Homegrown hen scratchings

It's five o'clock in the morning. 

I went to bed at ten thirty last night and slept like a dream until Brett's alarm went off at two thirty. After that it was game over sleepwise, my brain would not turn off and I was waking every half an hour. 

The last month of Mondays I've been turning up to the gymnastics hall and taking part in Kindergym and the following Tiny Tot classes, to complete my twenty hours of training for my Intermediate coaching course. Thank goodness I don't have that today. I think I will go back to bed after school drop off.

I have been scouring the internet for transport action songs (the theme for Kindergym next term). I find myself printing out and laminating stuff to use in classes too. Who am I becoming?! It's all very exciting. 

Some of the craziness of the last few months, has settled down and I was so keen to get out into the garden last week.

Jack be little pumpkins, which a little more like a squash to eat.

I've pulled up some of the summer veggies, like the cucumbers, eggplants, pumpkins and purple potatoes. The tomatoes will be next to go, just waiting for a few of the stragglers to ripen up.

The purple spuds I have growing in pots. When they are ready, after the plants have flowered and died down, I just tip the pot out in the wheelbarrow and pick all the spuds out. I put all the dirt back in the pot with some of the smaller spuds, and the process starts again.

Roasted summer veg, with lentils and yogurt. My lunch yesterday. Yum yum!

They're not the prettiest spuds, but I like to grow them! I just plain LOVE growing and eating my own food full stop.

I've been planting new stuff like broccoli, silverbeet, lettuce and parsley.

The sweet peas, snow peas, beetroot, carrot and broad bean seeds have been dropped in the ground. With the crazy amount of rain we got yesterday, they should be plumping up big and fat, ready to shoot to life. Better get the snail bait ready. Which reminds me, I have to go shopping at some stage today. Sigh.

The kid who won't eat tomato if I put it on her plate, but will attack a tomato as big as her head that someone else grew in thier garden.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Mum's big trombones - love #fmy52weeksofmemories

When I saw them I was astounded at the size of Mum's trombone squash she grew this year. She attributes her success to lots of animal manure and keeping the water up. 

I knew I had to take a photo and share it with our local paper. Locals and their big veggies are a regular sight in it's pages.

The photos turned out great, and the photo with Mum and the girls was published in the South Eastern times yesterday.

In my own garden I've just pulled up my tomato plants. The green ones are ripening on the window sill.

Almost time to start buying them again at the supermarket. Not the same.

I have planted seeds of broad beans, snow peas and beetroot in the spaces left from the tomatoes.

North African veggie casserole

I posted my lunch on Instagram the other day (as I do). Kimmie asked for the recipe, so here it is.

I have blogged the Baharat spice mix before, you can find it by following the link. If you can't be stuffed with that, buy something like Moroccan or Middle Eastern spice blend from the supermarket.

1 can lentils
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans (Edgell)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 cups cubed squash
2 celery stalks
1 olive oil
3 Tablespoons Baharat spice mix
1/2 preserved lemon
2 cups water
plain yogurt, mint or coriander to garnish

Heat oil on a medium-high heat, add onion and fry until soft. Add baharat spice mix, garlic and stir for a minute.

Add 3 tablespoons of the water (so the spices don't burn), squash and celery and stir until water is absorbed.
Pour in tomatoes and rest of water. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to medium low.

Add the drained and rinsed lentils and beans. Simmer all ingredients uncovered for 15 minutes or until squash is cooked. I usually leave it until the liquid is thick and saucy.

Finely chop preserved lemon rind and stir into the casserole.

Serve up garnished with a dollop of yogurt and torn up mint leaves or coriander.

• instead of squash, use pumpkin, sweet potato or eggplant
• swap out the lentils or beans for chick peas
• add some chilli for heat
• if you don't have preserved lemon, garnish at the end with lemon zest
• add some finely grated ginger with the spices for a flavour twist

-----Recipe adapted from the Maza recipe booklet-----

An InLinkz Link-up

In my hand #fmy52weeksofmemories

In my hand this week was a colander. It lives on the retaining wall of my veggie patch.

