WEEKLY TALLY - NUMBER 33 & GARDEN SNAPSHOT

I have been slowly cleaning up the winter garden to make room for my spring seedlings which I will start to sow at the end of this month and early next month. It's been a slow process as it's been getting harder to bend down and stay bending down, so something that would usually only take me a couple of hours, need to be spread over a number of days 15 minutes at a time. I am hoping to keep up with the garden this summer, even with a newborn! And those homegrown veggies are going to be even more important as bubba Will starts his first foods!

2/9/13 - 8/9/13

24 eggs
509 grams silverbeet
989 grams beetroot
98 grams capsicum
31 grams carrot
11 grams chili
93 grams peas

TOTAL 24 EGGS AND 1731 GRAMS OF FOOD.

Now for a look at what my garden is doing!

I'm starting to get baby broad beans after months of flowering!

Still so many flowers!

The celery has taken off!

And the silverbeet bushes are getting larger leaves after a trimming! Excuse the massive weed!

The chili somehow continued to fruit throughout winter, even though the chilis are smaller and the leaves sad. 

WEEKLY HARVEST - NUMBER 29

This week was quite a successful one, I had a bit of a clear out of some of my greens, as they were  getting overgrown. Hopefully they can get some more light and produce bigger leaves. I picked nearly a kilo of leaves from one silverbeet bush and it didn't even look like it had been touched! 

5/8/13 - 11/8/13

11 eggs

2616 grams silverbeet

431 grams parsley

155 grams capsicum

68 grams peas

19 grams chili

1 grams bay leaf

TOTAL 11 EGGS AND 3290 GRAMS OF FOOD!

GARDEN SNAPSHOT

The garden is growing well, but as it is the middle of winter things tend to grow a lot slower. We were lucky enough to receive a load of beautiful mulch from a friend who is an arborist, so this was spread over last years load which was looking quite sad.

Our truckload of mulch

This is what the paths looked like before

And after

I love the look of fresh mulch!

Now for what's growing, the leeks are doing great!

And so is the garlic

And the herbs, and rhubarb

Hopefully the broad beans will flower soon

The celery is starting to take off and the silverbeet continues to produce well

The chili bush is still looking healthy and some chilis still on it and they are slowly turning red

The cauliflowers look like they will all be ready at the same time!

The purple sicilian variety really is so pretty!

More mulchy goodness! This took me forever to move! I did about 2/3rds by myself and then hubby helped with the last bit. I was unable to move the wheelbarrow so I loaded it up and he tipped it out for me!

The peas are doing well, but not as well as last year!

More garlic

And more silverbeet

The lettuce is still doing well

I don't think I will get sick and tired of looking at fresh mulch. 

WEEKLY TALLY - NUMBER 21 & 22

My small winter harvests are seeing these weekly tallies actually being fortnightly. Although things have picked up over the last few weeks with more and more silverbeet and parsley thriving in this cold wet yet sunny weather. I also have quite a few purple cauliflowers that are starting to head and in a few weeks they should be ready to harvest. Looking forward to some more cauliflower puree, which we use instead of mash potato when we have too many cauliflowers. It is lovely and sweet and lower in calories which is  always a bonus.

10/6/13 - 23/6/13

50 eggs
360 grams capsicum
15 grams chili
579 grams silverbeet
201 grams parsley
10 grams peas

TOTAL 50 EGGS AND 1165 GRAMS OF FOOD

One of my purple cauliflowers growing nicely! 

MAY PLANTING GUIDE

Successive planting for a family of 4...

Week 1
Cabbage 3 seeds
Lettuce 10 seeds
Peas 10 seeds
Turnips 4 seeds
Spring Onion 12 seeds
Onion 30 seeds

Week 2
N/A

Week 3
Lettuce 10 seeds
Spinach 4 seeds

Week 4
Cabbage 3 seeds
Peas 10 seeds
Turnips 4 seeds

APRIL PLANTING GUIDE

Successive planting for a family of 4...

Week 1
Spring Onion 12 seeds
Onion 30 seeds

Week 2
Lettuce 10 seeds
Spinach 4 seeds
Beetroot 6 seeds
Kale 4 seeds

Week 3
Cabbage 3 seeds
Peas 10 seeds
Turnips 4 seeds

Week 4
Cauliflower 8 seeds
Lettuce 10 seeds

Week 5
Spinach 4 seeds
Beetroot 6 seeds

MARCH PLANTING GUIDE

Successive planting for a family of 4...

