TWIG - 17

Our attention this week has been on getting our two off to a new school year – EJ had a blast on her first day of kinder – the interesting thing about living in a small community is that when its time for the kids to head off to school – they already know so many of the 'big' kids there – they've got oodles of friends and only the odd unfamiliar face.

It will take me a while to get used to the new rhythm of our lives (its not that both our children spent every moment with us prior to school – but it is very different to be readying the two together for the one destination!) So I'm finding my feet with the new year – and shortly I'll have to make a second adjustment as I commence a new academic year – this time attempting to combine full-time study with part-time work and full-on load here at the creek.... and like most tasks I'll just nibble away at it until I get there.... I'm going to channel the little engine that could: “I THINK I can... I THINK I can.... I THINK I can....”

For weeks now I've been preserving our garden and orchard produce – yes it can be long and time-consuming – but its incredibly satisfying to look at bottles and bottles of pickles and chutney and jams and conserves.

ahhh late summer = preserving time!

here are two bowls of chopped cucumber/zucchini and onions soaking in brine 

- the first stage in making sweet mustard pickles 

(FP loves his mustard pickles!)

This week I've made peach and sweet orange marmalade, bread and butter cucumber pickles and as I type this out I'm in the middle of a monster batch of sweet mustard pickles (based on zucchini and cucumber). I've always loved making preserves – its something that I started doing with my darling grandmother – Nana T – who was an AMAZING pickle and sauce maker – lucky me I managed to write down some of her recipes, and every time I make tomato sauce or mustard pickles I think of her and all the wonderful times we spent together


TO DO

plant more seeds!

More preserves!

get new worms for the worm farm (my dears had a fatal sauna in the 44C heat of a couple of weeks ago)

sow bulk herb seeds in trays

try to catch up on all the jobs not done yet!


Completed

late summer seeds sown: sugar baby watermelon, early wonder cucumber , rocket, english spinach, gold bullion zucchini

seedlings transplanted: rainbow silverbeet, echinecea, artemisia, lime verbena, (these last 3 have been planted in the lower decorative border)

bottled 25 jars of preserves including: peach & sweet orange marmalade, sweet mustard pickles, Bread and Butter cucumber pickles.

Old potato beds dug over, organic fertiliser added and seeds planted

bay tree seedling planted (chimney decorative bed)


Picking/ eating

green oak leaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce, raspberries, yellow peaches, yellow nectarines, blood plums, rondo de nice zucchini, yellow crook-neck zucchini, spring onions, ivory eggplant, pontiac potatoes, 'zucumbers', early wonder cucumbers, passionfruit, cherokee wax beans, climbing princess beans, sweet basil.