It’s been an unusual kind of summer so far. The spring winds are persisting and we’ve had
numerous blustery nor’westers. We’ve had some really hot days, but not as consistent as we’ve come to expect for this time of year. There’s been some rain, always welcome, and a fair
number of cloudy days. I guess we’re
still waiting for the real summer to show up. These pukeko may also be a bit confused - we only usually see them when it's wet. Maybe they were doing a quick recce in advance of a rain dance
.
The tea garden is taking off, and it’s already clear that
I’ve planted way too many plants too close together. Habit of a lifetime alas. The spearmint and anise hyssop currently look
identical. They are unwisely planted
alongside each other, and they are spreading themselves far and wide. Hopefully they’ll declare themselves when
they flower, but I will have to look at separating them into different beds
eventually. One of the liquorice has
disappeared (we suspect bunny involvement), and the other 3 look a bit dodgy
but are putting out new leaves. It is
lovely to see the dots of tiny herb seedlings grow up into a green haze of
happy herbs. A reasonable harvest is
likely to be possible in a couple of weeks.
I’ve been having a ball trying out some dehydration in my
Sunflair Solar Oven. I’ve had enough
success to spur on some experimentation, which so far has been pretty much
successful. Culinary herbs are easy –
parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. The
abundant plums have found their way into the freezer, and also have
successfully dehydrated into small slices of tangy flavour bursts. I’ve learned the art of ‘plum popping’ –
turning plum halves inside out so they dehydrate more efficiently. 
I'm in the process of multiplying my herb stock so that there'll be plenty to dehydrate come next spring (and hopefully also this autumn). I already have more rosemary than you can shake a stick at. I planted half a dozen bought parsley seedlings before I realised that parsley has been happily self seeding in one of the herb beds. So too has fennel. I've dug them up and re-planted them into some potting compost, and it looks like they're all sorting themselves out. They should be plant-able in a couple of weeks and harvest-able not too long after. Sage and thyme cuttings have been taken and just put in small glasses of water to root. The water needs to be changed every day, and some roots are already on their way - very satisfying indeed.
The new citrus (lemon and orange) seem to be settling in well, and have now been joined by a guava. Allegedly these make good companion plants for citrus. They will all be under-planted with some wild strawberry plants that are currently in a shady spot in the flower garden. I'll transplant them in the Autumn. Strawberry leaves make nourishing tea, so it'd be good to expand our stock as well as enjoy the tiny, scrumptious wild berries.
I’m keen to increase our dehydration capacity and have been
searching the web for ideas. It’s
probably impossible to buy a larger-scale solar dehydrator in NZ right now, so
the only option was to build one ourselves.
Mother Earth News (US) supply free plans for their
extensively-researched solar dehydrator, so that seemed a good place to
start. Converting into metric and
sourcing the materials has been a mission, but we seem to be getting there with
the project. When I say ‘we’, I mean
Peter, mostly. I did the sourcing, the
measuring out and the painting, but otherwise Peter has nobly got on with it. It’s still a work in progress but has been
ridiculously exciting so far. Ultimately
the capacity will be 11x what I can achieve in the Sunflair, and the drying process
should be quicker because there’ll be more airflow. There are plans to solar dehydrate not only
herbs and fruit, but also veges, in the long-term hope of eventually making a
few sales at Farmer’s Markets. 
The bees have been busy.
I took off about 8 frames at the end of December (just before the tutin
risk date) and need to get back in again to see what they’re up to. This season’s honey is much reduced in volume
(though more may come later), significantly darker than last year’s, and has a
very sweet syrupy taste. I definitely
prefer the taste of last season’s honey.
The photo shows both together – last year’s honey has only just started
to crystallise. Other hobbyist
beekeepers seem to have the same thing, and commercial beekeepers are reporting
less honey volume.
The orchard is a gorgeous and abundant place, despite last
month’s storm that took out a whole heap of fruit. Plums are on tap, and other stone fruit is
looking promising, especially the peachcots and black boy peaches. With the exception of the cider apples, so
are the other apple trees, including those espaliered in the vege garden. Other stone and pip fruit are on their way
too. When they’re ripe they’ll be
dehydrated too. It’ll be great to have
dried fruits that can be added to a batch of homemade muesli, as an alternative
to raisins and sultanas.
The vege garden is truly a haven of beauty, at least to my
eyes. Pretty much every bed is currently
productive and has further production potential. Potatoes only need digging up, tomatoes are
ripening, carrots are fattening, and there are some fabulous cabbages begging
to be eaten. Courgettes are becoming
marrows before my very eyes, corn is cobbing, beans are threatening to be
has-beans, and pumpkins are taking over the world. It’s a joyful place to be, and demands very
little of my time, other than frequent sprinkling and several associated dark
and sleepy trips into the vege garden in my dressing gown and gumboots because
I forgot to switch the bloomin sprinkler off again. Even (dare I say it) Karyn’s bed is tidy and
fully planted. You can tell it’s her bed
because everything is labelled. I
generally work on the assumption that eventually I’ll recognise whatever I’ve
planted, and maybe even get a pleasant surprise. It’s a better argument than I can’t be
bothered with labelling, but it doesn’t fool Karyn. She’s pretty much conceded carrot conquering,
but is hanging out for parsnip prosperity.
After my ghost-parsnip experience last year, she thinks she’s in with a
chance. I’ll re-negotiate with the
rabbits and we’ll see. Moo ha ha.
Madame Cholet is nurturing a good crop of cucumbers and
tomatoes that I’m thinking will have to grow outside next year to free up space
for crops that really need the extra protection. Cucumbers in particular need beating back
with a stick every now and then. The
pigs will eat inflated cucumbers of course, but only if there’s nothing else. Some peppers and chillies are coming through,
and the aubergines are flowering. The
ginger is throwing up several new shoots, but the piece de la resistance is the
turmeric, which has decided to grow after many months. I sincerely hope that it isn’t simply a very
clever weed and I’m tragically mistaken.
The truth will eventually out, and patience will have to be a virtue
here. I daren’t dig around in case I
upset it, but am really hoping I won’t be bitterly disappointed.
The animals are just getting on with living and eating. There doesn't appear to be any signs of heat in Hera or Athena, so really really hoping that means they're pregnant. One day they were all mooing loudly, especially Dionysus. I checked out their water trough and it was empty. That doesn't quite make me a cow-whisperer like Peter, but I'm glad I investigated. Hopefully Leggy will do the deed with his ewes, or he may face replacement. The pigs are robust beasts and are still calm and easy going. We'll definitely go for Wessex Saddlebacks another time. The chooks have yet to be released for free-ranging, but it won't be long before their damage potential is limited and we'll be happy to let them loose.
Another month in the life of a small-holder. Yep, it's still paradise out here.
