another month rolls by and the grass here continues its golden fade into the dust.
i drive past my neighbours house and look in envy at her green lawns.
watering the grass is the last thing on my priority list, and so, the grass that is not lucky enough to abide near the raised garden beds within range of the sprinklers, is pretty much on borrowed time.
this month hurls us right into it with the moon approaching the first quarter on friday 7th its time to sow and transplant seedlings to try get a little more in before summer has faded and set up your winter supplies.
i am sowing more peas (god i LOVE them!) dwarf green beans along with leeks, cabbage, a small amount of bok choy, silverbeet, spinach and kale. the sowing period starts from monday 3rd (yeah, yesterday. i was too busy in the garden doing stuff to give you a heads up yo!) and continues through until the 10th.
fertilize your garden on the 12th and 13th to give your crops a much deserved boost.
the full moon is on the rise on the 15th so stop sowing, and get the old hoe down on any weeds that may be sticking there heads up. adding a bit of mulch after this will help your garden keep the moisture in and weeds somewhat subdued as well and, if you put in spuds last month, be sure to start adding more soil to the top of them once the sprouts start pushing up. doing this will insure you get a more bountiful crop, allowing the potato tubers more shoots to grow from under ground. i have been pushing dirt uphill over mine every few days and am hoping my second go at potatoes will give me more gold than the ones i had previously planted. i only have enough to dig up for dinner as new season potatoes and nothing left for storing. hopefully this way i will be able to actually have some left over to let the skin harden off and squirrel away for later....fingers crossed....
get root crops in over the 18th and 19th along with another run of liquid fertilizer. i will be sowing beetroot, swede, carrot, parsnip and onion (the onion will go into the same section i have just dug my new season potatoes out of as they should go rather well there i am told. the potatoes bring up something that the love out of the earth, and your onions should thrive. sorry, i forget exactly what nutrient this is, but i did read this somewhere, so i am giving it a go.)
thats pretty much us for the rest of the month folks. february ends on a rather chilled note, though you can get your spade and fork out over the 26th-28th to dig and prepare a section for sowing at the start of next month.
happy digging friends
xx
Monday, 3 February 2014
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
green grass and fresh salmon
this time last year everywhere you looked was a golden brown and the heat rose in waves from the pavement by ten in the morning, voiding any ideas of getting up to anything outdoors. for most of the day we would all, in our individual houses sit, windows open, fly swat never far from hand, just biding time until the onslaught eased off and then, around 3, we would emerge from our prospective shelter and head to the pools attempting to bring the body temperature down to a cope-able level before dinner time arrived.
this year there is still green grass on our front lawn. i imagine it would turn yellow in a heart beat, if only it was given half the chance, but the rain cannot seem to stay away for more than a few days at a time and so, the grass persists in living for now.
in new zealand, for most families, christmas is a beach, lake, or river clad, sun fueled holiday where we do anything possible to keep ourselves cooled while making the most of wandering around in the great outdoors. this year only a few patches of the country managed to see the sun on december 25th. we were lucky enough to be visiting family in the west coast to my brother josh's family home (check out his goose hunting video at josh james kiwi bushman) and did in fact get a bit of a break. christmas day came around and the sun mustered up the energy to get a slight shine on, which we were all most grateful for. we spent the day, as usual, eating, snoozing, cooking and eating some more. i also spent a hilarious but rather disgusting hour or so re-plucking some pre-brined christmas geese on the porch with my two sister in laws before roasting the bloody things - needless to say grasping at the fatty carcasses while plucking the bristle and feather off, rather took a bit of the shine off eating said bird later. goose adventure aside, it was a lovely day being with family and watching the little enjoy her first christmas as a more responsive human being rather than last years way less interesting boob, burp, bed type.
once we returned home to canturbury, bo set off for a bit of a fish at one of the lakes around these ways and much to my delight came back with a wee salmon for us to have for dinner.
the bright coral pink flesh muted to a soft blush as it cooked and we had it with some fresh foccocia bread spread with sage butter and a chick pea, mushroom and kale ragout.
