In the Garden
Oct 15th, 2007 by Dani
A little idea, borrowed from the lovely MJ. Producing your own food to whatever extent available is only going to get more important as prices of good quality food continue to soar. Yes, I know, I’ve heard all the excuses, the main one being water shortages. Think smart, think outside the square, reuse, recycle. It can be done. An investment in good food is an investment in health. An investment in locally produced food is not only economically sensible, it’s an investment in the planet. ‘Nuff said?
So right now, in our little patch we have;
Olive tree (not yet fruiting)
Fejoa tree (not yet fruiting)
Nectarine tree (not yet fruiting)
Peach tree
3 Lime trees
Ginger
Parsley
Oregano
Basil
Curry Plant
Rosemary
Sage
Vietnamese Mint
Asparagus
Honeypod Peas
Snow peas
Climbing Beans
Lettuce (4 varieties)
Rocket
Spinach
Silverbeet
Tomatoes
Capsicum
Cucumber
Spring Onions
Mini Watermelon
Pumpkin
Potatoes
We have sprouts in the kitchen too. Which has to be the easiest and most basic form of producing your own food. Sprouts are highly nutritious. Plus the kids love it. Sprouts grow at a perfect rate for inquiring little minds. Currently sprouting are adzuki beans and black beans
The kids and I made a bean and pea teepee today with 2m bamboo stakes, climbing beans, honeypod peas and snowpeas. I’ll include a picture when the seedlings get a bit taller. It’s a fabulous project for getting the kids interested and beans and peas grow (almost) quickly enough to satisfy them.
From the teepee…and it’s not even very tall yet…
Here we are, early Janary and I’m struggling to keep the vegies alive. Not enough rain and plenty of scorching weather. Thank heavens the tank is full. I picked what was left of the peaches today. The wind had blown a lot off and the birds have had a feast. Still, here is our haul.
Not food I know but I just adore hoyas. Possibly my favourite flower.
Wow, how big is the area you have allocated for all this fine fare? Do the kids love watching the sprouts grow or eating them (or both!), Lucky you if they eat them!
We have a large (quarter acre) block and the fruit trees are spread out amongst all the rear garden beds. The herbs are spread through several garden beds as well. The actual vegie patch isn’t very big. It supplements what wee eat nicely but we certainly couldn’t survive off it alone. It’s just not big enough.
The kids adore the sprouts. I think I’d forget to water them half the time if they didn’t remind me. Anything we grow, they are happy to eat. Amazing how much more adventurous they are when they see it grow from nothing.
i think it’s time to move out to a small farm! chooks, dogs, a couple of cows perhaps?
loving this blog chick!
Oh I wish! Ironically, we’re actually considering halving our block and rebuilding. The main thing putting me off is not having as much room to grow my edibles. I’ve always wanted a little Jersey house cow, a goat for 2 and a flock of chooks. A girl can dream.
When we were city kids we had lemon, lime, apple (with 10 grafts so lots of variety), blood plum, fig and olive tree. We also had a pretty impressive herb patch (only about 2m x 40cm) and a great vegie patch that was about 3m x 5m at the end of the garden. Considering that we lived in the burbs with a 15m x 45m block I think we did well! Its not how big it is, its how you plan it and if you are happy with having fruit trees as your “exotics” and a portion of your yard taken up with vegie garden beds.
Now that we are country kids due to build soon on ou 10 acre block we are planning a full blown orchard, big 6 bed rotating vegie garden and chook shed. can’t wait! Looking forward to being a little more self sufficient
Are you actually a chef, or it this your hobby/passion??? By the looks of things, you should be a chef and possibly a food stylist and photographer!
Howling Duck Ranchs last blog post..Where we are…
Alli I’m envious. That sounds like the most wonderful plan. Something I’d love to do but the BW doesnt fancy the commute.
Just a hobby/passion. Cheffing (a new verb for you) has never interested me. Churning out the same meal identically in quantity is not my thing. I like to fiddle and create and teach. I’d love to be more adept at food styling/photography. I hope to move beyond opint and click some time this life time! Thank you for the compliments HDR
Well, I can understand you’re not wanting to make your hobby a job, but you do seem to be a kitchen goddess. I do hope you get a cookbook written so the rest of us can enjoy your genius and support you along the way!
Howling Duck Ranchs last blog post..Gone are the days…
I would love to make a job out of cooking in actual fact. Just not as a chef. Something more like teaching. Cook book writing has stalled over the last couple of months. I need a foot up my backside. Or an actual deadline. I work well with deadlines.