Tis the season for Kale!
We grow kale all year round but now is the 'season' kale loves best. Not too cold, not too hot - just right for kale.
Consequently, we have an over abundance of all things kale. I have a huge stack of trays on my dehydrator at the moment, full of kale chips. I have pesto, I have kale powder, I am using it in salads. What else can I do with kale?
My challenge for you this week is to send me your favourite recipe or way to use lots of kale. I am looki...
It's been 2 days and 19 hours since I last saw Ella! But who's counting?
I want to say a big thank you to so many of you who sent messages to Ella or came to the market last week to say goodbye or sent me messages over the past few days expressing your kind thoughts of encouragement. We (our family & Kelli) feel very blessed to belong to such a caring community of people. And that got me thinking....
?What makes a community? What makes us feel we are part of a communi...
I'm sure I've met most of you at the markets but if not, Hi! I'm Ella. Rod and Desley's daughter. I have been working in our garden for years, ever since I can remember really. Of course, at the start it wasn't Homegrown Organics, or even the Eastward Garden, it was just our above average sized veggie garden, supplying us and our friends with fresh veggies. I remember our first meeting after deciding to start making a business of our garden. We ...
Late winter is a fastastic time to be in the garden - chilly mornings are followed by perfect days, and the going is easy. And even though this "polar vortex" is about to hit us tonight with its cold blustery weather (and snow on the range), it's obvious here that spring is about to burst forth.
While some plants (and weeds thankfully) are still struggling along waiting for the soil to warm up, others are in their element and powering! Growth rates in lettuce, car...
One of the joys of our recent trip through the Simpson was to get reaquainted with our old friends Lyle and Shell Southwell, whom we have seen little of for many years. Sitting around the campfire at night yarning - you know how it goes!
We soon discovered that Lyle and Shell have an interesting gig - he is co-host of the Breakfast Show on FaithFM - a national Christian radio network, and she was the Show's producer! Each morning, when he had phone reception, Lyle...
Last night was a turning point in the growing season - my mind turned towards spring and summer as I planted our first tomato seeds. Yes, it's many weeks til it warms up enough to be able to plant them outside, but if I leave seeding them any longer, my preparations for spring will be TOO LATE! And that means you won't get to take home those luscious Brandywine's to your adoring family! And that would be tragic!
Preparation for major life events are often ...
As I was pulling carrots last week, I was reflecting on how far we have come in their cultivation. It took us a few years of trying to get a decent carrot out of our relatively shallow soil, but as the soil structure, depth and fertility has slowly improved, so have the carrots - the current crop is easily the best yet! And the cold weather is just making them sweeter!
But we still struggle a bit with germination, and I (Rod) sometimes struggle to keep up with the planting...
Well, what a trip! Bourke, Tibooburra, Cameron’s Corner, Lake Eyre, Birdsville, the very large Simpson Desert, Old Andado Station, Finke, Chambers Pillar, Uluru, The Olga’s, Kings Canyon, Ormiston Gorge, Palm Valley, Coober Pedy and everywhere in between! What an amazing country. I loved the colours of the desert, the fun of going up and over hundreds of dunes, the unexpected waterholes and hiking through the gorges but the best of all I loved the people I did it with ...
This is our last email until we get back to civilisation after our trip in SA/NT, with our last pickup or delivery date being this Tuesday - June 18.
Preparations for our trip are well on their way with lots of veggies and fruit being dehydrated and packed away ready for making into scrummy outback delicacies and our vehicle spending a few days at the mechanics making sure all systems are go!
Preparations for things to run smoothly while we are away are also well on the...
Tuesday evening last week I was involved in an accident on the way home from the Real Foods Market. I had helped Desley pack up at the market, then set off to drive the truck home while she did some shopping. You will remember it was a chilly wet day, and driving home in the dark on wet slippery roads was no fun.
I will spare you the details, but a young lady slipped on a corner and ran into the truck (and partially went under it), resulting in horrific damage to her car. Her l...
