of course, we'd have gotten much more done if the grown ups didn't do so much talking...
30.11.09
men at work
of course, we'd have gotten much more done if the grown ups didn't do so much talking...
28.11.09
how does your garden grow...
what may look like a pile of rubble to others is in fact the beginnings of a paved area for the folk in the rara republic.
many moons ago a plan was sketched out on paper; eyes closed and imagination set sail as we dreamed the winter dream of summer dining, al fresco -grande banquets and little picnics. slowly slowly over the last months we've excavated soil, broken up old concrete paths and moved it into position, ready, to be the base for our bricked outdoor kitchen/dining/lounging/living area. 
winter became spring turned to summer and before you know it, november's end was in sight!
how can we celebrate mid-summer without somewhere to dance outside?
so beneath the hottest sun we worked like peasants, digging, smashing, sweating and cursing. we moved a tap from one side of the garden to the other. we raked concrete pieces and rubble and p hired a machine to compact it all. now we are ready for the next phase.
parked on our driveway for some time now is a rather large pile of old bricks. not any old bricks these, they're old dirty bricks. bits of old mortar cling to the side in memory of once was a fireplace or chimney in some other story. old dirty bricks are practically free.
mostly because they need cleaning...
i've had a go, i've probably cleaned about, say, 20. i can see why some people give them away. when it's only 20 you need to clean, it's ok. but 1200? yikes!
luckily we're part of a new community initiative- a timebank, where you work for others in exchange for them working for you elsewhere.
so tomorrow we'll be hosting a working bee.\
a working bee it seems is a particularly kiwi thing. it means inviting good friends and neighbours around to work for you in your home -cleaning bricks, or painting, or gardening, in exchange for love and scones and a cup of tea. and the promise of exchanged labour later on if ever you need it...
and in the second garden, the nurturing garden, all is well. the broad beans, taller than capt c and nearly taller than me, are producing beans faster than we can eat them now. the tomatoes, courgettes, peas, pumpkin, lemontree and potatoes are all beginning to flower. the strawberries ripen to the deepest red and the raspberries aren't far behind. the garlic, planted on the winter solstice, will be pulled on the summer solstice, along with onions and shallots. we have carrots a-plenty which is nice, as we were recently gifted a juicer. (now there is one appliance i've always dreamed of owning, and now i own one i really feel like i have arrived in the kingdom of appliance ownership). however, those little orange gems haven't yet made it to the kitchen as we eat them up straight from the soil (we wipe the soil off on our trousers first!)
we seem to have a happy balance of insectery- pests and predators abound. bees buzz, busy.
and today it is raining.
xx
peasant b
(having the morning off)
25.11.09
whilst ripening..
that one's mine!
as we watch them ripen, we pre-book our strawberries and then it becomes a race...
despite all the work to be done, being spring and all, being folk of many projects, we've still got time for coffee and a bit of contemplation in the gardenas we watch them ripen, we pre-book our strawberries and then it becomes a race...
15.11.09
gatherer/hunter
being vegetarian i became fascinated with the idea of gathering wild foods while i was a teenager.
the maori arrived with limited resources but were keen hunters, and the land produced an abundance of fish and birds- but humans cannot live by flesh alone.
they imported kumara, or sweet potato which they cultivated but their fruit and medicine had to be found in the bush. obviously this knowledge took generations to accumulate- without universities or google the knowledge was passed down through story-telling.
this knowing became part of my yearning. bushcraft and survival, selfsufficiency and living 'off the grid' became the basis of my studies.
in classrooms i studied horticulture via modern means; although i served the time honoured method of learning as an apprentice these teachings made me even thirstier.
i wondered -what about plants and peoples in other parts of the world? what about their relationships, their medicines...
i gave a lecture to fellow apprentices on 'native edible plants' and from that moment forward i would always be searching. can i eat that plant? what's its nutitional value? does it carry any medicinal qualities?
finding plants in their native habitat has always delighted me, although i've been satisfied many a time by plants in cultivation. p can tell you a nearly notsofunny story involving a steeperthanitlooks rock and someone who is slightly passionate about orchids and carniverous plants... (photographing it from below and using a digital zoom afterwards is not enough!)
i spent a coupla months living with this greek dude. a former bio-medical engineer and fervent vegan this guy taught me about wild foods. at the time i wasn't so enthusiastic. i was volunteering on his farm as a wwoofer (willing worker on organic farms) for my bed and food and after working for 7 hours i fancied something a little more substantial than a plate of weeds! but he managed to convert me to being vegan (which i continued with for a number of years- until i discovered french cheese, actually) and taught me a thing or two about foraging, about gleaning, and about finding medicine in the plants around me.
