February 2012
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Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Brrrrrrrrrrr
With temps from 2 - 12 dc here & wind chill off the snow @ Cradle the last week or so, brings an abrupt earlier end to the season for us as everything shuts down.
Every year is different, sometimes the Spring comes early & Summer goes later & Autumn can be really warm, but not this year. I had an inkling with such a cool Summer it would be like this. However, some herbs as usual in small amounts are still ok - parsley's, bronze fennel, garlic chives, Vietnamese mint also colourful ripe chillies in the tunnel, garlic & odds & ends.
We just sampled our first curry leaves & the trees are starting to get to a decent size about 2m, so hopefully with a warm Summer they will do well next season.
It's always a pleasure to meet & chat herbs with people who like same, fresh local produce & food in general, you meet so many friendly people. Thank you to all who have supported us this season.
If you are passing through Deloraine, drop into a newly opened shop - Herbs de Loraine , The Essence of Life @ The Craft Centre, 59 - 61 Emu Bay Road TAS 7304.They have a lovely dried herb blend, it goes magnificently with chicken & we have saved some for our lamb that we are looking forward to very soon..
We are off to Hobart again in a few weeks to do the markets - especially Tas Farm Gate Melville St. Also to bring back some seafood & go to the Tread Lightly Festival on Sunday June 5, in the Hobart Royal Botanical Gardens. Always an opportunity to sneak more edible plants, seeds & tubers back into the ute . A good addiction... really, a great day also.
Next season we hope to add a few different herbs as we try to have other choices if something is not quite ready or unavailable. So with a start about late October there is still plenty of weeding & mulching to do over Winter. Looking forward to Spring....
Thanks,
Rob & Fiona.
Every year is different, sometimes the Spring comes early & Summer goes later & Autumn can be really warm, but not this year. I had an inkling with such a cool Summer it would be like this. However, some herbs as usual in small amounts are still ok - parsley's, bronze fennel, garlic chives, Vietnamese mint also colourful ripe chillies in the tunnel, garlic & odds & ends.
We just sampled our first curry leaves & the trees are starting to get to a decent size about 2m, so hopefully with a warm Summer they will do well next season.
It's always a pleasure to meet & chat herbs with people who like same, fresh local produce & food in general, you meet so many friendly people. Thank you to all who have supported us this season.
If you are passing through Deloraine, drop into a newly opened shop - Herbs de Loraine , The Essence of Life @ The Craft Centre, 59 - 61 Emu Bay Road TAS 7304.They have a lovely dried herb blend, it goes magnificently with chicken & we have saved some for our lamb that we are looking forward to very soon..
We are off to Hobart again in a few weeks to do the markets - especially Tas Farm Gate Melville St. Also to bring back some seafood & go to the Tread Lightly Festival on Sunday June 5, in the Hobart Royal Botanical Gardens. Always an opportunity to sneak more edible plants, seeds & tubers back into the ute . A good addiction... really, a great day also.
Next season we hope to add a few different herbs as we try to have other choices if something is not quite ready or unavailable. So with a start about late October there is still plenty of weeding & mulching to do over Winter. Looking forward to Spring....
Thanks,
Rob & Fiona.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Recipe - Sawtooth / Mexican Coriander Marinade ...easy
The sawtooth coriander has grown really well this season. It's producing loads of seed heads at the moment. This year they are softer because it is grown under more shade & I haven't allowed the seed heads to mature. Apart from nipping them out to encourage more leaf, making a marinade with them is easy. I used it on pork belly with some honey, soy sauce,cloves , cinnamon, cardamom & star anise... yum. Also great for chicken, fish & pasta salad. Can't wait to try on lamb.
Sawtooth Coriander seed heads /stems / leaves,
garlic, ginger - quantities to your own liking & enough canola oil to make runny puree,
(could also add chillies if liked).
In a food processor or mortar & pestle chop / pound garlic & ginger , add coriander chop / grind finely (like a paste) then add oil, gently combine well until desired consistency . Pour into sterilized jars with a thin layer of oil on top to slow oxidization, keep in fridge.
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| Sawtooth / Mexican Coriander Marinade (frog omitted) |
Sawtooth Coriander seed heads /stems / leaves,
garlic, ginger - quantities to your own liking & enough canola oil to make runny puree,
(could also add chillies if liked).
In a food processor or mortar & pestle chop / pound garlic & ginger , add coriander chop / grind finely (like a paste) then add oil, gently combine well until desired consistency . Pour into sterilized jars with a thin layer of oil on top to slow oxidization, keep in fridge.
Autumn & Addiction......
Well, what happened to Summer ? 6 - 15 dc one day in the last week of ! So many days well below average temps, many less hours of light & cloudy days slows growth to almost nothing. Not to mention the rain but that's Tasmania, sunny one minute, rain, snow & wind the next. (definitely getting new gum boots & a driazabone for next Summer).
