Any weeds at your place?

We have had a fair bit of rain during winter which we keep being told was very unusual although it did remind me of the winters we used to have but perhaps not as cold. So now we have weeds everywhere which are very hard to keep under control when you have 1/2 acre and are getting a bit long in the tooth!

I am not sure what some of the weeds are called and we have quite a variety here which aren't usually allowed to get out of hand like they have this year but the CEO is having trouble keeping up with it all.

I think this weed might be mallow but correct me if I am wrong.

I don't know what this one is but it is certainly getting a lot of yellow flowers so I dare say it will be spreading very soon.

 

Recently Racheal who writes our Simple Living Toowoomba blog, recommended a book called 'The Weed Forager's Handbook: A Guide to Edible and Medicinal Weeds in Australia' by Adam Grubb and Annie Raser-Rowland which I thought would come in handy to read so that I could learn to identify the many weeds we have growing here. I checked our local library to see if they had the book and was pleased to find out they did so I borrowed it but haven't read it properly as yet.

I flicked through it and noticed there was a recipe for Nettle Gnocchi and as you can see in the photo we have plenty of nettle. It is not a nice plant to work with so I really need to wear thick gloves to cut it and, of course, it never goes away.

I might give the recipe a try and perhaps make some more nettle soap. I did make nettle fertiliser but it really is on the nose. There is also a recipe for Moroccan Mallow Stew in the book. If anyone in the local area wants to borrow the book from our library I promise to return it before I head off to Mt.Isa next Wednesday :-)

I have no trouble identifying this tree though and I just hope that the mulberries last until I get back so that I can freeze some to eat during winter. Mulberry Cobbler is really nice to have on a cold winter day. 

For those who are wondering what is happening with the Jaboticaba it is a bit unpredictable this year as the CEO thought the fruit should have appeared by now and ripened up but it is still on its way by the looks of it. I know one of my readers has bought one but it might take a few years to fruit. Ours is nearly 40 years old. 

As there has been widespread rain recently I am sure I am not the only one with so many weeds. Perhaps some of them are edible so let me know if you use them in your meals. I need to do some more research on identifying those we have here. Of course it is essential to make sure that they are safe to eat. 

Many of my readers would have heard about the terrible storms that have been lashing South Australia causing the whole state to lose power yesterday so if you are in SA you are in our thoughts and prayers. As the system is also moving east I do hope that the already flooded areas don't get too much more rain. We seem to go from drought to floods in Australia. Stay safe everyone!