• Hello Again

    It’s been almost a year to the day since we last wrote here, and it’s been a year with a lot of ups and downs and a lot of good and some not so good – no different to anyone else on the planet really – but at the end of the day we’re still very happy, we still love our Farm and we still love each other. Our ‘heartkid-grandbaby’ has had another operation, and has pulled through fabulously (such a lil trooper!) AND there have been another couple grandbabies added to the chaos! The last year has seen a lot of growth from the paddock plantings in particular, and it…

  • Autumn

    We’re moving into Autumn here in Australia, and in Far North Qld its one of our prime growing seasons. We’ve just put in a fresh bed of starts of lettuce, wombok, snap peas and green beans in one of our large house-yard beds. Last week saw the last of the summer crops – as well as a shit-ton of comfrey – cleared out from our big vegie bed [and yes, that’s a technical measure! ] ready for the autumn/winter plantings. Some Cauliflower and Broccoli went in a couple of days ago, as well as some Spinach, Beets and Winter Squash, and there are a whole lot more starts waiting for us to get…

  • Gourd they’re good…

    and Gourd they’re handy! We grow our own loofah gourds. They are pretty much a plant and forget kind of thing – which is something we like. Any plant that thrives on neglect, and can be eaten or used otherwise, is a blessing. You can eat the gourds when they are small, they’re much like a zucchini, however if left to grow to full size, they get very fibrous inside. Once dried out, peeled and all the seeds have been removed, they are given a good wash and then set to dry on a rack. Once dry they are stored in an airtight container until needed. They can be used…

  • RECIPE: Pickled Radish

    Pickled Radish

    Another canning job completed on the weekend! [recipes below] In the cooler weather we get a lot more plants producing abundant harvests in our garden, as the micro-climate creates perfect conditions for many of the crops that won’t grow well once the full-on heat of brutal summer kicks in. One of those things right now that we’re having a glut of, is

  • October

    October

    It’s been a very busy last month what with having luncheon with friends, two seperate visits from family members, and a friends wedding – we’ve had very little time at home over the weekends for down-time. Our youngest son came for a quick surprise visit with his lady-friend, arriving one Friday evening and having dinner with us on both the Friday and Saturday evenings, and then popping in to give lots of

  • Early Morning

    Early Morning

    A beautiful sunny Sunday morning, and a perfect time to be outside. So – before breakfast – it was out to have a quick wander around, and to harvest a few things while the morning dew was still on the leaves. Just a glorious way to start the day!!

  • 2020 ridiculousness

    Annnnnd here we are at 2020 – just like that! Even though its barely a month since our last update – we had it pointed out to us in no uncertain terms, that we’ve been a bit slack on the blog of late. We might also note here, that this observation was made by someone who has missed putting out their own Christmas Family Newsletter, for the last couple of years though!!! ?? Soooo – without further ado, here is a brief rundown of what we have been upto in the last month… (It may be brief!) We’ve been drinking lots of

  • RECIPE: Lemon Cordial

    Lemon Cordial

    Old-fashioned lemon cordial Makes: approx 1.2L Ingredients 1 kg sugar 1 litre water 1 tablespoon citric acid 1 tablespoon tartaric acid zest of two lemons (optional) juice of 6 lemons, strained (350ml once strained) Instructions Add the sugar, water, citric and tartaric acids to a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmering point, stirring continuously until the sugars and acids have completely dissolved. This takes 5-10mins. Stir in the lemon juice. Once cool, bottle. I used a funnel to pour the cordial into used and washed bottles. Notes The original recipe calls for 2kg of sugar, I decided to halve the amount. If you don’t use citric and tartaric…