February ambitions

Ok, saying it out loud.  No caffeine for the month of Feb, and just because after day 2 that will be easy, no animal flesh.  I always feel I eat too much meat, so I am going to go without for 28 days, and see how I'm feeling there after.

A few menu items I know I'll be using
eggs galore!
pesto with pasta
minestrone soup
vegie delight - nutmeat (never had that before)
vegie sausages (from supermarket)
lentil patties

I'm really looking forward to it.  I think the hardest thing will be double preparing food - as my family are not doing this with me (although Fraser will give it a go)

Peaches galore!

Its the only fruit that we have in abundance this year.  The peaches are small, and I am having to pick them before they are really ready due to a resident possum.  Peach pie was tonights dessert

grease a pie dish, fill with pipped peaches, cover with 1/4 cup suger and 3 tabs water (mixed together)
roll short crust pastry over the top, piece the top so heat can escape

cook 30-40 mins in a mod oven

It's so yummy!

controlling the weeds

Today I had a free day to potter in the garden - nothing specific to do, just potter around.  Two major jobs tackled - weeding out the grass thats grown between some losely paved bricks.  I've got a beaut little tool that is really thin and kind of like a sharp flat hook - you can easily pull up weeds by putting in between the bricks and under the weeds - just hook them out, it didnt take long.

Also I've got one rather boggy part of the garden and I've planted some arum lillies and other marsh loving plants in this spot.  They're doing well but had lots of weeds around them - now mulched.  The plan is after summer to put in a hothouse at this spot.  We'll see.

new plantings

Following a wonderful crop of green feast peas, today I have planted lettuce and broccoli in this now nitrogren rich patch.  The roots of the peas have little white balls on then, if you are careful when you remove the roots those wite balls stay in the soil - they are little balls of nitrogen.

I'm trialling a dwarf variety of broccoli this year.  Why?  Because they were the healthier looking seedings at the shop today!  Iceberg lettuce - cos the kids prefer it!

zucchini fritters

Modifying recipes from the net here's what I did with 2 zuchini's

grate 2 zuchini
add half corn cob - the corn that is cut of
fry gently in butter and garlic and 1 chopped spring onion, esp the green tails
allow to cool

for the batter
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk - mix up

add zuchini + 1 cup grated cheese
add some chopped ham if you are that way inclined

shallow fry, eat.

add some yogurt when serving, or sauce . . .

yum