Struan Farm

The Mad Mower

John has recently gotten it into his head that he needs to mow the Pet Paddock at Struan Farm. His initial logic was that this would help keep certain weeds under control rather than resorting to toxic chemical sprays. Who could disagree with that?

 
Initially he just mowed certain areas, those where willow weed was starting to become a problem. Then he decided to mow around some of our feature trees. I began to suspect that the task gave him time to think about issues at work while he was cruising around on the mower, ostensibly doing something productive.

He has decided now that the Pet Paddock looks much better mown, and so it should be. While I do agree, this will take considerable effort on his part on our conventional ride-on lawn mower, since we don't as yet have a mowing attachment for the tractor. Can't the sheep be mobilized for the task?

John, I christen thee "The Mad Mower." And yes, the Pet Paddock looks beautiful due to your efforts.

But we both know that the Honda shop in town will reap the benefits of increased repair work on that mower of yours...

 

Cake Stands Fit for A Queen

I recently discovered Betz White's blog, Stitch Beautifully...Tread Lightly and have been inspired by her creativity. She has lots of craft tutorials on her blog; most use recycled materials, an approach that resonates with me. I have her book, "Warm Fuzzies," which features a range of felting projects, but now I'm a blog groupie of hers as well.

One tutorial is for a cake stand made using vintage glass plates and parfait glasses, something she calls Dish-play Cake Stand. I thought I'd give them a try, so went out and scoured our local ops shops for some raw materials:

 
Was happy to nab this vintage glass plate, obviously dating back to Queen Elizabeth's coronation, as well as these other two:

 
 
I decided three different shapes and sizes would be enough of an experiment. The Queen's plate set me back $12 at the Hospice shop, the other two were $3 each, and the cups/stands for the bases were $1-$2 each.

My biggest challenges were around using (and finding) the right adhesive sealant. Betz advises using clear caulk or silicone sealant. I learned belatedly from Kelly in Holdfast's  customer service area that there's a much easier product to use (Holdfast Silaseal RTV Silicone Sealer), which comes in a manageable 80 ml. tube.

But that wasn't what the Takanini DIY store sold me, was it? It seems I sometimes learn these things the hard way, it's rarely a straight line to the finish.  I know, it's all about the journey, not the destination...

I came home with a clear sealant in one of those long plastic tubes with the nozzle at the end, which I then couldn't figure out out how to open! (Product packaging refers users to a website that didn't explain the first step in the process, opening the tube, so I went back to the DIY store, feeling like a complete moron... I also emailed the manufacturer's customer service department from their website--email was entitled "basic question from a silly woman," but it was over the weekend.)

Maybe this is just a girl thing: being somewhat intimidated by the prospect of toxic sealants spewing out on the kitchen bench or dining room table? Those of you who have tiled or do mosaic are probably ahead of the game on this score; it was a learning experience for me.

It turns out I needed a caulking gun, which the store hadn't sold me, plus a utility knife, commonly called a "Stanley knife," to cut the heavy plastic. Once I had the proper supplies, I was on to the next step, actually making the cake stands.

I did find it hard to press the sealant out of the tube with the caulking gun, needed to use two hands, but eventually I got it applied to the tops of the bases and pressed them into place.

 
Things learned from this project:

Hamilton-based Holdfast, a New Zealand manufacturer of sealants and adhesives, has a great customer service department that responded back to me first thing Monday, and an outstanding employee in Kelly, who deserves a gold star for persisting via email to come up with a product that will definitely work better the next time.  They've won a loyal customer in me, John already uses their products.

Black marks to my local DIY store, which didn't sell me all of the stuff I needed to use the product they sold me, requiring a second trip back to the store. They also could have sold me a product better suited to my project as Kelly has pointed out.

But isn't this a great idea? The stands can be used for cupcakes, cake, chocolates, even yarn!

Voila, cake (or yarn) stand fit for a Queen:

  

 

Severely Shaken

 
 
This past week the country (and probably the world) has been focused on the aftermath of the earthquake in Christchurch. Watching scenes of heroism and despair. Hoping and praying that people buried in rubble during their workdays would be pulled out alive.

On Wednesday I flew up to Kerikeri for meeting. As I arrived at Auckland Airport for my flight, busloads of emergency workers from St. John's were getting off buses and lining up for flights to Christchurch to assist with rescue and recovery. I found myself teary, it was hard for me not to go up to wish them "God's speed" but I was afraid I was too emotional to do so.

