This herb is a lovable rogue – don’t let it get the jump on you or it will take over your garden. I planted spearmint and that’s exactly what has happened. A profusion of spearmint. Lucky I like mint. So if you don’t want this to happen to you I suggest growing it in a […]
Posted in Kitchen, Organic Gardening | Tags: container gardening, herbs, recipe | 1 Comment
After killing my rosemary plant through enthusiastic over-harvesting, I was alarmed to discover that a replacement was not readily available: the recent wet weather had not been kind to the young plants in nurseries. Suddenly, I needed rosemary in nearly everything I wanted to cook and there was none to be had. It made me […]
Posted in Organic Gardening | Tags: herbs, maintenance | 1 Comment
Lining your chooks’ nesting and laying boxes with sweet-smelling herbs may seem a bit ‘out there’ at first, but when you think that many species of wild birds add aromatic plants to their nesting material, the idea may be worth considering for the local flock. Herbs used in this way by wild birds usually have […]
Posted in Organic Gardening | Tags: animal care, chickens, herbs, poultry | 2 Comments
Most of us know turmeric in powdered form purchased off the grocer’s shelf. I have to admit that I hadn’t until fairly recently used fresh turmeric, when I was given some to try. Turmeric is a tropical rhizome and is part of the ginger family; it is used extensively in Thai and Indian cooking. It […]
When I was a child my grandfather always had a ginger jar on the sideboard, more often than not almost empty with just a few crystallised ginger left in it. He had an amazing collection of beautiful ginger jars giving his not-so-secret penchant away. Crystallised ginger is not something I enjoy but the beautiful ginger […]
Posted in Organic Gardening | Tags: roots, spice | 3 Comments
I have never wanted to be completely self-sufficient, partly because it would be a full-time job and in its way, quite isolating from other people. The permaculture concept of recognising and living within your bio-region has always seemed both practical and ethical, the ‘Think Global, Act Local’ idea. Supporting my local beekeeper, sourdough bread baker, cheesemaker or local […]
Posted in Kitchen | Tags: beans, preserves, recipe, vegetables, vegetarian | 7 Comments
It’s not the first thing that springs to mind when I hear the words ‘charcoal’ and ‘chicken’ together, but charcoal as a chicken feed supplement can provide real health benefits for your chooks. Because animals’ water and feed can be exposed to contaminants – from rodents, flies or birds, for example – many poultry farmers […]
Posted in Organic Gardening | Tags: animal care, chickens, poultry | 21 Comments
Having followed a simple care routine for your citrus trees, you should be reaping citrus in abundance now. But what to do with them all? Harvesting and storage is easy. I make sure that I harvest any fruit when it’s dry – hard when it seems like it rains most of the time. Lemons and […]
Posted in Kitchen | Tags: cooking, fruit, lemons, preserves, recipe | No Comments
It is very early spring here, not by the calendar but instead by the blossoming of the stone fruit. I know there is a risk of a late frost, so it is still too early to plant out tomato seedlings into the garden. Instead I’m starting them from seed, using my reliable old bottom-heat propagator. […]
Posted in Organic Gardening | Tags: fruit, seed propagation, tomatoes, vegetables | No Comments
Bats in the belfry? No, I had bats in the bathroom. I came home after work, went to close the shutters and down between the double-hung window panes I found the cutest micro-bat sound asleep. It was the size of my palm, with a soft black shiny coat and wings. After the initial ‘gee how […]
Posted in Sustainability | Tags: bats, wildlife | 3 Comments