May 2011 Blog Posts (10)

I've finally got a small collection of seeds and planned to go to seedsavers on the weekend, but missed it thanks to 50 assignments I had to mark for work. :-(

I hope I finally get to the next one!

Daniel.

After saying I would never again bake bread ... Scarlett’s blog inspired me to have another go and this time using Sourdough rather than yeast.



Scurrying about the internet brought a predictably large amount of conflicting information. Instead of remaining confused, I’ve thrown in my lot with Yoke Mardewi and will go with her suggestions until I know a bit more about what I am doing (I should live so long!). She wrote the book for Australian home baker (Wild Sourdough) and the…

I got some pork belly from a butcher a week ago, had it chopped into 8 large rectangular pieces, and cured them with some salt so I can make a German thing called "speck". The curing is finishing today, then I'll let it air dry in the fridge overnight and smoke it with some hickory shavings in my smoker tomorrow. I couldn't resist the temptation today, though. I took one piece out, chopped it up, fried it with mushrooms in some ghee (clarified butter) and am now eating it with some maggi…

Vanessa Collier method of achieving good looking loofah sponges:

Lissa, for the loofas I just wait until they turn brown on the vine (don't leave them too long). Pick them then break off the bottom knobby bit and give it a bash and shake to get…

14/03/11 Autumn - the weather is just beautiful already with milder days. It's almost enough to take my mind off the colonoscopy I'm facing later today, or rather, the muck I had to drink in preparation. Thank goodness for gardening to divert my attention from it all lol (and Minties to help remove the dubious flavour).

I'm a normally a nibbler when I mooch around the…

As you know, I'm a complete novice gardener. Besides my experience of having planted a few things in pots and now watching them grow, I'm the Sgt. Schultz of gardening: I know nothing!

I finally made time after the gym this morning to save seeds from some fruit that Lissa kindly gave me. I now have seeds drying on some paper towel on the kitchen window sill. I've got a funky horned cucumber, a passionfruit, a jalapeno chilli, and a tiny red chilli.

I had no…

After deciding not to tie up my beds for months to grow Garlic, circumstances have conspired to encourage me to plant for this season.

After the almost-failure of the crop last year, I bought some kilos of Biodynamic Garlic from Patrice Newell in the Hunter Valley. This is divine Garlic, the best commercial bulbs I have ever eaten. However ... coming from a cold place to a warm place, it decided it would like to sprout. Meaning the Garlic arrived in January 2011 and is…

Tips from an old Italian grower, Angelo Caruso and practiced by commercial Biodynamic grower at Beerburrum, Terry Little.



Angelo told Terry to cut back the Fig trees hard each year and cut back to a stump every 5 years. As they start growing, pinch out shoots to leave no more than 18-24 leaders.

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Check out this website for help with plant problems: VEGETABLE MD ONLINE

TOPICS:

• SUPPLEMENTS
• PLANTS and their requirements
• DEFICIENCY SIGNS
• PESTS & DISEASES
• PRODUCTS
• SPECIFIC PROBLEM
• MAKING POTTING…