On Friday I flew to Wellington for a meeting. On my return flight, I sat next to an English lady who, with her husband, had been caught up in the earthquake. She recounted a harrowing tale of being caught on the 10th floor of a carpark downtown in the city centre. When the quake happened they were forced to run for their lives, leaving their rental car and all belongings, including passports, but escaping unscathed physically. They stayed at one of the camps set up for victims, before travelling to Wellington via military aircraft to get to the British High Commission to obtain new passports. The previous night they slept at a Marae with a hundred or so displaced evacuees. Once in Auckland they were being met by family, and would start the final leg of their journey home.

The woman wanted and seemed to need to talk about it. She kept commenting about the kindess of everyone she encountered, how they reached out to assist and try to make things better.

It was their first trip to New Zealand; after three weeks of touring, they had been ready to fly back to England the night the earthquake hit. 

It has been a rough week here. Thoughts and prayers for the people of Christchurch and emergency workers who have come to their aid, please. I hope this lady has made it home. At one point I told her that it will be one of those experiences she will remember for the rest of her life. For me, it was one of those situations where I just wanted to give her a hug.

In thinking about whether or not I should have done this, I've realized that an American would have been impetuous, but that a Kiwi would have shown more reserve and held back. So it seems I've become more Kiwi without knowing it, and am proud to think that might be the case.

 

Flatto Fans

One year during my annual trip to LA I discovered these amazing "donut" peaches at the South Pasadena Farmer's Market. I was staying with my friends the Olinskis in Pasadena, and ended up using the fruit to make a delicious peach crumble to try to say thanks (once again) for putting up with me as a house guest.

The grower told me that they were an heirloom variety. The fruit was juicy and sweet, and they were incredibly easy to peel by hand, no blanching required.

Once I got back to NZ I tried to find them here. The next year, they started appearing in New World Market, one of our supermarket chains, and were being called "flattos." So we can get this peach in NZ, it even has its own website here, but what about the trees?

 
As fate would have it, the leading and (perhaps only) nursery in the country growing the trees is in the Nelson area, Waimea Nurseries; nearby Mapua Country Trading is able to order them. But they're in such demand that orders are taken at least a year in advance.

Ours is meant to be delivered this winter for planting in Struan Farm's orchard, yippee!

  

Weighty Matters & Op Shop Finds

We've been pretty flat out these past few weeks. Even for us. John and I think we're pretty high energy, we rarely sit down unless it's to eat. If we're not working at work, we're working at Struan Farm or in transit.

About a week or so ago the power blew at our house in Papakura, thanks to vintage wiring. This required all of the lights in the house to be re-wired. I was forced to work from home for two days while the electricians did their thing, the first while power was restored, the second while everything was re-wired.

I decided this event signified "overload," and that it was time for me to take a cleansing breath.

So when John told me that he would be coming up to Auckland for meetings next week, I decided I would stay home and take that much needed pause in the action.  

I slept in on Saturday morning (until 7 a.m.!). I didn't charge out the front door as if I'd been shot from a cannon, list in hand. After a relaxed breakfast I popped into town to do errands (note: not RUN errands). This included stopping into a few of our local op shops on a quest for vintage glass plates and parfait cups so that I could try making Betz White's recycled glass cake stands. Find her tutorial on these here, she calls them "Dish-play Cake Stands." I'll do a post once I make them to show you how they turn out, since I did manage to pick up the materials needed.

While I didn't find any glass plates at our local Salvation Army store, I did come across three vintage kitchen scales:

 
They spoke to me, and are going home to Struan Farm Knitting Studio.

 
The irony of this purchase isn't lost on me: I've stayed home to try to achieve better work/life balance and then promptly go out and buy three scales....... Perhaps I sensed I need a little help weighing it all up?

 

Awaiting Visitors from "Cranford"

This next weekend Beulah and Noel, Sarah's in-laws, are coming to Struan Farm with Sarah and Matt. They are visiting from England, have been to New Zealand quite a number of times on extended trips. They'll all stay at the Cottage, hopefully the weather will cooperate.

We'll serve dinner at the Homestead on Saturday night. I haven't sorted out my main course as yet, but think I'll make one of my favorite desserts: Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova. It is one of those special "to die for" desserts, definitely worth the effort, especially when fresh raspberries are in season. It's a twist on that classic Kiwi favorite, but more decadent thanks to Nigella. 

I decided I'd better do a test run--I'm a bit gun shy after my recent "pud that (almost) burned down the house" episode.

 

Yep, this will do.

