Hills and Plains Seedsavers

FROM OXFORD, UK TO PORTLAND, USA....

2008-10-12T02:06:00.001+01:00

I am sitting in the back seat of a small plane flying from Washington to Portland, Maine to stay with Roger from Kitchen Gardeners International for a few days. This plane reminds me of flying TAA, our local airline in Adelaide, when I was a child. In those days the planes were small and noisy, like this one, and if you were a member of the Juniors Flying Club you could go up the front and talk to the pilot.....how things have changed!

I have had a few days off from vegetable gardens and even from taking photos.....after taking over 1000 photos in 3 weeks I needed a break! It was great to see Alex in Oxford and hear of the fun he is already having as he starts a PhD in computer science at Oxford University. The first thing I said when he showed me the back yard of the place where he is housed is that there is heaps of room for a vegetable garden! I think he will at least get some herbs and hopefully send me some photos! I am sure Teleri (Olives and Artichokes) could offer advice as she had quite a vegetable garden in Oxford a few years ago, and even a goat that she took for walks with the dog!

Well, I did visit something called a Herb Centre which was a bit of a flop but they had a good vegetable garden and view!

In an organic farm produce shop I came across they were selling all the regular vegetables and packaged organic foods like breakfast cereals and rice and so on and they had some organic seeds. I was a bit shocked to see F1 hybrids being sold there as organic. Although theoretically they could be organic I guess, it seems against the principles of organics to offer plants that have seeds that cannot be saved. I would not expect this to happen in Australia but I may be wrong.....(goodness this plane is SOOOO noisy....I wish I hadn't given up my good seat to someone whose friend was originally in this back seat!!)

I have been doing some shopping in quaint little English villages and finally found the Bronnley lemon soap my mother especially asked me to get for her! Plus I have bought a few other presents....some even for readers of this blog!

The traffic in the UK is horrendous and the motorways are groaning under the strain. In Adelaide we only have one road that you would call a motorway - the S.E.freeway and luckily it is a far cry from the hectic nature of traffic in the UK and the constant bottlenecks and noise. While I am on about numbers of people, South Australians would not believe Dulles Airport in Washington where 3 million people a day pass through! That is twice the population of our state, everyday! If you thought the Royal Adelaide Show was crowded, just walk down to any departure gate in this airport.....a solid throng of people as far as the eye can see. But the bloke making the announcements about what flights were leaving next was quite a comedian and had everyone laughing at his comments.

Anyway, here I am in the USA with my seeds all in tact..... now I wish I had brought more as I feared they would not be allowed in! It is getting on for midnight in UK time, where I left this morning, but I feel really good as the sun is shining here as it is only about 6pm..... I am looking forward to meeting Roger and I hope he has some dinner for me as this flight only has drinks....

SHE WHO HESTITATES GOES HUNGRY!

2008-10-09T10:18:00.001+01:00

What I would like to know is how we in Australia, and in Adelaide in particular, came to have what we call a 'flat white' coffee. I have been away now for 3 weeks and a couple of days and despite a concerted effort to track down the perfect flat white coffee in England and France, have discovered that such a thing does not exist. Sure, the coffee in France is good, excellent even, but you can't get a flat white. At breakfast time it was usually cafe au lait being served. After that it was espresso. The list on offer in all the multitude of cafes I tried..... just for research, you understand.... was short: cafe (short black or espresso is what we would call it, in a tiny cup), cappuccino (which I think everyone knows), cafe au lait (short black with lots of hot milk, in a large cup) and noisette (a short black with a little hot milk, in a tiny or medium sized cup). The noisette was a good option, especially if I could get them to understand in my bad French that I wanted the milk in a small jug, so I could add just the right amount! My favourite coffee was actually at Teleri and Richard's in Gabian, where Richard, despite being from the UK (!!), made the perfect espresso and with the exactly right amount of hot milk to make me smile every time! He used Lavazza il supretto.

Our cafes in Adelaide are primarily run by Italian people and I do wonder if the flat white is an Italian invention ... with just that right amount of agitation of the milk to thicken it, without turning it into cappuccino, but at the same time not leaving it thin.... and making the espresso strong and full-flavoured, with the double-roasted coffee beans that glisten, exuding an unmistakable aroma of richness and creating a feeling of anticipation, knowing that it will all culminate in a perfectly executed flat white.

