Yes, men at work - as these are premium CalClaire grapes, it's apparently best to remove the stalks. So here the two of them, Nat and Robert, have sat for hours doing just that. The level of grapes in the wine press in steadily rising, so it won't be long before we will need two … Continue reading Meanwhile … Men at Work

Busy, busy times. Taught preserving at the Agrarian Kitchen on Friday, and on Sunday had our daughter Courtney's wedding reception here on the farm. It was such a pleasure to spend time with Matthew's family and Courtney and Matt's friends too, and our own family of course. It was a very informal affair - Robert … Continue reading Of Grapes and Wine

When Mummy is in hospital to have an operation today, she is bound to need someWhen Mummy is in hospital to have an operation today, she is bound to need some sweet treats when she wakes up and feels a bit better. Time for some baking again then, with Charly Wood at the helm. We … Continue reading Gluten free muffins and cup cakes

There are some days that are just idyllic, here in this Derwent Valley. Today we set off on a mulberry picking mission. Friends had offered us the fruit from their tree, on a property at Bushy Park. We picked the tree clean of its remaining berries - the best way to do this is to … Continue reading Mulberries and accidental discoveries in Bushy Park

What do you do when you've spent the night at Nan and Grandad's house? Cook of course, by special request of Charly. On the menu this morning were cupcakes - tri-colour no less. Great fun as we raced to the chant of "chocolate, pink, vanilla!!" layering dollops of the mixture as fast as we could … Continue reading Sunday Morning Baking

Oh dear! After the cooking class yesterday, there were about 12 lovely yellow nectarines left over. As I have visitors coming for dinner tonight, I decided to make a nectarine crumble for dessert, maybe with lemon coconut ice cream ….. I stewed up the nectarines no problem, then added the sugar and gave it a … Continue reading The salt that masqueraded as sugar

Fun in the kitchen again yesterday. Robert relieved Stephanie and Nat of some of their large crop of grapes. It was duly brought back here and turned into verjuice, which is essentially the juice of under-ripe wine grapes I am told. It's tart for sure, but flavoursome and delicious. It will serve well as a … Continue reading Grapes and Jelly Cakes

And so as the day goes on …. this morning Robert peeled the onions for pickling. It's a rotten job, don't know why he likes (or maybe it's just tolerates) it. He set himself up as usual outside with a bit of a breeze carrying away the worst of the fumes. I actually took note … Continue reading Pickled onions and fruit cheeses

And then there were CRABAPPLES!! What a treat. Arrived home from mulberry picking this morning to find these treasures in the porch, such good quality (thanks Deborah). Tomorrow I will make jelly and paste from them, maybe even some crab-apple lemonade. I neglected to take the camera with me this morning when we went mulberry … Continue reading Crabapples and Elderberry Tonic

No-one could ever say Tasmania and this Valley were not productive. Despite the challenges of the dry weather, a plague of green beetles, marauding possums, potoroos and wallabies, everyone's gardens seem to be yielding huge supplies of summer fruits. This morning started out with Robert bottling off a gluten free beer. He is, as always, … Continue reading A Tasmanian Summer’s Abundance