the foccocia bread is a regular in our house as it is so easy to whip up - see this earlier link here for the recipe, and if you havent already tried it, give it a go, it really is worth it and i swear you will love it and use it again and again - it is so easy to impress guests with this trick up your sleeve!
sage butter is simple to make (no garlic mincing required - yay!) and its presence adds in another complementary flavour to the whole dish.
the mushroom and bean ragout is mildly adapted from a recipe made by laura of THE FIRST MESS found here - the blog is a veritable feast of delishness and a genuine love of fresh that i was lucky enough to stumble upon whilst meandering on pintrest. something to aspire to!
the salmon is as simple as it comes - its much better that way as it really is the star of the show, so let it shine folks, let it shine.
oh, and get it out of the fridge now before you start the ragout this will get it to room temperature before you cook it.
also give it a season so it has twenty to thirty minutes to sit with this on before cooking (see instructions below)
SAGE BUTTER
75g butter softened
6-10 leaves of fresh sage, finely chopped
combine butter and sage and mix well. return to the fridge to cool and for the flavour to develop.
the more sage you add the stronger the flavour. i like my butter nice and sage-y but let your personal preferences tell you how much to add. i usually make a big load of this at a time and then roll it out on some cling wrap into a sausage like tube to freeze. that way you always have flavored butter on hand, and you can do this with pretty much any fresh herb. minted butter to add to fresh cooked peas or, a personal favorite that my ma turned me onto, lemon balm butter on new potatoes. total yum-o.
MUSHROOM AND BEAN RAGOUT
1 Tblsp olive oil
1 med red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
bunch of fresh thyme
sprig of fresh rosemary, de-stalked and finely chopped
dash balsamic vinegar
glob butter
1-2 tsp smoked paprika
mushrooms aprox 300g, sliced
1 Tblsp tomato relish
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
chick peas 400g, cooked (i used the tinned variety - TOTAL CHEAT - and rinsed them well)
1 cup stock, chicken or vegetable
3-4 kale leaves, de-stalked and roughly chopped
1 Tblsp cornflour
salt and pepper to taste
place oil in a heavy pan over medium to low heat and saulte onion until it starts to turn translucent. add garlic, thyme and rosemary and continue to heat until it becomes aromatic. add in the balsamic vinegar and continue to cook slowly for another 5 minutes.
add the butter, smoked paprika and mushrooms, stir to coat mushrooms and continue to cook at medium heat until they become just slightly tender.
add tomato relish, worcestershire sauce, chickpeas and stock.
simmer gently and stir through kale.
scoop out a little of the sauce and mix it with the cornflour. return a little at a time to the pot, stirring while it thickens until you have the desired thickness.
add salt and pepper to season just before serving (NOTE - if you add salt to legumes or beans early on in the cooking process it can make them get a little tough, so its best to always leave it right until you are ready to plate to season anything with these protein punchers in them)
PAN FRIED SALMON WITH THYME
once your salmon is out of the fridge or, if you are super lucky to have it fresh off the line and have just gutted and filleted it, insure it is clean and dry and give it a good drizzle of olive oil and season with fresh ground salt and pepper. throw on a few sprigs of thyme rub it all in and let sit for 20-30 minutes before cooking.
remember to remove any little bones if you can feel them with tweezers. just run your finger along the ridges and valleys in the fillet to feel them and pluck them out.
i prefer to keep the skin on for cooking and, once finished, the tender flesh just flakes right off it onto your fork as you eat it.
next make sure your pan is oiled and nice and hot before you go near it with the fish. it should not be smoking but you should have definite aggressive sizzle when you shake a couple of drops of water in there.
pop the fillets in, skin side down. i put two into our pan as the fillets were smaller but dont over crowd them. if you have large fillets cook them individually and trim if needed. if you put too much on at one time the pan temperature will drop and your salmon wont cook as well as you want it to.
once you see the flesh start to lighten up on the edges (only a couple of minutes) gently turn fillet with a fish slice onto flesh side with the thyme sprigs still there between it and the pan. continue cooking until done, the flesh should be a glorious shade of genuine soft salmon pink.
while cooking the fish, toast and then butter your bread and plate with the ragout, add salmon fillet and lemon wedges and serve right away garnished with rosemary.
