ago.............erk.....

Now i have mentioned before how i can get side tracked and what with finding unfinished quilts, boxes of photos and the odd book or two hours can pass by so not much did get done on my Festive Branch but i did find some material to hand-stich some little decorations for the branch and maybe some extras to send off with my Xmas cards. (yep I'm a little late in that department too)

                                       Hey those ribbons maybe festive but their too tight!!!

                                                    Guess who?    Yep

Now if you have reached this far and not wandered off onto another more interesting blog head over to see more Festive Cheer with Veggiggobbler!!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend !!!

Weekend Harvest.

2011-12-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

Early this year and a little smaller than usual but lovely and tasty.

Plenty to bottle as well, cherry's washed and packed tightly into jars , Hot syrup added, lids on and then placed standing into large saucepan of cold water, bring to boil then keep on boil for 25mins.

Remove from pan and cool.

First attempt at bottling and all went well!!!

Festive Fallen Branch Friday !!

2011-12-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

Who couldn't resist joining the excitable V.G and her Xmas spirit!!

Although i love having a fresh pine tree in the home and decorating it with all my favorite bits and pieces I am having the extended family over for Xmas dinner and a table deco is needed so.........

I went for a walk around the garden and came up with these gum tree branches some with little gum nuts i can paint.

Then it was off to the big shed where all my crafty things are stored for some scraps of material.....

.............. OH now i do have a problem V.G!! while rummaging around i found quite a few unfinished projects that i just had to get out of their boxes, maybe more Xmas pressys???

Will be a busy weekend decorating trees, sewing, weeding.........

Hope you all have a great weekend and find some time to drop byVG and some Xmas cheer!!!

Wondering , would anyone like to join a material swap??

Just Because!

2011-11-29T18:57:00.000-08:00

While out shopping for presents (i tend to give what i would like) i couldn't resist buying this for myself.

Full of advice and wonderful quotes!

"The best place to seek God is in the Garden. You can dig for him there."
George Bernard Shaw      (1856-1950)

" Life begins the day you start a Garden"   Chinese Proverb

Happy gardening / reading

GARLIC HARVEST

2011-11-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

Garlic is my favorite of all vegetables and fruit to grow.

I enjoy every aspect of growing it , getting the soil ready for planting , dividing the cloves and pushing them into the soil.
Seeing the first shoots break through, watching them grow, standing tall with early morning frost.
Waiting for the perfect conditions to harvest and then spending the day pulling, laying them out to dry and then hanging bunches to dry.

The Girls Help

I first grew just small amount from cloves given to me by a friend but soon realised if i wanted to have enough to last a year and some to give away i needed to get serious.
In 2007 I brought Heronswood certified organic cloves of different varieties to see which would grow and taste the best.

Soft Pink , Oriental purple, NZ varieties white and purple.

New shoots

My first harvest, was very successful and i was able to keep cloves(stored hanging up in a dark shed) for the following years planting.

Unfortunately over the years i have forgotten which garlic is which, i still have purple and white and they both grow well.
I have found the best conditions to harvest is late November after a couple of dry/windy days and on a day which is going to be warm and sunny but not too hot.
I pull them in the morning, shake off any excess soil and then lay out to dry in the sun, later in the afternoon I hang them in bunches in the shed and when i have time i plait up some for Xmas presents for friends and family.

This year, Sunday 20th was perfect to harvest.
First meal with newly harvested garlic was potato pieces, whole garlic cloves roasted in olive oil and fresh rosemary.

What's your favorite meal with garlic?

Hey there's lots of harvesting over at Daphne's Dandelions why not take a peek!!!!

Thursdays Harvest

2011-11-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

7 week Challenge

2011-11-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

Well here it goes............. Finish "THE" Stone Wall around the Veggie Garden.

In one of my earlier posts I spoke about finishing projects one of which I started 6 years ago! well you can't rush things if you want a good job done I've been telling myself !!

So this last week I have started , firstly with some photos so you can see all the hard work and sweat that's going on.

Why i planted this horrible wormwood I'll never know but it had to go so you can actually see the wall.

Lots of hard work swinging the maddock until i realised i could just use my body weight and jump on the branches and they easily broke, hey I'm not that big !!

Now you can see the wall and rocks (1 wheelbarrow load) collected from around the rocky paddocks.
My kind husband helped me collect a 1/2 ute load and I'm on my way................

I did consult a few books before starting but mostly followed the way they existing walls on the property have been constructed. Large rocks form the base then rocks are overlapped and placed slightly leaning in towards center lots of little rocks are used to fill in center and any other holes.

Did you notice the mini horse in the background sneaking some of my lucerne mulch which is for the garden?

This is one side of the wall

And this is the other side and as you can see there is a lot more rocks to be collected, any offers of help?? those who need their finger nails need not apply!!!

The other two sides of the veggie garden fence will stay as they are, part of the original chicken wire fence.

