Tuesday 24 September 2013

WEEKLY HARVEST 35 & FOOD SWAP

Spring has definitely sprung! The garden has become lovely and productive. I have been able to go out everyday and pick something to include in that night's dinner. I am looking forward to summer so that we can have more variety and more volume of produce! This week I also went down to my local food swap so I could swap some of my excess greens for things that I haven't grown.

16/9/13 - 22/9/13

12 eggs
279 grams onion
1396 grams leek
161 grams sage
319 grams parsley
56 grams thyme
9 grams chili
47 grams broccoli
742 grams silverbeet

TOTAL 12 EGGS AND 3009 GRAMS OF FOOD!

To the food swap I took, parsely, sage, thyme, chili, and
yellow silverbeet.
In return I took home this lovely aloe vera plant.
This huge fig tree.
Some oranges.
A large bunch of lemon myrtle. This is an Australian native - bush tucker food. I searched high and low for some earlier this year and it was only when we were in byron bay on holiday that I found some at a little organic shop. So I am thrilled to have some in it's natural state and not pre ground. The great thing about lemon myrtle is that it has anti microbial benefits. Much like tea trea except this is edible and not just topical. 
While we were in the garden we went on a snail hunt and this is half of our bounty. Squiz had a lot of fun helping collect and squash the offenders. 

29 comments:

  1. Wow, that's a pretty good haul for early Spring. We've got silverbeet and a few herbs but not much else, and not enough to swap. Oh and bazillion lemons. But we have them almost year round.

    Love that aloe vera. I somehow always manage to kill it, I really don't know why.

    Hi, BTW! I just popped over from IBOT :)

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    1. Silverbeet and herbs are also going crazy here! Lemons are always a favourite at food swaps! Yes it's so healthy, I'm also hoping that I don't kill it this time either! The gentleman who brought it along said that it needs morning sun and afternoon shade, so I think that was my problem! Thanks for stopping by :D

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  2. Love the idea of the food swap! That is brilliant. Lots of super yummy things to eat here, well done x Josefa from #teamIBOT

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    1. It's a sensational idea! I wish there were more of them around or that they didn't just meet up once a month!

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  3. I love my little vegie patch too. In the past week we've had baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, passionfruit, lettuce, shallots, and potatoes, fresh from the backyard :-)

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    1. Yum sounds like a great harvest! I can't wait for my passionfruit to start producing! Hoping this summer is the one! Oh and tomatoes! Looking forward to all my summer crops :D

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  4. After seeing the movie Turbo today I'm a little sad for the snails - but just for a wee minute ;) I can't wait to get veggies planted, well my toms, beans and lettuces anyhow! Em :)

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    1. Haha! My lil man went through a stage where he wouldn't squash them because they were all friends, but he has seemed to get over that again lol!

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  5. Looks fantastic.
    I don't know how I am supposed to squish snails ever again as my kids were so taken with Turbo! They have already had snail races and fed them my lettuce! Maybe will have to do it in secret...

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    1. haha secret snail squashing! I had to do it when my son came out of the squashing stage (but he has happily gone back as chief snail squasher!)

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  6. Very nice harvest of herbs and greens! And citrus, which is something we can't grow up here!

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    1. Yes the greens are really taking off! I can't wait for my orange tree to start fruiting! Those ones were swapped for some of my greens :D

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    2. Yes the greens are really taking off! I can't wait for my orange tree to start fruiting! Those ones were swapped for some of my greens :D

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  7. How beautiful it is! I can't even believe. Outside our window yellow leaves. Work in the garden you can be alone in the middle of may.

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  8. Oh I wish we had a food swap, although it won't do me any good until my veggies grow some more!

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    1. It's a great idea, and it took a lot of research to find one near by, so google it and maybe you will find one :D

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  9. I went on my own snail hunt last week, under the top lip of my pots. Bloody things. We've just had broccoli and carrots out the garden, and I love using my own herbs. You did pretty well out of the food swap!

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  10. Your garden looks amazing. And what a good idea is a food swap! Love the aloe plant, too. We use ours endlessly for any minor skin irritation - works a treat.

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    1. Thank-you :D I know it's such a great community to be apart of! Aloe is wonderful, looking forward to using some!

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  11. Great that you have a local food swap. Great way to minimise excess food.

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    1. It's a sensational group! Wish I found it earlier though!

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  12. so impressed by all of your veggies and fruits!!!!

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    1. Thanks :D looking forward to summer so that most of our fresh food is home grown!

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  13. You should find out if they are edible snails! You could trade them at the next swap, or come up with some tasty dishes - watch them vanish once they become useful!

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  14. A food swap is a fantastic idea! I can see how it would be a great way to try out new foods too! Don't know that much about lemon myrtle...will have to research it a little more.

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    1. It's a sensational way in trying new foods and growing things that you wouldn't necessarily grow if you didn't have the knowledge, resources or accessibility to grow, which is found at the swaps! Thanks for stopping by!

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