Well, that's the end of the gardening for today, rain - just when I was feeling so virtuous. I did learn a thing or two though while I was weeding the blackcurrants. Mother hen (Millie) brought her brood over to see what I was doing. She always follows me when I'm digging, hoping that I … Continue reading Gardening – down came the rain

Now much has been said when I've been on ABC radio about the virtues of nettles. Well, I finally was able to get to weeding the vegetable patch this morning and hidden in the depths was a pretty fine crop of nettles. This is what they did to my arm. So if you see nettle … Continue reading Grasp the Nettle?

Harsh life here on the farm this morning, not. It was absolutely idyllic with the mist hanging on the hillsides. A short walk across the paddocks was like watching a mini play in motion. Truffles the kitten who loves to chase the chickens, was attacked by mother hen, which she throughly deserved, and ran for … Continue reading Autumn morning

Yes, that’s me I have to admit. Trouble is that there’s been so much else to do, in the kitchen primarily – so much preserving. It’s all I can do to get to mow the grass lately. Finally today I was able to make the time to plant out a punnet of red cabbage seedlings … Continue reading The Neglectful Gardener

Some of today's pickings, reflecting the beautiful colours of autumn. There's riesling and pinot noir grapes from a nearby vineyard, cumquats from a kindly hairdresser's garden, hops from Stephanie's neighbour's vine and of course, of course - yet more tomatoes from our garden. Should be a good day for preserving tomorrow. No-one could say our … Continue reading Today’s pickings ……

One of the by-products from all the juicing yesterday was, of course, the pulp. Son-in-law Nat here shows a new version of 'apple cake'. Quite a bit of the pulp (a ute-full) served as dinner for some friends' pigs. Today the last barrowful is being visited by hundreds of bees and bumble bees. I would … Continue reading Of apple cake and bees

Well, today was D-Day for juicing all the fruit stored in the shed. Apples, pears and quinces by the boxful have been gathered over the last week or so - from our garden, Stephanie and Nat's and donated to us by generous friends. We hired a scratter from Brew Tas (Liverpool St Hobart) that made … Continue reading Juicing Day

Sight of the late afternoon. Kitten Truffles, always bold and fearless, seen chasing a large wallaby across the front yard. What's more, the wallaby was afraid of her, hopping away at a great rate.  What a shame I didn't have my camera at the ready. Here she is in a quieter mood, in her basket … Continue reading The strangest sight …..

WHAT(!) was I thinking? There is so much produce needing to be preserved here today - red and green tomatoes, quinces, apples, pears, crabapples, hawthorn berries and more. And yet this is what I found at a local market - I can never resist a good bag of pickling onions. Preserving those will just need … Continue reading The joy of autumn produce

Here are just some examples of produce that is flowing through our door from this wonderful valley of abundance. The tomatoes that were disappointing for so long - well, we now pick about 3 bucketfuls a day. Apples, pears and quinces in boxes cover the shed floor, awaiting juicing and bottling that will be undertaken … Continue reading Autumn’s bounty