Chestnut, walnut and mushroom picking

There aren't a lot of pick your own farms near where I live, but every April the gates open to a small nut farm in sassafrass, about an hours drive towards nerriga. http://sassafrasnuts.com.au/ has a thousand chestnut trees of different varieties, and a few hundred walnuts.

You can drop in on weekends, but have to book for midweek visits. They have prepicked nuts that you can purchase too. 

There's something special about being outside on a brisk autumn day, under the lush green leaves, magical toadstools scattered around, picking fresh chestnuts, then taking them back to the picnic area where the owners have a fire going for you to roast straight away! 

 

A picnic with friends, sharing yummy food and working up an appetite!

Yet one of the most exciting things was the mushrooms, learning how to recognize and pick the edible varieties growing in the pine windbreak, and collecting a bag full to take home.

I would reccomend only picking mushrooms with an experienced guide to  make sure you avoid ending up in hospital.

Slippery jacks and saffron milk caps, aka pine mushrooms.... Pine mushrooms are orange with concentric circles on the top, and only need to be wiped with a damp cloth to prepare, 

Slippery jacks have a yellow flesh with a brown slightly slimy top, which has to be peeled before cooking.

Sautéed with butter and garlic in toast. My favourites were the pine mushrooms. I might have to go back after it rains next!

The rest are at home waiting for us to get home after church for dinner, with garlic, cream and braised rabbit ala Stephanie Alexander. Just have to chuck some nice pasta on...

How to build a worm farm for almost nothing!

Hi blog people, 

This is me, relaxing on milkwood farm http://milkwood.net/ out near mudgee. Went with a friend who won a prize, very blessed to spend time out here under the stars, with like minded ppl, immersing ourselves in the world of vegetable growing and market gardening.

Spending time under here around the fire, and in the classroom too.

One of the things I learnt was that worm castings are an important ingredient in potting mix, and that worms will happily subsist on a diet of animal manure and coffee grinds... And already knew the worm liquid is amazing foliar spray - you dilute it and spray in leaves of plants...

At milkwood, their worm farms were made from old bathtubs raised on star pickets with some aggregate in the base, then a large piece of shadecloth over that, filled with all the worm food, the worms, and big enough that it can fold over the top to keep the worms shaded and moist.

The following week I headed out to our local tip which has a buy back centre. I came home with a pile of star pickets, a stainless steel industrial double sink and a garden kneeler for weeding for under $20!

Cleaned out under the rabbits, visited a local coffee shop for old grinds and a friend from permaculture who has worm farms was able to share some and hey presto - a worm farm for almost nothing :) a bucket under the drain collects the liquid, and the worms seemed to have fully settled in after a couple of weeks there!

Home sweet home!

Garden update, may 2012

The garden is growing beautifully.

This bed has lettuce (with some baby broccoli planted - as the lettuce is not too far away from being munched and will make way for the broccoli to grow, We have started to pick some leaves but not whole plants, then garlic, some of which are growing strong, others didn't do so well. Onions getting bigger, beetroots as starting to plump up at the base - so excited for our home grown roast beetroot salads in winter. Carrots and parsnips also just starting to thicken....

This bed has rocket still going strong, picking basil in top left and dill bottom right, cabbages and broccoli starting to get bigger (although having to watch them carefully for catterpillers) but the stars of this bed today are the legumes, broad beans bottom left to top right (grown from my own seed) and peas the other direction. Both just over the height of the walls of the bed and looking healthy as. There are tall poles attached to each of the corners, the peas have a frame in already to start climbing up, wheras broad beans will just have twine wrapped around them as they grow as they need support but don't use it to grow, whereas peas send out little feelers that grab onto the trellis and pull themselves up...

I can almost taste them!

Have a happy day xo :)

Gardening and Cooking with Friends

It was lovely to spend the morning gardening and cooking with some friends from the permaculture group and with some friends from church who are interested in similar things.

Jody and Deeann weeding the cherry tomato jungle - and all the subsequent weeds, pruning the grape vine and harvesting what they could.

We spent the morning gardening, below you can see the other garden bed near the house weeded, mulched and the rhubarb plants were dug up, divided and replanted with soil food - horse manure and dynamic lifter! We then stopped for (a couple of pots of) tea and lamingtons, and then spent the rest of the morning cooking. Made sweet chilli and tamarillo sauce, posted about that one last week, bottled pears and demonstrated and discussed drying food. I am currently experiementing with my first fruit leather.

Jody really enjoyed bottling fruit and was very proud of her bottle of pears.

Working with 4 is so much more productive than one.

Thanks for those who came lending a hand. hope you had fun, and your cuttings grow well!

