Tag Archives: Summer

The Farmers Market

by Katie on March 10, 2013 in Adventures, Daily Life, Food

We love farmers’ markets. The second weekend of the month is always our favourite because the Bendigo Community Farmers’ Market is on the Saturday and the Girgarre Farmers’ Produce Market is on the Sunday. Today some of our friends came over from Bendigo and we all headed over to the market at Girgarre together. Unfortunately it was extremely hot and the flies were absolutely horrible so we didn’t hang around for long, but a quick lap around the stalls was all we needed to pick up some veggies, as well as homemade tomato relish and basil cordial. Can we stop a moment to talk about the basil cordial? The lady who made it was also selling mint, lemon and elderflower cordials, but I went with the basil because I fancied something a bit different. And oh my! It is good. And so perfectly refreshing on such a hot day. Basil cordial! Who knew?!

I hope you’re weekend was most lovely. Wishing you peachy things for the week ahead!

Katie x

PS We are officially sick of scorching summer weather. Autumn, where on earth are you?!

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Summer Strawberries

by Katie on January 14, 2013 in Daily Life, Food, Recipes

Yesterday was cool and rainy here which, after weeks of scorching temperatures and months of intense sunshine, was utterly blissful. To make the most of the cooler weather we slipped into long sleeves for the first time in ages, and headed to the local farmer’s market to wander about the gorgeous fresh produce. While we were there I snapped up four big punnets of strawberries for just $5! A lot of the strawberries were perfect but a few of them were beginning to look a little worse for wear, so after picking out a few of the best ones and having them on toast with cream cheese and honey, I decided I needed to do something with the rest sooner rather than later. Happily, the cooler weather made yesterday perfect for baking!

I drizzled the strawberries with a little balsamic vingar and sprinkled them with brown sugar, then roasted them until they were wonderfully syrupy. Of course, there was only one option for the resulting pile of delicious, sweet and tangy, roasted strawberries. I obviously had to put them in a cheesecake. Since my first foray into baking cheesecake I’ve quickly become the cheesecake queen around these parts. That recipe is a keeper!

Once I was done baking, Reubs and I spent the rest of the afternoon curled up on the couch on my mum’s back verandah with our Daisy dog. We read our books and listened to the gentle pitter patter of the rain on the roof. Later, we had roast veggies and chickpea sausages for dinner, followed by strawberry cheesecake for dessert. It was lovely. A perfect Sunday really.

I hope you’re weekend was equally as delightful? Wishing you all shiny, happy things for the week ahead!

Katie x

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The Big Zucchini

by Reuben on March 27, 2012 in Daily Life, Food, Gardening

I grew a couple of zucchini plants over summer and we have had quite a few to eat lately. Most of the zucchinis have been picked and eaten while they were fairly small, when they are at their tastiest, but there is a limit to how many zucchinis two people can eat! One of the little green guys wasn’t picked and was instead left to grow and grow. As you can see he got to be quite a size!

I know it probably sounds weird but I’m really quite attached to this zucchini. I’m such a rookie when it comes to gardening and I’ve had a few disappointments, so it feels really good when something goes right! Rohan from Whole Larder Love recently wrote that it’s the holding of home grown produce that gives the most joy, and I totally agree.

Because this zucchini is so big, it would probably be rather tough and tasetless to eat, so instead of becoming dinner this one is destined to be part of a zucchini and chocolate cake (or three!) I can’t pretend I won’t be a little sad when we cut it up, but I’m really proud to be nourishing our little family with food grown with my own two hands.

Am I strange for becoming a bit sentimentally attached to our homegrown veggies? Has anyone else out there had any little achievements they are really proud of lately?

Reuben

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Summer Fades

by Katie on February 10, 2012 in Daily Life, Food, Gardening

(Pictures from my mum’s garden. Those itty bitty strawberries are the yummiest things you will ever taste!)

To be very honest, I’m not really a summer girl. I don’t like being hot, I’m happiest wearing cardigans and tights, and I prefer the beach when it’s cool and quiet so you can take a long, peaceful walk alongside the crashing waves (without frying!) I spend most of summer hibernating inside and looking forward to autumn, but the last few days I’ve felt a very gentle shift in the weather, and it has reminded me that summer won’t be here for long. The days are a now a fraction shorter and the evenings ever-so-slightly cooler, the peaches and nectarines have all finished on the fruit trees and there have been a few nights this week where we haven’t needed to switch the fan on.

Before we know it the mornings will be frosty, the days will be short and dark, the nights will be bitter cold, and wrapped up in a cocoon of crochet blankets and cups of tea, I’ll be craving just a little warmth and sunshine. So rather than count down the days until the end of the season, I’m going to do my best to soak up and enjoy the end half of this summer, with walks in the sunshine, strawberries fresh out of the garden and bowls of melty icecream. After all, nothing lasts forever. Summer fades. Autumn will be here soon enough.

Katie x

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Scenes from our Veggie Patch

by Katie and Reuben on December 5, 2011 in Daily Life, Food, Gardening

Sadly we haven’t had a lot of time to spend in our tiny veggie patch lately. We planned to get out there often, weeding and planting and watching things grow, but aside from regular waterings, it pretty much been left to it’s own devices. We haven’t planted much since the first batch of seedlings went in, but those tiny seedlings? Well, they are now gigantic! The pumpkins have gone crazy and begun flowering, the beetroots are getting big and will soon be ready to pick, and tiny green tomatoes are starting to pop up all over the place. It’s so exciting to watch, we only wish we’d had more time to do things properly…

Our harvest certainly won’t be much this summer, but it’s nice to have made a start. There is always next year. And with each season we will learn, our gardening knowledge and skills will improve and our harvest will get bigger. That’s the beautiful thing about gardening… There is always room to grow.