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
for the pruning JANUARY
i cannot quite seem to get my head around the fact that the previous 3 months have simply flown by.
i am sitting in the lounge in the soft golden glow of the lamp light. it is nearing eleven o'clock at night and i am listening to iron and wine and updating my calendar for januarys gardening.
i have the desire to get more from my garden this winter, not to mention getting more done in my kitchen which has been a busy place lately (and all without any photo documentation or note taking of course).
i have begun gardening with the little now. she has always joined me outside when i wander to the garden, in fact we are lucky to get out of the house un-escorted at all, such a love of the out doors has she developed. if i pop out for a quick grab of something fresh to garnish dinner with, she will be keen to dash out the second the door is open and is completely broken-hearted when, at times, she is not permitted to escape. last month when the sowing cycle began i waited until after her nap time and we wandered out together. she diligently popped seeds in to the holes i left with my finger in the soil and (at times rather too fiercely,) helped me ease the dirt over them, encasing them in the earth. most days of course she has been sparrow eating strawberries and peas as we wander around the back yard checking how everything is progressing together
so, into the gardening jobs for january, following the moon cycles here in new zealand to maximize our harvest.....
2nd of january is the new moon so we will be digging our soil to prepare it for sowing from new years day until the fourth (if anyone is up for a wee bit of work to help burn off that hangover this is where it is all at!) 2 spade depths is the best way to go if you can. this will allow you to get more bang for your buck when growing. the well turned soil will allow for your plants to reach their roots further down instead of outward and you will be able to fit more plants into a smaller space. turning your soil lets air into it and also helps to mix in any fertilizers you have put on and spread them more evenly throughout, giving your plants a better go of it. in the next few days i will be digging in some lime and a small amount of blood and bone, coffee grounds, plus a bit of chopped up seaweed will go into the area i have laid aside for the brassicas to go into (if possible pop them in after you pull out your silver beet as they will be loving the nutrients that silver beet brings out of the earth.)
from january 5th until the 11th it is sowing time. (first quarter is jan 8th)
pop in any peas that you have left ( mine didnt go as winningly as i would have liked them to and i will be putting another packet and a half in if i can find the room for them as i adore picking and chomping on fresh peas whenever i wander past them.
along with the peas, pop in beans, zucchini, basil, coriander, parsley, celery, leeks, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and silver beet. if you have any seedling of tomatoes give them a hurl, though you may be lucky to get them to a harvest able stage in the more southern parts of the country, but i always hope for the best and would chuck them in just in case.
from the 9th of january until the 18th take a break and run a hoe over any weeds that may be trying to get their grubby little roots in. (full moon is on the 16th)
19th and 20th is for planting any root crops and giving everything a good dose of liquid feeding (we use worm wease tea - that stuff is magic for your plants!) i will be putting in radish, turnips and having my first attempt at celeric. it takes an age to grow i am told, but they say the delicious, delicate flavour makes it all worth the effort. fingers crossed it goes well....
jan 21st through to the 25th are good for harvesting( 3rd quarter hits on the 24th )
i will be digging up be garlic around here ( i bent the leaves down on mine a few days ago and am hoping to get bigger bulbs because of it). potatoes are good to be dug out if the leaves are starting to brown. we have been smuggling new potatoes out around the edges for the past week or so to add to the table at dinner time too, so if they are not quite there leave them be for a little longer before removing - they store for the winter much better if the plant is left to die down a little anyway. other than that harvest your summer crops daily if you can as it encourages more flowers and fruit. if a plant thinks it has gotten its seed out there it will give up and finish itself very soon after, so, once they are ripe and juicy, pick, pick, pick and encourage more to grow.
pop in more root crops on the 27th and 28th
full moon arrives again on the 31st so get those spades out and get your dig on again from the 29th.
thats all for now - get your hands dirty.... and happy new year
xx
jes
i am sitting in the lounge in the soft golden glow of the lamp light. it is nearing eleven o'clock at night and i am listening to iron and wine and updating my calendar for januarys gardening.
