Reading and watching

Everyone that knows me knows how I love to read. With the hot weather this summer I have been staying indoors more and have had a great chance to read some terrific books. So I thought I would share a few of my latest reads.

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF VEGETABLES, HERBS &FRUIT by Matthew Biggs, Jekka McVicar & Bob Flowerdew.

I got this book for my birthday and I love it. It is Australian (there is a UK edition due out soon) so all the plants and climatic conditions refer to here. It is divided into three sections - veges, herbs and fruit as well as a section at the back titled Practical Gardening. This section deals with such topics as planning veg, fruit and herb gards with some great plans, crop rotation, pollination and companion planting, mainenance and weeds and pests.

In essence it is like four books in one. I love the info given to each vege, herb and fruit - species, cultivation, medicinal, culinary, pests/diseases etc. There are lovely photographs and some delicious recipes. I like how the veges in the book are not only the common ones (carrots, tomatoes, cabbages etc) but other lesser known ones such as Cardoon (spanish thistle), Purslane, Samphire, Scorzonera (vegetable oyster). This is a book iI can see myself referring to time and time again. I have already made a list of the fruit trees I want after reading through this book.

ONE MAGIC SQUARE by Lolo Houbein

I found this book in the local second hand book shop. Lolo is encouraging everyone to grow their own veges, starting with one square metre of soil. Houbein includes designs and instructions for more than 30 different one-square-metre plots, including salad, soup, pizza and anti-oxidant plots. One Magic Square is Australian and written for Australian conditions. With chapters describing the vegetables, fruit and herbs that can be grown, as well as sections on compost, pests, mulch and seeds, there is everything included that anyone would need to start growing their own food in temperate Australia. I love how passionate Lola is about her subject. The book is full of wit and wisdom with gems of information—like placing a tile under a developing pumpkin to prevent rot. She writes in a chatty, rambling style. This book will appeal to both gardeners and non-gardeners, encouraging them to take the first step to growing their own nutritious, organic food.

BEYOND ORGANICS:GARDENING FOR THE FUTURE by Helen Cushing

This one I borrowed from the library to read. It is like a How To guide to transforming the average garden into a tranquil eco paradise and wildlife oasis. The author exposes some unpalatable truths about everyday gardening practices, and examines eco-friendly alternatives and their advantages. This book packs a wealth of information on biodiversity, conservation, soil and plant selection – interwoven with personal recollections – into one slender volume. Definately worth reading.

Watching on tv.

A new show on ten (Wednesdays) called Guerrilla Gardeners. A group of six young landscapers and renovators who strike ugly public sites and spruce them up without any municipal approval. Last week they tackled a corner block sandwiched between a train station, bus stop, crowded road with gas and electricity wires and dirt with a very low ph. Too barren to grow anything. They made seating, raised beds with hardy plants, painted the electricity box, made a lovely sundial and bike rack. The transformation was good -very good. I will be interested to watch this weeks episode -evidently there is some sort of strife with the local council.

Also heard of another show on Fox starting up March 29th called ALTER ECO http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/alter-eco/alter-eco-show-info.html. It is a 13 part series about ways people can live a more earth friendly lifestyle. During the series the ALTER ECO team renovate a 1920's house making it green and showcasing new options available to builders/renovators. The house acts as a base for the crew but it also features food and gardening tips, creative ways to make the green shift. Sounds worth a watch.

M xx

EGGPLANTICIOUS

Mmmmm, I love eggplants! This year I planted two different types. Got lazy and brought seedlings. I planted eggplant Bonica which is a F1 hybrid. It produces oval shaped fruit. These have been slow to grow and ripen. But finally I picked the first of these today.

The other eggplants I have are mini lebanese. They grow long and elongated and are great producers. Each plant has quiet a few growing on them.

The eggplants are growing in my front yard vegetable garden, the path in the picture leads to the front door. I have lost count of the amount of people who have asked me what these are. No one recognises what eggplants look like it seems. In this garden I also had tomatoes (all ripped out now), okra (will post about these another day), red kidney beans, basil and a border of thyme. This front yard vege garden was going to be temporary (because Mr Gadget was under the impression that front gardens are NOT for vegetables - too unsightly). But low and hold, he has been swayed after seeing how all the vegetables have flourished here and how peole haven't gasped in shock but have commented that they look great. And of course I was a little bit shifty and planted some of Mr Gadgets favourites here too - the basil, tomatoes and okra. So the vege patch will stay - hurray, I say!

