I haven’t been doing much in the garden lately – apart from harvesting winter vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beetroot, yams, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, silver beet, spinach and the occasional spear of asparagus!!).

We’re still eating butternut squash (stored on the deck) and apples (stored in the outside fridge) and enjoying bottled and frozen fruit in pies and with yogurt or ice cream.

We’ve been eating some delicious meals.  I have a recipe book collection that I am really enjoying – especially the books by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.  The one that I use the most is his “Everyday” book.  I have yet to find a recipe in there that I don’t like!!

I’ve just placed a large order of heritage seeds, yams and artichokes from the Koanga Institute.  Next year I’ll be more organised and order potatoes from them as well.  We’re also going to try growing mushrooms on logs using some spore impregnated dowels that I’ve ordered.  I LOVE going through the seed catalogs, looking at the photos and reading the descriptions.  There are so many wonderful things to grow and eat!  In a few more years we’ll have our favourite varieties and will be able to order those, but there’ll always be space for a few experimental things!  I would like to be saving and planting our own seeds of many things – beans, peas, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes – things that are easy to save and don’t cross-pollinate each other.  I’m now going to spend some time planning the garden area for spring planting.  I want to be a lot smarter about crop rotation.

I’ve finished planting the 160 trees along our roadside boundary.  They’ll look great in a few more years.  The hillside tree-planting is also coming along nicely.  The team have about another 10,000 to go.  The weather has been very dry this winter – they are continually hoping for a bit more rain, especially in the really dry places at the top of the ridge.