There are 2 places I frequent in Adelaide that serve great coffee....Zuma's (in the Central Market) and Grimanldi's ( a cafe / restaurant on Greenhill Road opposite Burnside Village).

Of course all is forgiven in France because nothing compares with the French patisserie, where sweet delights are created, not merely cooked, and not only are a pleasure to behold but are so indulgently delicious that, although I have just had breakfast as I write this, I am dizzy with the memories of all the delicacies I have eaten as I researched the patisseries of France in earnest.

Then there is the boulangerie where one buys things made with yeast. This ranges from the quintessential French baguette, through a multitude of breads such as the epi, which are made to be eaten on the day and people are shocked if you suggest finishing off yesterday's bread! It is true what you see on TV.... French people out buying baguettes very early in the morning and riding home on their bikes with them in time for breakfast.

Of course one cannot forget the croissant. It deserves a paragraph of its own. Croissant dough comes in different shapes and sizes and can be rolled up with chocolate or raisins or several other things, and are all consumed for breakfast or later in the morning, on the whole. Since everything closes between about 12 and 2, you have to be quick to get your goodies from the boulangerie or patisserie and any decent shop will not have much left by the time the doors close and the bakers go out or go home for lunch! In the afternoon the range will be limited.

In Adelaide excellent croissants can be bought from Breadz'n'More at the market.... otherwise they are pretty ordinary, I find. In France they are generally excellent although I have had the odd one that is not, usually in touristy places. It is funny also how the restaurants and cafes will not serve you lunch after about 1.30!

So my suggestion to any would-be travellers to France is to get up very early, go out to the local boulangerie and patisserie and get your morning's food fresh, eat it immediately and be ready for lunch by 12.30! Save up for dinner....that requires another post of its own! Food comes first in France. He who hesitates goes hungry!

......I never hesitated....!!!

LE POTAGER D'UN CURIEUX

2008-10-08T06:28:00.001+01:00

Every now and then I meet someone who inspires and amazes me with their passion for growing food and living in tune with their land. One such person is Jean-Luc Danneyrolles who is a gardener-philosopher who has started growing little-remembered plants and herbs,and lots of beautiful vegetables, common and rare. He sells his creations in the Apt marketplace on Sat. morning and opens his garden to visitors during the warmer months.

He grows and sells seeds, flowers, plants and vegetables at his idyllic property in a lush, gently sloping valley, near Apt.

He grows everything without chemicals and is dedicated to a simple life, full of biodiversity and the love of slow....

He writes books and is part of many groups such as Slow Food etc.

There is a room full of his seeds which he saves and sells.

Everywhere there are artistic creations and, actually, he very much reminded me of Deb.

THE SOURCE

2008-10-04T19:47:00.001+01:00

There is one very special occurrence common to all three of the homes I have stayed in here in France; something I have never heard spoken of in a similar way in Australia, and something that I personally find the most attractive aspect of life here....it is the source.The source is a beautiful word and means a spring or the beginning of a stream and here at Mas du Diable, high up in the mountains, it is in a cave under the house..... a deep hole in the natural rock that fills slowly with pure spring water and is pumped direct to the house when you turn the tap on....icy cold, almost crisp and so sweet. All the houses around here were built in the last 800 years and have a source. In fact there are 3 here on this land; one for the house, one for the garden which fills a small dam and one spare!

The photo at left shows Rachel at the entrance to the cave which houses the source.

The photo at right shows the face of the rock and the hole, left rear, with some stone steps winding up to a door, just out of sight, where the original inhabitants would have come down from the house with a bucket to collect water without having to go outside. Now there is an electric pump on the right that does the job.

The photo at left is the hole with the crystal clear water....so clear that I thought it was empty when I looked in, until I put my hand in and felt the water....

At Gabian, in the little square, there is a fountain where the water flows down from the source, and people would come and collect water from it, in buckets that could rest on a special frame still in place today. It flows simply by gravity and has done for 1000 years!

These children are playing around the fountain on their bikes.

Water for the village homes also comes from the source and when there is excess, the gardeners at Teleri's plot can use the water for their vegetables.