My very favourite way of cooking them is to cut in half length way, rub cut surface with garlic or lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil, season with black pepper and sea salt and then roast in oven for about 20 minutes. Delicious! They are also wonderful cooked on the bbq. And a grating of mozzarella cheese melted on top is a bit divine too.

THOSE BILLS

The bills come in and I gasp at how much health insurance costs, at the latest gas or water or electricity bill. I pay them by the due day and then don't give them too much thought until the next time they arrive in my mail box.

Not today. Today I decided to review my bills and find cheaper options or way to save.

I started with the phone bill. I rang them up after checking online for their best advertised packages. Straight away I found I can save $4.00 each month by electing not to get paper bills and therefore cutting down on admin cost. and also by paying by direct deposit each month. Then I saved further by asking what the best plan was for me. I combined home phone and a mobile and saved a further few dollars each month on phone rental. We have a silent number which costs $2.66 each month but I opted to keep that as is for the time being.

Feeling inspired by the success with the phone bill I decided to check our health insurance. I have a condition that requires me to pay $120.00 each 3-4 months for health aids. These weren't covered under the old plan. But after asking to be insured for this cover the lady on the phoned asked if I stillneeded obstetric cover - my three munchkins are more than enough so the answer was definately no. And since no one suffers from pshyciatric conditions she suggested we stop that part of the cover and add health aids which worked out cheaper. So another success.

Next car insurance and home and contents - I worked out that I wasn't insured enough to cover contents so upped that. Found a cheaper car insurance as we live in a suburb that is deemed safer and I have a good record so that slashed that bill.

Now feeling happier about the days savings I looked at the gas and electricity bills. This summer our electricity bill is higher than it has been for the same periods in the last two years. Not happy about that and I have decided to get back on my bandwagon with the family about saving electricity - simple things like turning off at power points, lights off etc.
The gas usage is good and I have made another aim to reduce the use more.

I have also made a chart of when major bills are due so I am prepared for them. I am so glad I bothered to ring around today and ask if they could offer me better fees and services. It has really paid off.

SUMMER DAYS

What a dry summer this one is compared to last summer and what block buster temperatures are hitting parts of Australia! Luckily here it is hot but bearable.

So what's been happening here in suburbia?

We are lucky to have a swimming pool and it gets hours of use. I know they use too much money, too much water, too much power but we love ours and it is here to stay. This year we have put into place some methods to make our pool a little less of a water and power guzzling pit. The first thing we did was get a cover for it. The cover reduces water evaporation by over 85%. It also keeps the pool cleaner as leaves, dust and dirt aren't blowing into it. This means we can get away with cleaning the pool less and running the filter less too. We have also connected a water diverter to the gutter near the pool. When it rains we attach a hose to it and this goes straight into the pool. Hopefully we will be able to put a tank in this area soon whijch will keep the pool topped up and water the gardens in the pool area.

Summer veges are growing well. I have been harvesting okra, capsicum, tomatoes, beans and cucumbers. Also plenty of herbs too which I use prolically in cooking - sage, mints, rosemary, basil, oregano.

The vege patch is looking good.

I have buckets of cucumbers. I pick them when they are really small and deliciously tasty.
I have also been saving seeds. The first few okra I left on the plant too long. Okra are nicest if harvested and eaten when 4 inches or smaller and these ones were probably double that. So I picked them and harvested the seeds. I have been drying them on a plate on the trampoline (along with a plumcot pip.) In the paper bag I am drying parsley. I have found the simplest way to dry things with small seeds like parsley and lettuce is to cut off the stems with the seeds and put the seed heads in a paper bag with a rubber band around them. Then leave them in the sun until dry, give a shake and the seeds fall off and are in the bag.

Popped into the local nursery today for a browse (walked out empty handed). They have some dwarf fruit trees in stock - avocado, mangos and banana. As well as blueberry plants, olives, rasperrys and nuts. I have a birthday coming up so will send the hint to Mr Gadget.

M xx

PLUMCOT TREE

We have fruit!

Very exciting!

Very juicy and full of flavour and I am thrilled that this tree is growing and fruiting and hasn't needed any sprays or additives except plenty of water and some seaweed fertiliser. The birds haven't discovered the fruit so it has been safe to ripen completely on the tree.

This is a plumcot tree (a cross between a plum and apricot). The flesh is orange similar to the colour of an apricot and you can definately taste apricot flavour. The fruit are about the size of a medium apple. I was told when I brought the tree that it was necessary to have an apricot or plum tree for pollination but I haven't. Might be one somewhere in the area. I am thrilled that it is growing so well in this area - I have been told that Newcastle is too humid for success with stone fruits. But my success with this tree has spurred me on and I will be planting a couple more this year.