i took this knowledge with me.
a few years later, coupled with the rest of my botanical knowledge, it really came in handy.
while traversing the mongolian steppes i soon discovered that there was not a lot on offer for your average vegetarian. i ate snickers because the peanuts had protein, pascal introduced me to chocolate on toast, i could have bought shares in la vache qui rit cheese and ate approximately 250 individual serves of instant chinese noodles.
but one day sheltering under the heavy coat of our mongolian friend during a down-pour i noticed wild onions growing. i pointed them out, our mate shrugged. i noticed thyme growing, creeping across the rocks. not interested, at all. one morning i noticed a field full of mushrooms.
oh the delight!
- my mate told me that if you can peel them, you can eat 'em! i said, knowledgably
this sort of knowledge isn't always sage advice.
we didn't get ill, luckily. it turns out there is no rule for identifying mushrooms other than to know what you're doing. i read my girlfriend's blog the other day and was very interested when she mentioned doing spore prints. i feel the need to investigate further. (have a read of this: http://theroadislife.blogspot.com/2009/10/spore-prints-for-mushroom.html )
and this brings us to this stage in my 21st century tale. mushroom hunting on the internet. aquiring knowledge that would be much better learnt in the field.
i am confident identifying herbs, trees and other miscellanous weeds and taking them home to make meals, tissanes, compost tea, or food for the chooks. but those little champignons that grow on our lawn, in the forest down the road.... aiie.
i guess i need to learn a little more to become a confident hunter of fungi.
xx
mama b
the maori arrived with limited resources but were keen hunters, and the land produced an abundance of fish and birds- but humans cannot live by flesh alone.
they imported kumara, or sweet potato which they cultivated but their fruit and medicine had to be found in the bush. obviously this knowledge took generations to accumulate- without universities or google the knowledge was passed down through story-telling.
this knowing became part of my yearning. bushcraft and survival, selfsufficiency and living 'off the grid' became the basis of my studies.
in classrooms i studied horticulture via modern means; although i served the time honoured method of learning as an apprentice these teachings made me even thirstier.
i wondered -what about plants and peoples in other parts of the world? what about their relationships, their medicines...
i gave a lecture to fellow apprentices on 'native edible plants' and from that moment forward i would always be searching. can i eat that plant? what's its nutitional value? does it carry any medicinal qualities?
finding plants in their native habitat has always delighted me, although i've been satisfied many a time by plants in cultivation. p can tell you a nearly notsofunny story involving a steeperthanitlooks rock and someone who is slightly passionate about orchids and carniverous plants... (photographing it from below and using a digital zoom afterwards is not enough!)
i spent a coupla months living with this greek dude. a former bio-medical engineer and fervent vegan this guy taught me about wild foods. at the time i wasn't so enthusiastic. i was volunteering on his farm as a wwoofer (willing worker on organic farms) for my bed and food and after working for 7 hours i fancied something a little more substantial than a plate of weeds! but he managed to convert me to being vegan (which i continued with for a number of years- until i discovered french cheese, actually) and taught me a thing or two about foraging, about gleaning, and about finding medicine in the plants around me.
i took this knowledge with me.
a few years later, coupled with the rest of my botanical knowledge, it really came in handy.
while traversing the mongolian steppes i soon discovered that there was not a lot on offer for your average vegetarian. i ate snickers because the peanuts had protein, pascal introduced me to chocolate on toast, i could have bought shares in la vache qui rit cheese and ate approximately 250 individual serves of instant chinese noodles.
but one day sheltering under the heavy coat of our mongolian friend during a down-pour i noticed wild onions growing. i pointed them out, our mate shrugged. i noticed thyme growing, creeping across the rocks. not interested, at all. one morning i noticed a field full of mushrooms.
oh the delight!