i have the desire to get more from my garden this winter, not to mention getting more done in my kitchen which has been a busy place lately (and all without any photo documentation or note taking of course).
i have begun gardening with the little now. she has always joined me outside when i wander to the garden, in fact we are lucky to get out of the house un-escorted at all, such a love of the out doors has she developed. if i pop out for a quick grab of something fresh to garnish dinner with, she will be keen to dash out the second the door is open and is completely broken-hearted when, at times, she is not permitted to escape. last month when the sowing cycle began i waited until after her nap time and we wandered out together. she diligently popped seeds in to the holes i left with my finger in the soil and (at times rather too fiercely,) helped me ease the dirt over them, encasing them in the earth. most days of course she has been sparrow eating strawberries and peas as we wander around the back yard checking how everything is progressing together
so, into the gardening jobs for january, following the moon cycles here in new zealand to maximize our harvest.....
2nd of january is the new moon so we will be digging our soil to prepare it for sowing from new years day until the fourth (if anyone is up for a wee bit of work to help burn off that hangover this is where it is all at!) 2 spade depths is the best way to go if you can. this will allow you to get more bang for your buck when growing. the well turned soil will allow for your plants to reach their roots further down instead of outward and you will be able to fit more plants into a smaller space. turning your soil lets air into it and also helps to mix in any fertilizers you have put on and spread them more evenly throughout, giving your plants a better go of it. in the next few days i will be digging in some lime and a small amount of blood and bone, coffee grounds, plus a bit of chopped up seaweed will go into the area i have laid aside for the brassicas to go into (if possible pop them in after you pull out your silver beet as they will be loving the nutrients that silver beet brings out of the earth.)
from january 5th until the 11th it is sowing time. (first quarter is jan 8th)
pop in any peas that you have left ( mine didnt go as winningly as i would have liked them to and i will be putting another packet and a half in if i can find the room for them as i adore picking and chomping on fresh peas whenever i wander past them.
along with the peas, pop in beans, zucchini, basil, coriander, parsley, celery, leeks, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and silver beet. if you have any seedling of tomatoes give them a hurl, though you may be lucky to get them to a harvest able stage in the more southern parts of the country, but i always hope for the best and would chuck them in just in case.
from the 9th of january until the 18th take a break and run a hoe over any weeds that may be trying to get their grubby little roots in. (full moon is on the 16th)
19th and 20th is for planting any root crops and giving everything a good dose of liquid feeding (we use worm wease tea - that stuff is magic for your plants!) i will be putting in radish, turnips and having my first attempt at celeric. it takes an age to grow i am told, but they say the delicious, delicate flavour makes it all worth the effort. fingers crossed it goes well....
jan 21st through to the 25th are good for harvesting( 3rd quarter hits on the 24th )
i will be digging up be garlic around here ( i bent the leaves down on mine a few days ago and am hoping to get bigger bulbs because of it). potatoes are good to be dug out if the leaves are starting to brown. we have been smuggling new potatoes out around the edges for the past week or so to add to the table at dinner time too, so if they are not quite there leave them be for a little longer before removing - they store for the winter much better if the plant is left to die down a little anyway. other than that harvest your summer crops daily if you can as it encourages more flowers and fruit. if a plant thinks it has gotten its seed out there it will give up and finish itself very soon after, so, once they are ripe and juicy, pick, pick, pick and encourage more to grow.
pop in more root crops on the 27th and 28th
full moon arrives again on the 31st so get those spades out and get your dig on again from the 29th.
thats all for now - get your hands dirty.... and happy new year
xx
jes
Thursday, 12 December 2013
for the pruning december
balls.
another month and i am about 3 posts down....well, two posts if i stick to my absolute minimum rule of one a fortnight.
still, this is a fast (late) but easy one...
december in the garden can be super busy, or, if you are like me, rather a last minute run around.