My Place and Yours.

2011-11-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Joining with Vic at My Place and Yours for this weeks meme "My favorite Piece of Clothing".

Only brought these last week but just love wearing them whilst in the garden!

I do have quite a selection of gardening footwear, gumboots with green frogs, black gumboots and pull-on safety boots for the heavy work.

I keep these by the back door so i can just slip them on for my early morning walks around the garden with my cup tea/toast. No more dirty slippers as i usually end up digging away in the garden!!!

They are very comfy and clean up with a quick hose down .

Simple Mondays

2011-10-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today I'm joining along with Barbara and her Simple Monday theme which is always a joy to read.

Its the simple things in life which can sometimes bring you the most happiness and contentment ,
sharing a cup of tea with a friend, reading a book,(finding the time to read it) spring cleaning the house, finishing a project (however small) or receiving a cup of tea in bed. ( you can tell I like a cuppa)

I find smells can trigger simple joys and memories.
Mint brings back wonderful memories of holidays at the seaside as a young girl, camping in the old bungalow in grandma's backyard, playing with my sisters & brother , climbing down rocky paths to the sea below,
finding treasure's in the sand, shells and driftwood.
At night the smell of mint growing along the bungalow walls would drift in through the window on the sea breeze..................

A mint bush planted on the edge of a path in the veggie path is a daily reminder of special times!!

While in Italy I was given beautiful Shampoo and soaps made with organic Olio Di Oliva (olive oil)
and once a week I wash my hair and remember the smells and experiences of my exciting trip only such a short time ago!!!

What smells bring to you a special memory?

Garden Tales

2011-10-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

This last week I've had a wonderful productive time in my Veggie Garden.

First started with general weed and clean-up and trim of all silver beet, rocket and parsley plants starting to bolt, when I had a huge wheelbarrow full I then dumped it all in the chook-pen and sent the girls into a frenzy!!

Next any spare sections of garden beds were then dug over and compost added.

Next step was to check my garden diary, I started this diary in 2004 to record all garden beds and what I planted in them each season, remembering to rotate crops with one bed sown with a green manure crop. (forgot this year)

I also record rainfall, temperature and dates of crops sown and when produce is harvested and ways of harvesting, eg Garlic, over the years I've been able to work out the best time to plant cloves and when too pull them and dry them with the least amount of loss.

Notes and recipes from friends and items of interest from magazines, blogs and the Weekly Times are also scribbled in where they can fit.

Final Step was to write down which crops are now ready to sow and into which beds, seed packets sorted and then seeds finally planted.

Sunflowers Corn Bush Beans

Climbing Beans Butter Beans Perpetual Spinach

Lettuce Cos Verdi

Little Gem

Rossa Di Trento

Zucchino Romaneso Cucumber Basil

Tomato Yellow Pear Capsicum Patio Red

Mortgage Lifter

Whats been harvested this week:

Asparagus Red Onions Dill

Spinach Silver beet Oregano

Parsley Chives Kale 2 varieties

Broad Beans Lettuce 4 varieties

Whats growing along nicely:

Potatoes Artichoke Cabbage

Carrots Beetroot Rhubarb

White & Red Onions

lettuce seedlings

Tomato seedlings Self sown ?

Whats soon to be harvested:

Large crop of Garlic

Alfred came along to work with me one day but the weeding was just too much for him !!

A Simple Treasure

2011-10-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

I love coming upon a fellow blogger with lots of passion and ideas and recently was inspired to join along with Punky & Me http://punkysmamma.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-place-and-yours.html.

I know I'm scraping it in on the last day but would love to share a very simple item that i treasure.

This pincushion was made as a sampler by Marjorie my mother in law (shes 85) mother Eva, along with a needle card.

Eva travelled by ship from America to Australia with her husband to start their new life together.

Eva also brought along her special quilting sewing box this had travelled to many quilting days, there is even a built in shelf to rest your work upon if needed.

Many of the cottons left are woodon reels and are used now on my special projects.

A much loved treasure which i will to pass onto my daughters in the future.

Something Blue

2011-10-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue !! and maybe something I haven't revealed before!!

I confess, I have an addiction which I do keep under control MOST of the time, but when I see something old that has been made by hand I can't resist!! and I rescue, barter, swap, beg (not often) or buy it . These items can range from a simple wooden handle bread knife, a hand embroidered supper cloth or to this latest find!!

I just love the cotton-reel handle and its sits in our barn (future studio when I retire) like it was made to fit.

Now this cute little fellow, Alfred is the new addition to our family and already has caught his first bunny and alerted us to a brown snake

I also like to borrow other peoples ideas and isn't this a great one to protect growing seedings!!

Favorite Color Blue!

Italy, Take Two

2011-10-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

First Stop was Rome , it was so HUGE!!! and so beautiful!!!

