Tuesday 31 March 2015

Sometimes you just have to share!

I caught up on some blogs today and was reading  Making Maven where Sherri was writing about what she did in March and I got a bit of a shock as I didn't realise today was the last day of the month. I wanted to record what was growing in the garden to keep track of what I had planted as sometimes I forget. Oops! Is that a sign of anything? :-) So I grabbed the camera and headed outside. I noted we still had some pecans on the tree which was surprising as the cockatoos have been munching on the nuts for afternoon tea each day so I have decided that we just have no choice but to share our spoils with them..





 Recently we planted Perpetual Spinach which has turned out to be not so 'perpetual' after all as another one of our local pests has been chomping on it. The CEO said it may have been a hare or a rabbit as,  according to the TV news,  the latter are becoming a problem in Queensland once again.


 

Also the Dinosaur Kale is looking a bit the worse for wear as it is also being eaten but I can't find any caterpillars on it so am not sure what its problem is. I have planted my Landcress ( Barbarea vulgaris) seeds from Eden Seeds and am hoping that they will help to deter the caterpillars that like to chomp on all my brassicas.



 Strangely enough the Red Russian Kale is untouched by pests and is looking good.


 We have yet another new Tamarillo tree which some kind bird must have helped to propagate. I am hoping that Blinky from The Herb Barrow will be able to help out with a sugar free recipe to use these up before the flying foxes find them.



I really need to read about how to use Arrowroot as it growing quite prolifically at the moment. 


We don't plant tomatoes here as we have heaps of them which come up by themselves every year and, as they are so small, I have been freezing them until I have enough to make up a batch of tomato sauce. I got this idea from The Organised Castle. Fairy also has a recipe there for tomato paste.




The dahlias have just about finished flowering. The CEO is a bit disappointed with the colours this year as he 'lost' some bulbs that he grew last year and which were stunningly beautiful. He has no idea where he put them. Still... some of the varieties that did grow this year were also quite beautiful. There isn't a lot growing in the garden at the moment as the CEO hasn't felt up to maintaining it the last few months and there is only so much I can do myself.



I have been challenging myself to try and improve my knitting and crochet skills and recently found an interesting pattern for 'The Almost Lost Washcloth Pattern'.  You will have to check out the website to find out why it was called that :-) I am making a Mini version using this pattern.

However I am just going to make a little coaster out of it. This pattern was a bit of a learning curve for me as I had never heard of 'knit back'/flip before but I think I am getting the hang of it. Obviously there were a few more beginner knitters who were having trouble too and mentioned that in the comments as later on a more detailed tutorial was done which is very helpful.




I also made a jam pot cover from a pattern in a lovely book from the local library called 'Cute and Easy Crochet' by Nicki Trench.  I think I made the larger version and it was too big for a jam bottle so I put it on a medium Moccona bottle but it looks a bit like a pimple on a pumpkin. LOL! Anyhow, I was quite happy that I had actually finished it by the end of March. 

So, that is it for March. The cooler weather has arrived at long last and we are back to our normal autumn cool mornings and evenings and warm days. Hopefully there won't be any more heatwaves to endure. They are harder to cope with once you get up in years. Only one more month till I see my little grandchildren. 31 more sleeps...but who's counting :-)


 














26 comments:

  1. Isabelle Shepard has a post on the arrowroot & there are also youtubes about it too, i've been looking up how to harvest & process turmeric & ginger of late.
    love those wash cloths & i'm a knitter & i haven't heard of those terminology either! it's great learning something new isn't it? i'll be having a go at those too!
    weather hasn't cooled down that much here yet, sure night & early mornings are cool but days are still in the mid 30s & yes, have noticed the heat more as i'm getting older but i put that down to the darn menopause keeping me hot! lol
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Selina, I did get some information from Green Harvest when I bought the Arrowroot so I will have to dig that out. I also have Isabelle's herb book so will read up about it there as well. I have heard of it being used instead of potato. I also need to read up about ginger, galangal and turmeric as well as we have them growing and I never know when they need to be dug up. LOL!

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  2. Looks like you had a busy March. Those dishcloths are quite cute. I have always liked the knitted ones. I just make a basic square for mine. Actually I usually ask my mother to make me more. She seems to whip them up alot quicker than I can and then sends me new ones every xmas.
    Thanks for sharing. Love the flowers, by the way.

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    1. Krystal, I normally just do the basic square as well but thought I would give this new pattern a try. I am not a quick knitter and just do basic work.