if you have been keeping up with your vege planting in the southern hemisphere you should be fine to let things slip a little at this time, as long as you remember to water every evening. (if you are heading away get the lovely next door neighbours kid to water for you. i pay ours $5 a week and as many ripe strawberries as she can pick and we always return to an amazing oasis. our front lawn is a crispy, brownish-gold, but the back yard is a lush green jungle. it takes me a day or two to tie things up and down, and pull the odd weed but its always great to come home to fresh, healthy produce after a week or two away.
so this month (or whats left of it) has in store for you a few things;
thanks to my two week holiday at my good friend tom and janeys wedding in the beautiful rangitieki, fulfilling head bridesmaid duties, (though somewhat sparsely - a sick baby takes the brunt of the blame for that) i have missed the sowing and fertilizing session for this months second quarter of the waxing moon. tomorrow, is the last chance to do this, so make like me and dig in your seed box to get them ready for planting.
i will be planting yet more peas ( i love them all, but i have some pearl-er sugar snaps at the moment which the little is loving for her first course at dinner time) along with some more basil (my last 2 seeding packets have been very un-successful and i have about 5 seedlings surviving which totally blows as i adore this herb in just about everything, from a savory dish, to a sweet treat for dessert.) rocket and coriander (both of which bolted while i was gone. i must find a more shaded spot for them....perhaps next to the rhubarb...?) another round of zucchini, and any other seeds i can find in my stash that may seem appropriate.
pop in your root vegetables on the 20th and 21st and hoe up any stray weeds on these days too.
from the 22nd until the 30th just dig and add manure or compost to any empty patches for the next lot of planting.
feel free to do all this with a glass of bubbles in your hand (, or if pregnant like me, some delicious homemade elderflower cordial or ginger ale). twilight is my favorite time for just about everything, be it swimming, horse riding or gardening, and having a treat of something bubbly before, during or after makes this magical time even more indulgent and glorious!
happy holiday gardening guys.
xx
jes
another month and i am about 3 posts down....well, two posts if i stick to my absolute minimum rule of one a fortnight.
still, this is a fast (late) but easy one...
december in the garden can be super busy, or, if you are like me, rather a last minute run around.
if you have been keeping up with your vege planting in the southern hemisphere you should be fine to let things slip a little at this time, as long as you remember to water every evening. (if you are heading away get the lovely next door neighbours kid to water for you. i pay ours $5 a week and as many ripe strawberries as she can pick and we always return to an amazing oasis. our front lawn is a crispy, brownish-gold, but the back yard is a lush green jungle. it takes me a day or two to tie things up and down, and pull the odd weed but its always great to come home to fresh, healthy produce after a week or two away.
so this month (or whats left of it) has in store for you a few things;
thanks to my two week holiday at my good friend tom and janeys wedding in the beautiful rangitieki, fulfilling head bridesmaid duties, (though somewhat sparsely - a sick baby takes the brunt of the blame for that) i have missed the sowing and fertilizing session for this months second quarter of the waxing moon. tomorrow, is the last chance to do this, so make like me and dig in your seed box to get them ready for planting.
i will be planting yet more peas ( i love them all, but i have some pearl-er sugar snaps at the moment which the little is loving for her first course at dinner time) along with some more basil (my last 2 seeding packets have been very un-successful and i have about 5 seedlings surviving which totally blows as i adore this herb in just about everything, from a savory dish, to a sweet treat for dessert.) rocket and coriander (both of which bolted while i was gone. i must find a more shaded spot for them....perhaps next to the rhubarb...?) another round of zucchini, and any other seeds i can find in my stash that may seem appropriate.
pop in your root vegetables on the 20th and 21st and hoe up any stray weeds on these days too.
from the 22nd until the 30th just dig and add manure or compost to any empty patches for the next lot of planting.
feel free to do all this with a glass of bubbles in your hand (, or if pregnant like me, some delicious homemade elderflower cordial or ginger ale). twilight is my favorite time for just about everything, be it swimming, horse riding or gardening, and having a treat of something bubbly before, during or after makes this magical time even more indulgent and glorious!
happy holiday gardening guys.
xx
jes
Saturday, 2 November 2013
for the pruning november
sweet louise, another month has dashed past. where does time go?