We also visited this nearby allotment which had a wonderful series of trenches and sluices that the gardeners used to run water down very well defined channels between the rows of vegetables.....some of their construction was ingenious and it seemed that everyone had their own method of making use of the water coming from the source.

Ian's place is actually called Les Fontenelles and also has a relation to a spring and I am looking forward to a visit to the source when I get back there on Tuesday.

It is so lovely to experience the ways that people over the centuries have made their homes at water sources, securing the viability of the villages and the inhabitants into the future. There are springs in the hills around Adelaide but somehow the history linked to these water sources here in France is quite awe-inspiring.

MAS DU DIABLE..... C'EST INCROYABLE

2008-10-04T08:13:00.001+01:00

I am here at Laura and Rachel's 12th century farmhouse way up in the Cevennes mountains, accessible only by a long, rough, switchback 4WD track. The house is the most ancient man-made thing I have ever seen and is breath taking outside and also inside. The 8 hectares of land is steep and terraced and the vegetable gardens lush and productive. Laura and Rachel work very hard to make this house and garden so beautiful... puts me to shame when I often complain about the slope at my place!

Laura has some very interesting vegetables like ground tomatoes, long beetroot and a tomato plant covered in vicious spines, as well as prickly pear, a yellow fig and so many different capsicums and chillis I lost count.

We picked the beetroot and I cooked Jamie Oliver's recipe for baked beetroot, to go with the roast chicken we had for dinner. We also had Laura's delicious yellow butter beans - so good..... It's a hard life here in France!

Of course there are and will be more photos......here.

AT HOME IN FRANCE

2008-10-02T07:21:00.008+01:00

Food in France is a serious business and there are vegetables gardens everywhere; in yards, in plots and allotments and food growing is central to the lives of these rural communities that I am visiting. I don't know about in the cities but compared to small Australian towns, French towns are a wonderland of food for me.

This ancient little village of Gabian has a boulangerie where Richard goes to buy fresh bread every morning. I asked him when it opens and he said maybe 6am...he has never been there when it hasn't been open in the morning. It closes about 12.30 and then opens again about 4, full of more fresh bread for the evening meals. Sundays they make patisseries and the townsfolk can be seen wandering home with boxes of cakes and goodies for after the Sunday family lunch.....sadly I won't be here on a Sunday!The bakers are a young couple with a baby.

There is a little general store, run by a friendly woman, and apart from essentials she keeps small amounts of local fresh foods like eggs, meat and cheeses you would only find in the central market in Adelaide, like roquefort and Saint Nectaire which we had last night and was superb. For AU$8, Richard bought a quarter of a round of this. Amazing!

Yesterday was market day in the square with just about 5 stalls....vegetables, kitchenware, clothes, fish and a van displaying, as Teleri said, everything you can do with a pig! We bought some Spanish chorizo which was like nothing I have had before as it had lots of roasted capsicum and pieces of smoked pork and was soft and aromatic and I ate far too much of it at lunch time while waiting for the paella to cook on the garden charcoal BBQ. See the photos.

There is always a lot of discussion about food and when other gardeners walk by at the allotment, there is an exchange of food news and it is wonderful. My spoken French is pretty bad but I can understand the gist of what is being said and yesterday I loved being shown around the plot next to Teleri and Richard's and hearing the enthusiasm in the voice of Antoinette as she told me about her dozens of haricots verts (green beans) plants, the cabbages, tomatoes and her new ginger plants, all the time apologising about how poorly it all was when actually it was amazingly abundant!

Suddenly she decided that Richard should dig out a couple of cherry seedlings growing next to her large cherry tree and take them to plant in their garden. There were no ifs or buts about this. She had decided they needed cherry trees and have them today they would! So they were promptly removed and we pruned them as she indicated and took them and planted them straight away. People - gardeners in particular - are always so keen to share and to give, the world over, and in every language.

We took the scenic route home....as if it is not ALL scenic!!..... and viewed Gabian from the top of the hill, up a windy path, which couldn't be called a road, and looked out as people have been doing here for a thousand years......

