While I have been taking a few things here and there, like the globe artichokes. I have been quite simple with these – just pick, wash and steam until tender. Then we normally dip the scales into melted butter and lemon juice but there was this time when we didn’t have enough butter or even any lemons, so I tried a range of other sauces … Continue reading First Proper Harvest of the Season
Slowly but surely putting one foot in front of the other, the garden has been planted out. It came as a bit of a surprise as I was just doing the next job on the list without looking beyond it for fear of being overwhelmed. So, when I stood up, stretched, and looked around I was pleasantly surprised to find I’d made it to the … Continue reading I think I’ve caught up with myself
You may or may not have noticed, but I’ve been AWOL for a while. At the start of the season, it was never my intention. This was going to be that perfect season in my garden. I had it all planned. I wasn’t building any part of the vegetable garden, technically everything was done and ready to go. I was going to waft through the … Continue reading Not the spring I had in mind
I headed back into town again today to revisit the NZ Flower and Garden Show to take all the photos I forgot to take the other day. Once again it was a lovely day with the rain held at bay, but very humid and very hot. I can only hope it continues for the rest of the show, but the boffins are suggesting there will … Continue reading Showing off the show
Yesterday I participated in something pretty amazing. I was invited to join the judging team for the New Zealand Flower and Garden Show. It was a real honour and a privilege to be involved in this way in such a prestigious event in the New Zealand Gardening Calendar. The show in its current form is in it’s second year and while last years was inspirational, … Continue reading Delivering Gold
I don’t know if I’m being too hard on myself, but the garden isn’t finished yet and there is only a week left of spring. Considering there was nothing there at all in mid May I am being hard on myself, but then again, I am so close to the end it seems possible to get there if I garden like there is no tomorrow. … Continue reading I’m running out of spring!
Although that headline makes it sound like everything is going horribly wrong, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Things are going really well; however I am racing to get it all finished before I run out of spring. In the haste of it all the only real thing I am lacking is time. So today I took a quick tour of the garden and … Continue reading Five good things going on in the garden
Since we moved here back in January there was an important member of the family who came with us. However we weren’t able to bring all of his bits and pieces with us and had to leave them behind. We are pleased to see they didn’t go to waste and the lovely new people who bought our house soon made the most of them by … Continue reading Nev’s back
This is the most common comment we have heard when we tell people we have moved to the west coast. And I have to admit that at times it can be very blowy. Like that time our house was up on jacks having its foundations put in and we ended up facing 212 km/h winds. But that was a one off – a one in … Continue reading It will be windy there
A spoonful at a time! While most of the garden is still very new and either recently planted or still to be planted, there are some crops that have been in for ages. The onion and the garlic were the first to go in and have been there since mid-winter. The old adage, plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest is a … Continue reading How do you eat an elephant?