St Peter's at the Vatican

After Rome off to the country side ,the township of Radda surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, this particular day 19k walk.

Some mornings I got up early to watch the sunrise and then an early morning coffee and pastry at the bar, Italian style!

At the end of the day a gelati, walk and always a beautiful Sunset

I just loved the warm stonework of the village buildings and the simple window planters.

When you live in an apartment any little bit of space can become a veggie garden.

Olive trees shade this veggie garden, cabbage, kale and tomatoes.

Gaint squash growing along the roof, any extra space is put to good use.

I spent 4 days in Florence, so much to see, Gardens,Galleries,Markets,Churches, wonderful craftsmen, silversmiths & painters......

I brought a travel set of watercolors and enjoyed rediscovering a long ago interest and ended up giving away my little paintings as gifts to some of the lovely people I met .

The Chinque Terra, amazing area of 5 little townships hugging the sides of the hills. The day i walked this hill it was 33C and so humid!!! 6 bottles of water got me through and the thought of a swim in the ocean!!! Was worth every step, such amazing views.

The gaint walls and towers of San Gimignano

I took so many photos of windows and doors they may have to have their own post.

Looking from the Botanical Gardens to the outer wall of Siena and beyond.

Shovels at the Botanical Gardens.

Wow, how old is this olive tree?

Many simple churchs, vineyards and the most amazing views in the hills of Tuscany.

Last stop was Perugia for 4 days and a visit to Assisi and the Basilica of Saint Francis.

Italy, you had me at first Gelati !

2011-10-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Oh what a holiday!!!

Italy is such a beautiful country full of a rich history surrounding all the many Cities, villages and people that I was just in awe.

Amazing countryside, clean and efficient public transport, friendly people and the food!!!!!! I didn't want to come home!!!

So glad I did heaps of walking before I left as there are always hills and plenty of steps in Italy!! The weather was beautiful between 25C-33C every-day, only one day of rain, really a short heavy shower and lucky for me as I lost my new lightweight coat on that day.

Six days of walking in the beautiful Chianti region was the most wonderful

experience, passing through vineyards,tasting wines, stopping for lunch at a family cafe, old farmhouses, amazing views, following old roman roads, picnic lunches beside ancient churches and ruins.......

An afternoon of Cooking at “Podere la Sala” with Monica and Mamma Maria was a afternoon/evening to remember!!!

A full Italian menu all cooked from scratch!! including

Gnudi al Pomodoro

Tagliatelle Zucchine& Salsiccia

Spezzatino di Pollo con Cipolle

Con champignon al Forno

Tiramisu

We finally all ate about 1opm at the gaily decorated table in the renovated barn, the bells of the nearby church ringing quietly through the evening, just beautiful.

Eva, 3 years old learns too.

Beautiful Monica, wonderful teacher & host and amazing cook.

I would really love to write so much more but unfortunately since returning home i have injured my eye, (would you believe raking up bark & sticks which one struck my eye) and ended up at the Eye& Ear Hospital. So i can only now hop on computer for a very short time.

Can't believe i travelled all over Italy for a month with no troubles at all and then nearly lose my eye in my own backyard!!!

Beautiful Florence Ciao till next time, x

Winter Wildflowers

2011-08-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

As Winter comes to a close I would love to share with you some of the beautiful Australian wildflowers growing along many of the country lanes I have been walking on.

Much of the bushland has been cleared many years ago for crops and stock but along the roadsides many flowers and shrubs can be found.

A BIG thank you Hazel for hosting Winter Wednesdays and sharing with us all, the time and effort put into your posts is fantastic and enjoyed by so many!!!

I have loved reading as many new blogs as possible and following the many joys, comforts, crafts, recipes , thoughts, gardening tips and the odd whinge that Winter brings.

Best of all Winter has just gone sooo fast and I'm now off on my trip,(4 more sleeps) bags packed, feeling fit , excited, nervous (first ever trip overseas) and ready for a challenge and whatever comes my way...........

Ciao.

Join in at Hazel's http://hazel-dene.blogspot.com/2011/08/winter-wednesday-html and celebrate the end of Winter!!!

Seedlings on the GO!!!

2011-08-21T03:29:00.000-07:00

On a previous post i showed how i made a cold frame and thought you all may like to see how surprisingly successful it has proved to be.

I think the main reason for the success is the constant temperature the frame provides and the fact no slugs etc can get to any of the emerging sweet tasting seedlings.

The above photo shows the emerging dill on left hand row Lettuce middle and onions on right.

The seeds were planted on the 31/7 so their now 3 weeks old and the lettuce are ready for transplanting.

Percentage of seeds that have germinated is very high.

The photo below shows where i planted lettuce seeds at the same time but not protected and only 3 seeds germinated.(hardly can be seen)

So yes I'm very, very happy with the cold frame that I've started building another one.