Today we went to the beach and I swam in the Mediterranean Sea.... a little cool and cloudy but a lovely experience and a beautiful drive. Plus lunch right on the seafront.... then we had to get back in time to catch the seafood van which comes every Thursday and Saturday from 4 to 4.30pm. Today we bought oysters for aperitifs and mussels, which I am going to cook for dinner.

Where do I live, again?

AN ANCIENT SETTING FOR MODERN DAY LIFE

2008-10-01T05:37:00.007+01:00

Here I am in Gabian, in the centre of the village which dates back over 1000 years.... incomprehensible to most Australians, I would think. The photos say it all. Streets so narrow you have to walk single file, roof tops of tiles seemingly just piled up thicker and thicker to stop leaks, everything at odd angles and stone so mellow and worn it is hard to believe it is not a movie set! Everything is in French and Occitain, an old local language.

Chaiselongue and Lo Jardinier are wonderful and have even made limoncello for me! We spent some time at their plot which is perched up quite high with a view across a valley to hills covered in olives, a few vines and some enormous power lines....ancient setting for a modernday life.

The village clock chimes every half hour all day and night but so far I haven't even heard anything during the night and have slept like a log, even with my windows wide open and the clock only just down the street. It is incredible to stay with people who love growing their food and cooking it as much as I do and even want to go for a walk on the beach with me on Thursday .... sadly I won't be able to take my mother's dog but the neighbours have one!

There has not been a drop of rain anywhere I have been since I left home! It is warmer than I thought....I should have brought more short-sleeved shirts. The seedsavers people will think it funny to see me in my regular Adelaide gardening clothes and hat....I only wish I had brought my ho mi !!

See more photos here.

I used blogger to do this and I apologise for it looking so bad.....

Spring At Nirvana

2008-10-01T02:38:00.003+01:00

Kate, Its good to share your adventure, your words at least as your pictures are so s-l-o-w to load (20min= half a picture) But I’m willing to sit through a slide show or two on your return to see them! I guess I should expect such a slow connection since I live in the slow lane. However it is frustrating after a long day weeding the berries.
Spring has arrived with a population explosion. These cute little fluff balls are hatching everywhere I don’t recall such a success rate for many years, there may be a message about season in this also I have a hen sitting on a batch of eggs and these are due to hatch in the next week.
The main orchard jobs at this time of the year are weeding, composting and mulching the berries. This short season will be on us all too quickly. Today on the answering machine is an order for Christmas raspberries. It’s also an important time to put the biodynamic preparations out and reconnect with the land after winter. It is also be time to dig up the horns and compost preparations as well as making some more barrel compost and casuarina tea.
Ting has been helping out each Tuesday. Yesterday we weeded a couple of vegie beds while waiting for the valley to dry out a little after a heavy dew, organized a couple of beds for Ting to grow some vegies with out water restrictions before helping Quentin string up the hops, it was then back to weeding the berries before stirring some barrel compost and putting it out on the gardens and orchards. Tomorrow the gardens and orchards will receive their 500 and the valley berries will have their turn Thursday& Friday.

Once the berries are organised I can spend a little more time in the gardens, however all the seeds planted August are up and have been potted up (Some for Kate) So all the tomatoes ,capiciums, eggplant and cucumbers are ready to be transplanted into their permanent beds next new moon. Regular monthly planting have continued to ensure daily harvest.

AT LAST..... GARDENING IN FRANCE... AND MORE EATING AND LAUGHING

2008-09-28T19:11:00.002+01:00

After visiting Sarah, the next stop has been Ian and Sylvia's, near Bergerac, where I have been staying for the weekend. It has been just so lovely and in between eating, chatting and visiting wonderful neighbours, Ian and I have actually got some gardening done - the first since I left home nearly 2 weeks ago.

We cleared out the pumpkin patch, planted leeks and spring onion seedlings from the Villereal market, broccoli and fennel seedlings Ian has raised and enlarged the bed by another third....soon it will rival Villandry!

It seems quite unreal gardening in blogland, and seeing all the things Ian talks about on his blog, including the Saturday visit to the Villereal market and a stop in to Bernard's to buy his 2004 Monbazillac.

We have spent quite some time with a French couple who live just down the street and they are such fun and so kind, cooking special Perigord dishes for me for dinner at their house on Saturday night and showing me around their vegetable garden as well as a wonderful slide show of Michel's beautiful wildlife photos that Ian regularly posts on his blog.

