1082

I long dreamt of a life that was like this lady's, but almost two decades ago fell for a man who is very much urban in his outlook.  Choosing the man over the land every time, I've tried to scratch out the bits of the life I imagined in our little suburban block.

I don't know that I'll ever have a pantry full of bottled fruit and veg raised on our own land, but my version of harvesting whatever crop we have in season and in this case being able to squirrel some away for another time, that's my own version of self sufficiency.

Whilst admiring many of this man's pursuits, our life demands some a more conservative approach in terms of the money that this family brings in.  We want choice in where we live, in how we educate our children and having funds to repair that which needs repair, so adopt only the parts of this life which are realistic for us. For some it may not be enough, but for me it's combining the best of both worlds and allows me to live my little illusion while I sit and weigh my beans.

1081

The garden is very productive right now.  The broad beans are always a success, this year particularly so.  I pulled our garlic yesterday as it was dying off at the top and the ground so wet I worried it would start to rot. The carrots, well that's but a fraction of what we have still in the ground, so sweet and crisp, I don't know I have ever cooked any as they are simply so good raw.

I have three tomatoes already in the ground, have had for the past month.  A black russian, tommy toe and San Marzano.  I will need to get the broad beans out before I can plant any more summer veg.  I'm considering another raised bed, as it would buy so much more production for us, but will have to see if Geoff can tolerate going more Mediterranean...  I'll be planting lots of basil again as we're still enjoying the last of our basil oil from last year, a huge success and such a delicious taste of summer in a single spoonful.  Eggplants, Zucchini and Peppers, some more Chilli.  Hard to believe it will ever be summer right now, as we're back into winter weather, but before long I don't doubt I'll be dreaming of cold nights.

1042

I've mentioned our over abundance of basil before.  Both my freezer and bridge are full of pesto, which I love, but it was time for something different.  We buy this basil oil each year and it's delicious, but why not use what's to hand for an even fresher version?

Ratio of one cup of basil leaves, picked, cleaned and dried, finely chopped (not blended) by whatever means you like, added to one cup of olive oil.  Add to a pan and gently bring to a simmer then turn off and leave for a minimum of one hour (I left for 5!).  Strain through muslin and bottle.  You can see in the second shot that this one still has quite a lot of basil particles, so I'll need to pass again and then perhaps through a coffee filter so it keeps for longer.  The taste?  Summer on a spoon.

1039

Time to start the cut over from summer to winter gardens.  We still have Amish Paste tomatoes coming through although I've pulled out the raised bed and the remaining three types of mini tomatoes.  The cucumbers have finished up, the beans from mum and dad still flowering and fruiting.  Eggplants still on the plant and more flowers set.

Today I pulled the last of the purple carrots and three plants of basil from in among the finished tomatoes.  I had to display the bunch of basil in our letterbox as I'm without a gardening companion these days!  From those plants I picked 500g of leaves and made ....... more pesto!  The cayenne chilils are starting to turn red but the habaneros are only just coming on.

After a minor gardening injury from a planting stick in went some of the broad beans into the carrot and fennel bed, Chantenay and Early Nantes carrots and some parsnips went into the tomato bed.  Need to wait for the other bed and veg to finish before I can plant up more broad beans, broccoli and cauliflower.  Anything I've forgotten?

1027

Eggplants are very happy in our garden.  I know many who struggle but ours are very generous and provide us with lots of lovely fruit.  Today three beauties have been cut with gloved hands, as these are sure prickly buggers, for mine and Geoff's dinner.

Last night saw the start of Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem on a Plate" the tv version of one of my wonderful Christmas gifts.  We're very fond of Middle Eastern flavours in this house, the earthy spiciness and wonderful freshness of the herbs.  I found a copy of the recipe online and this is what we'll be eating from these lovelies tonight.

1023

After three whole days in the sun.

1022

After 7 hours in direct, hot sun.

1021

 Hot days = lots of drying time = homegrown sun dried tomatoes = happy tummy = happy me.

1018

The garden really is doing well this year.  Two extra raised beds on our front lawn have made all the difference.  I'm getting a haul like this a few times a week.  Beans are wonderful, but you have to keep on top of them as one day they're too tiny and two days later, too big.  I have a mix of dwarf (seeds from a neighbour) and my parents beans.  I have no idea what the beans are, as they just give me some of last years seeds, but they are always especially good.

Tomatoes still going strong although the first plants (Principe Borghese, Berry Toms, Tommies, Green Zebra and Black Russian) are starting to die off so not as pretty anymore.  Mum's Amish Paste just starting to ripen and I'll try and freeze some of those, simply skinned and halved. There are a few self seeded plants, not sure what they are yet, but a smaller variety.