Different types of rabbit guards were also quickly thrown together with what i could find in the shed, chicken wire , shade cloth and poly plastic (off cuts from poly house) and stapled together to make guards. These seem to be doing their job so far!!

This was a healthy Kale Plant, stripped bare!

New Cabbage seedlings

Little wire tunnels with shade cloth on top to hide seedlings from rabbits,seems to work!!

And a little bit of wire art just for fun!!! thats a little cabbage seedling hiding under my new chook!!

Hope you all had a great weekend !!!

Winter Getaway.

2011-08-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Time goes slow when your waiting for something, (like the end of winter) especially if you feel the cold. The great thing about Winter is it forces us to slow and rest our bodies, yes its ok to lounge around and read by the fire BUT I get a little restless after awhile and want to do something or I need a change of scenery.

My dear husband knows me so well (to well) and planned a short Getaway to one of our favorite destinations along the coast.

Lorne is a little seaside village on The Great Ocean Road in Victoria and only about a 2 ½ hour drive from our home.

The coastal road was built at the end of the 1st world war to provide jobs for return serviceman and as a remembrance to those who didn't return.

Amazing Views

Stunning Walks

Fresh Sea Air

Fish & Chips

A Little Sunshine

Book shop

Op Shop

Coffee

And great company! My husband really does make Winter nice and cosy, we always have a store of firewood stacked close to the back door, he gets up first thing in the morning and gets the house warm.

Always quick to put the kettle on for a pot of tea.

He has just brought himself a Pizza Oven so Sunday nights are now his cooking night !!! and that's the best ever Winter Warming present any woman could ask for!!!!!!!!

Join in with Hazel http://hazel-dene.blogspot.com/2011/08/winter-wednesday-12.htmland see how others are enjoying the last couple of weeks of Winter.

Who said Winter was nearly over, its cold,windy and pouring rain!!!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

2011-08-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Our Garden is in Central Victoria, Australia we can have temps of -8C and highs of 40C , heavy frosts and rely on rainwater.

Our winters are mild compared to other areas with sunny days between 12C - 16C but cold nights down to -2C.

At the end of Winter here's whats blooming in our Garden.

Little Rock Cyclamen

Helleborus

Mini daffodils

Red Hot Pokers

To View Whats blooming in others Gardens see http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2011/08/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-august-2011.html

Im Eggcited!!!

2011-08-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

My First Egg after Operation Musli.

Now i do understand its Winter, Cold and sometimes raining but chooks have nothing else to do all day so why not lay an egg or two?

So i raked out their Shed, layed lovely fresh smelling hay from the hayshed, made 2 new roosting boxes and another perch just for fun and they still just looked at me.............

A friend gave me a whole heap of out dated Farmhouse Musli in lovely little paper bags with a farm printed on the front, each morning i put a bag out for the chooks breaky.......

Yes Thankyou we prefer Musli.

So this morning im going to enjoy one of my favorite Winter Breakfasts.

Scrambled eggs with spinach(just picked)

Tea, toast and my grapefruit & ginger marmalade!!

Join Hazel http://hazel-dene.blogspot.com/2011/08/winter-wednesday-11.htmland see what others are enjoying on this Winter Wednesday!!!

Building a Cold Frame.

2011-07-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

Today started out sunny and proved to be the perfect day for building my Cold Frame.

A Cold Frame is usually made of timber with a lid of glass and is used to help seeds germinate when it is still cold outside and a little warmth and protection is needed.

I found an old window and also some off cuts of timber in our shed. The window is about 60cm x 65 cm, not to big so i can move the cold frame around the garden as needed without straining my back.
I measured the timber to size and used a power drill to put together(12 screws), I then placed the window on top of the frame and used two hinges to attach it.

On the inside of the frame I screwed a piece of timber to use as a prop when the lid is up.

Next i used some silicon around the glass panes to keep them secure.

A light sand and then 2 coats of paint on the window frame and it was ready to be used.

Thanks to Phoebe for the link to these fantastic Italian seeds, great value, you get heaps of seeds in a larger than normal foil pack which makes it easier to use and store.

So i planted lettuce, dill and onions.

The important thing to remember , on a sunny day the lid needs to be lifted or the emerging seedlings will get burnt and then in the late afternoon lid needs to be closed.

While I was waiting for the paint to dry i sanded my garage sale "find" with a great little electric power tool called a mouse.

Now while i was busy Bob was working on his new project!

Restoring an old stone building, was probably used to store milk, butter and meat many many years ago!!

Hope you all had a good weekend!! Ciao!! 4 weeks to go!!!!

Winter Blues.

2011-07-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am wishing for some SUN, now I do love love Winter for all the many many reasons posted by all (which I love to read) but sometimes I can't help to feel a little blue. I gave myself a good talking to(am I revealing too much?)made myself a cup of tea(a relaxing herbal one) and looked through my favorite gardening book!

