A peach of a day

Ok so I should have written this on Tuesday but I couldn't find all the camera accessories so it is late as always.

Don't you love it when everything you do in a day just becomes magic? As Mr R would say 'it's a peach of a day'.

Flat peaches so so tasty

I have some Tuesdays off and this co-insides with Mr R (he has been working nights lately (4pm-2am) so we don't really see much of each other except on some Tuesdays (date day). So while Mr R slept I thought I could squeeze in a yoga class (and I am soooo glad I did).

Then I decided we should go on a picnic to Bobbin Head (a beautiful national park not to far from me). So what better thing but to take a home grown salad? I walked out and picked zucchini

Tomatoes

Misuna 

There was also olives

While small now I hope for big things one day

Edamame

Please ignore the weeds but there are Soybean seedlings and red onion also used in the salad

Add a few nuts, capsicum (i must plant some seedlings) and goats cheese a bit of dressing and oh my goodness....

YUM

Just add the venue and Mr R

The lovely apple tree Bay

So as Mr R works so late I expected that he might fall asleep (yes he did) so I grabbed a current addition of Australian House and Garden and who should I see on page 81??? Highfield... Gosh Louise you are famous!

But wait the day did not end here.... Nope I caught up with some of my most gorgeous and amazing school friends. This day could not get any better!

Sorry ladies should have waited till you stopped talking xxx. But how good do the cupcakes look???

Love.... Mobile phone camera needs updating

Fancy a walk?

Thought I would take you for a quick jaunt in the front garden. This was where we had the large liquidambar but is now the sun trap of the garden.

I have thought how it would be best to get a photo of the whole front and haven't really come up with an answer yet. So instead you have individual shots instead.

The butter yellow zucchini are really producing well this year

And I think it is because of the bees. I planted a line of blue salvia as I heard bees are attracted to blue

Louise from garden glut grows amazing rust coloured sunflowers have a look here. So this year I thought I would try.... Mine came out yellow not that I'm complaining but they didn't strike terribly well which is surprising.

I am hopeful this year the rats don't find the corn as the harvest looks good

I used these

And these in a curry this week. Yay! Although I may have over planted with 7 plants I can feed the neighbourhood with eggplants

In a few years I might just be able to make my own olive oil. Sorry the photo is out of focus

Butter beans

There are still some problems where the stump of the tree was. As you can see the butter bean (but not the climbing beans right next door) are dying off. In fact one of my jobs this weekend is to pull the last 3 out. I am not sure if it is the soil as it has only affected these beans. I planted some of the same seeds at a client's place and while hers are not thriving (from lack of water I think) they have not died. So I am not sure if I should try again or use something else. It will have to be a legume as I wanted to get some more nitrogen in the soil.

Anyhow looks like I have some work to get on with so best get out there. Hope your weekend is filled with gardening fun.

Farewell Broadbeans

This year I decided to grow both the white and pink flowering broad beans both at home and at my weekly client. My client hadn't seen the pink broad beans and was a little sceptical. But they not only grew better but I think tasted better. I am not sure my client agrees but she was happy to have the beans.

Last week I figured the broad beans had reached the peak and had nothing else to give so with some sadness I harvested them and cleared them out of there frame. While I have put in two more tomatoes I always feel a little sad at how empty the frame (or now empty spot) looks after having something so full growing. But the new plants will hopefully grow to fill the space soon enough. Perhaps I should give them some more compost?

Dried seeds for next year and a bowl harvested

Peeled and ready for future feasts in the freezer

Here are some of them in a meal this week. Once quickly blanched they were peeled. Then with a little lemon zest, juice, olive oil, feta, mint and a little pepper they made a great side with wedges and mushroom/ricotta tart

Tell me do ever get so used to something growing in a spot that it seems like a loss once it is removed?

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