More on Sharing

 More on the blackcurrancy market. We just had a couple of rather ‘invigorating’ days away in the Catlins – visiting the same time as a southern blast of freezing weather straight from the Antarctic.  Stayed in a DOC camp in our tent listening to the howling wind and hail.  Put on all the clothes I brought with me. Being a sensible southerner that did include wool socks, merino top, windbreaker and knitted hat. Excellent summer break. We went for a great walk during a break in the weather and found this gorgeous roadside patch in Papatowhai. 

Free Veges  says the sign. Help yourself. They have also added the verse about beating swords into ploughshares - a message of peace. 

Great adventure though and thoroughly recommended. For those of you who don’t know, the Catlins are in the bottom south eastern coast of the South Island of NZ and have really been only recently discovered by the rest of the world.  The native forests are awesome – especially where they sweep down to the sea.  It’s the old stomping ground for my husband and his family as they holidayed regularly at Curio Bay. The Catlins are easy to get to. The town of Balclutha is only an hour south of Dunedin (less from Dunedin airport) and is where you turn towards the coast.

 More freezing sleeting cold summer adventures in the South…

Not far inland but further south near Wyndham, we visited a garden that has been on my radar since I started gardening as a young woman in the 1980’s and 90s.  Maple Glen. Go there. It is one of the most beautiful woodland gardens you will ever see anywhere in the world.

They have a plant nursery there too and I was able to purchase a couple of treasures for my new woodland garden. I am so thrilled that I can grow these treasures more successfully than I could in the humid north.  Maple Glen is open all year round so pick your favourite season and just go. Take a picnic. You could be some time. 

The Blackcurrancy Market

The Blackcurrancy Market.

I was quite delighted with my terrible pun about the Blackcurrancy Market in my notes about making black currant jelly and it made me think about the sharing of our produce and how that kind of currency contributes to natural balance in the world. We have just had a couple of days away and my neighbours kindly fed the hens for me – I was able to give them a jar of my jelly and the balance is maintained. A small thing I know - but important all the same.

As many of you know or are finding out, there is something deeply satisfying about preserving our produce and having enough not only to provide for our families over the winter but also to share with others.  It’s the age old cottager tradition which is making a real comeback. If you have an abundance of one thing then trade with the neighbours for their abundance.  When I was growing up you did not visit or go share a meal with someone without taking something along. A posy of flowers and herbs, a small pot of jam or preserves, some baking – what a treat.  It’s a very personal thing to bring something you have made. Let’s bring this tradition back.  

The good thing about preserving is that you can do lots of small batches so even if you are time poor, you can fit a batch of jam making in around your other work. A mix of small and medium jars means you have a small jar to give away.

Like the concept of terroir in wine or cheese making, the nuances of the season right down to the day are preserved in the flavour of that batch of jam.  Jam or jelly made at the beginning of the season may taste different to that made at the end. Soil, weather conditions during the growing season or at the time of harvest - all bring their subtle differences to the flavour of the end product.  So a succession of preserving days can mean a succession of individual tastes – some maybe never to be repeated! That’s one of the joys of the cottage gardener.

And if you are not yet able to make your own preserves then support your local farmers’ market or small scale businesses by buying their preserves.  You  can buy on line from small scale producers and so support our local Kiwi businesses.  Here are two I know who are marvelous examples of Professional Countrywomen.

Inch Valley Preserves is run by Maria Barta Hinkley and her husband on the edge of   Central Otago. Small batches of gorgeous product made with locally grown produce and available at various retail outlets or on line. Check her out at www.inchvalley.co.nz.

Totara Lowlands Cherries and Hazelnuts near Oamaru has recently been taken over by Liz Robins. She is not only growing the most marvelous cherries and hazelnuts but is preserving them in many delicious ways. Cherries preserved in Brandy. Yum. She has a range of preserves (not only cherries) and can make up gift baskets to order on line.  Check the range out www.totaralowlands.co.nz.  The site still has the names of the previous owners on it but the ordering system is still the same.

Blackcurrant Jelly (Especially for Beginners)

So the preserving has started.  A large bucket full of delicious fat shiny black currants turned up from my in-laws begging to be turned into something delicious.  They are so big they look like small grapes but are tiny bursts of vitamins and goodness. Time to make some black currant jelly.  

