February seeds

Today was seed planting day (2 days before full moon) or rather it started off as reseeding some of the January plantings. This time of year is some what challenging when it comes to seeds. Firstly there is the heat that dries out the seedbeds very quickly. In January I put shade cloth over the seeds & covered the area with old sheets. It worked very well with excellent germination. I took away the covers; everything looked great until the blackbirds decided they fancied digging in the damp soil. They dug up and destroyed all the seedlings along one side so I replanted and covered the reseeded area with racks. So then naturally they dug up the other side. Time to get serious so today that side was replanted. The parsnips, some carrots, chard, chicory and beetroot where replaced and now the whole bed was covered with bird netting. If the cool change does not come tomorrow I will cover it during the day with sheets to keep the moisture up.

So now it was time to plant this months seeds. The other challenge at this time of the season is finding space, a bed growing bush beans which had produce early and now on the wane was cleaned up and Lauren, my able assistant/student (University of Life).then prepared the bed and planted the swedes, parsnips carrots, lettuce, kale, spring onions, Earliball cabbage, endive, arugula ,turnips and kohi rabi. The polly pipe frames where then erected and bird netting protection added to give the seeds a good start.

Harvest at present is dominated by beans, bush beans like redland pioneer, amethyst, borlotti, and climbers, I planted lots of climbers, my main trellis is made from a bike wheel and string but I’ve found some of last years plum prunings made neat trellises for the zebra, purple king, blue lake and some small black bean seeds to grow on. But the kings of them all are the scarlet runners they grow so big yet are so tender. The carrots & parsnips are also at their best while the tomatoes, cucumbers and greens are all providing a valuable addition to the daily diet. So much flavour!

Summer Evenings

It’s nice to get in the swing of regular BBQs again. Our barbie has been rebuilt i.e. a ‘new’ ½ 44gal drum. This one is a good heavy duty one and took a bit of cutting but will last many years and the other half is there ready for when it finally burns out. I love cooking with wood; it has a special quality especially when you grow your own.

The garden provides the vegetables and fresh salads. The meat is usually local and bartered. Last week we had Urrbrae sausages that Maggie & Bob brought along to the wine making. Last night we had Gibberagunyah lamb chops from out at Nairne. Part of a whole lamb swamped for a couple of geese. Not many food miles to our veranda.

Such meals are simple and a great celebration of fresh flavorsome foods. When ever the weather is not too cold we eat in our dinning area on the veranda enjoying the peaceful view and sights and sounds of the birds before the dark takes over.

Last night the moon was extremely bright. The moon is full on Thursday and it also reaches perigee which means it’s closest to the earth for this month. This intensifies the effect of the full moon. Therefore Tuesday is vegetable seed planting day. Especially important for getting winter vegetables going before the cold sets in. The main challenge is finding space for these as the summer vegetables are just reaching their peak.

A Time of Plenty

Reaping the harvests at this time of the summer is special. This is when the planning, planting & caring for the garden really pay off well. The basket is laden with beans, actually I’ve planted a few too many as I got carried away with making trellises from prunings. These pruning were a result of a program to reducing the hight of some of our mature fruit trees to make netting easier. I had put them aside to use for weaving projects but then thought they would make interesting trellises. So they are now supporting various beans along with the main bike wheel trellis.

Daily harvests of tomatoes, cucumbers, a rich variety of greens, carrots of all colours, basil, deliciously sweet parsnips, and rich beetroot plus when required chard and, the odd cabbage make meals special. This week a friend brought round a rabbit, which was cooked to perfection by Quentin and shared with our neighbour June. Needless to say it was served with a wide selection of vegetables fresh from the garden.

To ensure continual harvests, continual plantings are necessary .I plant 1 or 2 1 metre rows 2 days before the full moon, some are thinned & transplanted in any gap I can find, the rest let develop & harvested at varying stages. Planting 2 days before a full moon ensures quick germination but more importantly gives me a rhythm to work with & ensures I plant seeds each month for a continual harvest. When I transplant seedlings either from the garden beds or pots I always do it in the late afternoon when the earth in breathing in and preferably on the new moon as the earth's least fertile time. This gives the seedling time to settle in and the take advantage of growth period of the full moon.

Garden View from top of Garden Shed.

Bubble Bubble Bloop

At this time of the summer, as well as harvesting I’m busy ensuring the harvest extends throughout the year. My preference is drying fruit, fruit wines, pickling vegetables, making sauces, jams & chutneys (although some are frozen to be processed on cold winters days on the wood stove.)
The first batch of fruit wine is bubbling away .I wait till the mad rush of Christmas berries are over before starting on the wine. Many fruits are best frozen first, as when the thaw many of the cells are broken & this helps mash up the fruit so as the yeast can work on the fruit. After much trial & error I make only 5 litres of wine at a time as this gives you 6 ½ bottles which is plenty for me & you can make more variety. More importantly the processes can be done on time, Straining, filtering & racking 5 litre takes only a few minutes.
Making fruit wines is simple once you have organised the equipment. The main difference is that grapes have everything you need to make wine contained in the fruit where as other fruits need tannin, acid & sugar and often you add some grape to give body & smoothness. The first wine of this season is mulberry.

Mulberry wineIngredients to make 5 litres around 12.5% alcohol per volume
1.7Kg mulberries
380g sultanas
1kg sugar
½ cup strong tea (tannin)
2 oranges.
¼ teaspoon malt extract
1 teaspoon all purpose wine yeast.
Method
Stage 1
Dissolve sugar in ½ litre hot water adds malt & orange juice allow to cool.
Mash berries in fermenting container (I use a 7 litre glass jar) many people use a bucket.
Chop sultanas add to berries.
Add strained tea & sugar syrup. & make up to 4 litres with cold water.
Sprinkle yeast on top, cover & leave to ferment in a warm place for 10 days. Stir twice daily. (I actually swirl the jar, this saves having to sterilize a spoon each time.
Stage 2
Strain through muslin cloth into a 5 litre fermentation vessel Discard solids.
Top up to the neck with cold water
Close with air lock
Leave to ferment to dryness. This can take 4-5 weeks.
Wait 2 weeks after fermentation has finished
Stage 3
Rack wine (siphon to a clean 5 litre container leaving sediment behind.)
Top up to the neck with cold water. Fit a cork & keep in a cool place for 10 months.
Stage 4
The wine should be clear & ready for bottling. Once bottled leave 2-3 months to condition & mature.

New Helpers

Today it’s been drizzling all day, although it won’t be a significant amount of moisture it’s a pleasant change.
The moisture as put a temporality stop to the mulberry harvest. Being covered in red juice has been the norm lately as we pick the mulberries.

Today I dusted off a couple of helpers & constructed a couple more with the aim of deterring the black cockatoos from demolishing the walnuts. They are beautiful birds so let’s hope a few scarecrows & flappy things keep them from stopping for lunch in the orchard. Not only do they take the nuts but they shred the leaves and small branches.