 

I planted purple climbing beans next to the cubby house after the sweet peas had finished.

 

It's been such a long, hot season. I squeezed a crop of purple climbing beans right at the end.

 

I made a bean salad with what I picked. The weird thing is when they are cooked, the purple beans turn green.

 

A salad that is fondly remembered from my childhood. Mum said she got it from an Italian friend Alina. It involves garlic, vinegar and olive oil.

 

I am getting a few tomatoes here and there as well. The weather has finally turned in the last week. I think Autumn is working it's way in and those lovely warm days are starting to become less and less. I am sad, I hate the cold. My capsicums have just decided to spring into action too. I hope there is enough warmth to see them to maturity.

 

I do not care how much it rains, I do not like the coldness in the breeze of the last week. I do not like it at all!

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Persian spiced veggies with lentils

I like to share my food on instagram. I just like to share my food! 

I am one of those weird people who sit down, take a photo, then proceed to eat, whilst instafaceytweeting what's on my plate.

Some people don't get it and sometimes I let that sway me. But in the end, I like to do it, so I keep posting.  I thought I would push it further and overshare here with how I make it. 

This spice mix is in my pantry. I use it to sprinkle on my veggies before I bake them for lunch some days.

Persian spice
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon ground rose petals*
2 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander

Mix all together and store in an airtight jar or plastic container in the pantry.

*I find the smelliest roses I have, take a couple of handfuls of the petals and place them on a baking tray. Dry them in a slow oven until they are dry, then crush them up. If you're not into eating your garden,  you can buy edible rose petals online or in specialty food delis, or just leave it out.

Baharat spice mix is good to use if you want instead of the persian spice.

Vegetables of choice, such as - pumpkin, sweet potato, eggplant, onion, garlic, beetroot, zucchini, capsicum. 
1 tin lentils, drained and rinsed**
half a tablespoon of persian spice
Olive oil

Chops veggies into 2cm cubes. Coat with olive oil and persian spice in a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven at 200 for 15 - 20 minutes.

Tip and mix in a can of lentils, put back in the oven for another five minutes to warm through.

Serve as a warm salad with feta cheese and fresh herbs. I've used greek yogurt and mint in the photo above. 

**Instead of lentils, you could go in with whatever you like, brown rice, couscous, chick peas or quinoa. 

I've also made this with squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, onion and garlic. Instead of the spice blend, just used mixed dried herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil. Baked for 15 minutes, add the lentils for 5 minutes and served with greek yogurt and basil pesto. So yum!

An InLinkz Link-up

Roasted beetroot and macadamia nut dip #helpimhandwriting

I took this along to my brothers 40th celebrations. I was asked to bring a nibbles platter. No one was really nibbling, too much drinking going on by that stage. The kids gathered round the nibbles table and demolished just about everything, except this dip! Fussy farts. 

I nibbled. Oh, I nibbled.

I am taking Ann from Help I'm Stuck's lead, and handwriting the recipe. It's a stroke of genius on her part, it is refreshing to see some handwriting on the net. This is also exactly how I would have written in it my scrap book of recipes. 

Linking with Tegan for The Lounge and I brought nibbles!

Pumpkin and herb damper

Pumpkins are ripening in gardens now, if not, gardeners have picked them, and are cutting them up for use.

This handy, quick and rustic damper recipe is good for mopping up casserole juices, for dipping in soups, or just because with a spread of butter or cream cheese.

If you don't have pumpkin ready, mashed potato works just as well.

Pumpkin Damper
1 cup mashed pumpkin
3 cups self-raising flour
3 teaspoons margarine
2 tablespoons dried herbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 220C.

In a bowl, add flour, salt, pepper and herbs. 
(optional extras here could be 1 teaspoon of cumin for a pumpkin damper, or 1 tspn paprika for a potato damper)

Rub margarine into flour.