- my mate told me that if you can peel them, you can eat 'em! i said, knowledgably
this sort of knowledge isn't always sage advice.
we didn't get ill, luckily. it turns out there is no rule for identifying mushrooms other than to know what you're doing. i read my girlfriend's blog the other day and was very interested when she mentioned doing spore prints. i feel the need to investigate further. (have a read of this: http://theroadislife.blogspot.com/2009/10/spore-prints-for-mushroom.html )
and this brings us to this stage in my 21st century tale. mushroom hunting on the internet. aquiring knowledge that would be much better learnt in the field.
i am confident identifying herbs, trees and other miscellanous weeds and taking them home to make meals, tissanes, compost tea, or food for the chooks. but those little champignons that grow on our lawn, in the forest down the road.... aiie.
i guess i need to learn a little more to become a confident hunter of fungi.
xx
mama b
12.11.09
when the farmers come to town
on one of his first visits to our shores, capt cook left behind some sheep and a couple of rabbits and was 'quite surprised to see how well they'd done for themselves' when he returned.
it is possible to buy our 'local' produce almost anywhere in the world- i've seen enza apples in bangkok, dairylea cheese in a nicaraguan supermarket, and listened to tales of mythical snowy white sheep from a greek wool seller.
word gets around. and of course, word gets exagerated.
what better way to sort it out other than to put on a show.
the agricultural and pastural show
farmers come from far and wide to compete. their wares, the finest cattle, sheep and fowl the country has to offer. rare breeds, some of them, but all of them prized for their ability to perform.
c and i sat on the judges bench, taking a pause. there was a young boy sat there with a special stick that i saw the other farmers prodding their cows with. i asked him if he was competing.
-my dad's the one their with the blahdeblah (the name of the breed; he might as well have said something in mandarin, i'd be just as likely to understand)
he then described to me the things that the judges are looking for. he could quite equally have been describing what he might look for in a girlfriend... his cow (actually, it was a bull) came 6th.
i thought they were all pretty. but then, i am a vegetarian.
we moved on.
we went through the pens, where all the cows with calves, sheep, pigs and poultry were lazing about. munching hay. quite an aroma i tell you. we saw various breeds of chickens, stripey pigs (kunekunes) merino sheep (which were awfully dirty- not at all like the greek bloke described them) and goats. there was also a city farm, an area for the children to go and pat the baby animals.
our c was more interested in watching the girls and jumping off the bales of hay.
finally we went and watched some horses jumping over fences which calix thought was hilarious. then a tractor came to remove the fences before the prizes were awarded- this he thought was even more amusing.
11.11.09
out of our back yard
we note the change of seasons with the passing of one vege to another.
the red silverbeet wants to set seed, i cut it back daily, fighting nature with the gardener's sword. but as it finishes the broad beans begin: early on in the season you can eat the young broad bean like you might a french bean- sliced, steamed...
my first lot of rocket is rapidly starting to flower. i let it; i want to collect its seed. likewise the coriander. we've already munched our first lot of lettuce that were nursed through the winter under a cloche.
the potatoes and yams pop their heads up, the tomatoes and courgettes have started flowering, and the shallots are setting their flower buds too. the carrots are fattening as are the apples on monty's surprise. the branches of both the olive and the feijoa are filled with flowers, anticipation is high. and, we're still picking lemons (we've been rationing ourselves a bit there- p has plans to make another batch of confit de citron again that will hopefully see us through till next season).
the chickens vary in productivity. cher, of course, gives an egg every day. the silkies, ever broody, spend hours on the nest, but like their silver sisters, are lucky to produce an egg every second day. which is a shame, as we were doing a roaring trade with those precious blue eggs...
we inspected the strawberries again tonight- oh la la. it's going to be a fight with the birds for those! and the raspberries!
i'm still sewing seeds- sorrel, thyme and spaghetti squash more recently, and waiting on others... i surf the internet, obsessed now with seed buying. trying to find rare and heritage seeds that have higher nutrient yield per plant... purple podded red peas, purple moari potatoes, italian broccoli, red and welsh onions, chinese bokchoi...
and i can't turn down any plants either! i came home last week to a bag of sprouted potatoes in a bag on my doorstep- a gift from a neighbour... a chap across the road pops his head over the gate- fancy any cherry tomatoes?, and despite already having 14 plants in 2 different varieties i say yes. and yes to mizuna seedlings, and yes to asparagus seeds, and yes to cabbage seedlings (i can make saukraut!) i've planted my spare courgette and i'm eyeing up a spot for my spare pumpkin too.
not to mention the front lawn!
long has been the debate of vege production on the front lawn. i'm quite keen on digging the lot up and putting in a cereal crop- like quinoa... p reckons it's madness. we've already planted a feijoa and a cherry tree there; i snuck in some cabbages, and it turns out the only place to put the gifted potatoes will be on the front lawn as well... and what about those asparagus p is so keen on?!
it's all very exciting. there is nothing sharing a meal in the garden, in the last of the day's sun, that came from the garden. we look over each other's shoulders at the meals to come.
