Projects | The Lattimore Acre

Planted

I planted these back in early September.

Yesterday I finally got them planted in the garden.

Ben and I planted two garden beds (well I planted while Ben played with sticks) – three varieties of tomatoes, two varieties of climbing beans, zucchinis, sweet corn, pumpkin, lebanese cucumbers and basil. We ran out of room for the rest of the herbs but I have a plan for those. More on that later. I am also working on Andrew to build another garden (in all the spare time he doesn’t have!!). Now we just add water and a little love…… fingers crossed.

We have plenty (seriously plenty) of seedings left over. Lots to give away if anyone is interested.

Happy Spring Gardening!

dig, plant, water, grow, harvest, chop and cook

YAY it’s my favorite time of the year…. Spring! The air smells sweet and the nights are warmer. It’s time for BBQ’s and vegetable gardens!!!

We (well I do) have big plans for the vegetable garden this spring. I am hoping my thumbs are a little greener this season! I will be keeping Andrew busy building one (or even two) more raised garden beds. I have already purchased my Heirloom Seeds (traditional cultivators of food plants that were bred for their flavor, disease resistance, adaption to various local conditions and for their long harvesting period. These are not hybrids. Australia is a leader in ‘saving’ these seeds and reintroducing them into the market. The seeds from heirloom fruits and vegetables can be saved and replanted the following season). I also purchased the ‘bible’ of all home gardeners and home cooks – Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Companion. We are hoping to grow over Spring and Summer:

a herb garden (it’s just ridiculous what we pay for fresh herbs at the supermarket!), cos lettuce, a few varieties of climbing beans, jap pumpkins, carrots, passionfruit, sweet corn, lebanese cucumbers, oxheart tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, capsicums, zucchinis and golden squash.

It may sound a little ambitious but we’ll give it a good go. I will need to figure out how to keep the Australian King Parrots out of the vegetable patch this time around. If you have any tips for us we would love to hear them.

This weekend we will be digging, planting, and watering. We hope to share the growing, harvesting, chopping and cooking with you soon. I just can’t wait to share our harvest and cooking with family and friends. There is something a little magical about growing your own fruit and vegetables xo

Food Connect

In our endevour to be more proactive in knowing what we eat and where it has come from we have joined Food Connect. An company that works with local farmers collecting seasonal produce. Food Connect’s aim is to supply local, sustainably produced food to the community in South East Queensland. It has only been one week and I am seriously impressed. What impresses me the most is that with a click of a button I can see the farm that the food my family is eating came from. It’s almost like meeting the farmers!! Well …… you can actually meet the farmers as Food Connect have tours!!! There is a real community feel. This really gives me peace of mind that the produce is fabulous. I love that Food Connect sorces produce from local farmers. Food Connect really are passionate about looking after farmers. So so so impressed!!!

This week we only ordered a fruit box. Aren’t these just the yummiest strawberries you have ever seen!!!

There was a couple of inclusions that I wasn’t particularly familiar with.

Tamarillos – While I have eaten a tamarillo before I have never bought them. They are native to tropical America, the tamarillo is a member of the Solanaceae family along with potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants. It produces shiny red or yellow egg-shaped fruit which tastes like a cross between a passionfruit and a tomato. Only the pulp is edible – the skin is very bitter. They are tasty. You can spoon the flesh out similar to a passionfruit.

Pomelo. – Thought to be the ancestor of the grapefruit. This giant citrus fruit is native to Malaysia. . A pomelo is the largest of all citrus. The rind is very thick but soft and easy to peel away. The resulting fruit is light yellow to coral-pink flesh and can vary from juicy to slightly dry and from seductively spicy-sweet to tangy and tart. We tried the pomelo last night. My first thought was YUM but then there was a bitter after taste (not so pleasant). But another great thing about Food Connect is that their site contains recipes. I am sure there is something I can make with this huge citrus fruit!!

Did I mention that Food Connect is not just about ordering fruit and vegetables. But there is so many other delicious groceries available. Next week we will try locally sourced sour dough bread, wholemeal flour and creamed honey.

I am a little nervous that we won’t eat the contents of the box each week and that we will waste food. I think I have become so lazy with the supermarkets supplying produce all year around regardless if it is in season or not. I don’t really know what fruit and vegetables are in season anymore. My challenge is to cook with what is in season. Trying new recipes and stepping out of my comfort zone. I am forever telling Ben it is important to ‘try new things’. So it is now time to listen to and take some of my own advise. This way I can ensure the best produce is on my table!

Thanks Food Connect for making this so easy!!

Paint…

Last week it was a challenge to keep Ben indoors while he had croup. We did lots of little projects to try and keep busy. Ben’s favorite was playing with his Star Wars Lego. But he also enjoyed doing some good old fashioned easel painting – Star Wars Themed!

Ben found this picture for inspiration (who he calls Padme but I thought was Queen Amidala)

and he used his favorite colour…..

and this is the finished product!!

Cooking with Jamie – The Finale!

$Picnik collage Jamie\'s Ministry of Food Ipswich week 10$

This week was our final week at the Ministry of Food – roast chicken, good gravy, easy chicken stock, and roast potatoes, parsnips & carrots. We cooked roast vegetables, watched how to make good gravy, talked stock while smelling the wonderful chicken roasting in the oven. It all tasted super delicious and I already have a chicken in the fridge to roast this week.

We can’t thank the wonderful staff at the Ministry of Food enough (especially Louise) for their contagious enthusiasm in the kitchen. I used to look at cooking as a chore but it’s amazing what a handful of new tasty recipes will do to spark some excitement. More importantly Louise has helped our little family with a ‘Wholefood’ approach to eating.

‘Wholefood – food that is eaten as close as possible to its natural state, without unnecessary processing and refining…’ Jude Blereau

Wholefood to us is eating good fresh food (like we grew up on) and avoiding where possible highly processed and artificial foods. We have big plans for our garden this spring!!

So thank you Louise, Danella and all the wonderful volunteers. We will miss our cooking classes on Saturday afternoons. Andrew and I have had a fabulous time. We have enjoyed ourselves immensely and are truly thankful for the direction you have taken our family xo

Making the MOST of the Sunshine

Guess what happened at our house today…….. I’m a bit excited!

This is how we spent most of our day – watching the magic happen. Ben just loving every minute!!

I am loving the environmentally friendly, money saving loveliness of these solar panels!

The system is a 2.28 kW with a 3 kW inverter. The brand of the system is Sunny Roo. It is supplied by Beyond Building Energy and installed by Quantum Electrical. All great to work with!

Linking with Paisley Jade – Things I am loving xo and Heather – Life Made Lovely Monday