I tried a cocktail that Michel made which Marie-Sylvie assured me was not too alcoholic..... luckily I didn't believe her!

We had so many courses I lost count...so see Ian's post for details!....aperitifs, amazing garlic soup, delectable confit de canard, local organic vegetables, cheeses to die for etc etc and an apple pie I made for them. We had so many laughs and it was incredible and I thank them all very much.

Ian and I went early to the Villereal market and started by having coffee and croissants as of course one must when in France....very nice. The market fills a square which is surrounded by shops, and spills out onto the streets. It is just as I imagined from Ian's photos.... picturesque, down to earth, authentic, friendly and fun.

Villereal Market....

I was so lucky to have Ian and Sylvia take me to visit another neighbour, Gabriel, who grows vegetables, fruit trees and ornamental plants and is a man with an affinity with his land, his life and the health of the body and soul. I didn't take any photos.... it just didn't seem appropriate. He speaks a broad dialect but made a real effort to speak so I could understand, which surprisingly, I mostly did....as it was all to do with propagating and growing vegetables and fruit in his own wonderful way.... The quality of his produce was exceptional and from his vegetable patch we could see 35kms in one direction down the rolling land of the valley to Chateau Biron. and 55kms another to...... He grows a lot of tomatoes in polytunnels, and he gave us one which weighed 500g, which we are going to have for breakfast tomorrow. It was so special to listen to him telling me so much, in French, there in the south of France, and to see in his eyes his passion for all the things I too care about. Like Richard, in Singapore, Gabriel is connected and in tune with himself and all about him.

Tonight I am cooking mussel risotto for Sylvia and Ian..... starting right now!

As always, there are more photos on the link.They will have captions soon....hopefully before I go to bed tonight!

VISITING SARAH

2008-09-28T08:19:00.001+01:00

It is sometimes quite astounding how people come to meet and after just a few minutes you can feel like you have known each other for ages. This was the case with Sarah, a woman Ian took me to meet a few days ago. She has moved to France from England and has bought a lovely little cottage with lots of space for a vegetable garden, in the French countryside.

Sarah hasn't grown vegetables or anything much else before but now she has started a box system and provides vegetables for several other families and is building it up all the time. She has taken a leap and is now trusting her cape.....a little phrase that has become central to how I think, lately.

We looked around the vegetable garden, which is bounded on one side by one of these beautiful fields of sunflowers that are around every corner in this part of France. We sat inside and ate a lunch she kindly made us with things from her garden, with the sun streaming through the windows, and the road just outside the door....no cars went by while we were there. And anyway, in the back streets of France the roads are so narrow people just potter along, on the whole.

Sarah has found a connection and is making it work. She has removed herself from the ratrace and made a little space to absorb a more tranquil life. Like me, she has discovered slow and all the good things that come with it. We found so much in common.....me, an Australian woman travelling to see other people in the slow lane and Sarah, just doing it, out there in rural France.

Sarah belongs to Gardeners' Calendar

It was really lovely to meet you Sarah and I hope we can keep in touch.

TOTAL DECADENCE

2008-09-28T07:09:00.003+01:00

The other night I had a dessert that was nothing short of total decadence. I don't know what came over me to order it because, as I love only the rich, dark, bitter chocolate made by our local Haighs, I never normally choose chocolate things when I am out as they are always disappointing in comparison...But I am in France and they take food very, very seriously...

The menu I translated loosely simply as profiteroles with mint something and a hot chocolate sauce. It was 3 small profiteroles filled with a smooth, lightly minty icecream and the whole thing smothered in a chocolate sauce that can only be described as black, it was soooo dark. What was amazing was how they got the icecream inside the profiteroles and at the same time kept the profiteroles crisp and perfect even after having hot chocolate sauce poured over them! The sauce was like Haighs chocolate, rich but not sweet, thick and melted and concentrated and heated and poured in lashings over the profiteroles and the whole plate!

It was one of those eating experiences that leaves you thinking where you have been all your life not to have had it before!!

VILLANDRY

2008-09-27T06:41:00.001+01:00

I haven't had access to wifi for days and I have so much to say now......and to show you....