Can't wait to tell them that I've been reading Elizabeth Gaskell's novel "Cranford." Gaskell was born in 1810, published her first novel anonymously in 1848. Charles Dickens invited her to contribute to his magazine Household Words, where Cranford, her major work, appeared in 1853.

"Cranford" was based on Knutsford in Cheshire, where Gaskell grew up, and where Beulah and Noel live. I'm enjoying this tale of the ladies of Cranford and their lives in the village, since adapted into a BBC drama with an ensemble cast starring Dame Judy Dench.

 
Definitely the proper sort of discussion to have over Nigella's pav.

 
Postscript: after taking these pictures for the blog post, I delivered the pav to our neighbors in the back, who have three little girls--it's so delicious there was no way I could possibly have kept it in the house!

The Workshop of Maurice

 
I've been on a bit of a guilt trip about the state of Maurie's workshop. My father-in-law really had just about any tool that one might require for whatever project one might undertake. And often not just one, more than one. Good if not best quality, and he looked after them. He was a keen woodworker, loving his native timber projects especially later in life.

 
During our renovation the workshop got out of control, it became a dumping ground for the builders, who are not the tidiest people on the planet under the best of circumstances. Saw dust accumulated in heaps.

Slowly we're getting it back into some semblance of order. John tackled the old paint tins, Sarah took a stab at the piles of saw dust one weekend, and then I went in and vacuumed, washed windows, and cleaned out and reorganized one corner. John was a bit scared at the thought of letting me in there, but I've now established I can be trusted. That's a start.

So I feel a bit better. Don't ask me about the jar and jars (and jars) of screws and nails, I have yet to devise a system for organizing those, but we'll get there.

 

Learning about Wild Foods

I've got a long way to go on this topic. I don't know all that much but I'm interested in learning considerably more. Especially about the wild foods and medicinal plants used by Maori.

One wild plant I do know we have in abundance at Struan Farm is watercress. It grows in our streams seasonally. I hope to make use of it eventually, provided I can come up with a method to clean it properly.

 

I've learned that the Maori name for watercress is kowhitiwhiti, and that it was introduced by the early settlers and missionaries to NZ. Traditionally it is either fried in butter, or used in "boil ups" with potatoes, kumara (similar to sweet potato) and pork. (I'm thinking of a healthier option: salads.)

I stumbled upon the fruit of the tawa tree recently while walking on the farm. The wood pigeons were in the trees above, feasting away on the fruit, and some plonked down on my head. I then noticed the beautiful red fruit around me on the ground beneath the trees. It turns out that the flesh and kernels were cooked and eaten.

 

 
I'm still trying to identify the yellow fruit in the picture above, right now I think it's from the Karaka tree. If so, the outer fleshy layer of the fruit is edible (and is called "kopi"), but the kernel is poisonous. Maori apparently had a method of steaming and washing the fruit to remove the poison.

I have the wood pigeons to thank for teaching me about the tawa fruit. I take my lessons when and where I get them.

 

WBUR's "The Resurgence of Knitting"

Check out this show that recently aired on WBUR National Public Radio in the US (Tom Ashbrook's OnPoint):The Resurgence of Knitting.  You can listen to the whole show by clicking the "listen to the show" link on the website.

The host seemed amazed that knitting is such a widespread global phenomenom, but we aren't, are we?

Guests comment that knitters are highly accomplished, centered, focused and in the moment. We need the process, are reclaiming and reconnecting with certain values.

Yep, I agree. Listen, enjoy, and wonder what rock the host has been hiding under until now!

 

 

Karen and the Bean Stalks

Hopefully you will recall the tale "Jack and the Bean Stalk," which involves a boy named Jack who gets into hot water with his mother for trading the family cow for five bean seeds, a giant and his wife, a pot of gold, and a hen that lays golden eggs. 

The catch phrase "Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman...." might float from the recesses of your memory, it did from mine.

Well I've got my bean seeds in hand to begin my adventure, just harvested from our Homestead veggie garden at Struan Farm. We had a great crop this year with beans coming out of our ears, so I thought I'd save some seeds and plant them next year. Yep, trying the sustainable approach as much as possible. 

 

If I also manage to find a pot of gold or a hen that lays golden eggs in the process, that would be a bonus. I'll report back.

 

 

They Sure Don't Quack Like Ducks

John's mum Rosemary was known for her sense of humor. She kept three duck decoys floating on the swimming pool at Struan Farm, prompting visitors to do a double take.

After we landscaped down at the pond, we asked her if they could relocate, a move she endorsed. Particularly if they would attract other ducks to the pond. So the decoys, which I named "Huey, Dewey and Louie" after Donald Duck's nephews, made the move.

