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  Wednesday, 28 October 2009


Koru Gourd

Koru Gourd detail

My best bottle gourd from the garden last season, now sporting a pyrographed koru desgin.


12:49:21 PM    Comment []

  Monday, 26 October 2009


Decorated Gourds

My first attempts at gourd art. The one on the left is decorated with brown paper glued on. The right one I burnt with an old soldering iron. I grew and dried the gourds myself and the large one at the back is the next one in line to get  'pyrographed'.

Pyrographed Gourd


12:37:55 PM    Comment []

  Tuesday, 28 October 2008


My place

Front Garden


7:33:24 PM    Comment []

  Sunday, 28 September 2008


Spotted for the first time this morning, I got to snap a picture of two of the three new kids on the block. Their parents moved into the little pond behind my house a few weeks ago.

New Neighbors


3:16:35 PM    Comment []

The old orchard
This morning...

A Cold Start
...and exactly seven weeks ago.


1:00:06 PM    Comment []

  Sunday, 22 June 2008


Making kiwifruit jam


1:40:11 PM    Comment []

  Sunday, 15 June 2008


Moon the goat

Moon is my neighbour's goat. She regularly breaks her chain and comes to visit me. She showed up late last night but then disappeared into the darkness determined to spend the night free. This morning she was right where I last saw her, on my front doorstep nibbling at my grapevine. Shortly after this photo she invited herself inside and strolled right through my front door, to see if there was anything edible on my couch. Understandably Kaycee did not approve and a stand-off ensued, between my little, heroic dog and a horned goat, about ten times her size. I decided it was time Moon was escorted home, but once she realised what I was trying to do, she took off and stayed at arms length, baaaing at me gently as if to say "please don't send me home".


I've just got her back onto her chain after about an hour of regaining her confidence with a cabbage.


11:33:01 AM    Comment []

  Monday, 4 February 2008


Real food doesn't need labels

Tonights selection from the garden on its way to the kitchen for dinner.


7:41:27 PM    Comment []

  Thursday, 3 January 2008


Blackcurrants

Covering the blackcurrant bushes in the garden to protect them from the birds has paid off. I picked 1.8kg of ripe blackcurrants yesterday. Today I made jam for the first time.

Let's Jam
I'm ready. 1.8kg of home grown blackcurrants. 2kg of sugar and 900ml of water on the boil. Jars warming on top of the toast 'n grill. Time to jam.

Add the fruit.
Add the fruit. I've just poured the blackcurrants into the boiling sugar and water. Doesn't look much like jam yet.

Almost jam
After 4 minutes on the boil and now it's looking like blackcurrant jam (only a couple of minutes to go). Next step is to cool quickly by sitting the pan in a sink full of cold water.

Jarred and labeled
Now I know why Mum's so-called jam-pan had a spout. Blackcurrant jam doesn't pour every well. I made a nice mess but got most of the jam in the jars. You spell blackcurrent blackcurrant with an 'A' by the way.

6 litres of home-grown blackcurrant jam
6 litres of home-grown blackcurrant jam cooling on the porch. One top didn't quite seal right. Dam. I'll have to eat that jar right away.


10:09:23 PM    Comment []

  Sunday, 16 December 2007


first raspberry


9:03:03 PM    Comment []

Zucchini Flower

Zucchini  Plants


12:59:59 PM    Comment []

  Monday, 3 December 2007


Garlic Crop
The garlic I planted in late winter is coming along nicely. I've planted it closer together than recommended just to see if it makes any real difference to the harvest.

Kamokamo
These are Kamokamo, or Maori Squash. They are like a zuchini but rounder. My neighbour gave me these plants so I thought I'd give them a go on the spot of ground where my compost bin stood last season. They seem to like it so far.

Sweetcorn Plants
I have around 45 sweetcorn plants growing in both the front and the back gardens this year. I love fresh sweetcorn!

'little bueat' lettuce plant
A 'little beaut' lettuce plant. This variety is one you can pick the outer leaves anytime, but it also produces a small heart.

Bird-proof blackcurrents
This year the black currents are all mine. I've constructed this bird-proof enclosure around them to ensure I'm first to the bounty. Sorry birds but I am making a bird feeder by the back door to make up for it. I need to make another such enclosure for the raspberries which look like they will be doing very this year.

potatoe tire towers
The potatoes-in-tires idea worked well last season. This year I'm experimenting to see if the third tire is worth the effort. The plants begin flowering just as the second tire is being topped off, so my bet is it's not worth filling the third/top tire after that point. The harvest will tell.

tomato plant
One of about 12 tomatoe plants I've planted here and there.

beans
Beans. A long-keeping heritage variety the name of which escapes me for the moment.

lettuce
Two generations of lettuce. The ones in the foreground should be ready in a few weeks, while the seedlings in the background (under the bird-proof enclosure) have just been planted out.


8:12:40 PM    Comment []


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