I took a trip to the Chateau Villandry and discovered a nice little cottage with a few vegetables growing out the back.... thought I might move in.... see what you think...

	There are 9 sections, displaying 9 magnificent collections of vegetables, each colour coordinated and every plant perfect. I wonder if they would notice if I put up a tent and slept under the pear trees?



	Check the photos link for LOTS more photos...

BEING IN THE GARDEN

2008-09-27T00:40:00.000+01:00

The new search engine is really great it allows me to go back and find things so easily.

Someone said why are you going back reminiscing, well I am but I am also remembering the past and celebrating how it has lead us to where and who we are today.

The healthiest choice we can make in life is to learn to live in the moment.
Being aware of what is happening in our minds and choosing to be present to ourselves and others is a great way to live.
Contemplating our past experiences helps us move forward, maybe making different choices, trying new things and making decisions to maybe not repeat old harmful thoughts and patterns.

We do this in the garden, we think about last season, what worked, what didn't.
Then we make choices decide what new things to grow, how to care for certain plants and how we shall use them.
The garden is a great teacher, it connects us to the real world.
How great it would be if everyone on this planet was able to have a garden and grow there own food.
The garden provides so much for us.
Not only do we get good exercise, we get the best fresh food ever, we get to experience the wonders of nature, to see little miracles appear daily, we watch the seasons change before our eyes, we experience birth, life and death in the garden, we can meditate while weeding or digging, we can share our produce with others and we can just BE in the garden and enjoy it.

FOOD IS A FRENCH WORD.....

2008-09-26T22:05:00.001+01:00

Tours is a beautiful town in the Loire Valley, with narrow, quaint streets full of tiny shops displaying exquisite things like these pastries. Eat your heart out Maggie!

There is a violin maker, lots of cafes with only a few tables inside and a couple outside in the sun and a few restaurants of different cuisines, like this Japanese one, amongst other small shops. I thought it was very amusing to see a Japanese restaurant, with its menu in French! There are colourful window boxes with geraniums cascading over, naturally enhancing the white stonework of the buildings, as in the photo, below right.

Food ....beautiful, artisan, carefully presented, forms the basis of French life and I can see I am going to have to spend a lot of time eating while I am here, in order to properly research French food.....

There are more photos in the link.

Spring, Fun and Flat Stanley in Adelaide

2008-09-25T22:23:00.023+01:00

What is it about spring that makes you want to get out side and have fun in the garden.
We are pulling out older plants, mulching with our compost, and planning where the tomatoes, basil and spring onions will go.

I have planted shiso seeds but find this wonderful versatile Asian herb is shooting up in the garden, where it had been planted last year. Last year I only used it in salads but this year it is going to appear everywhere as I have learnt more about it.
So shiso will appear in Asian soups, in stir frys, sushi and just fresh on a plate, with a bowl of steamed, maybe seasoned rice. The idea is you use the shiso leaf and wrap it around the rice, then eat it.

This year we are hoping to grow okra another versatile vegetable. I like it best slit down the middle, soaked in milk for a couple of minutes, then drained, rolled in flour and fried in a small amount of oil. But I am going to make a gumbo with it and also a south Indian curry.
I must put some coriander seed in a shady pot today and also freeze the coriander which is in the garden before it bolts to seed.

Now what to do with all the other seeds that are germinating nicely in this perfect spring weather.
It is so beautiful here today I must get outside soon.

Today I take my parent's for a drive, last week we went to Henley Beach and watched the wind and the waves but today we shall go to the Adelaide botanic gardens or to the rose garden at Urrbrae House and just sit and watch the flowers bloom and listen to the birds songs.

If you have not been to Adelaide, well let Flat Stanley take you for a guided tour of some parts of our lovely city.
It is 1 year tomorrow since Flat Stanley arrived in Adelaide from Atlanta and Foodshed Planet.

Pattie from Foodshed Planet's fun loving, creative young daughter had asked if her Flat Stanley from her school project could visit Australia. So Stanley arrived and Kate and I were very happy to show Stanley around our lovely city.

Click on to Flat Stanley to see the fun we had.

You will see some of the places we mention as well as our Adelaide Farmers Market, which is just 2 years old next week.
You will see our lovely Fern Avenue Community Garden, Warrawong Santuary and you will see the wattle, and blossoms and what's growing here at the moment when most of you will be enjoying the dappled colours of Autumn.