I leafed through Elements of Design, Making a Willow Arch, Seats and arbors, Topiary,Living edges,Special Effects,Textured Effects,Inter cropping,Tunnels and Walkways,until at the end of the book I found Raising Good Quality Plants.

That's it!!! I'm going to build an old fashioned cold frame to raise my new seedlings in.

Now the only thing is its 7am in the morning still, a little dark to be rummaging in the sheds for old windows but I'm feeling much better and hope to post you all a photo of my creation soon.........

For more Winter Warming Thoughts, Ideas and Joy head over to http://hazel-dene.blogspot.com/2011/07/winter-wednesday-9.html

Container Growing

2011-07-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

With only 5 weeks until my trip i have been heading out early(when not raining) every second morning to hit a few hills before breakfast.

Crispy Cold but beautiful Views!

Around every corner there is a little bit of history waiting to be discovered.

These stones walls are over one hundred years old and were built by the early settlers first drawn to the Victorian Goldfields looking to find their riches!

An old footbridge, water level reached handrail in last years flood!

This old beauty resting under gum trees.

Work in the Veggie gardens has been a little slow as have been sooo busy at work, I did have time to add compost to my bath tubs part of a temporary veggie garden.
The bath tub in the background was used last season for potatoes so in this i shall plant some spring seedlings ,beans maybe to climb up the wire fence behind.
The other bathtub will be for this seasons potatoes.

I hate to admit this but sprayed oxalis after spending the last 6 years trying to rid it by hand weeding.

Also running out of compost bins/areas so i made a couple out of chicken wire and placed them around the garden so when I'm weeding i just throw them in, at a later stage i can add grass clippings, manure etc.
Travelling home from work yesterday I dropped into a garage sale, i picked up a old handmade wooden ironing board! can't wait to sand it down and stain it! maybe will use it as a sideboard or plant-stand.

Love to hear of your favorite "finds"

On my Mind

2011-07-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

                  This morning I washed a few of my favorite aprons collected over the years
                                      and I got wondering about who made them?

                                         Did the women make them for themselves or gifts?

                                                   Where did these women live?

                                                             Were they Happy?

             Who taught them to Sew, Mother,Grandmother,Aunt, Sister, School teacher or friend?


Go to Link       http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2011/07/on-my-mind
and join in and leave a comment . X X X

Living in the moment

2011-07-11T04:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I can be so busy at work and home(just like everyone else) that I find I'm not really enjoying the moment or not really listening to whats somebodys saying. Not a very good trait I have to agree, so the last couple of weeks about the same time my long walks began Ive been trying really hard to slow down and relax and just enjoy the moment!

Choosing wool to knit with.

Earthy colors of the Aussie landscape.

Weeding the veggies

More knitting, not to be worn when pruning roses!! but great on morning walks.

Watching a cheeky cockatoo picking out the seeds from some bread.

How fantastic are these! made by my good friend Dunja maybe will need to do a post on just her ceramics,she's so clever also has built her own amazing straw bale home.

I brought these 2 little ones home and put them straight in the garden.

Making and eating Green Veggie Soup, Slowly!

Leek, celery,broccoli,spinach,silver beet,parsley,garlic and zucchini topped with basil pesto and feta cheese. Tasted good.

The Wonder of Rain

2011-07-03T04:30:00.000-07:00

Rain fell steadily all night and continued as I rose, deep grey sky's but plenty of bird song, gums trees glistening and everywhere a different shade of green to be seen.
Ah Rain !!! It brings us so much promise, a light shower that can help young seedlings along and settle the dust and constant steady rain which provides a wonderful deep soak for the subsoil and fills our water tanks.
Then of course the heavy damaging rain which is usually accompanied by wind which can strip fruit trees bare and flatten garden beds.
Last year we had a huge Gum Tree fall (through too much rain) across garden beds crushing everything in its path but just missing the kitchen garden !

Laying in bed listening to the rain I was feeling a little smug that I got all my gardening jobs completed during the week and I could head out on my weekly trek.
Pruned Roses.
Lifted & divided and replanted miniature iris.
Removed old lavender bushes and replanted garden bed.
More weeding.
Fed veggie seedlings with worm juice.
Cleaned out chicken coup & feed Chickens Garlic Mash.
And collected two wheelbarrows of rocks for the stonewall!!!

Mmm, the phone rang and all my plans went out the window!!! Oh well not to worry I can always walk tomorrow.
I walked out the door headed to my car, flat tyre !!! Didn't feel so smug !!

Thank goodness for the Slowcooker! a quick rummage in the cupboard & fridge and presto
Red lentil & Veg soup on the go!
Home grown ingredients, garlic,onion,thyme,oregano,parsley and a bayleaf.!

Soup done, Tyre Changed, Wet clothes in the wash and off to work !!

8 WEEKS TO TUSCANY!!!!!!!! Come Rain or Shine!!!!

Wednesday Winter Suprise

2011-06-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Wow these are early !! What are nice suprise!!

