SUNDAY SOLITUDE.........

The kids are off doing their own thing and it is just hubby and myself with a delightfully cool morning. I got out early to water, hubby put in a heap of bulbs in for me (old fashioned ones I remember from my childhood like jonquils, daffoldils, freesias etc) and another 2 dozen tomato seedlings, some carrots, leeks, shallots and some chinese cabbage.

I also purchased quite a few herbs last week, lemon balm, sage, pennyroyal, chocolate mint, standard mint, verbena, to name just a few, so we got those in too. Whilst in the garden centre I found an interesting herb called Brahmi, a memory & recall herb.

In May 1996 the Royal Society of British Science published a paper on nitric oxide, calling it the marvel of the decade. The article explained that the nitric oxide in brahmi has an extremely positive effect on learning and memory recall, as well as on blood circulation and the function of the liver, lungs and kidneys.

Research is also being done on the use of nitric oxide to treat stroke and Alzheimer’s sufferers. In 1998 the Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded to three pharmacologists for their discovery that nitric oxide, in its natural form, has powerful potential as a messenger molecule in the body.

A recent scientific study showed that brahmi has potent antioxidant properties, which is, no doubt, why it was also revered in India for strengthening the immune system, improving vitality and performance and promoting longevity.

The task of antioxidants in the body is to mop up free radical molecules. A free radical is an unstable chemical fragment, which can cause havoc by damaging DNA, corroding cell membranes and destroying cells.
Needless to say, with my memory....I purchased 2 of them! LOL

The pond is really taking off, we have so many wee critters other than frogs visiting, including a crane from the local river. Of course with a pond full of minnows what more could it want, almost dinner on a plate! The geckos love all the rocks to hide amongst and the dragonflies are breeding like crazy on the pond iris which have, as you can see, grown prolifically.

The chillies have all fruited, I still have last years crop in the pantry, so this lot I will pick as they ripen and give to staff. I use them both for drying and crushing to a powder and for oils (just place the dried chillies into oil and leave for a good 6 months).

The giant sunflowers (thanks NAT) appear to grow at an amazing rate, it wasn't that long ago that I put them in. I will make sure I get some of the seed from them before the parrots do!

I spent the remainder of the morning spring cleaning the patio and re-arranging it, adding 2 gorgeous gardenias each side of the door and a magnificent bird nest fern by the sliding door.

Now I am off to do the usual domestic engineering we all so love (yes, tongue in cheek ladies lol). Tommorow I have a day off, I plan to spend it making Lemon Butter, delicious!

Hope your weekend is a good one!

OF STRAW AND RENOVATIONS......

You may remember the ongoing saga of the chookpen (chicken house). When we moved in it 10 months ago it was a nightmare, full of creepers you wouldn't give to your worst enemy and falling apart at the seams!

We added a very large nesting shed, pulled down a massive old (badly designed) composting bin from the front), and added netting to sheild them from cats, wild birds and foxes.

We used the car port roof we removed from the side of the house to finish the nesting/roosting area, a gate, cleaned a truck load of materials from inside and wow.....nearly finished!

We have yet to paint the nesting shed inside and the pen itself outside. More plants will be added to the area in the front as time progresses.

Are you wondering why there is a wire section in the front? Two reasons really.

 1-I can sit on the patio and watch the mad things running about and 2-it allows an air flow for our super hot days.

Once the painting is finished and the plants added and grown it should be quite spiffy!

The garden is surviving the heat, although it takes regular heavy watering for it to do so. I truly have not known a summer like this, which doesn't surprise me, they say it is a record breaker, nothing like this in all the time records have been kept!

The back yard is slowly taking shape. There is still underplanting to be done, and I am planning on putting in a lot of groundcovers, edible if I can find them. Any suggestions?

The constant attention to the soil has paid off, 10 months later what was rock hard soil or simply sand has now turned into some magnificent dirt!

Bales upon bales of pea straw, gypsum, chook manure from the pens, rock dust, shredded paper and a massive amount of worms brought in has seen a very rapid turn around.

Ten months ago I was feeling as though there was a mountain load of work to get through, now, after many months of hard slog it feels managable lol.

Hope your week is a productive and happy one:)

I'M IN PRINT.........

Technically, although you won't find this in any bookshop lol. Blogger has the ability to make books from your blog and that's precisely what I have done.

From my perspective, in the years to come, the ease in which we access the internet today may not be there tomorrow, or the costs may be prohibitive. Either way, I wanted something I could leave to my children with all our gathered wisdoms.

This book has all I have learnt from you and others and all our family practices going back some generations. No matter what the kids come across hopefully there will be some ideas in here about how to manage it.

How to make rocket stoves, how to dehydrate, can, how to grow and when to grow veggies in our region, herbal remedies tried and true, recipes, making window heaters, soaps from plants, all that and more can only help....or, if we are all wrong...amuse them LOL!

The books aren't expensive, I chose to print 12 months in each book. The next one should arrive in a few days:)  If you like the idea of having something quite unique to hand down to your children, you can find out how to do it HERE

PLANNING FOR WATER......

A recent story by the ABC  says that CSIRO is predicting water levels could possibly drop by half by 2030. (ABC News )

Gillian O'Shaughnessy talks to Dr Don McFarlane from the CSIRO. (ABC Perth) The Department of Water says a report on Western Australia's future water supply presents significant challenges.

The CSIRO report found water levels in south western WA will fall by an average of 25 per cent by 2030 but it is predicting they could possibly fall by half.
The report blames climate change since the mid 1970s for a big drop in rainfall and surface and groundwater yields.

