Gardening In The Rental

One of the biggest losses when we left the farm and moved to our new rental was leaving all of our veggie gardens behind.

The only things I have brought with me are a pot of mint and 4 large pots of potatoes.  As we are really tring to downsize I did not want to be carting around lots of pots that I later have to get rid of. So before we moved I decided that I would collect some polystyrene boxes and use these along with some large plastic pots to create temporary veggie beds.

Now being the complete tight ass that I am I did not want to be paying for lots of potting mix to fill these new gardens so I brought dirt with me.  Back in 2011 I blogged about all the nice soil that our chickens created for us and so I went out and collected a whole lot.  I bagged up about 10 bags full using old grain bags and they came down with us.  Our friends who helped us move though I was a bit mad bringing dirt with us by why should I pay for it when I can bring it for  free full of worms and nutrients.

Along the retaining wall there is a 1 metre wide ledge perfect for my new garden.

I have planted climbing beans, cucumbers, water melons and mango melons that I hope will spill over the front of the wall,  I have also planted bok choy, herbs, chillies, beetroot and eggplant and I cannot wait to have fresh herbs again.
My potatoes are just coming into flower and I am hoping to get some tasty spuds from them.

We are about to head off for 2 weeks travelling around NSW starting tomorrow and boy do we need a break.  We will be calling in to Nundle, Lithgow, Katoomba, Scone, Urbenville, Uralla and a whole lot of other place in between.  We are catching up with some extended family in Sydney but really just hoping to see some of the countryside and chill out ass the last few months have been very busy for us.  If I can work out how to use my new phone I might post some updates on the road but then again I might not.

See you all in a few weeks.

Healthy And Fugal Dips For Summer

During Summer we tend to have more BBQ's, more gatherings of family and friends and lighter meals with more snacking.
These two dips are easy to make, frugal healthy very tasty.
You will need a food processor for the carrot dip but could get away with a stick blender for the bean dip.

Raw Carrot Hummus and Garlic and White Bean Dip

The raw carrot hummus is an Anabel Langbein recipe that you can find it here. Unless you are having a big party a half batch is plenty.  It is so tasty and improves with a few extra hours so make it a bit ahead of time.

Garlic and White Bean Dip

1 Tin of Cannellini Beans
1 Head of Garlic - Pre Roasted and peeled
1/4 Cup Chopped Mint
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Ground Cumin

Drain the can of beans and add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend.
Allow flavours to develop for at least an hour before serving.

NB I roast a few heads of Garlic when I have the oven on and then peel the cloves and store them in a jar covered in olive oil in the fridge.  They are great added to all sorts of dishes where you want some garlic flavour without the sharpness.

Moving, Exams, and Leaving the Countryside Behind

Well it is done.
We have moved out of our house in the country and it settles (the sale is finalised and money in the bank) on the 9th of November.

We farewelled our chickens and bantams who have gone to live with the lovely Liz at Eight Acres. She and Pete kindly offered to take them and seem to be getting  lot of joy just watching the bantam antics and are hopefully getting lots of eggs too.

We have moved closer to Brisbane into suburbia and are gradually getting unpacked and settled in. Some of our amazing friends helped us move and this weekend we are throwing them a thank you BBQ. 
 Jessie is adjusting to a smaller back yard and all the new sights and sound that come from living in close proximity with others.  She has found a few good snoozing spots and is enjoying all the interesting smells on her morning walks.

The new house

The front room is still full of boxes.

Jessie's new back yard.  It goes behind where I stood to take the photo and across the back of the house and half way down the other side

Snoozing with her favourite ball

We still have quite a bit of unpacking to do but that has been on hold as I was studying for my last university exam for the year.  This is now over and I am feeling like I did ok.  Now I just have to wait for my marks.

Studying hard

I am hoping to get back to blogging a bit more now that things have settled down and catching up on what you have all been doing is a priority.