already 2 days into november and the garden is in a state of relaxation, well, to be honest it is me who is relaxing. we found out a little while ago that i am brewing baby number two so i am taking full advantage of freyas nap times and getting a little shut eye myself, which has been much needed, but means i spend a little less time in the dirt as nap time is my usual garden break.
this is what we have on the the month folks, according to the moon phase;
pull weeds until the 6th and do a general tidy up around the place.
planting frenzy begins from the 7th to the 14th, starting with all your leafy crops, such as bok-choi, spinach, lettuce varieties galore and any herbs you may fancy. i will be popping in plenty of basil and coriander and also re-energizing my mint with some new seedlings from a friends patch (yet to find said friend out these ways with mint that looks tasty, or for that fact, any mint at all, but my eyes are wide open all the time!) this busy planting period ends with any fruit producing crops going in around the 11th, such as peas, beans, cucumber and zucchini. i have yet to attempt capsicum again though i am getting rather pissed at the prices i have to pay for a nice sweet crunchy red, so maybe this is the time to try. oh, and dont forget any tomato seedling that are sturdy enough (at least 10-15 cm can also go in)
liquid fertilize your plants on the 15th and 16th, then get the hoe out from the 17th til the 20th and chop any of those nasty weeds off before they get a chance to grow and steal needed sunlight and nutrients from your beloved veg.
smash your root crops in on the 21st and 22nd - again i am loving radishes of any variety and carrots- though i do seem to be having trouble remembering to water diligently once seeds are in and the carrots are rather holding the lack of fluids against me.
for the rest of the month, take a break - water well and in the evenings ( this is better than in the morning as it means that there will not be beads of water on the plants leaves to catch the sun during the day and burn the leaves) and dont sprinkle your tomatoes, water them at the root - this will help to stop the leaves developing a mold like disease on the leaves, insuring optimum health to your plant and optimum tomato for the table.
thats all for now
happy gardening ya'll
xx
already 2 days into november and the garden is in a state of relaxation, well, to be honest it is me who is relaxing. we found out a little while ago that i am brewing baby number two so i am taking full advantage of freyas nap times and getting a little shut eye myself, which has been much needed, but means i spend a little less time in the dirt as nap time is my usual garden break.
this is what we have on the the month folks, according to the moon phase;
pull weeds until the 6th and do a general tidy up around the place.
planting frenzy begins from the 7th to the 14th, starting with all your leafy crops, such as bok-choi, spinach, lettuce varieties galore and any herbs you may fancy. i will be popping in plenty of basil and coriander and also re-energizing my mint with some new seedlings from a friends patch (yet to find said friend out these ways with mint that looks tasty, or for that fact, any mint at all, but my eyes are wide open all the time!) this busy planting period ends with any fruit producing crops going in around the 11th, such as peas, beans, cucumber and zucchini. i have yet to attempt capsicum again though i am getting rather pissed at the prices i have to pay for a nice sweet crunchy red, so maybe this is the time to try. oh, and dont forget any tomato seedling that are sturdy enough (at least 10-15 cm can also go in)
liquid fertilize your plants on the 15th and 16th, then get the hoe out from the 17th til the 20th and chop any of those nasty weeds off before they get a chance to grow and steal needed sunlight and nutrients from your beloved veg.
smash your root crops in on the 21st and 22nd - again i am loving radishes of any variety and carrots- though i do seem to be having trouble remembering to water diligently once seeds are in and the carrots are rather holding the lack of fluids against me.
for the rest of the month, take a break - water well and in the evenings ( this is better than in the morning as it means that there will not be beads of water on the plants leaves to catch the sun during the day and burn the leaves) and dont sprinkle your tomatoes, water them at the root - this will help to stop the leaves developing a mold like disease on the leaves, insuring optimum health to your plant and optimum tomato for the table.
thats all for now
happy gardening ya'll
xx
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
lemon cookies
the hair on my forearms bristles as the skin puckers itself into little goose bumps.
i huddle my woolen cardigan closer and step out into the damp to get another armful of firewood, checking for puddles to jump along the way.
i look nervously at the quickly dwindling wood pile and make promises to gather more pine cones once the weather clears again.
i hope this is the last cold snap.
knocking each piece of wood to loosen and bugs or chips - an attempt to vacuum less - i pile one arm dangerously high, then add one more log to the top, using my other hand to balance the load somewhat before careening back towards the house and the warmth.
we have had a rather mild winter, i am told, and though i hoped and prayed and dreamed for a snow storm to settle on the ground, all that happened was a twice scattering of beautiful flakes, with neither occasion staying long enough to fulfill my dreams.
you let me down canterbury winter (though all the farmers and lambs are thrilled i am sure) lets get it on next year and roll on with the end of spring with a little more warmth.