It says as a result, once abundant wetlands and perennial streams have, in the worst cases, dried out.

John Ruprecht from the department says the findings are sobering but not surprising.

He says the department already has a raft of measures in place to ensure future water supply.
"New infrastructure like the second desalination plant, like water efficiency measures with local government and the winter sprinkler bans through to recycling and working with local governments and developers on new ways of recycling water for urban development," he said.

But the Opposition's Fran Logan says that is not nearly enough.
"The worst case scenario may require five extra plants and the last desalination plant two cost over $1 billion," he said.
Mr Ruprecht says there are a number of strategies in place to deal with the drying climate.
"Those projects are a good start but there's more we need to do and that's why there's been significant regional planning done by Department of Water with the South West Regional Water Plan, the Water Corporation with their Water Forever, really trying to map out the demand for water for the next 20 to 30 years," he said.

Mr Logan says the Government must urgently invest more in water infrastructure to avoid future severe water shortages. And he says recycling water for drinking must be the Government's top priority.

"Recycling is the solution. It is a major, major part of the solution. But that requires a significant investment in infrastructure both at the waste water treatment plant and also at the re-injection points both around Beenyup, Subiaco and Woodman Point in the southern suburbs," he said.
'Wake-up call'

The Conservation Council's Piers Verstegen says the report should act as a 'wake-up call' for the Government. He says there needs to be better strategies in place to conserve the state's water.
"In particular, making our houses much more water efficient because we still build some of the most water hungry houses in the world," he said.

The Water Minister, Graham Jacobs, says it will be important that WA maintains a diverse system of water supply to cope with increasing demand and declining rainfall.

He says the state is working towards a balanced approach where water is drawn equally from surface, underground and desalination sources.
 "It's important to recognise that we don't put all our eggs in one basket, so I think it's about spreading your risk, if you like," he said.

Remember, whilst the water levels are dropping the population is increasing. If you haven't already thought about how you will cope with rising water costs, the plants you have in the garden and how appropriate they are, storage of rain water in tanks/barrels, how you cope with grey water etc....then perhaps it is time.......

PASSIONFRUITS GALORE

It's that time of the year in Aussie, when the passionfruit vines are loaded, so I thought I would pass on a few recipes to make use of all that fruit.

Passionfruit Syrup Recipe

8 large passion fruit
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Halve passion fruits and scoop out pulp into a sieve. Rub through a sieve to separate juice and seeds. Discard seeds and measure juice to slightly less than half a cup.

In a small saucepan mix sugar and water and stir to dissolve. Bring to the boil and boil for 5 to 7 minutes or until syrup spins a thread when dropped from the tines of a fork. Add passion fruit juice, return to boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour into small, hot, sterilized bottles and seal while hot. Put into a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Passionfruit Jam
24 passionfruit
5 cups (1 1/4 litre) cold water
1 cup (8 fl oz) water
1 lemon
5 cups (2 1/2 lb) sugar

Wash fruit well. Scoop out the pulp from the passionfruit and
retain. Take half the passionfruit shells and put with the first
measure of water into a bowl and leave to stand overnight. Bring
to the boil with the water and boil for about 30 minutes, or until
inside of shells are tender. Scoop out this pulp and discard the
thin paper skin that remains. Discard the cooking water.

Chop or mash the pulp and put into jam pan with fruitpulp and seeds.
Add the second measure of water and bring to the boil. Add the
juice of the lemon. Add sugar and boil briskly until the jam will
set when tested. Allow to cool 10 minutes before pouring into hot,
dry jars. Seal when cold. Yield: 1 3/4 kg (3 1/2 lb)

 Passionfruit Curd

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 3 tsps finely grated lemon rind
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup passionfruit pulp
• 200g unsalted butter, softened

1. Beat the eggs and strain into a heat-proof bowl. Stir in the caster sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice, passionfruit pulp and softened butter. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, without touching the water, and stir until the butter has melted and all the sugar dissolved. Stir constantly for about 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture thickly coats the back of the spoon.

2. Spoon into clean, warm jars and seal while hot. Refrigerate when cool. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

SALSA RECIPE - MILD VERSION

As promised:

5 kg tomatoes

5 medium onions

1 large red capsicum

1 hot chilli

1 tablespoon of salt

5 garlic

25 grams fresh coriander

1/4 cup of vinegar

1 tablespoon of sugar

Chop tomatoes, onions and capsicum and place in large pot

bring to boil, stirring occasionally

Add chilli and chopped coriander

Add salt and garlic

Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours to reduce water content

Add vinegar and sugar and cook for a futher 15 minutes

Place in jars and water bath for 20 minutes

Now if you like a hot salsa, just add more chilli, onion and capsicum and take a few of the tomatoes out:)

SALSA SUNDAY..........

Still unbearably hot most days, so activities are limited to very early mornings or indoor needs.

I spent the weekend just pottering, recharging the batteries on the old motor lol. Much of my time was spent indoors, spring cleaning cupboards, sorting out my herbs and spices (amazing what sneaks to the back, never to see daylight again)!

Sunday was spent making Salsa. This being the first time I have canned anything I took the opportunity to make something that seems to vanish quickly here....the males in the house make salsa vanish like you wouldn't believe!

All in all I ended up with 20 jars, not bad for a first time. Only 2 jars did not seal correctly, they have gone into the fridge to be used up over the next few days.

This weekend was a long one, with today being a public holiday. I have enjoyed the extra time I must admit, it allowed a few extra "jobs" I have been thinking about to be done.

Hope your weekend was a good one too, have a great week ahead.