Dust bathing

Scully languishing in the shadows. A chicken's life hey.

Swapping seedlings at work

I swapped some seedlings with a friend at work this week.

Mustard greens from my garden swapped for:

Tomato seedlings from hers. Both lots had self seeded from last summer.
The tomatoes are KY1. Her's the description she gave me.

Tomato 'KY1' - Lycopersicon esculentum

A very popular Australian heirloom that originated in Victoria (also known as Scoresby Dwarf). Loved for its flavour and being a good all-rounder that produces medium, smooth round red fruit that does not need lots of attention. A bush variety.

Mine grew to about 30 cm high x 50 cm wide and had a continuous crop for several months.  They are full of flesh so are great for salads or sauces.

I can't wait to plant them out. 

Broccoli soup and other garden delights

I have magificent heads of broccoli coming up in the garden. Never before have I gown such stunning specimens.

So what will I do with it all?

I've started with soup.

To make basic but delicious broccoli soup I made vichyssoise (classic potato and leek) and added the broccoli. Very simple, very quick and yes, most importantly, very tasty.

Ingredients:
Two heads of broccoli - washed well and chopped into florets
One leek, trimmed and sliced
Two medium potatoes, peeled and diced
Butter
Vegetable stock cube
Water
Cream
Parmesan, optional

How to:
Melt a small chunk of butter in a large soup pan. Throw in the leeks and cook until they start to soften, take care not to burn them.
Toss in the broccoli and potatoes. Add stock cube and enough water to just cover vegies. 
Bring to boil briefly, then simmer, stirring every now and again.
When all vegies are soft, poor the soup into a blender, in batches, to puree. You choose whether you want it completely smooth or a few small chunks are ok.
Pour it back into the soup pan and replace on stove on low-medium heat. You are not cooking it now just reheating.
Serve with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkle of parmesan and crunchy bread on the side.

This will serve 4-6. I only served two but we now have four serves in the freezer for another day.

 

There is plenty more broccoli growing in the garden.
I will need to monitor them daily now so that I pick them before the flowers start to open out and they are spolied.

As always my vegie garden is a sea of potatoes. So there'll be plenty more soup I think.

Rainy days

We have only had one or two sunny days this summer. When there has been a brief break in the weather we had spectacular skies.

10 things Mondays: great things about Summer

Its December.
Its Summer.
Its cold.
Its raining.

So today I plan to live vicariously through my memories and yours.

10 great things about Summer.

1. Floaty dresses and loose linen shirts
2. Storms that break after a hot day, leaving the air cooler after a spectacular light show and pounding rain.
3. Picnics
4. Air thick with butterflies on the wing
5. Evenings alive with night jasmine and the sound of crickets
6. Staying outside late
7. Salads picked fresh from the garden
8. Swimming
9. Work slowing down at least a little with more time taken over lunch (wish we had siesta here), Christmas parties and get togethers involving too much food
10. Feeling more alive, more energetic and more active

Wow that was so much easier than I thought. What do you like best?

Butterflies enjoying my garden

I shot these pics today on a shiny summer day.

This butterfly is a Cressida cressida. The female has transparent wings. I have never seen them before but there were huge numbers darting around in my herb garden so I was lucky enough to take some passable photographs of them.

Female laying eggs.

I hope you enjoy these photos.

Colours and textures of summer

A few snapshots of Summer in Robertson.

 Herbs on my front verandah.  I love this rustic barrow.

A rose that seems to have multiple hearts.

Wild daisies.

An old looking, new letter box.

Blackberries in the making.

Not so dry, dry stone walls.

Fuchias or ballerinas?

Hydrangeas stunning in blue.

A dingy swallowtail butterfly.

Morning dew.