M xx

HE DOESN"T GET IT

Mr Gadget that is. He just doesn't understand my need or want to live simpler. He doesn't get why I want to recycle and reduce, save water and power, say no to plastic bags and minimise our spending.
Now before I go further and you all think I am having a big hubby whinge (which I am sort of) let me say he is a man in a million. He cooks often and makes the best pizzas and a mean curry and many other delicious meals. He cleans - he knows how to use the vacuum cleaner and mop and washing machine. He works extremely hard and has built up his business and is only just now getting to reap the rewards of all his hard work in the past years. Finally the business is at a stage where he can take time off and delegate to others and we are in a great financial state. I am extremely proud of him. He is a very hands on dad to our three boys. He is very involved in their activities and their care.
But if I bring up any enviromental issue I can see the bristles coming up. Recently I was discussing with Mr Gadget how I wanted to eliminate plastic rubbish bags. He thought that was absolutely ridiculous so I dropped the subject. I am forever going around the house and turning off appliances at the power points. This drives poor Mr gadget to distraction. All those gadgets - computers, dvds, microwave, washing machines, monitors with their lights shining while on standby I find totally unneccesary. Mr Gadget argues that the amount of power they are drawing is minimal and not worth the hassle of turning off. I argue my point. I turn them off, he leaves them on. If I argue it will save money that irks him - he reasons that we can afford it so it is okay.

The one thing he is nearly as passionate as me about is the vegetable garden. He leaves it to me to tend and grow but he loves the home grown veges and fruit. He willingly built me the new raised vege patch. He is great at composting green waste too.

I have found the best way forward with dealing with Mr Gadget is to lead by example. If I go ahead and make small changes, one at a time, and he sees them working and me being consistent then normally he is willing to change too. But it is frustrating having so many goals and not having Mr Gadget behind me supporting me in these issues. I feel like he initially resists in most areas I suggest change in. But I am certain he will come around eventually when he sees the sense in what i am doing.

Some of the changes I want to make this year include:
Harvesting water - another water tank, gutter diverters etc.
Buying veges and fruit locally.
Less food waste ( I have gone a long way in 2008 to remedy this)
Make some fruit/veg bags.
Planting fruit trees - thinking either espelier or mini fruit trees due to room issues.
Meeting more like minded people living locally for ideas and support.
Building an outdoor wood fired pizza oven (Mr Gadget is very keen on this idea).
Get chooks
Preserving more foods

M xx

DECLUTTER

I always have a big declutter after Christmas. It seems a good time as so many new things and presents are coming into the house so it is a great time to get rid of no longer used or wanted items. And to find room for the newer stuff.
I used to have a semi minamalistic house but then along came children and a bigger house. More children meant more items -clothes, toys, bed and so on. And as the kids have grown their interests have changed.
Guitar Dude who has a very healthy lego collection is now music crazy. He has accumulated a drum set, 2 guitars, music stands, sheet music, cds etc.
Zippy began collecting rocks and accumulating sports trophies, posters and paraphenalia.
Super Boy's interests have changed from Dora Explorer and Wiggles to all things to do with super heroes.
Mr Gadget has such a messy office that if he can't find what he is after he goes and buys another. Then a week later finds the original lost item.
Me, I love books and magazines and have accumulated way too many.

Yesterday I began the task of decluttering. Starting with the bedrooms, I have sorted through clothes and toys, books and shoes. Things have been divided into three piles -
Op shop pile
Rubbish pile
Keep pile

Over the years I have become fairly ruthless with my approach to decluttering so here are a few of my tips.
- Have a place for everything.
- Spend 10 minutes each day putting things away.
- Change your thinking about material objects. Value the memories more than the objects.
- As you declutter put items for the rubbish or op shop out of the house. I put op shop things straight into the boot of the car as I am sorting.
- Tackle the house room by room or even cupboard by cupboard. It is easier kto see results this way and the job doesn't get overwhelming.
- RAk your no longer needed items such as books, shoes, clothing to friends.
- Make a rule that if you buy something new then get rid of something old.
- If it hasn't been used or worn for over a year then chances are it will never be so get rid of it.
- Declutter when your partner or kids are not around. They will reclaim too much useless things if they are there.

Tomorrow I am tackling the kitchen cupboards and pantry. Then if I am really brave I will tackle Mr Gadgets office!
M xx