The only problem was that shortly thereafter we could only see Huey and Dewey floating around--it seemed Louie had flown off or had been ducknapped.

Not so! I found him hiding with Dewey on the side of the pond this past weekend:

 

 
 
Or perhaps like most Kiwis he's travelled the world on his OE and decided it's time to come home.

The New Road

You will (of course) recall we have "The Old Road" on Struan Farm, part of the old State Highway 3. 

This past weekend John decided to get metal/gravel delivered for the driveway to the Cottage. We were having some other lighter grade gravel delivered for a pathway from the Cottage to the pond, and he decided we might as well get the driveway sorted out at the same time, since otherwise it gets pretty mucky in winter.

The driver did a great job laying the gravel, so much so that John has christened it "The New Road."

 
 

 

 

More Pillow Talk

There are definitely more knitted pillows in the project queue for the sitting room at Struan Farm Knitting Studio.

Before Christmas I sent my friend Mel Clark, kiwi knitwear designer and owner of South Seas Knitting, some fabric swatches.  I asked for her help with suggestions on colors and fibers to order, afraid that the colors were so subtle and neutral that they wouldn't translate all that reliably over the internet.

Mel responded with some great choices, which (of course) I promptly purchased from her, including yarns by Blue Sky Alpacas and Manos del Uruguay (wool classica and silk blend):

 
The good thing is that these are quick, fun projects that can be done using easy stitch patterns, maybe felted, maybe using some vintage buttons. Stay tuned!

Past One's Prime

Walking around the garden at Struan Farm this past weekend I was struck by the signs that summer is starting to draw to a close. The hydrangea get variegated and mottled, a look that I especially love and almost prefer to peak season:

 

 
 
This led me to think about other things in the garden that might now be past their peak but are still beautiful in some way:

 
 
 
Which invariably led me to thinking about people, especially since John and I are now feeling well and truly "middle aged," some days at least. I know "55 is the new 40," etc. etc. but the world doesn't always behave that way. 

I don't care about being beautiful, but we can still be appreciated and valued, can't we?

 

 

The Orchard's Season Finale

At Piopio Orchard the strawberries are finished for the season while the blueberries are still in abundance. While it means that summer is starting to wind to a close, the autumn raspberries have just appeared.

  
Aren't they beautiful?

 

The pud that (almost) burned down the house

A slight exaggeration, but there was indeed alot of smoke in the Homestead kitchen at Struan Farm this past Saturday, and I was the one to blame. 

Since John and I weren't going to be spending (St.) Valentine's Day together, I decided to make a special dinner Saturday night. I rolled out the crown rib roast beef, fresh asparagus, corn on the cob, and of course planned a special dessert. With John that usually means a recipe involving cream or ice cream (one doesn't easily wean kiwis off high fat dairy products, although consumption has been reduced).

I had another batch of lovely ripe apricots from Central Otago, so decided to use them to make Jamie Oliver's "Orchard Eve's pudding with whisky Jersey cream" from "Jamie at Home."  I'd made this before using apples and quince, so knew the apricots would work well.

 
The fruit is stewed in butter, brown sugar and spices until soft. Half of the cooked fruit, drained, is then put into a buttered round casserole dish and topped with a batter made from butter, caster sugar and eggs. The rest of the fruit is then spooned on top, with all juices from the pot reserved for serving.

Mistake #1: I didn't leave room for the batter/sponge to rise in the casserole dish when cooking. 

I realized as soon it was in the oven and baking that it was an accident of some proportion waiting to happen. I also realized that I'd waited too late to put tin foil underneath the dripping dish as smoke filled the oven.  When I started to worry about where the fire extinguisher was, I decided I'd better turn off the oven. The situation improved, the smoke cleared.

Mistake #2: I turned the oven back on, thinking the situation was in hand. It wasn't.

Smoke again filled the oven, so I turned it off once again. I took the dish and oven racks out, scraping out the charred drippings. I started to come up with a Plan B involving passionfruit and ice cream.

With a Plan B in my back pocket, I decided I had nothing to lose by putting the partially cooked dish on a cookie sheet and back into the oven to try to finish the job.

I'm glad I did that. It looked a terrible mess in the casserole dish, but was fine in bowls served with the stewing juices and cream softly whipped with icing/confectionary sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and a glug of whisky. And best of all, it tasted delicious.

 

I don't often have kitchen disasters, but when I do they're usually pretty good ones. I'll also dig out that fire extinguisher in case it's ever needed.

