I'll finish off my whinge now. I really can't complain considering I survived two winters in Boston where long underwear was needed just to leave the house. And I really can't complain when our dams have gained 8% more water compared to last year; at this rate it'll only take 8 more years of this much rain to fill them to capacity! We've got a long way to go before anyone would be crazy enough to say our drought was over, but in the meantime, bring on the rain.
Wednesday 30 June 2010
cold, cold winter
I'll finish off my whinge now. I really can't complain considering I survived two winters in Boston where long underwear was needed just to leave the house. And I really can't complain when our dams have gained 8% more water compared to last year; at this rate it'll only take 8 more years of this much rain to fill them to capacity! We've got a long way to go before anyone would be crazy enough to say our drought was over, but in the meantime, bring on the rain.
Posted by Alexa at 9:00 pm 0 comments
Labels: weather
a big swap for a little maple
I decided that the maple would prefer the spot where the taro is now. It's on the south side of a tall fence, sheltered from the hot summer sun. And it's a higher spot, rather than being completely hidden in that far corner.
You can't really see in the photo but there's another impromptu new addition. Where the statice used to be are two baby taro plants. Full-grown they'll be way too big for those positions, but I reckon they've got a year or two of growing first. After that I'll find them another home. And in the long term, the vitex in the main bed will eventually grow to be about two metres tall and spreading, shading a lot of this are (I hope!). The oakleaf hydrangeas in the narrow beds will start to fill out too. This part of the garden really is still a young work in progress, which in a way is far more exciting than the established plants at the front.
Posted by Alexa at 8:51 pm 3 comments
Labels: big projects, colocasia, hydrangea, maple
Sunday 20 June 2010
hungry hungry poss-poss
In the meantime, my second batch of gai lan and broccoli have sprouted, as well as a few radishes I threw in for fun. Hopefully I'll be harvesting them within the next few months.
Posted by Alexa at 4:04 pm 0 comments
tasty kale
In any case, this was plenty for one go! I carefully washed them (only a few aphids, no caterpillars) and cut out the stems before chopping them up. It went into one of my favourite winter soups - minestrone with white beans. I don't really follow a recipe anymore but here's what I did, more or less.
Chop up an onion, carrot, and clove of garlic. Cook until carrot starts to soften, then add a can of chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, about 4 cups of water or stock and the rind from a wedge of Parmesan. That's the single most important ingredient to minestrone - you must have a Parmesan rind. It adds an amazing depth of flavour.
Bring to a simmer and add a bit of pepper (no salt though, the Parmesan takes care of that). I add a few handfuls of red lentils, not authentic but it adds a richness to the soup. Then add the kale (it takes longer to cook than you might think). After 15 minutes, add the white beans and continue to cook until the kale is tender and beans are heated through. If you want more vegetables, add them after the kale depending on how long they take to cook. Serve with more grated Parmesan and crusty bread. Yum!
Posted by Alexa at 4:00 pm 0 comments
Labels: brassicas
Sunday 6 June 2010
i finally decided
It's just a wee little seedling at the moment but it's still big enough for me to pick a few leaves as I need them. I decided to be clever and put an agricultural pipe in the planting hole, so I can water it down to the roots when I need to.
And whilst I was walking along the path I noticed that my transplanted camellias are starting to bloom. They've taken their move well; they didn't drop their buds and the first one is now sweetly blooming. I'll leave you with this lovely picture.
Posted by Alexa at 4:54 pm 0 comments
broccoletti harvest and brassica planting
The kale is powering along nicely too. I've had a few leaves so far but haven't yet made a nice big pot of winter minestrone - so yummy!
My snow peas and broad beans are slowly growing away but they're certainly not in a hurry. I think they'd both like more sunlight than they get in my yard in winter. The sun's just too low and the buildings around it too high. Oh well that's what you get from a little urban yard!
Posted by Alexa at 4:44 pm 5 comments
Labels: brassicas
Wednesday 2 June 2010
sunshine bread
Posted by Alexa at 7:43 pm 0 comments
Labels: bread
vitex agnus-castus
Posted by Alexa at 7:41 pm 0 comments
Labels: vitex
twiggy gets a move
It does look a lot happier in its new home. It wasn't actually very root-bound in the old pot which means it will be years before it fills out this pot. And the bloody thing is so heavy, it's not going anywhere. In maybe 3 or 4 years I'll pull it out just to trim the roots and the leaves to keep it to a small size.
Posted by Alexa at 7:36 pm 1 comments
Labels: citrus
autumn, continued
In any case, here are another few shots of autumn colour. This is the oakleaf hydrangea that doesn't turn bright red, it turns this dark burgundy colour but the leaves stay on almost all winter long.
Posted by Alexa at 7:31 pm 0 comments
Labels: autumn colour, hydrangea