We have had the most incredibly warm May weather - certainly Spring-like, with gorgeous sun-shiney days and chilly mornings and evenings that send us rushing to light our fire. That neatly stacked woodpile is diminishing at an alarming rate!
I never really enjoyed Autumn or Winter before but this late in life, I find a blossoming appreciation for the joys of seasonal fruits and the more laid back lifestyle these seasons bring to the back yard. Evenings see me inside much earlier, creating wonderful dishes at leisure. Usually I am frenetically working in the garden till about 6-7pm summertime, so evening meals are a rather hurried affair, eaten much later than the stomach would prefer! Now we eat much earlier, relax a little and tackle studies or other tasks.
Last weekend saw me making the most of the sunny weather and pruning our feijoas and peach trees, like a little guerilla gardening commando. Eeek! I am not sure that they will recover enough to fruit next autumn! I think I went just a tad overboard! However, the prunings were put to good use, mulched down by my hungry little Masport mulcher. This is used to anchor the cardboard layer in the central garden bed. The cardboard serves to suppress the weeds and is eventually broken down by all those gobbling micro-organisms in our soil.
Roots:
I have been harvesting potatoes, jerusalem artichokes and some bird-sown turnips. Combined with pumpkins, Italian zuchini rampicantes, the last of the capsicums, a few green chard or kale leaves and of course, the ever-available chillies, these few humble ingredients can be rustled up into some exceptionally tasty soups, stews and bakes. We have a huge supply of home-grown fresh garlic and plenty of dried basil for seasoning. And of course, plenty preserves as a side serve. Simple. Delicious.
Simply delicious!
Fruits:
We are harvesting mandarins, persimmons and yellow guavas at the moment. What amazing sumptuous fruits! Wow! Biting into home-grown fruit is such a wickedly decadent treat! Our little yellow guavas are super sweet and the persimmons are juicy and sweet- nature's lollies! There are many limes on our little tree - I have even made up a lime juice cordial, to be drunk hot or cold, diluted with water. It's a simple recipe I use when my lemons are in abundance - 1 cup squeezed juice, mixed with 1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup hot water. Keeps in the fridge up to 4 weeks. Simply dilute with water to taste, hot or cold.
Gifts Galore:
The garden gives us so many gifts and brings so much pleasure. It is where I like to spend time. Down time, up time, any time. I wish I shared the same love of housekeeping. Alas, my poor house survives on minimal attention! So saying, I did clean 2 lots of windows this week, only so I can better keep an eye on what's happening outside in my garden!
And talking of gifts, our Indian neighbours who work in the kiwifruit industry, brought us a huge bag of golden kiwifruit this week! Yum! We don't really do the green kiwifruit - too tart and acidic but the yellows............mmm! Makes wonderful jam, and I have never yet figured out, in a country that is renowned for it's kiwifruit production, why you cannot buy kiwifruit jam in the supermarket?! Boy, there sure is a gap in the market here!
I do however, make sure I wash the kiwifruit well, in soapy water, to remove the chemical residues left over from conventional growing. Deadly stuff!
Shayni, my daughter, just completed a 12 hour shift on her second day ever, working in the kiwifruit pack-house! I now have two children in the workforce! Amazing!
I never really enjoyed Autumn or Winter before but this late in life, I find a blossoming appreciation for the joys of seasonal fruits and the more laid back lifestyle these seasons bring to the back yard. Evenings see me inside much earlier, creating wonderful dishes at leisure. Usually I am frenetically working in the garden till about 6-7pm summertime, so evening meals are a rather hurried affair, eaten much later than the stomach would prefer! Now we eat much earlier, relax a little and tackle studies or other tasks.
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| Other tasks |
Last weekend saw me making the most of the sunny weather and pruning our feijoas and peach trees, like a little guerilla gardening commando. Eeek! I am not sure that they will recover enough to fruit next autumn! I think I went just a tad overboard! However, the prunings were put to good use, mulched down by my hungry little Masport mulcher. This is used to anchor the cardboard layer in the central garden bed. The cardboard serves to suppress the weeds and is eventually broken down by all those gobbling micro-organisms in our soil.
Roots:
I have been harvesting potatoes, jerusalem artichokes and some bird-sown turnips. Combined with pumpkins, Italian zuchini rampicantes, the last of the capsicums, a few green chard or kale leaves and of course, the ever-available chillies, these few humble ingredients can be rustled up into some exceptionally tasty soups, stews and bakes. We have a huge supply of home-grown fresh garlic and plenty of dried basil for seasoning. And of course, plenty preserves as a side serve. Simple. Delicious.
Simply delicious!
Fruits:
We are harvesting mandarins, persimmons and yellow guavas at the moment. What amazing sumptuous fruits! Wow! Biting into home-grown fruit is such a wickedly decadent treat! Our little yellow guavas are super sweet and the persimmons are juicy and sweet- nature's lollies! There are many limes on our little tree - I have even made up a lime juice cordial, to be drunk hot or cold, diluted with water. It's a simple recipe I use when my lemons are in abundance - 1 cup squeezed juice, mixed with 1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup hot water. Keeps in the fridge up to 4 weeks. Simply dilute with water to taste, hot or cold.
Gifts Galore:
The garden gives us so many gifts and brings so much pleasure. It is where I like to spend time. Down time, up time, any time. I wish I shared the same love of housekeeping. Alas, my poor house survives on minimal attention! So saying, I did clean 2 lots of windows this week, only so I can better keep an eye on what's happening outside in my garden!
I do however, make sure I wash the kiwifruit well, in soapy water, to remove the chemical residues left over from conventional growing. Deadly stuff!
Shayni, my daughter, just completed a 12 hour shift on her second day ever, working in the kiwifruit pack-house! I now have two children in the workforce! Amazing!
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| Painting by Shayni - our fireplace |
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