September in the Garden: how it all ended up

As the end of September approaches I thought I should do a follow up on this post. Let's get the bad news out of the way first: a whole lot of "life" got in the way of my gardening, as such my Thyme and Chilli died.....that's it. That's the bad news over. Okay, okay, I'm lying. I'm having an ongoing caterpillar situation but, compared to spider mites, these guys are relatively manageable. The first morning we discovered about a million of them I was super concerned about how I was going to kill them.....but they are easily squished between the thumb and the forefinger and a good squirt of Pyrethrum has more or less sorted them out. I just need to be a bit (whole lot) more vigilant with my pest management.  That's the bad news out of the way. Here's how everything else is going.

The corn has been a great hit. I've been sowing it periodically so fingers crossed I should be able to harvest corn for a few months at the end of this year and into next year. My Zucchini is going great guns. The thing just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Finally, I planted the carrots out last weekend and they started poking their little heads through yesterday. I will need to thin them out in a few days and then again a little ways down the track.

While I've been having some caterpillar issues, my garden has FINALLY been visited by some useful insects. I spied these gorgeous little guys and couldn't have been happier.

The beans have really taken off. They are all blossoming and I can't wait to eat my first crop in the next few weeks.

The lime tree has come back into bloom. My fingers are crossed in hope that I can get about 20 limes this season. Finally here's how the herb garden is looking at the moment - a whole lot happier than it's before shot from earlier this month.

 I have planted in some parsnips but they won't be appearing for some time still and I am very hopeful that by the end of October, hopefully my flowers will be in bloom. Yay spring!!!

Oriental Meatballs

I didn't have a meatball until I was 21. I never really understood what the appeal of them was. Even the meatball I had then was a bit strange. It was steamed and seemed to be more breadcrumbs than anything else. Over the last week or so though I've had a bit more time for meatballs. Which is good, because they do take a little while to make. I blame My Kitchen Rules . I've been massively sucked into this show - first time watcher. When you push aside all of the drama, there are actually some pretty decent meals coming out of their kitchens. My Spicy Meatballs with Polenta were a creation based on combining this and this. This dish was so delicious I decided to try another MKR inspired dish - 5 Spice Pork Meatballs. However, I'm not a fan of 5 spice and I don't like pork so this is my own version.

Oriental Meatballs 

500 grams beef mince 

1 egg

5 waterchestnuts

1/2 teaspoon coriander leaves

2 spring onions, chopped

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons garlic

1 teaspoon ginger 

1/4 teaspoon fish sauce 

2/3 cup breadcrumbs 

Break the mince up in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the egg and pour over the mince. In a food processor, process the water chestnuts and the spring onions until finely chopped. Add to the mince. Add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger and fish sauce and mix to combine. Gradually add the breadcrumbs to ensure mixture isn't too wet or too dry. Using a tablespoon portion the meat so you end up with uniform size balls and place onto a baking tray. Bake in a 150 degree oven for about 50 minutes (until cooked through and brown on the outside)

Sauce 

1 cup of chicken stock

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 spring onion chopped

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon garlic

2 teaspoons corn flour 

Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the soy and oyster sauce. Allow mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes then add the spring onion, sugar, ginger and garlic. Let mixture simmer for a further 5 minutes. Mix the corn flour with about 1/8 cup of water. Gradually add to the sauce, stirring, until the sauce is at desired consistency. 

Serve meatballs with sauce drizzles over the top on white rice with Asian greens.

TimTam Cake

So August brought that time of year again - Hubby's Birthday. After last years caramel, white chocolate deliciousness  it took me a while to decide what to for this year. I had a practice at this TimTam Cake and made a half batch recipe. For the actual day I made the full size cake, in all its chocolatey glory. It really was pretty spectacular - I took pictures this time which helps!

September In The Garden

Spring is finally here! I started my spring garden planning about 2 weeks ago. We let our garden beds settle...I think I said something crazy like, "Let's leave them for 2 weeks." That lasted all of about 3 days. We transplanted a lot of our herbs that have been living in pots for the past 6 to 8 months. After the transplant a lot of things suffered - which makes sense, even plants don't like moving home straight away! Also our garden beds are much bigger so obviously become much drier, they are also a totally different type of soil to that which we have previously used. As keen as I was to keep going I realised everything actually did need some time to settle. So with frequent watering and big drinks of seaweed tea it all started to come together nicely.

I decided that after the great spider mite disaster of 2013, I would never use purchased seedlings again. The following reasons contributed to this decision
1. seedlings have the potential to introduce pests into the garden (see: the great spider mite disaster of 2013)
2. seedlings are expensive
3. seedlings come in boxes of about 6 - I find that about half of this (if not more) tends to be fairly weak and die off, thus making my spent money useless 

With all this in mind I got some seeds. I have never planted anything from seed.....ever!! Crazy right?!

I was naturally a little bit nervous but I thought the best thing to do is try "hardier" crops so I selected sweet corn, chilli and some flowers. I also wanted to add another herb into the mix and as I seem to be using thyme fairly frequently these days so that was my herb of choice. I set my seeds up in a large egg carton with some nice compost in a sunny position. I planted everything and crossed my fingers. Over the next few days I sprayed my little clumps of dirt with excessive amounts of water and frequently yelled, "GROW!" at them.

And to my surprise, they did! 

Thyme was the first thing to pop up which was a huge shock as thyme is supposed to take a long thyme. They all got off to a great start but, predictably, have slowed right down now. I'm assuming it will be close to a year before my thyme is anywhere near useable - but still, there is quite a lot of them so I'm hoping to be able to offload a few plants to friends at Christmas time (can you believe it's close enough to Christmas to be thinking things like that! Did someone say Gingerbread House!?)