Not such a good suprise somebody forgot to shut the door.

Found Safe and happy under the Olive tree !

Third suprise Gift from Hubby, Garden Art? Any ideas most Welcome!

More Winter Cheer see http://hazel-dene.blogspot.com/2011/06/winter-wednesday-5.html

Someone's Trash, My Treasure !!!

2011-06-24T01:11:00.000-07:00

Where we live we don't have a council rubbish collection service so we recycle everything via worm farm and compost, recyclables into piles hidden along our back fence until its Rubbish Tip time.

In these piles can be containers of motor oil, old fencing wire, tin, plastics, but mostly beer cans(guess who) milk&juice cartons, wine bottles etc so when these piles can fill a ute off we go to the tip!!

Now at our local tip there is a special shopping area all under cover so if its raining you can still have a good fossick for a bargain. Lots and Lots of books but never any Gardening ones!!!

Well this is my best ever find one old rusty looking blade.
Home it came (I got if free)they must of felt sorry for me in my old rusty ute and dirty gardening clothes!
Gave it a clean with a bit of steel wool, a bit of a sharpen and a new long handle and presto!!!

You can see how much its used from this photo!! not going to sharpen it again as it has proven a little
deadly(a few lettuce seedlings) in my hands.

This tool is so handy !!!!! you can use the point of it to dig down and then use the edge of it to slice weeds and then flick them out of the garden bed. With the long handle you don't have to bend down and I can reach over the veggie plots from just one side.
When I'm ready to plant seed I use it to rake open the trench and then I can use the edge to cover the seed.
This method I used when planting out my Garlic.

Photo taken a while ago !

Now I think you would call this tool a hoe but I have a feeling it probably has a different name and I do wonder(while spending hours at present killing weeds) who else found it a joy to use.

I tend to lose items in my veggie garden, (one year new watch from hubby! found 1 year later and not ticking) so I have painted the end of handle bright blue and its the one item I put away in my shed after use!!

I would love to reply to your comments but for some reason in blogger world(or its just me) I can't leave comments. any ideas?
I have posted some more photos titled A walk in the garden.

Cheers!

Winter Moods

2011-06-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Winter morning walks, great photo opportunities!

During the week there wasn't a whole lot to do in the veggie garden, a few jobs were done compost turned,weeding and another couple of rows of broad beans planted, this lot a dwarf variety.

Saturday came around quickly and it was time to head out on the days trek to the Spa towns of Hepburn Springs and Daylesford, Bob keeping me company for the first 6 kms.

Down lovely country roads and up rises we went "I know a short cut through a dairy farm" says Bob , Mmm we hit a very muddy track with electric fences both sides. The Good husband lead the way(i headed close to the "hot fence")and soon his runners were sinking in fresh mud but mostly cow poo!!! I think you can imagine what he exclaimed while I tried hard not to laugh !

Once past the mud etc we walked on another km when Bob then turned to head home in his very soggy runners.

I headed up the next hill and around a bend and what a view!!!

The next 4 hours I spent walking steadily and trying hard to just enjoy the moment, no daydreaming or list making or worrying about things not done or said, if you know what I mean.

Things I love about walking in the rain in the Country.

People you don't know smiling & waving as they drive past.

The sound of the wind in pine trees.

Watching eagles glide.

Reading names on Gates.

Different styles of letter boxes.

Coffee stop at Swiss Italian Farm "Lavandula"

Getting home and having a hot shower.

Crossing another week off my countdown to Italy (10weeks)!!!!

Cheers or should I say Ciao!!

For more Winter Joy view http://hazel-dene.blogspot.com/2011/06/winter-wednesdays-4.html

Winter Joy!!!

2011-06-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been perfect Winter Days! Frosty mornings then clear sunny days and no wind!

Over our long weekend (Queens Birthday) I thought it was time to step up my walking program, over the last 6 months I have been walking every second day for at least and hour to build up my fitness.
Sunday was such a beautiful day for walking I packed the backpack and headed off , neighbors drove past on their way to buy their newspapers with a cheery wave or was it laughter at what my husband chose to wear! country fellas don't wear leggings!!

There were lots of indigenous plants along the way to photo but only this one flowering , a succulent ground cover , common name Pig face.
Also lots of time to day dream and make up lists to do in the Garden.

We arrived home 4 1/2 hours later and had covered 22kms with no injuries!!

Now its time to confess why I'm enjoying this early start to Winter so much, it is a countdown (11wks) to my walking trip in ITALY....yeeeppeee!!!! First trip without the husband and 5 kids.....!!!!! and for a whole month.....!!!!!
I have been saving and planning for the last two years and now I just have to get a little more fitter and walk lots of hills.

So each Saturday from now until I leave will be Walk Day, next walk to Daylesford which is a great destination as there are plenty of great cafes to collapse and recover in...

