Roasted Feijoa Relish And Apple Jelly...

The other day I was given three bags of feijoa, a bag of apples and a recipe for roasted feijoa relish by a lady who has her own small orchard just out of town. I wasn’t expecting to be given that many but took them with the best intentions of filling my pantry with lots of tasty homemade goodies. The reality was that even after spending most of the day in the kitchen yesterday, I still have two quite full bags of feijoa and a couple handfuls of apples. I do however, have six jars of a tangy roasted relish and two jars of apple jelly. The relish smelt so good as it cooked, a lovely spicy aroma that wafted through the house. I can see why people treasure their jelly so much, its alot of work for such a small amount but it is best made in small quantities so as to get a good quality jelly. So far it seems the jelly has set well and all the jars have sucked down lids so I got a good seal on them.

The jars I save or buy from op shops, the lids I buy brand new because they are only a few dollars for a dozen, come in many sizes, ensure a good seal and look really nice when giving for gifts. The kitchen resembled a bomb site last night, have tidied it now but wondering if I should find a second wind and make some feijoa jelly. Any that are left (because no one could use THAT many feijoa so quickly and I would hate for them to spoil) I am passing onto someone else for stewed fruit and crumbles. All the scraps go into the new compost bin but I have saved a few apples for the girls to nibble on. They are now wandering in and out of the run as they please, I gave them a handful of worms the other day and they loved them. Doris and Petunia have had a couple of minor tiffs...not sure what its all about but it looks so funny, feathers at dawn!

Put It In Your Pipe...

 

 Sun shining, blue skies, light breeze, what a fabulous day to be productive in the garden! I spent most of it outside catching up on little jobs and got a good chunk of my to-do list crossed off.  After watching a great tutorial months ago about having a small compost pile in your vege garden, I decided to put the stainless washing machine bowl I had been using as a little incinerator into the middle of the vegetable garden and start my own. The idea is that any nutrients that are released from the compost don’t get wasted because the plants in the garden are able to absorb them. Once the pile is full and everything has broken down you are left with a nice rich compost which can either be used in the garden or used to plant in.

While exploring the garden wilds at the front of the property, I found a pile of concrete pieces which I thought could make a nice crazy paving around the vegetable garden. I lugged a few bits up so I could get a “feel” for its most valuable purpose but that just created more ideas than I needed. I also found some fantastic terracotta pipes...old drainage pipes maybe? Anyway, these types of finds are gold for a rustic garden. Not only are they creatively useful but they have a certain charm to them and with good placing they can look rather impressive, especially with a tumbling herb cascading from them.

The girls spent much of the day wandering in and out of their run, they are getting more confident of their new surroundings now and it’s so lovely watching them exploring the yard. I placed four concrete blocks under the legs of their hut today to raise it off the ground a little more and it gives them more room to bask under it in the sun which they like to do. They certainly have different personalities and it’s quite humorous watching them do their thing. Petunia loves the beach wood perch, Doris likes to dust bathe the most and Tuk Tuk definitely rules the roost!

Diesel is now snoring on the bed, he is completely worn out. I think we all are actually, after quite a few days of rain and cold southerly winds it was nice to get outside and burn off some energy. I got all the cabbage leaves picked up that were littering the lawn, drainage dug and the grass and soil from it I used to fill the craters in the lawn. All the kennel bedding got washed, paths hosed down and weeds pulled, think we will all sleep well tonight.

First Day Foraging In The Sunshine...

The sun made a welcome appearance today so I decided to let the girls out for a little while to have a scratch around in the yard. It seemed at first that they weren’t quite sure what to do and no amount of verbal persuasion would coax them out from their run so I went inside, grabbed a couple of Persimmon and threw them outside near the door. Within seconds they were out devouring the fruit and cautiously eyeing up their surroundings. 

It didn’t take long for them to start scratching through the grass, picking at crawlies and tasting the foliage on offer though they kept a careful watch on what was going on around them. At one stage Petunia had a shake of her feathers which gave Doris a fright and off went her little legs, wings flapping, even though she didn’t even get a foot off the ground. I could only stand and laugh at their antics, they are such characters.