these are the joys of spring in the republic.
xx
mama b
the red silverbeet wants to set seed, i cut it back daily, fighting nature with the gardener's sword. but as it finishes the broad beans begin: early on in the season you can eat the young broad bean like you might a french bean- sliced, steamed...
my first lot of rocket is rapidly starting to flower. i let it; i want to collect its seed. likewise the coriander. we've already munched our first lot of lettuce that were nursed through the winter under a cloche.
the potatoes and yams pop their heads up, the tomatoes and courgettes have started flowering, and the shallots are setting their flower buds too. the carrots are fattening as are the apples on monty's surprise. the branches of both the olive and the feijoa are filled with flowers, anticipation is high. and, we're still picking lemons (we've been rationing ourselves a bit there- p has plans to make another batch of confit de citron again that will hopefully see us through till next season).
the chickens vary in productivity. cher, of course, gives an egg every day. the silkies, ever broody, spend hours on the nest, but like their silver sisters, are lucky to produce an egg every second day. which is a shame, as we were doing a roaring trade with those precious blue eggs...
we inspected the strawberries again tonight- oh la la. it's going to be a fight with the birds for those! and the raspberries!
i'm still sewing seeds- sorrel, thyme and spaghetti squash more recently, and waiting on others... i surf the internet, obsessed now with seed buying. trying to find rare and heritage seeds that have higher nutrient yield per plant... purple podded red peas, purple moari potatoes, italian broccoli, red and welsh onions, chinese bokchoi...
and i can't turn down any plants either! i came home last week to a bag of sprouted potatoes in a bag on my doorstep- a gift from a neighbour... a chap across the road pops his head over the gate- fancy any cherry tomatoes?, and despite already having 14 plants in 2 different varieties i say yes. and yes to mizuna seedlings, and yes to asparagus seeds, and yes to cabbage seedlings (i can make saukraut!) i've planted my spare courgette and i'm eyeing up a spot for my spare pumpkin too.
not to mention the front lawn!
long has been the debate of vege production on the front lawn. i'm quite keen on digging the lot up and putting in a cereal crop- like quinoa... p reckons it's madness. we've already planted a feijoa and a cherry tree there; i snuck in some cabbages, and it turns out the only place to put the gifted potatoes will be on the front lawn as well... and what about those asparagus p is so keen on?!
it's all very exciting. there is nothing sharing a meal in the garden, in the last of the day's sun, that came from the garden. we look over each other's shoulders at the meals to come.
these are the joys of spring in the republic.
xx
mama b
7.11.09
the perfect bath
the perfect bath comes after a long day, in the sun, playing sport with your friends. (ok, does drinking cider while playing pétanque qualify for this?)
the perfect bath usually has some things in it to alleviate sunburn, sore muscles, fatigue
for this alone i'd add 1/4 c baking soda, 1/4 c epsom salts, lavender and sandalwood oils, about 5 drops each...
then of course i'd add my 2 favourite men
and put the whole lot in my garden
who needs a bathroom?the perfect bath usually has some things in it to alleviate sunburn, sore muscles, fatigue
for this alone i'd add 1/4 c baking soda, 1/4 c epsom salts, lavender and sandalwood oils, about 5 drops each...
then of course i'd add my 2 favourite men
and put the whole lot in my garden
xxx
mama b
(squeeky clean)
a revolution in the air
the night sky was heavy with the aroma of gunpowder, but there was no revolution to be had. at least not this night.
what a strange thing to be celebrating though- some spanish dude trying to blow up the british parliament. good on him, i say. not that i've actually got any political opinions, but why not express yourselves if it means that one hundred odd years later we have the right to ignite fireworks and dress the heavens in gold and silver.
the crowd goes oooh
and aaah
and calix, witnessing his first lot of pyrotechnics was asking two questions:
where's his buddy max?
and was there any more?
who knows what acts of terrorism we'll be celebrating in years to come
xx
mama b
(perhaps one part green, one part anarchist)
what a strange thing to be celebrating though- some spanish dude trying to blow up the british parliament. good on him, i say. not that i've actually got any political opinions, but why not express yourselves if it means that one hundred odd years later we have the right to ignite fireworks and dress the heavens in gold and silver.
the crowd goes oooh
and aaah
and calix, witnessing his first lot of pyrotechnics was asking two questions:
where's his buddy max?
and was there any more?
who knows what acts of terrorism we'll be celebrating in years to come
xx
mama b
(perhaps one part green, one part anarchist)
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