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now for the cookies
these are bo's favourite and though i will always be a ginger or chocolate chip and a glass of milk kind of girl, all my friends down here prefer these ones.
i came across the recipe on pintrest and you can find the link here and lauren brennan from hood river, oregon is the creator.
they are a delicious drop and go rather well with some earl grey, and, if you are anything like me, one is never enough.
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LEMON COOKIES
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
first, pre heat your oven to 180 'C and get your baking trays buttered
now, add butter, sugar and vanilla to the mixed and cream well.
next add in your egg, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. mix well again
now sift in the baking powder, baking soda and flour,
at this stage i usually mix bu hand until the flour is somewhat incorporated them use the mixer to finish the job off. this stops the flour becoming air-born and flying out of the mixing bowl and all over the bench, also ensuring you have the correct amount of flour in your cookies.
using a dessert spoon, form into even sized balls and roll in the icing sugar. place on your pre-greased trays and bake for 9-12 minutes until just coloured.... well really, just before they colour is best, but on your first go, a little tan on the edges will be just fine and dandy.
leave to cool for a few minutes on the tray then move to a cooling rack and try not to gobble them all up at once.
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thanks for reading
xx
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
for the pruning OCTOBER
hi all,
september has run away and we are now into october already. e-gads! time flies!
so, the wee gardeneing speel is a few days late, but better late than never (christine if you read this tonight run out to the garden and chuck some root vege in. quick hurry!) the past two days where the perfect time to plant root crops according to the moon cycle calendar. the next lot can go in later this month on the 22nd and 23rd, so dont fret too much if you missed out this time around.
today i planted more carrots, beetroot and my seed potato that i had been sprouting not all that successfully for the past two months. much to my dismay freya and bo found them sitting on the window sill and thought it was a rather nice activity to snap the young shoots off the main potatoes. so, i am not too optimistic as to how my crop will fare. fingers crossed though. nothing like new potatoes fresh from the garden, boiled in minted water and served with butter, chopped mint and a sprinkle of salt! to get a good go for your potatoes, dig a 30cm deep hole and pop said sprouted potato in, cover with about 10 cm dirt. once the shoots come up out of the dirt, add another 10 cm, and keep piling it up. i will go until it is about 20 cm above the start level and hope for bountiful crops of tender treats to feast on. handy hint from nz gardener - they like a little seaweed, so make yourself the nice seaweed concoction from below and add it to the mix come liquid feeding time.
i also put in some purple potato a few months back. i hear this variety tries to turn the others, so if you are planting them be sure to keep them WELL away from your other crops. i have mine in a big pot about fifteen meters distance away in the flower garden, so hopefully this is far enough. i do love the colour of purple potatoes but find the flavour is not as grand so a few in a roast salad brings a bit of party colour while the other veges pack the taste punch quota.
from the 3rd onward leave off the sowing and start preparing your soil. dig in manure, compost and any other goodies that you may have waiting to get into your dirt to give your plants a good heaping of nutrients.i have added nitra-phoska blue to give a little extra pep but if you are going strictly organic leave it off.
from october 8th it gets busy, plant leafy vege such as silver beet and spinach, lettuce (i have about 4 different varieties that i will be planting out once a month from now on to insure a constant supply of fresh green over summer) then from the tenth pop in any fruiting vege that you desire. i will be going mad on peas this year as i love nothing better than snacking in the garden, especially on peas. and strawberries. and raspberries. well.... pretty much anything, but last year my ma had a rather impressive amount of peas in her garden and i was outside every 30 minutes scoffing another hand full while we were there over christmas leave. peas. the. best. ever.
so, i am planting peas of a few varieties, sweetcorn, beans of different varieties, pottin up my 4 different varieties of heritage tomato seed in a nice snug place so that any lingering frost wont nail them and leave me in tears and having a general hunt around for any other vege that my heart fancies to plonk in the dirt.
stop your mad sowing on the 14th.
