Possum Proof "Hopefully" Vegetable Garden

I went to the local markets yesterday morning and these are a few plants I picked up and planted out in the afternoon. This is a perennial capsicum. Apparently it can grow for 5 years. It gets small capsicums that are thin walled which turn from green to red. I have had these capsicums before from friends and they are tasty and useful in the kitchen. Obviously I will keep you updated.

This is a perennial leek. Apparently smaller leeks but will keep growing and spreading and you can use the whole thing to the green tips. I just keep using them and as they start to clump I can then seperate the clumps out and they keep growing. Look forward to seeing how this goes.

We had an old trailer surround that was laying around the yard so I planted out the pumpkin seedling that had come up and put my pot of parsley in there as well. Hopefully the idea is to get them established before the possums and wallablies eat every new shoot.

Now this is my absolute favorite find from the markets yesterday. This is what is called Thai Coriander (Eryngium foetidum) and this little plant packs a powerful punch. Awesome coriander flavour with only one of these little leaves. Apparently is wilt resistant and grows to about 40cm. It gets flower spikes of which I was told to cut of and it allow the plant to keep growing and to pick the leaves regularly. Apparently it is a good coriander to dry because it retains it's flavour. I will do that when I have enough. Hopefully I can just keep growing this all year around to have my lovely coriander flavour.

Last night I made a chicken stirfry and used this coriander, lemon grass from my garden and spinach from my garden as well. It was so yummy.

I had shells laying around the house and the other day after I put the nice ones on display I had these left over so I got some string and sticks and Mick put some holes in the ones that needed holes and strung them up and hung outside in the carport. I think they look great and I can see them haning there when I am sitting in my office.

Big fat worm that Mick found when digging through my garden the other day.

And here it is - finally I have a vegetable garden that is covered in chicken wire and will hopefully allow me to grow some food without the possums and wallabies and kangaroos eating every new shoot before it gets to grow. Now all I need to do is plant some goodies in there and mulch it. I will also need to make sure that I do not leave that precious door open at night.

Cheers,

Wendy

Pickled Zucchini and Zucchini Fritters

I made Zucchini pancake/fritters the night before and they were so yummy. See the brown paper scrunched up instead of paper towel. I do not buy paper towel as I think it is a processed good we can easily do without. Mick thought this was a novel idea but I always keep all my brown paper bags - wrapping etc and you can just scrunch up a piece to put fryed food on to soak up and drain of excess oil. I then just throw the paper into the compost bin. I do not cook a lot of fryed food but this works well when I do and looks really cool.

I made Pickled Zucchini (see homemade preservesss). I tasted this and it was so yummy and will only get better with age and the vinegar settling down. Good way to use up extra zucchini. Just add to a leafy green salad.

Can you see the possum in this photo - outside the screen door. He ate my parsley that was in a pot on the steps. Parsley will have to be grown in the covered vegetable garden.

Storm in the distance late yesterday afternoon. Lots of noise and dark clouds but hardly a drop of rain on our patch of dirt.

This is the salad we had with our dinner the other night. I have to be honest - it is no wonder it is hard to eat out anywhere else - when you make food for yourself you can make it just the way you like with just the yummy things that delight you. I am forever dissappointed when I eat out at resteraunt or cafe.

DO ONE THING DIFFERENT EACH DAY

Today I got out of bed at 6.30 and had a cuppa and then went to the local market down the road and a garage sale in town that I had heard was on. I was getting so lazy and even though this is something I liked to do I was constantly making excuses and never getting up early to go to these events. I got lots of goodies. I enjoyed the misty early morning and was home after lovely chats to people by 10.30 this morning. Because I am getting up earlier each day I am finding I am getting into the habit very quickly of being an early riser again like I used to be.

Cheers,

Wendy