Permaculture Noosa

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I have never really been involved in community groups. I think it's because I have always worked full time and was a single mum juggling kids for several years. I just couldn't afford the time to devote to outside groups and interests...plus, I think deep down...I'd rather be at home than socialising and getting involved with people. By the end of the day, I am so over talking and making conversation with people I don't know :)

In the past six months this has begun to change. For example, I joined a writers group and we meet once a month to share our writing projects and learn our craft from the incredibly talented Karen Foxlee. I have completed the paperwork to become a volunteer for the Army Cadets every second Sunday and am looking forward to that commencing. Just last week I discovered that Permaculture Noosa meet once a month in Cooroy, which is half an hour from home, so I decided to go to their meeting. Paul, who usually has band practice, came with me...even though the topic of the night, Insects in the Garden, was not something he was the slightest bit interested in :)

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There was quite a large turnout at the town hall in Cooroy, I would guess at approximately 50 people. I was hoping to get there for 7pm as they have a 'swap' with members bringing extra produce to trade...something I have always wanted to participate in. There were plants, seeds (locally sourced and saved by members), books, honey and preserves, available for swapping and purchase. The meeting opened with people coming forward to talk about upcoming events they were having, and one gentleman was looking for land for his cattle as they were starving due to the drought.

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We then enjoyed a series of talks for the next hour on insects in the garden, and the importance of attracting beneficial insects to maintain the eco-balance of the garden. For example, wasps may be seen as a predator but they actually control some of the pests such as grasshoppers. I learnt about creating habitats for these insects such as a pond or an 'insect hotel' to encourage insects to inhabit my garden:

Insect Hotel

I don't think I need to go this far but I can see the benefit of attracting insects such as bees to pollinate my pumpkins and squash, and beetles to prey on leaf eating bugs. I made a start by buying a packet of Good Bug Mix, recommended by the members. It is produced by Green Harvest in Maleny who have a great range of gardening produce and products.

Vegie Mama

I see that Vegie Mama (link on image caption) also mentioned this mix (via a guest post by Cooker and a Looker), so I am in good company here :)

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I also bought a copy of the Permaculture Noosa Newsletter which includes a Sunshine Coast Planting Guide for April which is very handy. There are some different ideas than those I have planned, such as planting cucumbers in the shade for the best result if planting in March, so I will tailor my Autumn Vegie Patch to include this local knowledge. Even though I am not technically on the coast, the guide does incorporate the hinterland.

Another item of great interest to me in the newsletter is an upcoming workshop by Elisabeth Felkonia from Permaculture Produce. It is in May and is called "Sourdough, Sauerkraut and Kimchi". You even learn how to make a fruit wine, so I have already registered to participate in this one :)

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So, it turns out that getting involved in some community groups is actually beneficial for me as there is so much I want to learn (and help out with), and even though I did not hang around to have supper and make conversation, I really enjoyed my evening (and the awkwardness of my husband sitting through an hour of bug talks). I look forward to seeing what they will be presenting next month...and will probably join up as a member. I am also investigating whether Gympie has a group too.

Later in the week I will share another experience I had last week that opened my mind to new possibilities.

I'd love to know if you are involved in any community groups and whether its just me that has shied away from them.

Simple Living Sunday

Sundays are the day I have chosen to summarise my simple living efforts for the week. This may be my gardening successes or failures, or my experimentation with home made cleaning products, or ways to save money. As I have been home this week, I have dabbled in quite a few different areas and have some progress to report on various projects I started when I commenced this blog a little over a month ago.

It may not look beautiful but my soap is adequate and certainly lathers and smells like soap. The white layer
(Homemade Soap) I ended up with seems to be a problem with my saponification, according to a few people I spoke to at Simple Living Forums and a lovely lady I met for coffee from there. It could have been caused from the heat of the oils and caustic not being the same or perhaps in cooling down too quickly. Basically the caustic has separated a little from the rest. Easy fixed, I just cut it off and still have plenty of soap.

I put together a sour dough yeast starter. I used half a cup of my bread floor and one cup of spring water, then covered it with thin cotton fabric from an old shirt. I will report back on its progress, and then I will investigate how I actually use it to make sourdough bread. It's all a learning curve.

Homemade Pesticide

To control my pest situation I made a batch of pesticide from Going Grey and Slightly Green. I made a half mixture of the All Round Insecticide. You just chop two onions, one clove of garlic and two chillies (I used minced chilli from a jar). Place them in a bowl with one teaspoon of dishwashing liquid and cover with warm water. Leave overnight.

Strain it and then add to 2 1/2 litres of water. I will report back on its effectiveness as my Broccoli and Spinach have now been sprayed.

Homemade Shower Gel

I prefer to use shower gel in our upstairs glass shower as it leaves less residue to be cleaned. I adapted a few recipes and came up with this one which worked really well.

You will need 1 1/2 cups spring water, 1 x bar of soap, a desertspoon of glycerin and any fragrance you prefer. My husband loves Palmolive Gold soap so I ended up leaving out the fragrance for this one.

Grate the soap with a cheese grater - it is very easy to clean afterwards.

Combine all ingredients and heat in a saucepan on medium heat until all the soap is melted.

Leave for approx 12 hours (overnight) and you will have a jelly type surface with a creamy, soapy mixture underneath. Beat with a stick mixer until smooth.

Then pour into bottles. I have a dispenser for the shower and an extra litre for storage. I tried it this morning and gave the boys a sample to use. Thumbs up all round! Can only imagine it will be even better with more natural soap but at least I utilised something I already had.

This was my first attempt at making breadrolls. The kids loved them but they were more like a large scone. I let the breadmaker mix a normal bread dough on the dough setting and when I removed it, it had risen beautifully. I really was not sure what to do next so I just broke it apart and rolled into rough balls before placing them straight in the oven. Advice I have been given is to re-knead each roll and let them rise before baking. Also to place a tray of water in the oven to keep them soft, instead of crunchy. Will definitely keep you updated on my next batch! Any suggestions are welcome.

Weekend Gardening Update

I turned the compost today and finally have something which is starting to resemble soil. Still a while to go yet. I am now not adding to this pile and have a separate pile for new scraps, following advice from a seasoned gardener.

The toilet roll seedling trays have not yet been a huge success. I have a few small Thai basil seedlings. I have now bought some seed raising mix (I used potting mix initially) and will try some carrot seeds.

I potted this hot climate variety of blueberry for the verandah. Not a very attractive pot covered in flood mud. It will do until I find another.

This Zucchini has gone crazy and has several large flowers which I will pick and experiment with. There are five small Zucchini growing on it.

Finally have a few small beans. Some of the plants died and I am not sure why. Beans are usually so easy to grow.

This is one of the Bok Choi I cut off which has new sprouts so hopefully will get another one for nothing.

The Roma tomato finally has fruit but the plant is very small so not sure how big the tomatoes will grow.

The strawberries are going well again. These are from the Lemon Tree garden, near the Zucchini.

More cherry tomatoes popping up everywhere. At least we will have some tomatoes if my others don't grow.

More progress with the cucumber. It has flowered but no fruit yet. Needs a good weeding.

These are Rockmelons. Paul threw some seeds under the lemon tree and they have gone crazy. Will need to thin them out soon. There would be 20-30 plants and these are the more mature.

Paul planted a few watermelon seedlings on the grass and they are doing well, to my surprise.

Another beautiful salad for lunch and a Spinach slice to be baked this afternoon.

So, there you have it. A round up of my simple living endeavours for the week, and some new ideas for you to try yourself. Any feedback on what you may have tried or any processes I have used above, is greatly appreciated as always.

How has your week been?