Have a lovely day xo

A new member of the family - needs a new home

On Sunday I went for a drive down the road, about 20 mins to Bewong - near the famous roadhouse to pick up our new rabbit. We had two rabbits, but then discovered that on their own they were always going to stay two rabbits as they were both male - this isn't very helpful when you are hoping to develop small scale meat production. So we needed a female, and she was advertised in the paper.

Maisy is 8 weeks old and is a flemish giant x New Zealand rabbit - both larger meat breeds.

She is currently the same size as our other full size rabbits, and she has a long way to go - probably at least double the size. She was quite skittish when she arrived but within two days is much calmer, inquisitive, enjoying her greens and coming up to say hello and ask for pats when you walk past.

But her temporary cage is just temporary, so we are converting large, long rabbit cage to two sections, here is the labourer creating a second door, we have already put a middle divider in, and raised the cage off the ground. makes it dryer, warmer and cleaner. Most weekends we give them some grass time which they love.

Have to wait a few months for Maisy to finish growing, and then we'll see how she goes as a mummy!

Upcycling - recycling but better.

Rhonda over at Down to Earth posted this week on recycling and asked others to talk about their efforts. My house, and the majority of it's contents are recycled in some way, in fact it's only in the last year or so that I have ever bought new furniture (although I did buy new whitegoods when I moved into my house as I had given my old ones away a year before when I moved from Sydney to the south coast to board with friends.

My garden beds are recycled from old fences, rabbit cage from an old chook cage that was chucked out on the side of the road, Some of my plants are recycled (cuttings, saplings from other gardeners, even a mature pear tree that someone gave us in return for digging it out of her garden.) About half of my kitchen equipment is recycled, handed down by an aunt when she replaces things, collected at op shops and garage sales etc. Clothes the same. The list could go on....

Probably my favourite example of recycling/upcycling is my wedding. (click on hyperlink to go to photographer's blog) I got married in June and a lot of things were recycled. Candle holders from op shops and markets, vases from a friend at church, ring holder made from an antique prayer book by inserting a secret hole by cutting out with a punch. We also had a friend drive me to the wedding in a recycled boat (he bought it worse for wear and did it up) some friends were taking bets that I would fall in as there wasn't a proper jetty and we had to walk off the front of the boat

The most important upcycled item was my wedding dress. I purchased it over ten years ago (about 9 or so years before I met my husband but anyhow, it was a steal) in a second hand shop as it was beautiful and fit me like it was made for me... It was a bit old in style though - think lace sleeves with frills over your hands, high frilly neck. I unpicked the sleeves and worked out that I could modernise the dress by pulling it to the sides. Lucky for me I have an amazing friend who studied fashion design and together we recreated the dress....
And it was an amazing wedding!

This last photo is a photo of us recycling a shed - It was originally recycled with old corrugated iron roofing, built around an old cottage fireplace with chimney - to use as kitchen for a camp, and storage when camp not on.

It was blown down in storms last year in September (on father's day - Aussies will remember the weather on the south coast) and we rerecycled it.

Garden Lovers Fair and hummus recipe

Last sunday I woke up, looked outside and felt a sigh of relief as I saw the sun. It was the sunday of the Garden Lover's Fair, annual fundraiser of our permaculture group, and the weather can be quite changeable at this time of year and the fair is amazing, the biggest collection of plant growers, seeds, garden supplies on the south coast, and this year we increased the focus on food products and sustainable living.

I spent a lot of time on the gate, and behind the permaculture stand, answering questions about growing food, living sustainably, meeting times etc, and eventually found some time to have a wander around, buy my spring seedlings (there's a store that does pick your own punnet - so I got a punnet with 2 each of tomato, capsicum and eggplant, and one with different herbs and some red onions.

Also got a strawberry guava and a lillipilli (native food producing plant) which I'm going to plant in my neighbours yard ( we have a hold in the fence so I can get in to water and harvest) and an orchid I have been wanting to get for a while... I then texted my hubby to say thankyou to him for buying me such a lovely gift.

One of the highlights was the cooking demonstrations that were put on by www.ifeelgood.com.au with a vege tagine, hummus and salad. I went home and made the salad and hummus monday night, and it was amazing...

1 tin of chickpeas drained

1/4 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 clove garlic

salt

Put all in a food processor and start it, slowly adding water to the mix until it is a smooth consistency and able to be poured (like thick cream)

Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika and served with flatbread to dip.

YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warning! Giant Strawberry!

Actually it's just a normal sized strawberry. The title should actually be miniature apricot. Yesterday I picked, and ate my first and only apricot that grew on my tree!
It was tiny, but it was delicious, and I hope next year to have a bigger crop, but it couldn't get much more delicious.

I also ate my first blueberry off my bushes, but I neglected to take a photo of that. Just thought I'd share as it was very exciting. It fell off in my hand, and I was afraid I'd knocked it but then thought it looked quite yellow and tasted it to see.... It was ripe (hence the already bitten into nature of the poor thing.