Happy St. Valentine's Day

 
I wrote the title of this post and then paused. I am right, it was called St. Valentine's Day, wasn't it? At least until the day was hyper-commercialized and abbreviated to remove any religious connotations?

(John blames this all on the USA. Okay, we do excel at commercializing things, and sometimes take that over the cliff. But what's so wrong about entrepreneurial spirit, really? If you don't want underwear with little hearts on it, don't buy it!)

Getting back to St. Valentine, he was a priest martyred by the Romans in 269. He is the patron saint of affianced couples, happy marriages, love, lovers, travellers, and most interestingly: beekeepers, epilepsy, and the plague! And surely no one can forget the St. Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago involving Al Capone in 1929.

But all of the above is a tangent. I really just wanted an excuse to make and show you this chain of paper hearts, courtesy of Betz White and her blog, Stitch Beautifully.....Tread Lightly.

 
These are very easy to make, only require paper, scissors, ruler and a stapler, so are a good project for children. If you want to be exceedingly precise, one of those paper cutters used for card making is helpful in cutting uniform strips. There is a link on the blog to instructions on how to make them in both paper and felt.

 
I started playing around with all sorts of ideas with these: they look pretty entwined around champagne flutes and candlesticks for a romantic table setting, but I had to call it a day.

I was listening to Roseanne Cash's album "The List," as I was making this up at Struan Farm over the weekend, and on came the song "Take These Chains from My Heart." Message from the universe? You decide.

 

 

On My Needles

My friend Nicky Gray, power knitter, contacted me recently and queried what was "on my needles." I guess she was tired of reading about jam making, flower arrangements, gardening, hut restoration, sheep musters, trees, etc. at Struan Farm. Ho hum, let's get back to the KNITTING.

But you see, I'm always knitting, even if I don't write or blog about it. No need to discuss the UFOs, they're still there. Right now I'm making a pillow (the first of several) for the Struan Farm Knitting Studio Cintique loveseats and chairs:

 
For this one I'm using Sirdar Click Aran with wool, shade 0151-- it's a great tweedy match with the seat cushion fabric. I dug out Barbara Walker's "A Treasury of Knitting Patterns" and am using "Mistake-Stitch Ribbing," which is easy and textural (see chapter 3, page 40, this is the first book in her series, the one with the blue cover). I'm further along than when the picture above was taken, it works up quickly.

Okay Nicky?

The Harvest Starts, Finally

 
It's been a great year for beans in the veggie garden but an odd year on the tomato front. The weather has been hot and sunny, we've watered well and regularly, and one would think that we should have had ripe tomatoes long before February. But no.  

A huge number of green tomatoes have been biding their time, preparing to swamp me. And this week they've started the campaign: the tomatoes vs. Karen. Sounds a bit sci fi, doesn't it?

 
So far I've distributed to the neighbors in the back and my office, although I haven't just yet had to go wandering the neighborhood with trug in hand. Is it just me, or is this the way it is? I thought it was just zucchini that did this...

Now I'm wondering if the pumpkins are mobilizing. (I actually thought I saw one or two Musquee de Provence breaking through the soil in the pumpkin patch, belatedly, last weekend. The others are already thriving and flowering. Will report back.)

On the subject of trugs, most of mine have been made by Brett Hutchinson of Golden Bay, aka The Trugmaker. They are useful as well as well crafted and beautiful, I expect them to outlast me. While normally I use them as "sculpture" in the house during the year, they are put to work and their real purpose during tomato season.

 

Right now this one has been deployed to hold another batch of ripening Central Otago apricots. I'm thinking about using them to make "Orchard Eve's pudding with whisky jersey cream" from Jamie Oliver's "Jamie at Home" for John this weekend.  

 

 

When Roadside Wildflowers Beckon

Driving between Papakura and Piopio lately I've noticed an abundance of white flowers on the roadside that look suspiciously like Queen Anne's Lace, or at least a reasonable facsimile.

 
We used to pick them as children and put them in vases, either fresh or dried. (I was one of those kids who would go out and pick bouquets, only to develop severe cases of poison ivy, hay fever, rashes, etc. later on.)

So this past weekend on my return trip with Clifford I took along a bucket and scissors in the car. Clifford was a bit confused by our pitstop, but I wanted to test something out:

 
 
We used to color these as kids using food coloring.....

Only one of three bunches absorbed any color in my little experiment. I've learned that it's important to cut the stems short and use lots of food coloring. 

 

I'll try this again sometime when roadside wildflowers beckon.  And fortunately no poison ivy, hay fever or rashes have descended upon me just yet.