Hibernation From The Wild Weather...

Days and days of rain and extreme winds have caused much damage around our land down under. Luckily we escaped the worst of it here but it has left its destruction in other ways. My poor little lime tree that I have nurtured from a foot tall seedling has lost most of its foliage and all the fruit again. It lost all its young fruit last year in a Wellington storm so two years in a row I have had not a single lime. As I type it is raining again, I need not worry about my sodden lawns needing a mow though as the wind has whipped them completely flat over the last few days.

The girls are doing fine, I turned their hut from the wind so they have good shelter as well as a good coat of feathers to keep them warm. They have lots of hay to snuggle into which is going to start my compost pile tomorrow when I put fresh into their nesting boxes. Still no eggs yet but I brought a 10kg sack of high protein pellets the other day to give them the nutrients they need. I give them snacks such as fruit/veges/leftovers in the afternoon. They are getting more used to me being in the run and their beach wood perch makes a very comfortable seat to sit and yak to them at feeding time once I have checked for poo. They put themselves to bed at dusk and all three snuggle up in the top boxes, it will be so nice to have a few dry days so I can get them used to roaming in the yard. And they are even getting less nervous around Diesel who just loves them! Hopefully I will be able to get a couple more in the next month or so.

Finally I made up some smudge sticks from the white sage I grew ages ago, here is a pic of some of them. Gosh they smell lovely and I didn’t make huge cigar sized ones as I feel these burn a little better and not so over whelming. The mother plants do need to be repotted though so I will have to get onto that job soon, in fact a few could do with a fresh potting so I’m going to be busy with all these little jobs. The garden seems to have had a little zing despite the weather so now I need to consider my options for a bigger one as the original will not be sufficient for summer growing. I would like to get that sorted during winter so ready for spring/summer plantings. The shed I was going to use for a workroom is now going to be a grow house for me so I can get all my summer seedlings growing well before planting and maybe come up with some creative garden ideas.

Well time for me to snuggle down with hotties and bed warmers (the furry-take-up-half-the-bed-type). Be well, be safe...EarthLoveLive

Introducing...Tuk Tuk, Doris and Petunia...

 

On Sunday I packed the cat carriers in the car and drove out to choose and pick up the girls. It was pouring with rain and everything was sodden...including me! I had decided to get three different breeds so we could easily tell who was who, I’m not sure if they are pure bred but that was never a concern for me. Tuk Tuk is a Brown Shaver, Doris is a Barred Rock and Petunia a Black Orpington. 

Tonight is their third night in their new home, I close them into the nesting hut at night just until I feel comfortable that they are safe and then I will let them free range in the run and out in the yard during the day. They haven’t been out of the run yet because it was recommended that they are confined to their run for 4-5 days so they learn this is home. I was given some grain feed for them and with that I have given them oyster grit and lots of fruit and veges. They love banana and persimmon, fresh grass which I am cutting by hand for them until they can leave the run, bread, beets, and carrot peelings. 

 So far, Tuk Tuk seems to be the boss which is funny because she is the smallest. It is quite amusing watching them have sand baths, they get up and shake themselves and it’s like a sand storm. I let Diesel come with me into the run today, all he wanted to do was sniff them but they weren’t having a bar of it and quite a fuss was made. With Diesel ejected from the run, I proceeded to pick up some poo for the garden while the girls composed themselves but not before they let me know how unimpressed they were by the intrusion! They are just so cute and such healthy looking gals, I am really looking forward to watching them graze happily in the yard nibbling grass and nabbing crawlies.

Well it seems winter is setting in, more rainy days than fine and some cold southerlies that send a chill right to your bones. Mr spends every night completely slothed on the bed while Diesel tries to burrow under the blankets at any chance and steal my hotty bottle. Last night I made a delicious apple crumble with a crunchy coconut and oat topping, lovely and warming on a cold night. This week I will make some more soup for the freezer, always a nice lunch or an easy tea coupled with some warm crusty bread. Ah yes, time for warming soul food!