Week 1
Cabbage 3 seeds
Peas 10 seeds
Turnips 4 seeds
Garlic 50 bulbs
Kohlrabi 2 seeds
Broccoli 6 seeds
Beetroot 6 seeds
Cauliflower 8 seeds
Leek 8 seeds
Spring Onion 12 seeds
Onion 30 seeds

Week 2
Lettuce 10 seeds

Week 3
Spinach 4 seeds
Beetroot 6 seeds

Week 4
Broccoli 6 seeds
Cabbage 3 seeds
Cauliflower 8 seeds
Leeks 8 seeds
Lettuce 10 seeds
Peas 10 seeds
Turnips 4 seeds
Kohlrabi 2 seeds

FEBRUARY PLANTING GUIDE

Successive planting for a family of 4...

Week 1
Spinach 4 seeds
Spring Onion 12 seeds

Week 2
Broccoli 6 seeds
Cabbage 3 seeds
Carrot 20 seeds
Lettuce 10 seeds
Peas 10 seeds
Turnips 4 seeds
Kohlrabi 2 seeds

Week 3
N/A

Week 4
Broccoli 6 seeds
Cauliflower 8 seeds
Leek 8 seeds
Lettuce 10 seeds
Spinach 4 seeds
Beetroot 6 seeds

JANUARY PLANTING GUIDE

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Successive planting for a family of 4...

Week 1
Beans 6 seeds
Broccoli 6 seeds
Cabbage 3 seeds
Carrot 20 seeds
Cauliflower 8 seeds
Leeks 8 seeds
Lettuce 10 seeds
Parsnips 12 seeds
Peas 10 seeds
Turnips 4 seeds
Spring onion 12 seeds
Kohlrabi 2 seeds

Week 2
N/A

Week 3
Beans 6 seeds
Broccoli 6 seeds
lettuce 10 seeds
Kohlrabi 2 seeds

Week 4
Cabbage 3 seeds
Carrot 20 seeds
Peas 10 seeds
Turnips 4 seeds

Week 5
Broccoli 6 seeds
Cauliflower 8 seeds
Leeks 8 seeds
Lettuce 10 seeds
Parsnips 12 seeds
Kohlrabi 2 seeds

RISOTTO WITH PRAWNS AND PEAS

This is one of my favorite risottos. I'm not usually a fish fan, especially shell fish, but in this I like prawns and the way they pop in your mouth. I find making my own stock works best for this, I find the store bought stuff way too salty, you could try the low salt version if you are pressed for time, but prefer making my own and find it is so simple to make.

FOR THE STOCK

prawn shells and heads from peeled prawns
2 carrots chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
2 onions chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp whole black pepper
2 L water

Toss the prawn shells in a pot with a little oil until they turn pink add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for at least an hour. Strain the stock and use as required. If you make too much it freezes well.

You can find the pea and prawn risotto recipe here.

A BEEF PIE THAT ENDED IN A BEEF STEW

I intended to make a pie, but as life got in the way, we came home late and just wanted to eat so no pie crust :( Oh well it was still tasty :D I think I was inspired by a recipe somewhere somehow but cannot for the life of me remember where or what!

INGREDIENTS

750 g stewing beef cubed
1/4 C flour
1 onion diced
1 C red wine
2 C beef stock
1 tbs green pepper corns
1-2 C peas

Seal beef in pan with salt and green pepper corns. Remove from pan when done. Add onion and saute in some oil until soft and golden add flour and stir and cook for a minute, add red wine and beef. When simmering and reduced by half add stock and simmer for a couple of hours until cooked adding more liquid if need be. When done add peas and cook for 5 minutes. Use in a pie or as a stew.

OCTOBER TALLY

There will be no recipe today, we are going to a friends house for dinner. Seeing as today is the last day in October, I have added up the weight of everything I have harvested this month.

75 eggs
283g snow peas
2154g broccoli
733g beetroot
543g kohlrabi
2031g shelling peas
401g cauliflower
1603g loquat
1178g turnip
740g parsnip
1477g carrot
553g leek
157g lettuce
3230g celery
207g broad beans
2g bay leaf
235g parsley
1609g rhubarb
339g silverbeet
588g coriander

TOTAL 18.063KG OF FOOD NOT INCLUDING EGGS!

SPRING GARDEN SNAPSHOT

My spring garden is doing really well! I thought I would share some pictures with you.

red cabbage

yellow silver beet

potato

growing seedlings

carrots

sprouting broccoli green and purple

garlic going to seed, nearly ready to harvest

celery, has been so productive but i think it's life is nearly over looks like it's going to seed.

strawberries coming into flower and some little ones starting to grow!

peas have been so productive!

parsley

Rhubarb

coriander

Thyme

Tomato's already flowering!

blood orange in bloom

bay leaf

broad beans

savoy cabbage

Happy gardening!