Preparation

Nearly August (gosh, and isn't it appropriate to say "where is the year going?"!).


Do you know what August is? It's Cams "Choose your own bag adventure sew along", I don't mind abit of pressure accountability in the sewing department. Like in May, I said I would make a skirt...and I did. I didn't manage to blog about it in May, but I certainly did come up with the goods. 
This time round,my friend Delwyn is thinking about joining in...yey Del. 


A group sew along is fun and a time line often works quite well with me (any pressure is self imposed  because there are no rules...well, I assume Ms. CurlyPops won't be going after anyone with a big stick). 
You see, otherwise I can quite easily get stuck at this stage

procrastinating about patterns...or this stage

Auditioning fabric...folding and refolding and well, just generally patting and enjoying fabric!
But no, a bag sew along, was it? Okay, well, I'll be onto that...

(I don't know why this photo keeps coming out upside down...but i am an 'overall effect' girl rather than a perfectionist, I'm afraid so I am not wasting any more time faffiing around in Photobucket trying to fix it)

Anyway, what I am getting at is that in 30 minutes I have gone from narrowing down pattern (I am doing a City Bag and if I am really energetic I might get a large tote/ satchel done in August as well but I am not going to make any big statements), I have narrowed down the fabric and done a bit of a rough cut- and put away the bits I won't need (amazing).

Loving myself sick here- can you tell? Well, until Mr. Apple comes out and says..."reckon your cake would be ready by now?". Oops. Yep, it would have been ready half an hour ago if I hadn't been oh so efficiently getting on with bag making preparation!

And, in true 'choose your own adventure' style I am going to decide on which direction to take with the straps when I get up to that bit.

By the way, who knows what people are talking about when they say "kitchen table business"? I am tipping it's not grafting fruit trees that they are suggesting should be done on ones kitchen table...I would tend to agree.

Nuts

These are some of our papershell almond havest...which we picked in the height of Summer.

Left a few months to dry out, the outside bit is then easily peeled off revealing...

Almonds...then this layer is peeled off- and hmmm, I must have put the camera down to join in and 'help' at that (the eating) stage!

In Production

I could show you abit of sewing that is in production... which is fun, because lately I have been sewing and have several things in production. At times I frustrate myself because I am not a 'linear' sewer, you know- start a project, finish a project, move on to the next project...but I am comforted to note I am in good company. I wonder if Nikki's floor gets as messy as mine!


Anyway, I have distracted myself- I could show you sewing in production, but that's not my plan, I am taking you on a little walk around my backyard and showing you some fruit (and nuts) that are in production.

Chestnuts- aren't they funny looking fellas! Many of the plants in our garden are not considered 'ornamentals' but seriously- I call them 'productive ornamentals'- because I think that they look great. And fruit tree blossom- oh my, how that makes me happy!

Pomegranates- I think I will have a go at making pomegranate molasses, or syrup this year- any one else made that before? If you have- any tips?

Quinces. I think I will go will 'quince jelly' as well as some in the Fowlers for later in the year. I'm keen on making quince jelly rather than paste because I just chop them all up (skins, pips- the whole shebang) and put them in a pot with a little bit of water, cover them with a lid and slowly simmer them till it's 'mooshy'. Strain through a 'jelly bag' overnight (I use a piece of muslin fabric)- then find a recipe that gives you a ratio of this liquid to sugar, and often I reduce the sugar a bit. 
Some people find quince paste is dead easy to make but I reckon I was scarred for life (at least for a few years) when I made it and painstakingly stirred it for, I'm sure it was hours...as it thickened and thickened- and then, in the when it was so so close to being ready, it burnt (so really, that sentence should read- when it was actually over ready and should have been taken off the heat already!). I was abit beside myself! My friend has made it in the microwave and reckoned it was a cinch, but, like I said, I am not up for trying it again just yet!

Apples. I realised my children were spoilt for (some types of) fruit when we had friends from the city stay with us and we were picking apples and pears- our kids would walk along, pick one, if it wasn't 'to their taste' (too sour, too floury, too tart, too dense- don't think I've ever heard a 'too sweet'!) they would piff in and pick another one. My friends children were looking on- in retrospect I realise they were waiting for me to pull out the 'don't waste fruit' lecture which was obviously familiar to them because as their mum cottoned on to the 'gee, if we chucked out an apple, we'd get in to trouble' looks that were being thrown around and  I heard her talking about how it's okay because there are heaps of apples and it won't be wasted, really because the pigs will get to eat it!

Passionfruit. Now there's an ornamental flower- if I was sensible enough to put tags on my blog I could show you because I am sure I have posted a photo here before. I can't wait until these turn purple. Mmmm, mmmmm.

Avocado. Yes, we have frosts and yes we can grow avocados. Some varieties do better in cold climates, but if you protect the tree for the first few years while it gets established. This is the first year this tree has fruited and it's got about 4 on it, I think. Well done tree.

Persimmon. I am generally happy to leave persimmons as an ornamental- although I really like them dried (possibly because of another scarred for life experience maybe). My grandma had a persimmon tree in her front yard when we were growing up and we did not know what it was- it was an astringent variety so if you tasted them too soon (before they were 'mooshy') our  faces did involuntary contortions because, well, of the astringency- or as wikipedia would say, because of the 'dry, puckering mouthfeel'! 
As an ornamental they are really amazing- they will get much more 'orangey' than this, the leaves will fall off the tree and (often) the garden won't have much colour- until you see the persimmons and can't help but smile! I often think they look like they are waiting to be sketched because they are so interesting.

Madarins. Just starting to ripen. Hurry up, I say, because these are a family favourite.

Kafir lime. We don't actually eat these but I wanted to include this photo so you can see the funny bumpy skin. I use the zest of these, and the leaves in cooking often combination with green chilli, coriander, fish sauce and coconut milk. 


I mentioned that most of our garden doesn't have 'ornamentals'. One exception is the bulbs I mentioned in my last post- well, imagine my displeasure on Anzac Day when I got home from the Dawn Service (first one I have ever been to) and our six 'free range' pigs were 'free ranging' through my newly planted daffodils. Yes, it's happened before- but I didn't have lovingly planted bulbs then.


Oh- and because it's getting closer to the time of year when you plant bare rooted fruit trees, I should remind you that you can get them here, from us! 

It's time

It's that time of the year again.

Our 'season'. That is, the bare rooted fruit tree season. The trees are dug and now orders are being collated and sent. 
Our first market was on Saturday, in Violet Town (who does markets only in Winter?!). It was a good 'ease in' because it was gorgeous and sunny.
It was exciting to get a little mention in the 'Organic Gardener' magazine (page 19 if you read it).


My craft room is no longer my own, I am sharing it with the overflow of  parcels being packaged!

The last of our apples are on the trees, persimmons and pomegranates are fruiting.
It is great to grow your own fruit.