Happy equinox everyone. For us in the southern hemisphere, it is Ostara, the spring equinox, celebration of babies of every species (and rabbits and eggs). Celebration that life renews over and over, generation begatting generation into not just the 7th generation but forever – a good moment to reflect on how wonderous and astonishing it is that this little blue green planet on the outskirts of an obscure galaxy has life.
This was our north side fence when we moved in, and it was a really attractive house feature. – it wasn’t one of those colourbond monstrosities that catch heat, block sunlight, have only one purpose, and make over the fence conversations impossible, and it needed to be replaced. The new fence going in is now a trellis for Madagascar beans, cherry tomatoes, passionfruit and raspberries. While it can be climbed,…
You all know about kale chips don’t you? Kale in a form that kids will eat? That the pickiest eaters ask for as a snack? In cafes they usually deep fry it, and I find it a bit greasy like that. I like it better roasted till crisp with just a little oil and salt.
So how to make 30m2 grow enough vegetables for us, plus snow peas and carrots for the grandkids lunch boxes and the occasional excess for giveaways? Economically? I think the answer is to treat it like a jigsaw, or an art piece that has lots of elements that need to fit together.
There was a time when I didn’t get the attraction of broad beans, and now I’m looking forward to a couple of months of deliciousness. Not enough yet to be a meal all on their own so they are going into soup. They’ll be in the slow cooker all this sunny, solar powered day, with leeks, carrots, celery, some mature tromboncino that I’ve just harvested for seed (which will dissolve…
There are a million versions of Green Goddess dressing on the internet. So this is my garden-based version. It will keep for a few days in the fridge, but it’s so easy to make, it’s best made fresh when you want it. We had half of this batch drizzled over roast carrots, celeriac, parsnips, beets, sweet potato, red onions, and cauliflower, and the rest dollopped on poached eggs on sourdough…
My invoice from Daley’s fruit tree nursery says that on 28 October 2019, not long after we started our retrosuburbia journey, in the midst of a drought and just about to be thrown into the worst bushfire season ever, I bought a whole batch of fruit trees for a verge planting. Patience has never been my strongest virtue.