Busy and Exciting Times

I can't believe it's over two weeks since I posted anything. Have been busy with assignments, work, the garden - just the usual. We've got about three and a half weeks to go now and study will be over for another year, so hopefully I'll have a bit more time.

But there have been a few exciting happenings and a bit of progress in the garden while I've been silent ...

The large bed in the front garden has been completely renovated, with weeds removed and new plants inserted, its also been fed and mulched, and an arch has appeared to train roses on one side and a jasmine and gelsemium on the other. This bed is about 12 or so square metres and it was rather neglected, so it was quite a job.

I've managed to find the time to make some more mint jelly and start a batch of elderflower champagne ... recipes coming soon.

We've started dismantling one of the raised garden beds in preparation for conversion to a wicking bed. This particular bed has a slight problem with couch grass, so we've been sieving all the soil. Ugh!

A couple of weeks ago, I was awarded a prize for "Excellence in herbal medicine" where I study. I was surprised, but very happy, especially since it came with a voucher for some herbal extracts from my favourite herbal company. :)

And best of all, on Saturday we picked up a new nucleus colony and so now we have two hives in the garden. The new bees seem to be settling in well. And next year we can probably split the older hive, so we'll have a total of three hives. Haven't harvested any honey yet; just letting the hives get stronger for now.

Now I'm off to have a look at what you've all been up to ....

love and light
naturewitch

Ramblings About the Garden

Following on from my previous post, here's a photo of the sweet corn and the maize. The sweet corn is on the lower left corner of the photo and as you can see, has not suffered damage due to the heat. The maize in the adjacent bed, however, is suffering quite a bit.

The main difference is the preparation of the sweet corn bed before planting - it received a double dose of manure. Although I have watered the maize more than the sweet corn and given it seaweed extract, it is less resilient.

Clearly, bed preparation is going to be paramount in the years to come.

Despite the hot weather, it's not all bad around the garden at the moment. The elder has decided to have a second flush of flowers, reminding us that elderflower cordial is particularly cooling in the hot weather. The recipe I use is from Self-sufficientish. We've been enjoying this today, mixed with mineral water and ice.

With the warmer weather, many seeds are ripening in the garden. This morning I collected a mix of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage seed, which I'm calling "brassica surprise"; mignonette lettuce seeds, carrot seeds, white beetroot seeds and calendula seeds.

All the seeds are looking very healthy, thanks no doubt to our little buzzy friends.

While watering the roses this morning, a thought popped into my head about planting lettuces between the roses. I consulted the companion planting books to find that mignonette lettuce make a great companion for roses, as do garlic and onions. Well, now I know where those lettuce seeds are going . . .

love and light
naturewitch

Magic in My Garden

The sparrows are flitting among the silver beet and kale, picking off tiny caterpillars and feasting.

A little silver eye picks at the last fruit on the weeping mulberry. One of the cats lies nearby, but the tiny bird is unperturbed.

The pot marjoram, inconveniently self-seeded and thriving in the middle of a path, is providing food for the bees now, so we'll continue to walk around it.

The zucchini bush, which had its first flower the other day (female, no male flowers), now has fruit magically filling out, thanks no doubt to our stripey, buzzy friends.

Purslane has come to visit - I never knew it before - and now it lives happily alongside the dandelion and yellow dock and wild lettuce. Weeds to many, but to me they are foods and medicines.

My garden is my pantry and my medicine chest, my gym and my classroom, my joy and my meditation. It is a place I can really breathe, taking in the fresh, clean air and exhaling the tension. It is my sanctuary.

But most of all, it is a place I feel at one with nature in all its magnificence, beauty, purpose and playfulness.

It is by no means something out of a fancy magazine, but there's magic in my garden. Hope you can find the magic in yours too.

love and light
naturewitch

Feeding the World

Tonight on the ABC was a very interesting edition of Landline Extra. One story related to our ability to feed the world (click on the link to see transcript and view the video). The program was presented in the context of the growth in world population, the failure of crops in Australia due to drought and the increased use of grains for biofuel production.

They listed world population figures, which I have plotted up. As you can see, we still have a linearly increasing population growth, which is not predicted to slow down for another 20 years or so.

The program discussed how businesses and investors are starting to look to the rural sector as a potential cash cow. (It always worries me when big business gets involved in our food chain.) Also, in the past year, the price of corn has risen by 31%, rice has increased by 74%, soya beans are up 87% and wheat is now 130% more expensive than it was 12 months ago.

All this adds up to the need for us to take more personal responsibility for our food production. I think I'm starting to repeat myself - I'm sure I said this yesterday . . . So, I'll repeat myself again and say - go forth into your gardens and multiply! Put some seed or seedlings into the ground and start growing more of your own food. And while you're about it, teach your children how to grow food as well - their future may very well depend on it!

Don't mean to sound paranoid; I just think this is a very important issue. Who will feed us if we don't at least try to feed ourselves?

love and light
naturewitch

Our Bees, Our Food

Just saw a story on TV about the Varroa mite. Apparently, Australia is the only country free of the varroa mite, a little critter that affects bees. It rides in on the backs of bees into the colony (or hive) and infects the bee larvae with a virus, killing them.

The reason this is so important (apart from the damage to bees and our honey supply) is that bees are critical in the production of our food. Australia is now exporting bees overseas in a bid to help other countries maintain their food production.

Without bees, many plants won't be pollinated and will therefore not produce their fruit, which is what we eat. The only other option is hand pollination - not really possible on the scale of production of much of our food. Imagine a world without honey, stone fruits, apples, pears, melons, pumpkins, almonds and avocadoes, to name a few of the foods that could be affected.

This is yet another reason why it is so important for us all to take some responsibility for producing the food we eat. Every step you take to grow your own food will reduce your impact on the environment, as well as securing yours and your family's future.

So get into your gardens and plant some food, even if it is to put a few lettuce seedlings or herbs in a pot on your balcony. Every little bit helps and you will enjoy the freshness and vitality of your own produce. And the satisfaction of creating a meal from your own produce is unparalleled. Happy gardening!

love and light
naturewitch

The "What's in my garden?" dinner

Simple yummy dinner - find the following ingredients in your garden:
1 small eggplant
1 medium-large zucchini
about a punnet of cherry tomatoes
2 spring onions
1 bunch English spinach
1 bunch amaranth leaves
2 sprigs basil
1 sprig marjoram
4 cloves garlic (hiding in the cupboard)

Slice eggplant, place in bowl, salt and leave for half an hour. Rinse well and dice eggplant and zucchini (medium-sized chunks). Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wok or pan. Put in eggplant and zucchini and stir fry for a few minutes. When about half cooked, throw in tomatoes and spring onions. When close to done, drizzle with balsamic glaze (OK, this is from the cupboard, too!), then add spinach, amaranth, chopped herbs and garlic. Stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then serve. You can serve this with pasta, rice, meat, vege patties or just have it on its own. Delicious!!!

love and light
naturewitch