How to make butter :)

Soo easy :)

I use thicked cream but you can use thin (non thickened cream too). I put 2 600ml jars into my food processor with the whipping attachment. And whip it and keep whipping it! Whip it past the whipped cream stage and keep going until it turns back into a liqued.

Then strain it through a strainer using your hands to squeeze the liqued out. Plonk it onto baking paper and knead like you would bread for a minute adding a few teaspoons of salt. I then press the butter into a tupperware container and chuck it in the fridge.

Here is one of mine

Sorry the picture is so crap, my camera is awful...lol

Also when and bought a white mulberry tree on saturday. It was $12! As its deciduous it jsut looks like sticks atm, and as i have never bought a stick before i got the lady there to help me pick a good stick :) The great thing about white mulberrys is that apparently they taste just as good as the red and black but you wont stain your clothes, and hands and face and anything else you come into contact with!

There used to be a mulberry tree near my grandparents house in perth and we loved to go and eat them :) food memories are so amazing! I will post a pic of the mulberry in spring, once it has some leaves haha

Yumm....silverbeet, tomato, feta and pine nut warm salad

I though that i should share some of the recipes we love that use our fresh veggies!

This one is my husband adams favourites!

Swiss Chard (Silverbeet) with Tomatoes, Feta and Pine Nuts

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch Swiss chard or silverbeet, stems and leaves chopped separately, divided
Sea salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or 1 tomato, cored and chopped
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Method

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Uncover, add chard leaves, salt, pepper and broth and cook, covered, until chard leaves are bright green and tender, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and gently stir in tomatoes. Scatter cheese and pine nuts over the top and serve.

This is what ours looked like :)

We grew rainbow chard this year (yellow, red, pink, white and green stems) which adds great colour as well as the yellow and red cherry tomatos...

I will be adding more recipes and you will be able to find the full list on the recipes page!

Brrr...its cold

Well it is really getting cold now :) the garden has slowed down alot but that means its time to to plant snow peas!!! yum

Here are mine about 2 weeks out from being planted

There are also a few new additions to my garden. a herb pot with

• Curry plant
• parsley
• marjoram
• oregano
• thyme
• garlic chives



mmm yum

 I also have a new blueberry 'brigitta'. It fruit jan-feb and apparently the blueberries hang in bunches like grapes :) sounds delicious. And another raspberry, this one is a bit different though, you know raspberries as being red but this one is a goldy yellow

It should look like this



Extra yummy

They dont sell these at bunnings....lol...but if you want one go to http://www.diggers.com.au/

We are starting to get some beautiful colours in the garden, from the yellows of the pomegranate/nectarine/nashi pear to a gorgeous red of one of my blueberries

For those in the pakenham area my best friend and i will be having a stall at the market next month (not sure of the date but will check!) Where we will be selling homemade blackberry and homemade plum jam :) as well as an assortment of cookies/slices etc and seedlings (snowpeas, onion, rainbow silverbeet, sage and rosemary and maybe even some seed potatoes, if i can spare them :) I will post details when i have them.




Rosemary and sage seedlings ready for market

Other than that my onions and beetroots are thriving even without direct sunlight (bloody sun is to low in the sky and i have massive fences) i have been trying to reflect sunlight with a mirrow from inside with mixed success. The bananas took a bit of a battering with the hail the other week but are still looking great!

Lemonade Tree

New addition to my garden :) a lemonade tree!! A cross between a lemon and a mandarin. Apparently tastes good with anything mixed with it.

My garden has had a major overhaul, all summer crops have been taken out and autumn/winter ones put in. Have also reorganise where all the plants are :)

New plants are:

• Snow peas
• kale
• swiss chard
• Brussel sprouts
• Artichoke
• Iceberg lettuce
• Garlic

If you want to plant garlic then do so now :) buy an australian garlic from the shops or from bunnings :) plant. Wait 9 months and you will have more garlic :)

If you are interested in growing heirloom fruits and vegetable i would reccomend the diggers club.

http://www.diggers.com.au/

I have bought from them in the past and have just joined their club! Such a wide variety of well everything! i have potatoes, blueberries (one that hangs in bunches like grapes) and a white raspberry in the mail as we speak.




Banana trees going strong





Tyres all ready for potatoes and the trellis in the background is for the snow peas



Artichoke, brussel sprouts and another trellis for more snow peas! and on the far right garlic

Still a few white flys hanging around but have to get adam to mow soon as i think they are hiding in the weeds...lol. The pepino is putting out new flowers, hopefully these ones will set. I have cut the raspberrys down to the ground and pruned the apple trees.

Also added sulfur to the blueberries as their soil is no where acidic enough. The white current is looking pretty miserable so i have added some worm castings and wood ash to give it a boost.

Thats all to report for now besides one last thing

WARNING!!!
NEVER EVER CUT UP CHILLIES WITH YOUR BARE HANDS! IT WILL MAKE THEM BURN FOR HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS!.