Many herbs this season have taken all of Spring & Summer to get somewhere, so it makes you appreciate when they mature. Now we are experiencing an early Winter which is shortening what's available earlier than normal (what's normal ?). But that's the seasons, so enjoy them for what they bring, weather wise & seasonal produce.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We've always liked unusual edible plants which causes us to attempt growing rarer herbs, fruits & heirloom vegetables. I still have a tropical plant fixation, can't help it... it's in my blood. Rob also began his apprenticeship many years ago at Tropical Fruit World in northern NSW (link top right page). Once an agricultural research station farm the property now grows endless exotic tropical / native fruits & aromatic plants. A great must stop tourist attraction, beautiful lush grounds, restaurant & shop. Rob was lucky to taste & cook with so many different exotic & native fruits.
Our small collection so far includes Curry Leaf Trees, Lemon Scented Myrtle, Cardamom, Turmeric ,Ginger, Chillies & Lemongrass. . Then there are Mangoes, Red Papayas & Pineapples.The biggest flowering herb - Bananas are progressing well except the wind is a bit shredding, so more protection will be needed this Winter & time as usual, luckily we have a spare in the tunnel. Just takes years instead of a season or so for them to mature. Soon we hope to add / trial new herbs - Orange Thyme (one we hadn't heard of) & Lime Verbena - it has an amazing aromatic citrus zing like Tahitian lime juice & zest.
This Summer we have just added to the collection of rarer plants - Red Dragon Fruit - Pitaya. It is a cactus, the fruit the size & shape of a mango with the most amazing blood red flesh. It has tiny black seeds & texture like a kiwi fruit. Sometimes you can buy them at the supermarkets seasonally. The beautiful night time blooms are so exotic - pure white & yellow flowers the size of a dinner plate ! We grew ours against a fence & it was one of the plants we were sad to leave in our move because it had already matured with fantastic flowers & blood red fruit.
So now that it is in, I am babying again & Rob tells me to leave it alone as I check it obsessively ! With growing these plants out of their normal climate zone, they either succeed or don't but when they do it's so exciting. So now we wait & see what happens over the years to come.... more photos asap.
Below Red Dragon Fruit Cuttings
Yippee ...3 tiny new buds, 5 weeks in
Above 3 & 1/2 mths since planting, growing faster than expected
I have been trying to source Red Dragon Fruit from supermarkets to post a photo as they are generally in season this time of year but possibly because of QLD floods they haven't been available. So for stunning fruit, flower photos & more info go to Red Fox Pitayas - link top right page. From whom I bought these cuttings also. Or type "Red Dragon Fruit" into Google Images search box.
Many herbs this season have taken all of Spring & Summer to get somewhere, so it makes you appreciate when they mature. Now we are experiencing an early Winter which is shortening what's available earlier than normal (what's normal ?). But that's the seasons, so enjoy them for what they bring, weather wise & seasonal produce.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We've always liked unusual edible plants which causes us to attempt growing rarer herbs, fruits & heirloom vegetables. I still have a tropical plant fixation, can't help it... it's in my blood. Rob also began his apprenticeship many years ago at Tropical Fruit World in northern NSW (link top right page). Once an agricultural research station farm the property now grows endless exotic tropical / native fruits & aromatic plants. A great must stop tourist attraction, beautiful lush grounds, restaurant & shop. Rob was lucky to taste & cook with so many different exotic & native fruits.
Our small collection so far includes Curry Leaf Trees, Lemon Scented Myrtle, Cardamom, Turmeric ,Ginger, Chillies & Lemongrass. . Then there are Mangoes, Red Papayas & Pineapples.The biggest flowering herb - Bananas are progressing well except the wind is a bit shredding, so more protection will be needed this Winter & time as usual, luckily we have a spare in the tunnel. Just takes years instead of a season or so for them to mature. Soon we hope to add / trial new herbs - Orange Thyme (one we hadn't heard of) & Lime Verbena - it has an amazing aromatic citrus zing like Tahitian lime juice & zest.
This Summer we have just added to the collection of rarer plants - Red Dragon Fruit - Pitaya. It is a cactus, the fruit the size & shape of a mango with the most amazing blood red flesh. It has tiny black seeds & texture like a kiwi fruit. Sometimes you can buy them at the supermarkets seasonally. The beautiful night time blooms are so exotic - pure white & yellow flowers the size of a dinner plate ! We grew ours against a fence & it was one of the plants we were sad to leave in our move because it had already matured with fantastic flowers & blood red fruit.
So now that it is in, I am babying again & Rob tells me to leave it alone as I check it obsessively ! With growing these plants out of their normal climate zone, they either succeed or don't but when they do it's so exciting. So now we wait & see what happens over the years to come.... more photos asap.
