Garden · 31. July 2023
That’s one of the beautiful benefits of a Valencia. Ripe fruit does not drop. Rough skins turn smooth and they can just wait on the tree for you. An ideal gardener’s fruit, no rush, it has the power to be patient.
Garden · 25. April 2023
I became keen to grow flowers when I learned that it would draw pollinators to the garden, and could contribute to us obtaining even more bountiful food. So away I went and got a lovely cottage and native garden growing. I grow flowers everywhere (...)
Garden · 30. May 2022
While its immensely tempting to rest every single bed under a thick layer of mulch, cardboard or black plastic and head north to the sunnier states for winter, I try to rest one bed and plant lovely greens to enjoy for winter suppers.
Garden · 28. March 2022
In many places throughout the world, autumn can feel like a clear ending. Visiting Europe during autumn in the past, it seems so clearly defined that when the season is over, there’s nothing to really look forward to for awhile. Local gardeners tell me ‘that’s it, I’ll be covering up the beds and hunkering down for the winter”. And why not! Leaves fall and crunch underfoot, evenings turn crispy cold, harvests wrap up and days get dramatically shorter. Not that much in a vegetable patch can surv
Plant Guides · 09. March 2022
While I have grown potato onions and spring onions widely at times, the Negi onion is the one that remains outside my kitchen door and never dies off. Happily this year, they self-propagated (perhaps from the east winds swirling around the place), so now I have three pots outside the kitchen door.
Country Kitchen & Recipes · 08. February 2022
Is there nothing a potato can't do? Just like eggs, they are a chameleon of the kitchen, one minute you're digging into homemade crunchy chips, the next you are enjoying leftover mash in an apple tart made with potato pastry. The wonder of it all.
At Home · 10. January 2022
This christmas we aimed to keep it simple, using what we already had, and making the most of nature and what was growing in our garden. Making gifts became important and catching up with people was extra special.
People · 24. September 2021
One of the best motivational and inspiring leaders out there, Kerryn Vaughan, asked me to chat with her on her podcast, which is all about motivating people to get up off the bench and achieve great thingsShe's had so many amazing guests, and is an amazing person herself. Add her podcast to your listen list. I really enjoyed laughing and chatting with her and I hope you enjoy her podcast.
Country Kitchen & Recipes · 30. August 2021
So here it is, jam drops for everyone, even those with coeliacs disease. The recipe is fairly simple, with the addition of almond butter and flax meal, the biscuit crumb is a little denser, crunchy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and less powdery than usual. I used homemade mariposa plum jam for the middle. Needless to say, they were gone in a couple of hours!
Garden · 24. August 2021
This year planting a diverse range of flowers has never been so important for pollination. The choice of flowers in our gardens is just as important as our choice of vegetables. We noticed increased pollination yearly as more butterflies, dragonflies, bees and long beaked birds take to the garden. The presence of moths and mantis insects have increased also. The more pollinators that visit the front garden, the more vegetables have thrived around our edible block.