Wow it is only a year ago since he arrived and since new friendships were formed.

Now I am a Granny with a real life little boy to play and have fun with.
Pattie and her daughters have been riding their bikes everywhere and having all sorts of fun designing t shirts, having open gardening days with friends and painting wonderful bubble rooms.
And Kate well she is gardening her way around the planet and should appear in France soon.

So enjoy your day where ever you are.

A Great Day

2008-09-24T13:26:00.001+01:00

Its my birthday today, so I decided to take the day off and stay at home and reassemble my anchor windlass. It was an excellent choice of day for a birthday as it was the most perfect day here in Adelaide - fine and sunny around 17 deg.

By the time Alex and I had enjoyed a lovely breakfast of fresh eggs from the chooks, mushrooms and organic bacon from the market all on some lovely sourdough toast from Wilsons, followed by a cup of by Alex's excellent Italian style coffee, it was time to head off for lunch! We went to a lovely place called Muggletons up at Hahndorf in the hills with my mother and sister where we all enjoyed another lovely meal.

No progress on the windlass yet but oh well, there is still the afternoon, or some of it at least ...

Now, I've been worried about Kate's broad bean patch right down the bottom of our block ever since she left. I've been so busy doing all those things Kate looks after when she is here that I haven't even had a chance to look over the edge and see if they look OK, let alone go down there to check them out properly. I also know that Kate really wanted to tie them up before she left but just hadn't got around to it. So when we got home I told Alex I thought I would go down and checkout the broad beans and see about tying them up. He said he would help, so off we headed with Kate's trusty garden bag and an armful of droppers and pea straw bale ties.

I am pleased to be able to report that the broad beans are looking extremely healthy and although they were certainly starting to fall over and were ready for some attention in that regard they are all now beautifully tied up and can happily continue their merry growth towards full production for Kate's return!

Still no progress on the windlass but the day isn't over yet ...

As we walked back up to the top after admiring our handiwork, it was such a lovely afternoon that I thought "the windlass can wait a bit longer" and said to Alex, "How about a drink out here on the terrace before dinner?" So we sat out there enjoying the view and the late afternoon light in the blossom chatting about philosophy and the ways of the world as one often finds oneself doing with Alex ... and generally having a lovely time.

While we sat there I noticed that the netting was still on the avocado tree and the new buds were starting to burst into life with the new leaves and fruit rapidly growing through the netting. We could see that if we didn't get it off right now we were never going to get it off. So off we both went again and managed to get it all off without damaging a single bud.

By now it was dinner time (Swordfish Pizzaola leftovers from the other night ... delicious) -- still time for the windlass after dinner.

But suddenly I remembered what it was I really needed to stay home for today ... I need to open all that mail that has been piling up ever since Kate left and pay a few bills before something gets turned off ... so off into the study. Just a quick check of blog land I think to myself ... and here I still am after reading all about Kitchen Gardening in France and Olives and Artichokes, posting to Hills and Plains Seedsavers all about my own adventures in the garden!

What a great day of food and gardening I've had ... I think I'm starting to get it!

Discovering the Veggie Garden - by Torchlight

2008-09-23T14:45:00.001+01:00

Since Kate headed off on her big Vegetable Vagabond adventure I've been left in charge of the vegetable garden! Kate is so incredibly knowledgeable and experienced at vegetable gardening, especially compared to me who knows almost nothing, that I am somewhat daunted by this responsibility. Not only do I want to make sure everything is in good shape for when she returns, but I also want to make good use of all the produce the garden provides and not let it go to waste while Kate isn't here ... and that's what I can see is going to be the biggest challenge. There is just so much out there!

When Kate is here she harvests all the produce and does the cooking. It's not that I dislike these things but just that I always seem to be busy on other things (work tends to get in the way) and we have fallen into our roles over the years ... and Kate is just so amazingly GOOD at it all. But, now Kate isn't here and its all up to me -- and Alex until he heads off to Oxford very soon. So, here is my big chance!

One hard thing I am finding is that its dark by the time I get home! This makes it very tricky to pick things from the garden, especially when you have as little idea as I do just what exactly all those different things in the garden are and are not at all sure which is bok choi, asian greens or broccoli leaves!

