Ticked Off

Well, I'll be damned!

I found a tick embedded on the hairline of our horse's mane.

Nasty little creature

The little bugger did not want to let go and we were lucky Daryl could remove it with a pair of pliers.The horse is so tall it was impossible for me to reach it once he flicked his head up (wasn't too impressed when I tried to tug it out).

I must admit I was quite shocked when I found it. Ticks are nasty and can cause terrible issues with stock and pets.Now we will need to treat the dogs, just in case.  We just treated all our cattle, so hopefully this is the one and only critter we will find. After some research it looks like this could be a bush tick, but I will now be more aware of them.

On other farming matters I am delighted with our zucchini plants - producing an abundance of flowers, then succulent zucchinis.

Nice haul

As always there is too much at once, but we are more than happy to share with our friends and family.

Last year, I grated the oversupply and froze it using it in casseroles and pasta sauce during the colder seasons. This worked well, so I imagine we will do this again along with making a number of zucchini slices and sharing them also. I make a gluten free version as well as one full of 'glutenous' goodness, both are delicious, hot or cold.

While on the subject of yumminess our blackberries (the few bushes we didn't hack to pieces or poison) are also producing an abundance of fruit.

Blackberry jam on its way

Let's see if we can beat the birds and miss the snakes while picking these juicy little berries.

Sadly the rest of our garden is leaving little to be pleased about - tomatoes are slow, so slow, we are just seeing a few green fruit but not nearly enough. Hoping this improves greatly in the coming weeks. Other disappointments include the loss of all my bok choy plants and now something is attacking the spring onion and remainder of our lettuces :(

On a positive note the weeds are thriving,  as are our gorgeous rose bushes.

If you could smell the aroma - ah so beautiful

I hope your gardens are full of colour, fragrance and bees!

'Til next time

Cheers

N

Beetroot bounty

Beetroot, ripe for picking

It's summer and beetroot is booming in our humble garden. If you have only ever eaten shop-bought tin beetroot, I'm afraid you are missing out on the delicious flavour of real, homegrown delights.
This purple gem, grows like a weed and is easy to cook and versatile to use.
A friend visited the other night, and I offered her some beets to take home. She had never prepared them straight from the garden so I thought I would share my simple version of cooking beetroot.

• I pick the beets when they are about the size of a tennis ball, they are sweet and tender, if on the smaller side.

  

  Ready for picking

• I cut the leaves, leaving some stalk on the beets ( I feed  leaves to the chickens or you could compost) the new leaves are also sweet and taste great in a garden salad.
• I roughly wash the beets and place then in a pot of cold water (enough to cover them all) and add a generous splash or two of vinegar (amount depends on volume of water) .
• Bring to the boil and simmer until beets are soft (use a skewer to test)
• Once ready, cool with fresh cold water or simply leave in pot until they are cold.
• I use disposable gloves, but if I don't have any, I use a freezer bag or plastic bag as they will work just as well. These are used to protect your hands from turning purple! 
• Drain the water from the pot, grab a beet and wipe the skin away, including the stalk.
•  It will fall off and leave you with a silky smooth finish, rinse and eat!
• Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.

  

  Fresh as it gets - yum!

  
  
  
  Try it, you cannot go wrong.
  
  Cheers
  N
  

  

  Ready to dice and add to my salad