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  3. Your garden is so interesting. As for having a wonky memory, I am thinking that I need to keep my keys on a chain that is welded around my neck, just long enough to reach the ignition.

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    1. Ha ha, J. You wouldn't lose your car key that way. Just don't lose your house key again. Can't have you getting in the window again :-)

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  4. If nothing is eating the Russian Kale, what does that tell you? Hubby looked across the bed and said that someones knitted a jellyfish. Men, its a crocheted jellyfish and a pretty one at that.

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    1. Ummm, what does that tell me, Lynda? Are you thinking in terms of sacrificial plants?

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    2. Nope thinking that if the pest dont want it then it probably taste really bad!!!!!! Cant say im a big fan of the kale. I hid it in everything to boost nutritional value but didnt have a dish that was inspired by the taste of Kale.

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    3. Ha ha trust you, Lynda. I am trying to get used to the taste.

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  5. Arrowroot! Yes, I can remember one of my grandmothers peeling the bulbs and chopping them into cubes then roasting them. They were then kept to go into stocks and soups to improve the flavour or to be pulped and left to separate for arrowroot flour (not sure of the exact process there).

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    1. Phil, I did read about how to make arrowroot flour the other day on a blog. Sounds too complicated for me though.

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  6. Arrowroot is a good 'chop and drop' Nanna Chel, just chop it up into bits and lay around as mulch. Good for your soil. Your garden looks beautiful considering the challenges we have had here in south-east Queensland this month. I'm fighting bugs too. Found a recipe on Pinterest for garlic spray and am going to give t a go.

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    1. Hutchy, I had heard it was good for mulch before so I must do that. It has gone ballistic where it is planted in the ground. The one in the post isn't so big of course.

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  7. Gardening can be such a challenge sometimes can't it? As I have said before, I love the CEO's dahlias - I think they're starting to make a comeback in the flowering garden world. Thanks for sharing (before the critters get in)!

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    1. Barb, I hadn't taken notice of dahlias much before the CEO started growing them to be honest. Some of them are stunning though I must say.

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  8. Nanna the dahlias are divine, as is your knitting. That yarn is so pretty! As for how to use arrowroot, I'm lost! Great crop of kale though. We love kale sautƩed in a little butter and tons of garlic. Yum. Mimi xxx

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    1. Mimi, I need to experiment a little with kale. I always intend to make kale chips but never got around to it. The Russian Kale is doing so well.

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  9. Love the colors in your yarn, fascinating to me to see arrowroot growing, I haven't really thought much about it, although I have bought it to use as a powder to thicken soups, stews and gravies. Not sure how it goes from that monstrosity that you have to the little jar of white powder that is so expensive! Don't I remember stories about rabbits being introduced in Australia and then getting out of hand? Interesting post, glad your days are getting back to normal.

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    1. Kathy, rabbits are banned here in our state because of the damage they do to crops. There is a big fine if anyone keeps one as a pet unlike in other states where that is commonplace. Unfortunately the rabbits can't tell where the state borders are. LOL!

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  10. I have never seen Arrowroot before. It is very softening in bath products.
    I have to say I love the cocky. But sorry he is pinching your pecan nuts!
    You had a busy and productive month! I am the same April snuck up on me. Now to make some goals for April. It is just trying to rain here, a few spots. I wish it would really come down as things are so dry!
    Your garden is lovely! xxx

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    1. Annabel, that cocky is one of many that wreck our nut trees. They fly over every morning and have breakfast and then arrive again after lunch for afternoon tea.

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  11. March just flew by for me Chel. Wow, your arrowroot is amazing. I had some neglected but happy arrowroot growing in a pot near our dam and finally felt sorry for it and put it in the garden. Well now it is the sorriest looking thing. I should have left it in the pot. Your knitting looks lovely, I have a fair bit of knitting practice to put in before I could do something like that. I hope you have a lovely April.

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  12. Sherri, I don't think the Arrowroot is watered much where it is so perhaps it doesn't mind dry feet. The plant in the ground is huge but the one in the pot not so much. I am only a beginner knitter so I am sure you could master the same pattern.

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  13. Naughty cockies, we lose the macadamias to them, and what falls to the ground the dogs eat. Your garden looks good.

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  14. Deb, we do get a few macadamias as we have 3 trees. Two just came up by themselves from fallen macadamias and there are heaps of little macadamia seedlings which I should pull up before we get any more trees. The cockies never used to be a problem until someone around the corner started feeding them. Now they think they own the neighbourhood

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