It has been exactly nine months since we took this land on with the express purpose of gaining food independence. Here we are back in Feb, working with our blank slate.
What a joy it is to think back on all the fun we have had here. I can honestly say that my body has never felt this good and I am sure it has everything to do with the increased nutrition & love which is now present in the majority of food I eat.
Sabrina blossoms in Autumn
The first thing I want to say is that I cannot take any credit for the way the garden is currently looking. If you remember I am on a secret mission which keeps me occupied each day so when the kids are at nursery Sabrina is alone on this land and it seems to have had a profound effect on her for she can think of nothing else but getting back there as soon as possible each day.
Those of us who are connected enough with our Great Mother will be feeling the call at this important time in human history. French law may have prohibited Sabrina from continuing with her beloved sewing course she will always have land to play with.
Right, on with the tour...
Things are looking seriously organised these days and I am amazed to see that even in the winter this garden is still full of life.
The four pepper plants at the bottom there have been dug up and put in pots to 'overwinter' them in our courtyard where the temperature won't be quite so cold. What this means is that we no longer need to grow peppers from seed and these babies will be producing much earlier next year.
When we bought the strawberries in spring I remember commenting there was no way they would be producing still in November. Yet here we are.
One of our recently sprouted avocado seeds here, getting friendly with a lettuce.
How beautiful are these lettuces??? Reminds me of an explosion.
Once the leaves fall from the cherry trees at least half the garden gets decent sun.
A closer look at the sweet peas here. We only grew four plants at the beginning of this year and they were soooooo tasty. So this time Sabrina has planted 100s of them, spread out all over the garden and there will be a lot of pea eating this spring ;)
I have noticed that most of our vegetables are a bit smaller than what one would expect but they make up for that with their intense flavours & extra nutrition. These are leeks. Even a very small one in a big pot of soup can be tasted clearly amongst the other vegetables.
We have some beans coming here, where the tomatoes lived a month ago.
Rocket just doesn't stop growing does it? Am guessing it will at some point but we have been picking at these plants for nine months now (randomly placed all over the garden) and our salads have been so much tastier thanks to them.
We have also eaten nine fresh crunchy beetroot this year with only one left now. Around 30 carrot left too, seen behind the beetroot. Apparently we should have planted more, but that is what this year has been about...
Learning learning learning.
Flat & curly leaf parsley in the centre of this bed. Does anyone know if these survive the winter?
Here is our very healthy looking cauliflower bed with Sabrina & Doris, our allotment neighbour.
Over in Doris's side she has some wonderful bamboo underneath which she is building a wooden meditation hut.
You could almost be in Asia right?
Doris happened to be picking her persimmons that day and kindly gifted us a bunch of them.
Had no idea what this fruit tasted like until now. Normally they need to be cured but one was ripe as it had fallen to the ground. The flavour was incredibly unique like something between an orange and an apple.
How are the kids?
They are great!
Esteban takes much more interest in helping out around the garden but does still spend most of his time playing with his sister. Here they are next to the ginger plant, which is actually bigger than they are now. Looking forward to digging some up this winter.
The trampoline has been such a great focal point not just for our children but for all the children in the village. Which is exactly the way I intended it to be.
Esteban loves to run in circles on a little circuit he has created.
Here they have noticed something of interest and stopped running to check it out...
What could it be on the end of that stick?
Take a closer look...
It's a spider with a friend!
Final thought
Here is my favourite flower, the gloriously spicy nasturtium.
It is said the Buddha once gave a sermon without words in which he gazed for a long time at a flower to convey the perfection of our human experience.
Personally I just eat them ;)
If you have never tried one I strongly recommend it. Much like the persimmons, the flavour is completely unique & memorable, leaving you wanting more.
And kids also love eating them!
Which is perfect.
Love & Light everyone π±
It has been an absolute joy watching the course of your journey with this land. Keep up the great work!
Much appreciated :)
We will certainly do our best!
Beautiful garden!
When I first tried persimmon I thought it tasted something like chico.
What is chico???
Never heard of that one ;)
It's a tropical fruit, a lot can be found in the Philippines. I just read it's also called a sapodilla fruit.
Sapodilla Fruit: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/sapodilla-trees/growing-sapodilla-fruit.htm
Many thanks for the info
What a wonderful garden! Magical source of natural food and a playground for children!
You know it. Life has been very good since we acquired this land :)
This land has been waiting for you! It meant to be where you settled down for a long time!
@tipu curate :)
Upvoted π (Mana: 11/22) Liquid rewards.
Thanks ;)
Thanks cuddlekitten ;)
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