The macadamia nut period are ending. But every morning we are still searching the grass for nuts and Mick is shaking the trees. The “new buds” for next years harvest are already waiting.
The macadamia trees
Monthly Archives: August 2017
Compost bin no 3
Our compost bins in the kitchen have broken one by one. They were made of plastic. The last one seemed so sturdy but no. The handle came off and left a big hole. Now it will be a planter instead. Anyway we bought a tin box aimed for First Aid and Mick put two handles on it. Now we will see!
Lomandra / Mat rush
Had visit from friends, from our old life that is. We showed them around the property and garden.
We not only try to get a vegetable garden going but also we are interrested in native foods. We want to cultivate some of those native edibles.
So we were pointing out whatever you can eat both from nature and from the plant beds. Both mother and daughter ate happily everything I stuck in their mouths. (The dad took pictures.) Then we came to Lomandra or Mat Rush which we have not yet tried out but mom, without hesitation, trustfully pulled out a Lomandra leaf and started chewing. “How does it taste?” She began laughing. She was actually the first to taste it! Jen can be very convincing sometimes.
Spring is here –
that stuck in the throat.
Våren är här: Welcome swallows are back! Väkomstsvalorna är tillbaka!
Men hoppsan frost igen dagen efter! Hard frost again the day after!
Winter garden / Vinterträdgården
Jaha, gjorde vin enligt ett recept som kallades fängelse vin (prison wine) där man bara använder socker och frukt. Det gick bra ända tills dagen för flaskhällning då, över natt, hade vinet förvandlats till vinäger och vi tänker inte slösa våra få flaskor på hemgjord vinäger. Alla burkar och flaskor är vigda till saft och sylt… och vin. Men skam den som ger sig vi provar på nytt men den här gången enligt receptet för guavavinet. Med jäst alltså. Sen har vi också provat att göra godis. Kumquatskalen är söta – jo prova. Ät bara skalet och inget annat! Så koka socker som till pepparkakshusklister och släng in skalen. Första försöket funkade inte alls så vi kokade om och det blev jättegott men fortfarande inte knäckigt så ett försök till sker snart.
Vintersådden har just varit det blev bara snow peas som är ungefär som sockerärter. Hittade ingen bra översättning. Och mer sallat. Lite spenat blir nog sått nästa vecka och sen är det bara att vänta till början av september då det blir dax att så i småbyttorna igen och kanske en del frön hamnat i landet.
Sista frostdagen var sept 6 förra året. Annars växer det fint i grönsakslanden. Ettan haltar lite men 2:an och 3:an går bra. Vi skördar palsternacka, morötter, broccollini, kålrot, bok choy, kinesiskt kål -Granat, rukola, daikon massor av citrus – lime, citron, kumquat och grapefrukt -snart kommer några apelsiner också. Sen har vi fått massor av pumpor från olika grannar så vi står oss nog fram till och med vårsådden.
Vi har inte grävt så mycket på kommande grönsakslanden 4 och 5 men vi har hela augusti på oss så det är lugnt.
Men än är det kallt och vi sitter och trycker framför spisvärmen morgon och kväll.
Lilla barnbarnsbebisen är 1 månad. När ses vi?
Ok, so the prison wine failed. Stirred and stirred and it smelled Godsent but on the day of bottling it had turned to vinegar. And no we have no bottles or jars we can use for vinegar. They are all promised for either jam or cordial or the real thing – wine. We have actually no bottles left at all after last bout of cordial making.
Winter sowing: It is midwinter now and not much to do in the patches more than weeding. But everything is growing nicely oddly enough so we are harvesting daikon, carrots, broccolini, parsnip, swedes, Chinese cabbage, bok choy and rocket (rukola). Lots of citruses and all the pumpkins we got from nice neighbours so we are pretty fixed for food hopefully, until spring sowing starts. We have not dug any on the new patches in a while but we have all rest of August to do that job so we are in no hurry.
Today is kumquat-wine-making-day and need not bottles or jars until in 42 days. This time we add yeast but still none of the rest of the additives ordinary wine makers add.
Yesterday Jen made candy on sugar and the kumquat peel. It turned out really yummy but the sugar is not hard enough so next trial will be much better. Will cook the sugar in the cast iron pan until it´s almost like making glue for the ginger bread house. Just want to say read on the internet that kumquat peel is sweet and it is! so peeling them and cooking them in sugar = candy yum!
Still cold mornings and evenings spent by the wood fired stove. This week we are expecting some very cold nights and maybe some hard frost. We´ll see. Working outside in the sun in t-shirt works fine now though.
Grandchild is 1 month. When will we meet?
Another winter’s day another kumquat cordial making
Well the kumquat prison wine failed. Will try with yeast tomorrow. but 7 bottles of cordial got made! Boding well for hot summer days.
We´ve had a few really cold days and a long bout of morning frost. On Tuesday we went to Kemp for some errands and it was a pretty nice windy and warm day. A day with few errands but a doctors appt. and getting the ute’s brakes fixed. It ended up with us being sent both here and there and the whole day was totally full and we got home in the dark. Phew.
Good thing was we only had to buy food for ca 100 $. We had 20 days of food at home this time. And we have veggies for all that time. Only bought cauliflower and some green beans. Wow!
The garden is thriving. Especially patch 3! Incredible! Even though we´ve had many frost mornings but light frost. We are flabbergasted. We have a lot to learn about the weather!