Goodbye Grandies

my little sister J and my grandparents

For those who read this blog regularly you will know that my Grandparents have been holidaying nearby this year, which has meant that we have been able to spend time with them visiting and having them for dinner.

They go home tomorrow which is sad, but they're probably over us and our crazy lives, and grandpa needs to take his tomato seedlings home and plant them out. (He couldn't leave them in Canberra in case they didn't survive so he brought them on holidays and they were moved in and out of their cabin depending on how hot or rainy it was.

Them going isn't too said though, as I'll see them on Sunday as we are going to Canberra to see cirque de soleil. My other grandmother is coming as well and it should be a great day. I've got a packed weekend, back fence neighbours for dinner tonight, garage saleing, wedding and a 21st tomorrow, canberra Sunday and monday morning an interview with the newspaper for the permaculture group.

See you next week...

Hannah

Permaculture group and Basketweaving

The first meeting of Shoalhaven Permaculture Network was a hit. There were over 30 people (I was hoping for 15-20) and everyone was keen to keep coming and make the group work. I invited everyone to introduce themselves and we had people who have been gardening for over 60 years to one lady who is gardening for the first time and has one tomato plant (That's her at the back right of the photo.) I gave a brief introduction to Permaculture and then people broke up into small groups to discuss and brainstorm what they wanted the group to look like.

It was interesting that the groups all had very similar responses, looking at continuing with the idea of a monthly meeting, and planning weekend workshops to get practical skills shared.
For me it was encouraging to see the interest, as it confirmed my feeling that there was a need for a group like this in my area. Both for people already living this way to share things with each other and for those who want to learn to do so.

That's my grandpa in the centre of the photo. He is my inspiration, he was famous in Canberra for his front yard garden, and producing food in my backyard was never a strange concept thanks to him. My grandparents are holidaying in one of the coastal villages near my town, so he came along to support me.

This week I also spent an afternoon with a friend to learn the basics of basketweaving. The one above is hers not mine, and I was so grateful to go out, and to make a new friend. Her and her husband are so inspirational, living a simple life, choosing to work jobs that make them feel excited and working for themselves as well.

This one is my creation. It is now finished, but I didn't take a photo so I'll add that in a future post.

And lastly Elhi, in her studio/sunroom. I have been madly weaving since, and feel a walk to the nature reserve near my house coming on to collect more supplies, I think I'm hooked!

A very Gardening Saturday

I had a wonderful weekend, visiting some friends (and their gardens).

Firstly thankyou to Sue, who came and found me at the Markets so that I could come visit her. Sue and I are both part of Aussies living simply, and it was great to meet her and her husband and see their garden and their home.

They have the most amazing stockpile, inside they have dried foods (they have adapted fowlers jars to vacuum seal their dried fruits and veges) bulk rice, groceries etc. They have bulk wheat which they grind themsleves for bread and scones in an electric mill. Under the house is the cellar with the bottled food.

They had a shed which they lived in while building their house, this was the preserving area, with converted shelves to hold hundreds of bottling jars, fowlers and pressure canning units, dryers and more.

Then the garden, which was full of food. They grow much more than they can eat and give the surplus to the local meals on wheels group. Her husband has a shed full of old engines and toys. I was so impressed I almost asked if they would adopt me. :)

Sue's Stockpile. Fruit, veges and soups. (She can bottle veges and meat as she has an american pressure canner, which can cook foods at much higher temperatures.

Sue's Garden, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, onions, broad beans. She has runs for the chooks, areas for berries that is netted in and an orchard.

What an inspiration! When I grow up I want to be like her.

Also on Saturday I went to Feedback, a gardening group based in Nthn Shoalhaven. They were wording on establishing a permaculture garden at a rural property that had recently been completed.

There was a large group, adults and children, and the garden was almost done by the time I arrived with my gift of banana trees and lebanese cress for the garden. We finished up the work and then went for a bushwalk.

The creek we crossed to enter the property, there was a causeway to get over.

The landscape was a mix of open paddocks and pristine rainforest. Some of the group are keen bushcare volunteers and were pointing out plants and picking up weeds to destry.

Imagine this for a view out your loungeroom window!

And sunsets like these....

Tempting, but I do love my house, and my crazy community.

After the walk we had a pot luck dinner, delicious with homemade sushi, dolmades, salads and curries. Thanks Janet for inviting me, I'll definately be coming back!

Lastly, I'll add in a photo from Sunday...

I went to my workmate's for lunch and after we ate, her husband decided to sew a cover for his new camera lens, I couldn't resist a photo!

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Hannah

Visiting Friends

Lanterns catching the sunlight

I need to do a few posts to catch up on my weekend. It was a long weekend here, I think for Labour day so I headed up to Sydney to catch up with friends and family. First stop was Thirroul, north of Wollongong to visit Sharon, a friend from youth group days. We had lunch and caught up and I had to share this photo of her studio with you. I must get my back sunroom to look like this.