For more Winter Joy see http://hazel-dene.blogspot.com/2011/06/winter-wednesdays-3.html

Cheers.

Community Garden

2011-06-12T03:32:00.000-07:00

The closest little village to our Farm has a population of about 350, just over two years ago the local council helped facilitate a community forum to find out what the residents would like to see happen in their town and how each person, young or old could contribute.

Wow you say a council interested in their residents, yes its true!!

Lots of new projects have gone ahead one being a Community Garden which has just held its first anniversary.

The local Church donated the land for the Garden

Anyone can take part and you don't even have to have your own plot there is a communal one.

For a small amount you can become a member and you get to share the produce, use of a hot house and free entry to workshops where you can learn everything from propagating, pruning fruit trees to making bio-dynamic formulas. Members are friendly and helpful, sharing tools and advice and of course children are encouraged to join in and learn!

One Sunday a month members share a meal together cooked from the produce.

I found it interesting the different methods of keeping seedlings protected from rabbits,snails and grubs.

This one using chicken mesh I'm going to try.

A little fund raising and a water tank was installed and fruit trees planted.

The other thing that impressed me was the recycling of plastic containers as plant protectors.

Winter Wednesday

2011-06-08T02:07:00.000-07:00

Winter in Central Victoria is time for beautiful Australian native trees and shrubs to flower.

They cheer up a grey day and provide feed for the Native birds .

Brachycome multifida.

Common name Rock Daisy has blue daisy flowers, lacy foliage and is very hardy.

To view more Winter Joy join http://hazel-dene.blogspot.com/2011/06/winter-wednesdays-2-with-some-sonshine.html

PRODUCE EXCHANGE

2011-06-05T02:55:00.000-07:00

A local and popular event in a little village close to our Farm is the monthly Produce Exchange. This is held under the veranda of a local shop (very useful if raining or really hot) and anyone is welcome to bring along their excess produce to exchange, at the end of the morning any leftovers are donated to the community garden.

My Contribution

Today my contribution to the table was assorted lettuce seedlings, potted garlic, bunching onions and lemons. Other produce included silver beet, lemon balm, Jerusalem artichoke, butternut pumpkin, strawberry runners, eggs, marmalade, green tomato pickles and small Loquat trees.

Always good to catch up with friends , hear whats growing well for others and pick up any hints ( a recipe using Dutch Medlar) that will have to wait for next post while I try it out!

Well I didn't stay around for too long because I wanted to head off to another little town for their Winter Regional Produce Market.

This little market features locally grown and produced items , Wine, olive oil, vegetables, chutneys, jams, cakes, hand spun &knitted hats and scarves and heaps more!!

My favorite stall has plants, seeds and vegetables and all money raised goes to the Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia, today I brought a beautiful big rhubarb crown and seeds,

broad beans, climbing beans , bush beans, lettuce(red oak leaf) Sugar snap peas and Green feast Peas, Holly Hocks and Love in a Mist.

On the way out into my basket slipped a couple of lemon tarts for afternoon tea and I happily headed home to an afternoon of planting!!

Driving home I saw this new sign and stopped to take a look

This stand gets your attention!

A Winter's Day

2011-06-02T01:21:00.000-07:00

First two Days of Winter have been Beautiful and perfect for spending time in the Garden.
19 C and Sunny.

Clever Birds have made their home in the feeder.

Breakfast Time

2011-05-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

The Night before!

Everyone needs a little breakfast especially when its -1C.

The Must do, To Do & Finish off Lists.

2011-05-24T01:46:00.000-07:00

I have lots of good ideas for the garden but some of them end up a lot of hard work and take longer than anticipated and end up on the Finish off List. Take my idea to build a stone wall around the entire vegie garden, I started it about six years ago and still going! plenty of rock on our property but by the time I've collected a ute load then unloaded it and then put them in place the afternoon is nearly over! and I need about 50 more ute loads!!!

The wall so far is about 50cms in height so I have a fair way to go considering the walls in total are about 30 metres in length!
Time to invite the adult children (5) for a weekend maybe bribe them with a roast dinner and beg them to help collect rocks to finish the wall!!
Then of course there's a gate to build to enter the far side of garden, I found a old iron bed head and was hoping the other half could make it a gate but he has a list of things to finish as well!
Ok next on the list and a bit easier (with a cup of tea) clean up gardening shed sort out packets of seeds, tools,buckets of lime, netting,etc!!
Next the Must Do list, weeding and pruning that should be easy! Where did all these weeds come from?(in the compost they go) five hours later I'm heading up the road with my ute full of rose and assorted prunnings to our community green waste pile. Good job done and one crossed off the list!!

Sunday morning (I'm still thinking of ways to finish my rock wall) and time to walk out some tired muscles, I headed down to our creek thinking I may spot a platapus, no luck but I did come across a beautiful butterfly, not sure what type it is and a toadstool. Sitting beside this creek is just magic the beautiful big gums are sometimes home to Koalas too!