Below Red Dragon Fruit Cuttings
Yippee ...3 tiny new buds, 5 weeks in
Above 3 & 1/2 mths since planting, growing faster than expected
I have been trying to source Red Dragon Fruit from supermarkets to post a photo as they are generally in season this time of year but possibly because of QLD floods they haven't been available. So for stunning fruit, flower photos & more info go to Red Fox Pitayas - link top right page. From whom I bought these cuttings also. Or type "Red Dragon Fruit" into Google Images search box.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Summer... oodles of Basil ,Tomatoes & Garlic on the way.....
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| Basil Sweet Genovese |
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| Heirloom Tomato Rouge de Marmande |
After a cool & not overly sunny Spring, averaging about 16 degrees in November some herbs are slow, mainly parsley. But with the temperature rising & good rain, zoom zoom.......the basils are off to a good start, some are ready to cut. We have chosen Sweet Genovese, Thai Siam Queen & East Indian Clove, great aromas & good varieties.
The heirloom tomato plants have large sized fruit on the vines already, so hope to start picking mid Summer or earlier. Some Spring purple garlic was lifted last week. The shed already has a garlic aroma as it dries. Everything else is growing well - Mints , Thymes , Sage, French Tarragon & Rosemary with some being cut back for fresh regrowth.
Unique aromatics we have in small amounts are doing well too. Horseradish, Cardamom, Sawtooth Coriander, Kaffir Lime & Curry Leaves, still being patient.......
English Lavender will flower well late December after some were ravaged by a rogue rascally rabbit (Rob would like to be Elmer Fudd). Late February on it will be chilli fest..
A quick trip to Hobart again to a growers / producers market we found by accident.
Tasfarm Gate held every Sunday (link top right of page). A small excellent market.
After a preview of stalls before trading .....the bell rang @ 9AM !.....stampede.... couldn't wait to get to each stall like all the other keen customers. The stalls had brilliant presentation, a great variety, the freshest you could get. The friendly producers were all very passionate about their niche products.
The facilitator & stall holders are to be congratulated. Would be great to see this type of market state wide in each region. Needless to say we came home with esky full again plus some plants as usual...Well worth the trip to Hobart to see this market alone (plus some girl shopping & the hardwares for the boys of course).
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Spring has sprung.......we still have a chilli hang over..
How fast did Winter finish !One of the signs Spring's almost here is when the native frogs start to appear in the tunnel.We're busy putting up a new tunnel this month for basil & seeds & seedlings in for an October start.
Rob made his sweet chilli & tabasco sauces, most have gone now so more to make soon.
This season we have some early heirloom tomatoes to go in. The seedlings are already well advanced. Rouge de Marmande & Evergreen, so really looking forward to those.
The last month of Winter we had a bumper crop of lisbon lemons but we never run out of uses for them. Latest is almond, lemon & mandarin cake & many lemon roasted chickens. Next, preserved lemons & lemon butter.
With an abundant choice of herbs you are always looking for different ideas to try. I know you can't eat soap but after years of frustration with the choice, expense & unappealing supermarket soaps full of unpronounceable chemicals, I decided to have a go at making some.
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| Olive Oil Soaps.. Lavender & Oatmeal, Rosemary & Wheat Germ ...mmm..Chilli soap, I don't think so ! |
It helped being inspired by some beautiful handmade soap here & in Hobart.
After googling, reading & following recipe instructions carefully, I came up with the first attempt. Olive Oil, Rosemary & Wheat Germ handmade soap.The first basic batch was ok but could be improved in colour & texture.
After some recipe tweaking, the second & third batches were 100% better. Family are the guinea pigs at the moment. The lather is good & the wheat germ exfoliates well. Everyone knows how good olive oil is & the infused rosemary is a scent that men will happily use. They don't smell like flowers, more like a lamb roast. I kept it simple, adding castor oil & jojoba for emollients.
I also made a Olive Oil, Lavender & Oatmeal batch for my daughter, she was pleased with her soft skin. I have used rosemary infused rinse for conditioning my hair in the past & like the soap it comes up squeaky clean with a subtle scent. The rustic look of the bars of soap I like and they are a natural attractive colour. I am pleased with the result & will never go back to using supermarket soap again..
After some recipe tweaking, the second & third batches were 100% better. Family are the guinea pigs at the moment. The lather is good & the wheat germ exfoliates well. Everyone knows how good olive oil is & the infused rosemary is a scent that men will happily use. They don't smell like flowers, more like a lamb roast. I kept it simple, adding castor oil & jojoba for emollients.
I also made a Olive Oil, Lavender & Oatmeal batch for my daughter, she was pleased with her soft skin. I have used rosemary infused rinse for conditioning my hair in the past & like the soap it comes up squeaky clean with a subtle scent. The rustic look of the bars of soap I like and they are a natural attractive colour. I am pleased with the result & will never go back to using supermarket soap again..
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