15th - 17th is time to liquid feed everything. worm farms are amazing, so is seaweed tea. just collect a bunch form a beach near you, rinse the salty water off and shove it in a covered container to permeate. this year is my first time trying this but i am expecting big things from that stinky bin!
as stated before, get more root crops in on the 22nd and 23rd.
grab a hoe and stop those pesky weeds from the 24th til the 27th, then kick back and relax for a while.
sorry - no pictures.
i am camera-less for a wee while. sob.
happy gardening all.
xx
september has run away and we are now into october already. e-gads! time flies!
so, the wee gardeneing speel is a few days late, but better late than never (christine if you read this tonight run out to the garden and chuck some root vege in. quick hurry!) the past two days where the perfect time to plant root crops according to the moon cycle calendar. the next lot can go in later this month on the 22nd and 23rd, so dont fret too much if you missed out this time around.
today i planted more carrots, beetroot and my seed potato that i had been sprouting not all that successfully for the past two months. much to my dismay freya and bo found them sitting on the window sill and thought it was a rather nice activity to snap the young shoots off the main potatoes. so, i am not too optimistic as to how my crop will fare. fingers crossed though. nothing like new potatoes fresh from the garden, boiled in minted water and served with butter, chopped mint and a sprinkle of salt! to get a good go for your potatoes, dig a 30cm deep hole and pop said sprouted potato in, cover with about 10 cm dirt. once the shoots come up out of the dirt, add another 10 cm, and keep piling it up. i will go until it is about 20 cm above the start level and hope for bountiful crops of tender treats to feast on. handy hint from nz gardener - they like a little seaweed, so make yourself the nice seaweed concoction from below and add it to the mix come liquid feeding time.
i also put in some purple potato a few months back. i hear this variety tries to turn the others, so if you are planting them be sure to keep them WELL away from your other crops. i have mine in a big pot about fifteen meters distance away in the flower garden, so hopefully this is far enough. i do love the colour of purple potatoes but find the flavour is not as grand so a few in a roast salad brings a bit of party colour while the other veges pack the taste punch quota.
from the 3rd onward leave off the sowing and start preparing your soil. dig in manure, compost and any other goodies that you may have waiting to get into your dirt to give your plants a good heaping of nutrients.i have added nitra-phoska blue to give a little extra pep but if you are going strictly organic leave it off.
from october 8th it gets busy, plant leafy vege such as silver beet and spinach, lettuce (i have about 4 different varieties that i will be planting out once a month from now on to insure a constant supply of fresh green over summer) then from the tenth pop in any fruiting vege that you desire. i will be going mad on peas this year as i love nothing better than snacking in the garden, especially on peas. and strawberries. and raspberries. well.... pretty much anything, but last year my ma had a rather impressive amount of peas in her garden and i was outside every 30 minutes scoffing another hand full while we were there over christmas leave. peas. the. best. ever.
so, i am planting peas of a few varieties, sweetcorn, beans of different varieties, pottin up my 4 different varieties of heritage tomato seed in a nice snug place so that any lingering frost wont nail them and leave me in tears and having a general hunt around for any other vege that my heart fancies to plonk in the dirt.
stop your mad sowing on the 14th.
15th - 17th is time to liquid feed everything. worm farms are amazing, so is seaweed tea. just collect a bunch form a beach near you, rinse the salty water off and shove it in a covered container to permeate. this year is my first time trying this but i am expecting big things from that stinky bin!
as stated before, get more root crops in on the 22nd and 23rd.
grab a hoe and stop those pesky weeds from the 24th til the 27th, then kick back and relax for a while.
sorry - no pictures.
i am camera-less for a wee while. sob.
happy gardening all.
xx
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