It's really been a fabulous weekend for gardening - very still, and just warm enough to feel the sunshine without roasting. Saturday was our monthly meet up, where we bring our excess produce into town and meet up with other local gardeners, swapping and chatting about our gardens and all kinds of things. I love it - it's the kind of social event that makes my heeart melt. Susie and Brian bought scones with jam and cream and their gorgeous border collie Mollie, Lisa brought a plum slice, and there were all kinds of summer harvest vegetables from tomatoes and zucchinis to herbs, and lots of seeds, including asparagus seed. It really is a beautiful thing to be part of, especially with so much crap going on in the world. None of us talked about any of that, but talked about good things - puppies, fertiliser, polytunnels, flower shows, local history. There were some new members also, shyly on the outskirts then bolder as they were welcomed into the fold. Some had worried about coming for months, thinking themselves outsiders, but to the credit of the older members of the group, they left feeling pretty warm, fuzzy and part of something.
Sunday was spent generally tidying up the garden, and planting winter seeds - brassicas, leeks, beetroot, silverbeet, swedes. I also collected a lot of seeds to dry and store - eggplant, tiny orange capsicum (they've gone brilliantly in the wicking tubs in the greenhouse), chillis and so on.
I was thrilled with my eggplants this year. The polytunnel gave them a head start and they've had a chance to ripen before the weather gets too cold, which never happens. I've been learning slowly about what works and what doesn't, and I'm looking forward to next year where I think I'll have more of a handle on it. Of course, fried eggplant, beautifully soft and chargrilled, was a must - absolutley next level with fresh eggplant you've only just brought inside!
Poor old Jamie was stuck in the shed building a gearbox, so I thought I'd be a good wife and make him lunch. To me, there's nothing better than a garden salad, of which the eggplant formed a base. Chopped cucumber, sliced chillis, orange capsicum, tomatoes and some thinly sliced red onions for me (a swap at the meet up) and a dressing of coconut yoghurt mixed with some tahini, lemon and fire cider AND some fried tempeh (flavoured with a splash of tempeh and some smoked paprika) and you've got something pretty tasty on your hands!
There's more to tell, such as a local currency exchange that I might be getting involved with, but I've got a heap more seeds to process, a loaf of seed bread to make, tomatoes to dry in the dehydrator, another mugwort, tulsi and lavender oxymel to make. I gave some away at the meet up, alongside fire cider - poor gardeners were accosted with the smell of vinegar as I enthused about vinegar tinctures and herbs.
Plus, my kitchen is a mess.
How was your weekend?
How are your gardens going?
With Love,
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What delicious dishes you can see in that photos. Not lunch time for me, however, it did make me a little hungry hehe.
Sorry haha! Yes, it was really yum - I love food straight from the garden!
I LOVE reading about your meetups. :))
My garden still has an inch of snow on it....
Inside my clivias are almost done flowering and my Christmas cactus have started. The oxalis has flowers too. They are all due to get fed in the next week, if I can get to it.
Thanks gorgeous!!!! Brrrr - I think it might even snow here this year, since y'all had so much! I'm glad you have some flowers in your life! xxx
It’s be great if you could get lotus involved in these kind of communities. Either way sounds like a lot of fun and super ultra delicious!
I hope I can meet everyone one day.
How great would that be! I do think pen and paper might be the only way though - hmmm... see my post today (be out soon) - would love your input!
EDIT: here tis! https://leofinance.io/@riverflows/asking-the-brains-trust-of-hive-for-ideas-for-our-local-community-currency-exchange
I love to garden. That eggplant looks great, what's your secret? I have been trying for years to grow good sized eggplant. What we grow always tastes great but they are on the small side. Send any tips my please😊😊
Ah, I read this comment this morning and all day I've been wondering - who was it that sent me that? Was it on Facebook or Insta or did someone text me? Ha, was half asleep!
Okay - trick! I planted it EARLY in the greenhouse/hoophouse. That's the only way I reckon to do it as I rarely have eggplants that grow to full size before the cold gets in. So I reckon they need a bit of a longer growing season! To be honest, the soil in the hoophouse wasn't even that great - just compost mix from the garden supplies in town - so it MUST have been the warmer environment. And my mother in law in England had them this year, because I made her plant them early in her greenhouse (in tubs) in March, and she was ADAMENT SHE'D never ever get eggplants as she NEVER did. They had heaps apparently -- I was back in Oz by then!
Oh I'm jealous you have such a great local community. I hope to have that some day. Still working on it, trying to build it. :)
It's only happened since I created this group! And that's down to Nat Med - if I hadn't practiced here first I would not have had the courage. I'm going off the 'build it and they will come' premise!
Would love you to weigh in on this 'part 2' https://leofinance.io/@riverflows/asking-the-brains-trust-of-hive-for-ideas-for-our-local-community-currency-exchange
Love the look of that sakad, it's so refreshing.
The local currency thing sounds interesting, although likely not crypto(?), I'm sure your experience on the blockchain will be valuable. Btw, do you know Bristol has its own Bristol £?
What? Really???? How does that work????
I'm finishing off a post that details it a LITTLE bit more now - would love love your input!
here it is... https://leofinance.io/@riverflows/asking-the-brains-trust-of-hive-for-ideas-for-our-local-community-currency-exchange
I've never used it the Bristol £ before, just heard about. Have just dropped a comment to the above post with a link for the project.