The next thing to pop up was my corn. I am so totally in love with it. During our holiday in Nepal we saw so much corn growing in the jungles as the base of the mountains it just had me so captivated I decided I had to grow it - AND I AM!!!! Seeds - they are so darn magical aren't they?! 

Finally, the flowers started to poke through and they took off like wild fire (flowers?). They have been zooming along nicely. Also down in the actual garden I popped in some bean seeds that practically punched through the soil overnight - you can only imagine my rapture! 

My next project is zucchini, carrots and parsnips. I'm going to attempt to grow these straight into the garden beds rather than doing the seed trays. I have transplanted most of these little guys into the garden beds and I'm eagerly tracking their progress. I feel a little sorry for my plants, I observe them so intensely they must feel an overwhelming amount of pressure some days!! The Chilli has just started to come up in the last few days so, fingers crossed warm weather will bring about a yummy yard that is fast growing, high yielding and hopefully evil-pest-free (or as much as possible!)

Sunday Sweets: Berry Banana Muffins

July Throw Back

My husband's birthday is just under a month away. For the past three years birthdays have been a bit of a "thing" for us.

In year 1 I remember his birthday two days before it happened. This might not have been such a big deal if we didn't live in an isolated rural town with exactly zero department stores and perhaps (stretching it) 2 places that could be considered "variety" stores that take about 2 minutes to walk the entirety of. I offered to make a "special dinner" that failed epically. I also attempted to make a cake that was fairly disappointing. Needless to say, year 1 did not work out so well.

In year 2 I thought ahead slightly and via ebay purchased a small number of items that I felt were practical. I also planned a weekend get away to Townsville. Apparently my husband hates practical items as gifts. He believes birthdays are a time for impractical things that you don't really need but really want. Also Townsville is...disappointing to say the least. We also got terribly lost on our trip home and ended up turning a 10 hour drive into 15 hours of scary, petrol-gague-staring, out-of-range off-roading. Year 2 epic fail.

In year 3 I started early. During the year when I heard him mention various items of interest I noted them down in my phone. I started purchasing things on ebay in June. I didn't think twice about how expensive things were or how practical they were. I made outlandish purchases like an iPad and a framed Joker photo compilation signed by Heath Ledger - yes I purchased the signature of the deceased. I also made this cake. Needless to say, I nailed it in year 3.

So here we are in year 4. We are living back in a world where there are like 15 department stores in short driving distance and the entire CBD of shops is a 20 minute train ride away. So I'm starting early. The restaurant it booked. Family invitations have been arranged. Pre-shopping questions have been asked.

This weekend the shopping began. Who'd have thought that living so close to shops would actually make things harder? The variety is the issue here. I've gone from having no options to too many. Also, I had such a good crack at things last year, this year I am left with fairly slim pickings. How do I top myself?

I have spent the weekend going from one huge mall to the next. I haven't gone to the gym all weekend as I have spent so much time running in circles and going from one end of shops to the other and back....and again.  So, this Sunday I decided that, after two long shopping days, I would make afternoon tea instead of dessert....for two reasons - 1. I need a sugar boost at this point in the day and 2. I am so tired I don't think I will even last to dinner let alone dessert.

These muffins came about by accident. I was going through the freezer yesterday when I discovered a whole bunch of bananas that I had frozen about 2 months ago. I know that sounds weird, but I did it for this very reason. Over ripe frozen bananas are magical things that make baked banana goods extra delicious. I also had a let over box of frozen blueberries so it all just made sense to me. They have come out looking kind of rustic which I really like. I am consistently disappointed with my flat, smooth muffins, these look like the kind of muffins I picture in my head.

Berry Banana Muffins
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
80 grams butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup blueberries
mashed bananas (I used 6 small very ripe and sloppy bananas - these provide the moisture for the muffins so over ripe is ideal)

August in the Garden

Obviously this was intended to be posted earlier....darn life getting in the way of my hobbies!
We appear to have recovered from the great spider mite infestation of 2013. My poor old sugar snap peas never stood a chance. Anyway, lesson learnt - gardens require ongoing maintenance.

Way back in June we had three above ground garden beds built for us. They were constructed from left over bits of Colour Bond fence and we were lucky enough to get them at "mates rates". This weekend we had another mate come around and help us top them up with  the most deliciously dung filled, steaming organic soil I have ever encountered. Naturally, as we were filling the beds up, our dogs assumed Christmas had come early and took very little time jumping inside and rolling around in all that manurey goodness.

We are letting the beds sit for the week to settle and then the real fun will begin. I am feeling pretty darn proud of all of this. Considering back in December when we first moved in and decided we would have a go at gardening we never really thought we would get the the stage where we actually had garden beds just waiting to be filled with plants. We were always going to start off with just a few pots of basil, parsley and some cherry tomatoes. Over the past few months we have tried (and sometimes failed!) to do a few more bits and pieces and we have learnt quite a lot. Really, for me that's what it has always been about - learning how to do garden stuff!

The part that makes me happiest is that for the past month I have been able to go down to my garden any day of the week and get something for lunch or dinner. I made an entire tabouleh main dish for dinner last week with my own parsley. I made a pesto pasta meal for 3 with my own basil.

This week I saw punnets of cherry tomatoes for $11.92kg - I have half a kilo sitting on my bench. Now I am aware that these cannot be considered "free meals" as I had to pay for the plants, the soil, the pots they grow in, the water and seaweed fertiliser I feed them. Over time the financial benefits of having my own garden will all balance out but at the moment I am reaping the chemical free benefits. These gorgeous little plants are loaded with sweet, juicy flavour. I have never been the type of person to enjoy tomato (or parsley for that matter) but I can easily pop any of these things in my mouth and a smile.