Back to the vegie garden to finish the last item on my list for the day , last of the garlic cloves planted!

The above photo shows(large clump of Dietes) but behind that an original stone wall built in the late 1800's on our property which inspired me to build my own.!!!!

Friendship Gardening.

2011-05-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

I woke today to find a beautiful sunny but frosty morning, I headed straight to the kitchen garden to take some photos and then grabbed the watering can to shower new seedlings to lessen any damage.
While I was taking photos I started to think of a dear friend, the first I made when we moved to the country, Beth arrived (with cake & plants) and welcomed us to the area and also with an invitation to join the local spinning/weaving group(that's another story).
My garden is full of her generous gifts, rhubarb,bunching onions, lettuce varieties, golden oregano not to mention autumn crocus, sedums, candytuff and numerous other bulbs...
Time for a visit and to take her some Golden lettuce seedlings! After a cup of tea and chat we headed out for a look at whats growing in her garden, not many lettuces so mine were much appreciated.

Beautiful healthy Rhubarb.

Two varieties of Beetroot and White Radish.

Now I know us ladies like to keep our ages a secret so just let me say I hope I'm still smiling in my garden when I'm Beth's age!!!
Also in her garden,carrots,garlic,turnips, asparagus bed,onions,lots of herbs and seeds just planted of broad beans. A small orchard includes varieties of apple, peach, plum and pears.
I'm sure to have forgotten something.
Off I went home inspired yet again with more produce to share with others and for my own garden.
Merle's carrot seeds, Suzy's white radish seeds, Beth's parsnip seeds as well as pods of perennial sweet pea which I must plant tomorrow.
Next week its spinning day at Suzy's, another great gardener so a great opportunity for me to take some produce and seeds to share!

                                                                     SWEAT PEA

Compost.

2011-05-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

Last years Compost was made in a old water tank with the ends removed, it was quite large so I just kept adding to it which took almost the year.
I then planted pumpkin seeds and in no time up came the seedlings, and over time climbed over the sides and travelled all the way to chook pen. As we were lucky to receive above average rainfall we had a wonderful crop of pumpkins. Also other seedlings appeared and were removed and planted elsewhere, a couple of tomatoes and cucumbers were a added bonus!!
Soil has now settled down, some manure added and it will be ready for the potatoes.

Recycled wire basket keeps birds and chooks from parsley seedlings.

Old water tank recycled for compost bin.

First time so many pumpkin plants actually produced ! Butternut, golden nugget and the one above which weighed in at 10 kilos!! This weeks recipe Roast Pumpkin and ricotta lasagna.

Big Clean up!

2011-05-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful Autumn day and a great one to spend cleaning up the vegie patch !
As I have quite a millipede invasion it was time to act, upon reading up on them found out just what they love and one of the main thing is mulch, so that has been raked away and now added to a large round water tank with ends removed, which will be the next home for potatoes later on in the year. Also removed were a few weeds and then beds tilled over , I don't know where they came from but lots of stones removed as well !
I like to border my plots with perennials and annuals for extra color and to attract more bees so these I trimmed up and removed lower foliage resting on the ground and also dead leaves etc these went into the worm farm.
All paths were raked and weeded , grass mowed and horse manure added to compost and all turned over.
This years 2nd garlic bed was dug over , tilled and then dusted with lime(another thing millipedes don't like) and will be ready for garlic in a couple of weeks.

Keplie Lucy keeping a close watch on the girls!!

Harvesting Olives

2011-05-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well about 10 years ago we planted a few olive trees, we were living in Melbourne at the time and just visiting our farm on weekends. They are producing plenty of olives but last years effort to preserve them was a disaster and they ended up in the compost . This year I have a bumper crop, a good friend from Swan Hill has passed on the following recipe to try.

Cracked Olives

5 kg Green Olives ( best when turning dark green to light green)

1 litre White vinegar. ½ litre Good Olive Oil

250grm Salt 2 litres Water

*Crack Olives by placing on wooden board and using a firm object to crack open

and remove pip. Place in clean jars.

*mix salt with some of the water to dissolve it.

*Stir all well together and pour on top of the olives (cracked and in clean jars)

*On top of jars use green aniseed stalks to hold down olives under liquid.

*Top with a little extra olive oil.

Cracked olives take around 2-3 weeks before being ready to eat

Whole olives take around 4-5 weeks

Harvest with Glee

2011-05-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

New green shoots emerging from soil, dew driping from spinach, the first ripe tomato are just a few of the joys of Gardening and dirty fingernails!!
Gardening has always been one of my great loves and no matter where you may live a garden of any size can brighten up your day!
I enjoy working in my Farmhouse Kitchen Garden most days , even in winter(we can have some mild sunny days) I can be found rugged up, hoe in hand ,weeding or picking something for the Soup pot.