Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Snapshots from our week

We have winter potatoes. These spuds grew from forgotten potatoes that sprung up in my garden in Autumn, I replanted them in a sheltered place and they have soldiered on through the chilly winter. It's not a huge harvest, but enough for a couple of meals. They were a great find as we have just eaten our way through the Autumn harvest, the purple congos were the potato hero, storing the best of all the varieties we have grown. There are still plenty of potatoes growing, we are pretty self sufficient in spuds these days.


When life gives you lemons, there's nothing better than lemon butter. Made using this recipe, I feel like a traitor not using my Nannas recipe, but have to say this one was slightly easier.

I am working on a sourdough starter, it is only 2 days old and is yet to show signs of life. Hello wild yeast, please come to my jar.
The littlest is helping me make scones, a great winter treat to warm the house and our tummies. Made using my favourite scone recipe here, it uses cream and iced water. We had a stunning sunny weekend and ate outdoors. This is the cheats way to make scones.
There has been some bug antenna making, a practice run for a future Junior Landcare activity. The middle bowerbird found some unmade projects to play with in his room, a solar plane and a dragon lurking amongst the mess.

the fire is burning non stop, Drying our washing and warming our toes, I look forward to days when we can leave the doors open and let the fresh air in.
We got another box of delicious citrus, straight from the grower. I'm thinking about making mandarin marmalade.
Each day we run to the gate, the littlest staking first claim on checking the letter box, it's currently filled with mind numbingly dull election material. Does all that campaign paper really gain more votes?

Indian minors are a pesky aggressive bird, but this one peering through my window at me made me smile. I had the feeling someone was watching me, and when I turned around there was a beady yellow eye.
I have finally gotten around to making my own clothes washing detergent, using Rhonda from Down to Earths recipe. So cheap and working a treat.

6 comments:

  1. Plenty of similar things happening in your house and mine! Fire on, wasteful election paper in the mailbox, loads of local citrus. Alas we have no surprise potatoes though- I love a treasure like that. We do have a late crop of passionfruit that have amazingly ripened through the winter so our oranges were turned into orange and passionfruit cordial. Sourdough is on my to-do list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ooh I'd trade potatoes for a late passionfruit crop any day of the week. Thanks for the comments Meg

      Delete
  2. Oooh, lots of yummy things. I will be interested to see how your sour dough starter goes, we have been making bread lately, not very much success through. So jealous of your lovely fire, although I know it must be so much more work than turning on the central!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw your bread picture, looks delicious. The fire is a lot of work but I do love it.
      Kirsty

      Delete
  3. So much goodness! I'm keen to make lemon butter. And I'm impressed with your potatoes. I just ordered some seed potatoes just now, along with comfrey, asparagus crowns and ginger - I'm a tad excited.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So jealous of your potatoes..we have never had much luck with them which is a shame as we eat so many of them!
    Love lemon butter and have been known to spoon it from the jar!Our election info is going straight into the recycle bin...can't wait until it is over!
    Never thought of cutting scones that way...genius!

    ReplyDelete

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
Margaret Atwood

“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead.”
― A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young