Eggplants just coming into their own, 6 plants this year so should be eating Middle Eastern style for a while.  Zuchs (Black Jack) not so generous this year (only 1 plant), but have two smaller European plants from my parents in pots, which are a month or more behind.

Chillies are doing well - have lots of cayenne; habanero and birds eye a little behind.

Cucumbers doing great, a few every couple of days and even a few late, small but super sweet strawberries.

A good summer.

PS Not forgetting the carrots which are still going great as well!

1016

After quite a few weeks the first of our gorgeous sunflowers have dried out.  I love the dried heads with and without seeds.  A bit of a time consuming task but 5 heads yielded quite a few seeds and in turn we consumed quite a few.

I'll wait until the largest heads are dried as the seeds are larger, before I roast some with salt to remember some moments eating these during the time I lived in Canada.

1010

The garden is doing so well.  4 fennel, Green Zebra, Black Russian and Tomato Berries, blood plums and enough basil to make pesto for a year.

1008

When I was growing up my mum had a friend called Sue.  They'd met when we moved to Melbourne and I attended St Agnes' Kindergarten in Caulfield.  She and her husband Gerry were from Liverpool and had resettled here, my own parents from Lancashire, so there was an immediate connection.  They had only one child, a daughter named Rachel.

The two families became close, sharing holidays and weekends together.  There are many photos of "happy" adults sharing a pewter goblet of wine, perhaps with a curry including sultanas, with unruly children running in the background.  As I mentioned Rachel was an only child and I, with three older brothers but a 10 year age gap between us, almost one myself.  We were firm friends.

Sue and Gerry had a blood plum tree and would deliver bag loads to my parents every year.  My parents were heavily into self sufficiency - it was the time of The Good Life, one of our favourite shows - and would preserve or convert anything edible into something. I recall plum wine, some of which self carbonated into a homemade sparkling.  There was jam and there was jelly.

Sue and Gerry divorced, the house with the plum tree sold.  He moved to Sydney and she bought a place down in Shoreham on the Mornington Peninsula and became a vegan.  Rachel started attending Toorak College in Mt Eliza and when we'd meet years later, we were strangers.

The friendship may not have lasted, but I remember them, fondly.  I remember them through plums.  Is that strange, is it any less worthy that it's talk of plums that triggers the thought?

I made a spicy plum sauce from our tree on the weekend - 3kgs of fruit yielded 8 jars of glorious ruby sauce, the recipe care of our dear friend Kate.   The tree has about another 3kgs on it, at least.  What next?

1004

No prizes for guessing what dinner will be tonight - a summertime favourite here and with basil growing gangbusters, plenty of pesto for the freezer to hold onto the sunshine a little longer.

1002

Harvesting our potatoes today made me think of Rohan and his gardening endeavours.  It also put me in mind of the Little House on Prairie books I love so much.  Spending six months of the year nursing and watching a crop of corn or wheat, waiting for it to be at its peak for harvesting and the night before the heavens open and crush it flat or the locusts descend and eat everything in sight, depending which book you're reading.

I had high hopes for our potatoes this year, invested only time and dreams, but still.  Tipping over those big bins today I really thought the potatoes would fall like golden nuggets at our feet.  Not quite.  The harvest was 816g of Jersey Royals, 965 of Desirees and a paltry 36g of Dutch Creams.  My idea of having potatoes to feed us through the summer were a little inflated.  We're fortunate that we can afford to buy potatoes to supplement us, but still, imagine if you were depending on your crops to feed your family or to earn money to buy what you need, heartbreaking.  That's part of why growing at least some of your own food is somewhat inspirational, the respect, the desire to avoid waste, the appreciation of flavour, you nursed those babies and you appreciate every mouthful as a result.

992

Garlic, purple and orange carrots.  Very happy.

981

Our first morello cherry harvest yielded a whopping 154g with the pits in!  Lightly poached in a sugar syrup they have made their way into a crumb cake.  So, so satisfying to do so with your own fruit - happy chappy here!

978

Carrots, oh glorious golden and purple fingers of deliciousness!  What a delight you are to us.  Watering you today I was surprised to see chubby cheeks squeezing up beside very fat stalks and we pulled, and pulled and PULLED!  You are fat, straight and delicious.  We've never had such pleasure from your family before, clearly the sandy raised beds do the trick.  The thrill of such activity under the surface makes you all the more  special.  It was all I could do to stop the girls from eating you all in one sitting!

974

What a summery sight!  One day's haul from our strawberry patch - plants that sleep over the winter and reappear with a larger family the following spring.  They're softer than commercial strawberries, but the taste is oh so sweet and so much better when warmed by the sun.

Morello cherries - our little tree's first harvest and there are probably as much again.  I think I may put these in a sugar syrup tomorrow and use them in a butter cake or perhaps even splurge and make some danishes.  Can't wait!