Mix the pumpkin with the milk, then add to the flour until a soft dough forms.

Place the dough onto a greased tray and press into a 25 cm round. Cut the round into 8 segments, 2cm deep.
(you could sprinkle the top here with pepita seeds or sesame seeds if you like)

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C for 20-30 minutes.

Zucchini Slice

I have never been too successful with zucchinis. I haven't had one off my plant this year because of end blossom rot, where the zucchini starts out well but slowly dies off from the flower end. I've had heaps do this, but the latest two on the plant are looking like they might be OK, fingers crossed.

End blossom rot is caused because of not enough calcium in the soil, and infrequent watering. 

Mum can grow them with her eyes shut, so I've been getting them off her. 

This is what I made with them, besides eating them with other veggies and making ratatouille, like I did when we went camping recently. 

Zucchini Slice

1-2 grated medium zucchini(about 2 and a half cups)
1 onion finely chopped
1 cup chopped bacon
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup SR Flour
1/2 cup oil
5 eggs
salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a big bowl. Mix together well.
Grease a pie dish or cake tin.(I line the bottom of a spring form cake tin and spray with some olive oil spray).
Bake at 200 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

An InLinkz Link-up

Snippets of a February garden

Chilli plant

Chilli flower

Double flowered feverfew

Shasta daisy

Radish flowers

Little scented geraniums

 

Cherry tomato

'Angel face' rose

Penstemon

 

Hebe

Can't beet a root #openslather

Boggy is known for his 'dad joke' sayings. 'You can't beet-a-root', is one of those. It's said when the fact that beetroot is on the dinner plate, comes up in conversation at the table. Probably not appropriate in front of posh company.

Izzy has confidently come out with it at our tea time in a matter-of-fact way, being quite pleased with herself. Little dag.

With the onset of warmer weather, a can of beetroot is always in the pantry. I serve it up with salads, we all love it except for Izzy, so in her case you CAN beet a root(vegetable that is)! Even Summer has a go at it.

I've tried to grow them before with not much success. I'm having another go with some heirloom beetroot seedlings I got from my brother in law. I think they are different colours to the normal beetroot. If nothing else goes right, at least I can use the leaves in salads.

If you're into companion planting they grow well with onions, silverbeet, lettuce, cabbage and dwarf beans, but not well with taller beans.

I have mine growing in a wine barrel with a cherry tomato, well see how they go.

I got some off Mum that she's just pulled up and put them in jars.

Bake for two hours at 180 degrees in a tray covered with foil. Put the bigger ones around the outsides of the tray and the smaller ones in the middle. Let cool in the tray.

With gloves on, peel and slice or quarter, however you like them.

Put the slices into cold sterilised jars. To sterilise jars I put them in a 150 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Always put cold into cold jars and hot into hot jars, you might crack or shatter the glass otherwise.

Take a cup of liquid, use any juice from the pan, if any, with water.
Mix with one cup of vinegar.
Pour this into the jar to cover the beetroot.
I chucked a bay leaf in each jar with two peppercorns as well. 

You may have to make more depending on how much you have to jar.

Keep the jars in the fridge.

Are you a beetroot fan? How do you love to eat yours?

November garden

 Pulled out the Broad bean plants. Izzy picking the last beans and feeding them to her sister. 

Never seen a kid so keen to eat raw broad beans!

 Antirrhinums or Snapdragons 

 Nigella 'Love in a mist'

 Pink carpet roses under shade, just starting to flower

Below, same carpet rose in full sun, monster, over two metres in height and almost three wide.

Would make an awesome rose hedge.

 A double white carpet rose

 Irises

 'Wedding Day' rambling rose in flower, pink fairy rose on trellis

 'Wedding day'

I took this one at 8pm last night. Still light. One kid asleep and the other on her way.

It helps having the extra daylight to do things like poison grass. This bed coming along. 

Got rocks from Mums old house on the hill and out at BILs farm :)