Simple Living Sunday 45

Squash, squash and more squash. I was really surprised to see how much these had grown in a week. We had some heavy rainfall which was a blessing and just what the garden needed. These guys are the size of a small pumpkin and overfilled my basket.

So, a separate photo of the cherry tomatoes this week. They are producing a decent size now which are so much more versatile than the tiny ones from last season.

I love the contrasting colours of the green and gold.

I had to go and get a box to carry them inside.

This pumpkin I photographed last week has tripled in size. 

I spent most of the weekend getting the layers of old paint off my deck upstairs...well, making a start on it anyway. If we ever want to sell this place, there are plenty of repairs and renovations to be done.

The boys and I tried sanding the paint off, but it was patchy and really hard work because the boards are not all flat.

A large tin of paint stripper was what we needed. Man my back, legs and arms are sore today!

This is a shot of the stairs showing the lovely finish...a huge improvement. That's the cherry tomatoes growing through the bottom steps.

With so many squash I decided to get a pumpkin out of storage and make a vegetable curry. Even after six months the pumpkins are still fresh and juicy. Makes you wonder how old they are when you buy them in stores.

I decided to stick with my home grown produce for this curry, with the exception of the spices and a little wombok that needed to be used up.

I didn't have any onions so decided to use some spring onions, freshly dug up.

And my garlic which was hanging on the verandah.

The beauty of freshly picked produce...look at the moisture in this zucchini. Beautiful!

 I diced up my vegies and stirred through some indian and moroccan spices...and cherry tomatoes.

Twenty minutes later in the pressure cooker. My dinner for tonight and lunches for during the week. Yay!! I think a vegie lasagne will be next on the list.

What's been happening at your place. Do you like squash?

Simple Living Sunday 44

Another busy week has flown by. I was thankful to have the weekend at home after last week's sports carnival in the heatwave. I managed to get a lot of mowing done by getting up early and doing a couple of hours before full sun, and then again in the late afternoon. It is still too hot during the day here to get very productive outside so I am hoping for a cooler spell this weekend.

I was amazed to find these huge squash on my other plant in the food forest garden. In a week they had grown from golf ball size to melon size. I think they were supposed to be green button squash but they look more like the patty pan squash I grew last year. Anyway the size does not affect the flavour and the skins are not too tough so...I have some awesome vegies to eat this week.

Not a great photo but you can see how fleshy they are. I made an awesome relish from squash last year, so if I get too many I know what to do.

Location and soil preparation make all the difference in raising an abundant vegetable garden. This squash was planted the same time as the others, in the same north facing sun...but in a different garden bed.

This is the one planted in my no-dig food forest. Amazing how some take off and some don't.

Another example is this golden nugget pumpkin planted under my lime tree, not in a garden bed.

And the same one planted in the no-dig garden which is layered with compost, manure, soil and mulch.

Yay, I can finally see a straight, normal looking zucchini.

And I am learning to pick my cucumbers young before they turn yellow. 

This is a forgotten rosemary in the herb patch which I totally failed with last year. Would love to get some major herbs going here.

The lemonade tree is also forgotten but still bearing fruit despite the dry weather. The recent rains will hopefully see this fruit ripen.

I love the little surprises you find that grow themselves.This passionfruit vine sprung up from nowhere in the front garden...

...and I am hoping to trail it up and around the front porch beams.

Not sure if this is a pumpkin or a melon vine but it just sprouted up under the tap outside.

I try not to waste any produce but the recent storms shook up the lemon tree, and the heat spoilt the fallen fruit...I really should have picked them up sooner.

I turned the yellow cucumber which was slightly bitter into relish, together with my abundant cherry tomatoes. I salted the cucumber over and then rinsed before using.

I added a capsicum, turmeric, garlic, sugar and apple cider vinegar and let stew for an hour.

Perfect. I mixed a little in with my chicken casserole for dinner which was really yummy.

And I have enough for the next week or so with my salads...and a jar for the preserves cupboard. Only 100 or so bottles left to fill now :)

So, that's what I have been up to this week. What's going on at your place?

Simple Living Sunday 43

Well, it was hardly simple living today as we sweltered in 41 degree heat. Gympie Athletics went ahead with their planned athletics carnival, so needless to say we had a pretty tough day. It was lovely to come home, cool down and have a forage around the garden before dinner.

I managed to pick a few cape gooseberries. I am still trying to get the timing right for picking them. They are sweeter when they turn yellow but I find if I leave them too late then they dry out in the hot weather. So, apparently you can pick them green and let them ripen but I have found the tart taste of the greenish ones not unpleasant anyway. They taste very much like a mini tomato.

The squash are going crazy which is awesome. The two large ones I picked today will last me for the week.

Tomatoes (besides cherry) are not a great success here with the heat. This is a mini roma that I picked up at Bunnings on a clearance table for $1. Glad to see it is fruiting but the leaves are looking a little heat affected.

This tomato plant has been in the ground since the beginning of the year and has produced a few tomatoes so I let it keep going.

This indian lab-lab bean plant is now as tall as the squash.

My malabar chestnut looked dreadful after the frost so I am happy to see it is coming back.

The pigeon pea are really taking hold now.

This avocado had been struggling with the heat so I am really hoping for some rain.

Ironic that Paul's Pink Trumpet Tree is looking the best it ever has.

This young mandarin Lauren gave me for mothers day is finally starting to settle in.

I have had three large cucumbers from two vines and am pleased to see a few more growing.

The zucchini are growing well but some of them end up narrowed at the end.

I picked three kilos of cherry tomatoes and there are still tons more. The chooks love them.

We still have patches of green lawn but it is getting very dry here. You can see the running track the boys mowed and my budding food forest garden.

Another shot taken before dinner, facing the mountain.

My garlic was not a huge success but I did manage to get a few bulbs up to dry.

This is an old filing cabinet that I sprayed black. It sits in my kitchen and houses one of my addictions...

...glass jars! Can't wait until my Xmas break to start preserving again and will do a follow up post soon about the results from last years 'vacola fest'.

We had a welcome barbecue for dinner last night as it was way too hot to cook inside.

I threw together an exotic salad utilising my home grown and preserved produce which was amazing! Cucumber, cherry tomato, gooseberry, lychees and basil topped with homemade cherry tomato relish. Makes you feel absolutely wonderful to source a meal from your own produce.

This is a shot of the lychees I preserved last year and I will definitely be doing them again this year. They stayed firm and made a lovely sweet addition to balance the tartness of my salad.

So, that's my weekly round up. What have you been up to at your place?