From there I headed up to Sydney and had dinner and stayed the night with my aunt. We cooked a delicious baked dinner, and watched a movie, then chatted until we were falling asleep.





In the morning I went to my old church, Sydney Christian Outreach Centre. So nice to catch up with lots of people. With travelling and buying a house, I haven't been there for almost a year, so there were babies running around that were in tummies last time I was there, and a few girls who are definately grown up into young women now! Best was to catch up with my closest friends, Angie and Miranda.


Angie and I at Parramatta Lake

Sunday afternoon I spent with Roberta, a gardening friend over a cup of tea and checking out the changes to her garden. Thanks Roberta for the pepino, tansy, sweet potato, rosemary and rocket cuttings.

Stayed the night with Miranda, her sister and their housemate, and then headed over to Clarissa and Eric's in the morning. Clarissa is another gardening friend and has been caring for one of my old chickens, Speckles since I moved to Nowra. Speckles had been working for her keep as a show chicken, going along to permaculture displays to help teach people that they can keep chickens at home.

Recently Clarissa contacted me to say that some of the other chickens have been picking on (well actually pecking on) Speckles. So as my chook tractor is now functional the intention was to take Speckles and another bantam back with me.

Rebecca and Penguin (approx 4 weeks old)

We also enjoyed a local lunch. Bread from the bakery down the road, eggs lettuce and tomatoes from the garden. Capsicum and cucumber from a friend of my who grows locally as well. Delicious. After lunch we went over to visit Illabunda, a property owned by Clarissa's parents which is being developed into an eco village.

When I was living in Sydney I would help take tours around the property during open days, and there was a giant clumping bamboo which they planned to cut out the middle and make into a kids cubby house.

One year down the track, me in the bamboo house. It's really magical. If I only had the space.

While we were at Illabunda we also dealt with a swarm of bees, we not necessarily including me. But that's for another post. After picking up some plants from Clarissa's garden and going to Permaculture Sydney West, I drove me and the chookies home, and went to bed. I think I need a holiday.

Independance Days Challenge Update

Planted: Eggplant, tomatoe, chamomile, oregano, banana passionfruit, lemon grass, strawberries and corn.

Harvested: Broad Beans, spinach, strawberry (just one so far) salad, snowpeas and herbs

Preserved: Lemon Butter, Pasta Sauce.

Stored: Local Cheese - (Disappearing quickly) Seeds, Woodchip mulch

Managed: Spread Woodchip mulch in chook run in anticipation of the return of the chickens

Prepped: Planted more seeds - and potted up volunteer tomatoes seedlings to give away/plant.

Advocated for local food economy: Followed up all the people who signed up for permaculture network, and having our first meeting at the end of October!!!!.

Reduced waste: Compost, church scraps, mum's scraps, Neighbours scraps.

Cooked something new: Broad Beans! Loved them. Steamed then mixed with a little butter with pasta, baby beets and wilted spinach. Mmmm

A wonderful open garden

Do you know what these birds are???

They are guinea fowl. Aren't they cute!

They just run around the place at my friend Tina's garden.

This weekend she participated in the Australian open garden scheme, run all over the country showing off beautiful gardens.

Tina has 2.5 acres of gorgeous gardens. Natives around the borders that make me want to convert to bushcare (no- not really, but maybe to plant a few myself) Then she has a large traditional garden and a huge permaculture garden with orchard and veges and the bird enclosures.

This walkway is covered with vines of grapes, passionfruit and kiwi fruits and herbs grow underneath along the ground. Tina's garden uses a lot of stacking techniques, even though she has a lot of space.

I sent an email out to my permaculture contacts inviting them to come along on the Sunday, and four people came. Ken and Diane also go to my church, they loved the garden. This photo was taken after the bucketing rain had diminished slightly. It didn't stop the keen gardeners.

Tina asked me if she could give my name out as a contact for permaculture, and she inspired me to get organised. I did up a brochure and a sign up sheet and came along for one of the days, talking to people and signing them up for the group. There had been an article in the local paper about the garden and a few people said the only reason they had come was because it mentioned permaculture. Lots of people keen for a group so today I have sent an email out to everyone asking when they would like to meet and what they are interested in, or have skills to teach others in. Hoping to start in October!!!

In this photo you can see Tina's mandala garden. At the front a frog pond with strawberries around it, and there are 6 beds around it in a circle. All have wire guards to protect the tender veges from the chooks and in the background you can see the fruit trees with frames for netting to keep the birds off.

Here is Tina in the pink shirt giving a tour for some of the visitors. There were also homemade scones with jam and cream, pumpkin scones, delicious soup.... really a great day!