 

One of the reasons I am going to make jelly is that I am lucky to leave the jam making to my lovely mother in law.  She actually tops and tails her blackcurrants. They sit together at the outside table with a pair of scissors each and top and tail those tiny berries. Bless. 

Anyway I’m not going to do that so I am going to make jelly this time where you stick everything in the pot and strain it out so any stray sticks or tops and tails will be strained out. I did pop them in a colander and wash them, picking out any that were a bit squashed and starting to go rotten as you don’t want those in there. I then weighed out 2 kilos of berries and put them into my large preserving pan, just covered them with cold water and brought to the boil.  I cooked them for about 20 mins and mashed them occasionally with the potato masher to squash as much juice out as possible. You don’t have to have 2 kilos of fruit – the recipe I was using called for 1.5 kilos which is a good size too but I had so many.  It doesn’t really matter as you will just adjust the proportion of sugar to fruit when you have strained it.

Once it had cooked away for 20 mins I turned it off and let it cool slightly before transferring the whole lot to my jelly stand to strain.  This is my new prototype I am testing out. Normally I have a muslin bag hanging off a broom over a bowl in the bath but I am trying to improve. I think it’s a bit small yet so I put half the mixture in first and let some of the liquid strain through before adding the rest. I only got a little bit on my good top. (Make sure you wear an old tee shirt and apron to do this)  The other thing to be really aware of with any preserving is to be super careful when carrying heavy pots of boiling liquid. Especially once the sugar is in because the sugar will stick to you and hold its heat for a long time.  Always make sure there are no obstructions to trip over and make sure you are really well prepared so you can minimize the distance you have to move pans etc.

The important thing to remember at this stage is to not squeeze the bag tempting though it may be. This will make your jelly cloudy which is what you want to avoid.   So pour it into the bag and leave it at least over night to drain.

Sterilising Jars.

Because you are obviously going to be keeping your produce you need to sterilize your jars.  You can recycle old jars or buy some gorgeous new ones.  Smaller sizes are good as once you open your jelly you will want to put it in the fridge and eat within a few weeks of opening. Plus you will be able to give some jars away or swap with neighbours –part of the blackcurrancy market.(ha ha!)  Wash jars well and then put into a cold oven. Turn on to 110degrees C. Once the light goes out to indicate the temperature has been reached turn the oven off but leave the jars in.  Put all the lids into a saucepan of hot water and bring to boil. Simmer for a while then turn off. Do this while you are boiling your jelly and the timing should work out well.

Making the Jelly.

While the jars are sterilizing in the oven, measure the strained liquid by cup into a deep preserving pan and add the same quantity of sugar. 6 cups of liquid means 6 cups of sugar. Don’t skimp on the sugar – it is the reaction of sugar with the acid in the fruit that forms the jelly. My 2 kilos of fruit made 1.5 litres of liquid. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 20 mins or so. Turn the element down a bit so you don’t have juice going everywhere of course, but keep it at a rolling boil. Test by putting a bit of the liquid onto a cold saucer and into the fridge. After a few minutes it should show signs of setting by wrinkling when you prod it with your finger.  If you have a sugar thermometer the optimum temperature is 105 degrees C.  The longer you boil the more it is likely to set but you don’t want to overdo it as it can become solid.  For this batch I did add the juice of half a large lemon which can aid the setting process.  Later in the season if you are making jam or jelly using frozen fruit some good cooking apples added to the mix will also improve the pectin.

 

Turn off your element and let the mixture cool down to a safe temperature. Put down some newspaper on your bench and a good wooden chopping board on top of that.  Carefully get your hot jars out of the oven. The jars and the liquid both need to be hot otherwise you will get cracked jars. Pour your mixture into the jars and get the lids on. Don’t move until cool, then wash and label jars.  

Now you have some delicious black gold on your shelf to savour over winter.