Being a good engineer, I made a rough plan of the garden as Kate was explaining where everything was and what to do. I am quite sure Kate thought this was just another one of those "engineer" things she feels is totally unnecessary and just slows everything down but has learnt to tolerate over the years. But, believe me, this is a godsend and I would be lost without it. Used in conjunction with Wikipedia, its amazing what you can find in Kate's veggie garden by torchlight!

Tonight, Alex and I cooked up a big stir fry. When I got home, I headed off into the garden with my trusty torch and plan. By the time I returned with basket full of promising looking candidates - bok choi, kale, fennel, asian greens, broccoli leaves, spring onions and asparagus -- Alex had the wok, some kangaroo pieces and a selection of tasty looking oils and sauces all ready to go. We cooked it all up and it was absolutely delicious.

(The broccoli leaves were actually a mistake. I mistook them for the bok choi at first. Don't tell Kate. I'm hoping they will grow back by the time she gets back and she won't notice!)

Search Engine- for our blog- a new toy to play with!

2008-09-23T01:02:00.009+01:00

I just realized a search engine has been added to this blog and it works beautifully.

Now you can read all about Cath's capsicum's growing at Kate's or find my article about the bee attracting plant -Agastache Foeniculum ( anise hyssop), chillies, our visits to Nirvana or The Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

WOW it is so cool, thank you Alex or Kate who ever added this.

No longer will our words and images disappear into blog land and take ages to find.

So if you are a new reader of our blog go back in time and see how much fun and learning and sharing we have experienced together.

TODAY IN THE BACK STREETS OF IFFLEY.....

2008-09-22T22:09:00.000+01:00

Oxford is known as a university town but I would call it the town of bike riders.Same goes for Iffley. I have only ever seen more people riding bikes in Asia! The tiny front entrance of every house seems to display at least one and often several bikes.....every street is lined with people on bikes and the path by the river today was a constant stream of families on bikes. It is beautiful. There is not a weight problem in Oxford because of all the bike riding and Alex is going to fit right in as he loves to ride his bike everywhere.

Iffley, in autumn is the town of berries! Everywhere there are berries. I saw a man picking some blackberries but I hadn't realised the significance at the time so have no photo.

Iffley has some people who are into the whole local, food-growing, organic thing.....

Oxford and Iffley, in particular, are stunningly picturesque.....

Check out the rest of the photos that I have been updating daily......Oxford....

For those with a passion for REAL cheese

2008-09-22T06:36:00.004+01:00

Warning these blogs can make you dream of far away places & make you wish you had volunteered to help carry Kate’s electronic equipment through France.

Everytime I look at this picture of the cheese (& mountain honey) shop in St Nectaire (auvergne area ) I can still smell and taste their wonderful cheese.

http://farmblogs.blogspot.com/2008/09/french-cheese-from-place-in-auvergne.html
http://farmblogs.blogspot.com/2008/09/french-cheese-from-auvergne.html

http://farmblogs.blogspot.com/2008/09/pasteurised-milk-v-raw-milk-in-cheese.html
http://farmblogs.blogspot.com/2008/09/french-market-pictures.html

And if that’s not enough to get the travel bug happening (at least in your head) check out this exciting blog.
Farm Blogs from Around the World http://www.farmblogs.blogspot.com/) Imagine the very best of global blogging about farms, farming, rural life and anything concerning the production of food and fibre all together in one place.
PS Kate its raining today hence the posts however I got plenty of seedlings potted up in the tunnel this morning.

Biodynamics- making organic gardening work!

2008-09-22T05:11:00.005+01:00

Not only is our planet getter older every minute,( just like us,) it has as suffered so much damage at the hand of man that it’s no longer enough to build a compost heap and stop spraying chemicals, valuable though these actions are.
Using the Biodynamic methods can make organic techniques work to produce quality food that will satisfy both the body and soul.
Biodynamics invites you to work and think about the land in a different way. To observe your garden more closely, to work with the natural rhythms, and spray some herbal remedies on the soil and plants.

Yesterday a group grasped the concepts but more importantly put the first steps into action at Nirvana Organic Farm.