A-maizing happenings in the garden

The maize I've been growing as part of the challenge is now over 1.8m (6ft) tall! Here it is a couple of weeks ago. Now that the weather is cooling down here in Zone 2, I'm just hoping we have enough frost free weather left to get a crop. Can't wait to dry it, mill it and eat it!

A great discovery in the garden this week was a yellow egg tomato. They mysteriously turned up with a bunch of other compost-generated tomatoes and I'm pretty happy about it. My grandfather used to grow these when I was a kid and I loved them. They are actually a bit darker yellow than in the photo. They measure approximately 4.5 x 6cm. These tomatoes are meant to be low acid and certainly seem to be less acidic than the red tomatoes I've been growing this season. If I can resist eating at least some of them, I'll save the seed for next year.

The arrowroot continues to do well, but I'm not sure how to process it for use. I know it's good for thickening sauces, etc. If anyone knows how to prepare it, please let me know.

The goji plant my friend gave me has now outgrown its little pot (in the photo) and I've given it a bigger home. Its root system is amazing! I'll leave it in a pot this winter and plant it out in open ground next spring.

I'm really enjoying all the new things I'm growing!

love and light
naturewitch

I've been tagged!

Well, The Crone has tagged me!

I think these are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2. Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven things:
1. Love starting new projects, especially garden or craft related
2. Balmy nights make me wistful - remind me of sitting on my grandparents' front verandah with Pop playing his harmonica after dinner
3. I try to do a new jigsaw puzzle each Christmas
4. I get vertigo looking up at tall buildings
5. Used to make my own cheese and fruit wine when I lived on a farm and had a cow and excess fruit
6. My favourite foods are persimmons and figs
7. I don't really know anyone to tag!

love and light
naturewitch

Today's sowing

The growing challenge goddess will be happy - today I grabbed a heap of herb seeds, some of them woefully out of date (but you never know your luck!) and potted them up. The kids helped and within an hour, we had over 100 little pots (that were just hanging around doing nothing) filled and awaiting the rain that the goddess is now delivering. Thank you, universe!

Here's what we planted: arnica, bergamot, bilberry, calendula, caraway, chickweed, chives, clary sage, cranberry, cress, dill, marshmallow, nigella, parsley, sage, witch hazel.
Not sure if they'll all be viable, but you never know unless you try.

Also planted some more veges for the cooler months: spring onion, winter lettuce, pai tsai, wong bok, kale, English spinach, mustard greens; and I sprinkled around some of the white beetroot, carrot and parsnip seed that I was harvesting, just in case they take off.

Currently we are picking raspberries, pears, quince, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants (aubergines), zucchini (courgettes), beans (both purple and green), rocket, English spinach and pai tsai. Oh, and the red cabbage I turned into sauerkraut (I hope!) a couple of days ago and heaps of herbs. Gloat, gloat gloat. How lucky are we to be able to grow our own food!

Must start thinking about chookies and ducks and I wonder if the park across the road could accommodate a milking goat?

love and light
naturewitch

Growing Challenge

Well, I've just joined up for the Growing Challenge. Realised I'd started growing a couple of new things this year, so thought it would be good to join in the fun.

My new ventures include maize and a different type of zucchini.

I'm growing the maize (as opposed to sweet corn) so that I can mill it and have freshly ground corn meal during the winter months. I make it up like porridge (oatmeal) and it tastes delicious when freshly ground. I find the ready ground corn meal is just not the same.

The zucchini I'm growing is called "costata". It is a lighter green than the usual "blackjack" zucchini and seems to remain tender for longer. BUT it grows a bit quicker than the blackjack - the picture shows one just three days after flowering - it is nearly 30cm long! The bushes are bigger and more robust as well. I like the ribs on the costata -they make a pretty cross-section when you slice it up.

I've also put in some different herbs this year (seedlings) and a friend has given me a cutting of a goji berry tree. So this year should prove to be interesting in the garden. Will let you know how the growing continues.

love and light
naturewitch

Time to recharge your crystals

With the full moon on Saturday morning (22 March) comes the opportunity to cleanse and recharge your crystal friends. I like to rinse them in pure water to cleanse, then place them on the soil in the light of the full moon to recharge. Bring them in first thing in the morning.

Be careful where you place your crystals in the garden, making sure you'll be able to find them again. My cats like to play with them, so I always have to have a good look around, especially for all the little ones.

I also like to clean and clear the room(s) they will go back into to. Serapis Bey (an aurasome product) or the bush flower space clearing mist are particularly helpful in clearing any negative energies in the room. If you don't have either of these, call in the light and ask for any energy no longer serving a fruitful purpose to be transmuted into love energy, rainbow light or whatever you like. Doing this can help to fill your house with loving, radiant vibrations and can significantly contribute to happy, healthy relationships.

love and light
naturewitch

Moon Gardening

The equinox is upon us (4:48pm Thursday 20 March 2008 Aust East Daylight Savings Time (AEDST)) and the full moon is approaching (5:41am Saturday 22 March).

So it will be time to plant root veges and propagate perennials; also put organic manures on the garden and prune plants to retard growth. Best times for planting, propagating and fertilising are: 5:41pm Saturday 22 March to 1:12am Thursday 27 March (a whopping 4.5 days of continuous gardening pleasure!!) and 1:45pm to 8:48pm Saturday 29 March.

The last quarter is at 8:48am Sunday 30 March.

Weed to your heart's content, harvest fruits and veges and make compost from 8:48pm Sunday 30 March to 1:55am Sunday 6 April.

The new moon will be at 1:55pm on Sunday 6 April, then we can start our lunar gardening month all over again.

Till then, Happy moon gardening!

love and light
naturewitch

Hello World

Hi Fellow Bloggers

This is my first blog. I was inspired by friend's blog to set up my own to talk to others of like mind.

I'm interested in real food - whole, organic, fermented, growing my own; sustainability and self sufficiency; seed saving; herbs and herbal medicine; wildcrafting; natural therapies; universal consciousness; conscious living and spiritual development; meditation; the energetics of life; stewardship of the planet; reducing and softening our footprint; life skills and life crafts; leaving a legacy of know-how, instead of comsumerist dependence on multinationals.

Just now I'm juggling work and study and hoping to move towards a more meaningful livelihood as a healer, not just of people, but of the planet (or at least my little patch of it). This blog will be a bit of a journey through my attempts at backyard sufficiency and my learning in healing, always in awe of nature and the bounties she provides us.

Love and light
naturewitch