Welcome to New Gardeners and Readers for 2014

Welcome to new readers who may have got one of my Crop Rotation Posters for Christmas.  I hope you find it really useful and practical and if it helps more of you get growing and providing your healthy food for yourself and your family then I am happy! I have tried to simplify the process so you can plan ahead and get some sort of system going in the backyard vegetable garden. This type of gardening is really a form of traditional cottage gardening where householders mixed flowers, fruit trees, herbs and vegetables along with hens and often a pig around the house. You really are creating a miniature environment that will have benefit not just to you but to all of the other forms of life (birds, bees, bugs etc) who will take up residence and thank you for making it all possible.

If this is new for you then be prepared to become a tiny bit obsessed. It gives many of us enormous pleasure to cultivate the land, sow seed, plant plants and eat what we grow. I used to wonder if it was a female thing – to nurture and care for  - but men seems to be equally smitten. It must really be something deeply embedded in the human psyche and we experience a form of joy as we get in tune with it.  Mind you I wouldn’t have said that last week as I was digging heavy damp soil in what was bare paddock last week. Thank goodness I was out of earshot of any passersby who might have been alarmed at my loud groans and moans. I am creating a new garden in a paddock as well as working in a garden on another property that has been worked for years. The difference between the two just shows  how you can build up and improve soil by the regular application of compost, manure and mulch until it is lovely, friable and fertile.  The paddock bed at this stage lacks all of that but it won’t be long and it will be gorgeous!

So if you are just starting off, the first thing to keep in mind is to not bite off more than you can chew.  Gardening should be a joy not a burden.  Think about your resources first.  You can create a garden by evolution or by revolution. That is – you can either start with what you have now and work your way to your goal or you can clear a space and build a new garden including raised beds, walls, drains and irrigation all in one go.  

For the evolutioners,  if there is already the remnants of a previous patch out in the back yard, well sheltered and sited for sun then mark out your beds according to the plan and make a start.  Use what you have available – if there are some old bricks around or railway sleepers (lucky) then use those to edge the bed. It is really important whatever you do to be able to get access to mulch. This will make all the difference to the amount of ongoing work needed. There is an old saying that “Nature abhors a vacuum” which for the gardener means that nature will always cover bare dirt with what is available – which, without intervention, will probably be weeds.  If you dig over a new bed and sow seeds or plant seedlings, it won’t be long before the weeds start to germinate and pop through. If you are onto it you can hand weed and hoe them out. But if not the danger is within a few weeks your bed will be overwhelmed by weeds and the fun will be over.  Even grass clippings will suffice as mulch and do a good job.  Keep green mulch away from touching any seedlings though as they can rot if too close. I use old straw and love seeing my garden all tucked up against the elements. The good thing is that it will break down and contribute to the soil so “all things work together for good” in this instance.

Again if new to this, make sure you plant things you like to eat. Get the kids out helping you and train them up as well.  Get a garden notebook and note down when you plant and when you harvest so you build up a picture of your particular patch.  We all garden in microclimates that can be peculiar to our locality and you will learn what yours is soon enough. Garden calendars such as the Crop Rotation Poster  offer guidelines for planting as will the backs of seed packets, newspaper columns, magazines and books but it really comes down to what your particular conditions are like. If you notice a well tended garden in the neighbourhood,  see if you can befriend the owner – gardeners are usually wonderfully generous people who enjoy sharing knowledge.  That way you can learn about what grows and when in your area.

If you are keen and have the resources available then go for revolution!  If you have the right spot for a garden (see some of my earlier posts about starting out in the vege garden) then why not go the whole hog and end up with a beautiful raised bed system. If this entails hard landscaping, drainage and irrigation then it might pay to get a bit of expert help in but if you know what you are doing you can do it yourself. Do it right and you will not only create a gorgeous space but it will add value to your property.  There are plenty of plants you can still plant at this time of the year or you can load up the beds with compost, manure and mulch or green crop and leave for a bit longer. My feeling is once you have beds ready it’s hard not to resist planting straight away.

Whatever your garden style is get out there and do it – there are no end to the benefits to you, your family, your community, the earth and so on.   And you will be joining a growing network of people in making the world a better place.  

The Summer Palace - Michael Leunig

Here is a poignant and suitably garden-wise poem to mark the passing of one year and the beginning of the New.  I love Leunig's work and this one is my favourite.  None of us are exempt from difficult events and experiences but what a great lesson in resilience and hope from the garden - allow those things to die and turn them into something that is productive and hopeful. Here's to a great Summer Palace.    

THE SUMMER PALACE

Make a little garden in your pocket,


Fill your cuffs with radishes and rocket,


Let a passionfruit crawl up your thigh,


Grow some oregano in your fly.


Make a steamy compost of your fears,


Trickle irrigate your life with tears,


Let your troubled mind become a trellis,


Turn your heart into a summer palace

(Used with permission: For his other work go to  http://www.leunig.com.au/)

Three Sisters Experiment

I thought I would put up a picture of my "three sisters" experiment. That's the one following the lead of the American Indians who grow corn, beans and pumpkin together. I planted corn plants and then a climbing bean seed beside. I don't know if you can see very well but the beans are winding themselves around the corn as support. The pumpkin is a late addition and is one of those little Golden Nugget plants - it is providing extra ground shading.  So support, shelter and ground cover is all going on here. I have used plenty of compost though as all good feeders. 

January: Summer in the Home Vegetable garden.

Well I hope you were able to get plenty of water and mulch on to your garden over the Christmas break to keep the weeds down and the growing up. There were not many parts of the country who have needed to apply water though – it’s been wet everywhere. Here in North East Otago we have had rain pretty much every day since before Christmas. It’s not really cold though so everything is growing well but we are all ready for a little sun please!  And the mulch has done its job of protecting the soil from so much rain - so getting that extra mulch on in December has worked well.

Now is the time to start literally reaping the reward of your work over the past few months.  Keep picking beans peas and whatever else you have fruiting to prolong the season.  Hopefully you will have some time off and can spend some of it in your garden – you will be well rewarded.  Many fruiting plants if left to themselves will go quite unruly and sprawl all over the place putting energy into growing and you could be left with less than lovely vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, courgettes, beans, peas – all will appreciate a little tweaking and training, pinching out and chopping back. Keep tying up your tomatoes and pinching out the laterals.  Once your pumpkins have set 2-3 fruit per vine then pinch out the growing tip – in our shorter southern growing season it is better to put the effort into getting those 2-3 ripe. Keep liquid feeding these plants as they grow. Make sure any climbing beans or peas have twiggy sticks or similar to climb up for the same reason. 

Make sure your beans don’t dry out.  Some people mound up the soil around their corn and tomatoes like you do around potatoes to increase the rooting capacity and ability of the plant to draw up nourishment. As it gets close to harvest for your potatoes and garlic, stop watering. You want them to start to dry out a little. I haven’t dug up any of my potatoes or garlic yet as I am waiting for a few dry days – will be interesting to see how this rain has affected them.  Get your winter brassicas in before mid January.  Add a little bit of lime before planting.   If you do have a problem with club root a good crop of mustard green crop will go a long way to sterilize the soil of any fungal diseases. Finish planting celery and leeks early in January if you haven’t got them in already. 

Jobs for this Month

Sow:  Keep up succession sowing of beans, peas, carrots, lettuces, swedes, turnips, spinach, radishes etc.

Plant: Winter brassicas such as cabbage, cauli, kale, broccoli.  Plant celery and leeks into well composted trenches.  Plant herbs such as basil, coriander, parsley.  Silverbeet and spinach can go in as well.

Stake: Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and peas.  If you planted Brussels sprouts in the last month or two you might need to start staking them too.

Cultivate: Keep weeds down with regular hoeing and mulching where possible. Keep sowing mustard, phaecilia and other ground cover crops either down the rows or on any bare ground.  Thin beetroot and carrots if you haven’t already done so.

Harvest: Garlic, shallots, onions, early potatoes, beans, peas, herbs, tomatoes, courgettes, lettuces, spinach, silverbeet,

In the soft fruit department we have strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries and black currants all ripening now.  The rain is not so good for the berries and cherries causing splitting. Flavour is reduced too as the too much water dilutes the sugars. Gooseberry tart was on the menu for Christmas along with lashings of berries and cream. It was always traditional when I was growing up to have gooseberry tart over Christmas – even though we did not live in a growing area. My grandmother always got some sent up by train from the South Island.  What a joy it is now to be able to grow them in my own garden.