Struan Farm

Perfect Pergola, Part One

Last weekend John erected the pergola over the new rose garden at Struan Farm. I would have called this an "arbor" before I moved to New Zealand, but here everyone calls them pergola (pronounced "per-goal-a" with the accent on "goal"). 

This is the sort of carpentry and engineering project that John loves, and he's done a perfect job of it. So much so that stages two and three are now envisioned, with smaller pergolas to be constructed at either end to create a longer walkway, more of a promenade.

Clearly still a work in progress, you need to be able to visualize these things the way we do!

We swung by the garden center on Sunday and ordered pink and white wisteria plants ("Pink Ice" and "White Silk") for the center section. I'll take cuttings of a climbing heirloom rose that Rosemary, John's mum, grew, for one of the ends. I'm wanting to test out grapes for the other. 

So this story is pergola, part one. Per usual at Struan Farm, one project leads us to at least two more! 

 

Weekend Baking

Two decent efforts on the baking front this weekend: an "Orange and Almond Cake with Candied Zest" from the August issue of NZ House & Garden, and "Wholewheat Irish Soda Bread" courtesy of Dean Brettschneider.

Both are easy and really good. Recipe for the bread, which is quick to make and doesn't require kneading, etc., can be found here, from Dean's book Global Baker.

 

Time to Plant Sweet Peas

I can't go to Nelson without visiting Mapua Country Trading in nearby (where else?) Mapua. Cheesemaking and bee keeping seem to be the latest trends du jour based on their new products. We've been ahead of that curve at Struan Farm-- for some reason I have a knack for anticipating the next big thing.

I've ordered another stash of felted mulch mats for all the new trees we're planting, but my big find was a HUGE variety of sweet pea seeds, and it's time to start planting.

Heather from Mapua tells me that germination is helped by soaking the seeds overnight, so I'll do that before planting them out this weekend at Struan Farm.

Keen to see the "almost black" ones blooming in particular!

A Hoard of Possum

Frequent readers of this blog will remember the scarf that I recently made from a pattern in Mel Clark's new book "Knitting Everyday Finery."  I knit it in a possum merino yarn in a beautiful kumara/sweet potato/persimmon/rust color ahead of the book signing we held for Mel at Struan Farm.

I have worn this scarf everywhere this winter. John tried to lay claim to it early on, but once it became clear that he wasn't wearing it, I seized the day and the scarf.

I'd purchased the yarn at Nelson's artisan co-op, Fibre Spectrum. So on my recent trip I stopped in to show them the scarf and look at other colors available in the yarn. I  restrained myself entirely until the lady at the front desk told me that the mill in Timaru that produced the yarn would not be making it any longer. (I'd thought the yarn was handspun, which isn't the case.)

As you might expect, this news pushed me over the cliff, but I'm glad she told me. I came home with purple, burgundy and blue for the stash, enough of the blue for a sweater for sure. I'm still second guessing myself on whether I should have gotten more in other colors!

The other part of this story is that there is a growing shortage of possum fiber available on the local market. This despite the fact that possums continue to be terrible pests, causing serious damage to native birds and bush. China is taking as much of the fiber NZ can ship. So this means local mills and yarn companies can't assure supply.

You might think I'm trying to justify my hoarding--and you could very well be right!

Vintage Finds

Returned home from my recent trip to Nelson having acquired a decent stash of vintage linens. It's pretty much the luck of the draw in this perpetual quest of mine, I usually do better when I have time to poke patiently through piles of linens and leave it to the universe to deliver rather than looking for something specific. 

I scored several nice hand embroidered table cloths (one with a set of matching napkins), another "Good Morning" tea tray cloth (these are getting harder to find), some high quality striped Scottish linen tea towels, and a few vintage NZ table cloths that are funky and fun. 

The NZ ones are also quite poignant: all feature Christchurch Cathedral, a much loved, iconic structure that was mortally damaged in the earthquakes. Controversially the decision has been made not to rebuild it in the same style.

 

 

Nelson Apples, Again

I was down in Nelson again last week, and of course stopped by Richards Orchard in Mapua to see what fruit they had out in the rustic wooden roadside bins.

What caught my eye this time were heirloom "Democrat" apples, an Australian cooking variety dating back to 1900.

I came home with a stash of these to try. It's chilly and rainy today so I'm thinking applesauce. 

No political statement intended either way, but I didn't see any Republicans!

p.s. here's my "Democrat Applesauce" with recipe below:

Quarter apples and cover with water in pot. Cook until soft. Run through foodmill (removes skins, seeds, etc.). Add sugar and mixed spice or cinnamon to taste.

Misty Mornings

Sometimes it is worth throwing off the warm duvet and getting out for an invigorating winter morning walk around Struan Farm:

Okay, truth be told, not just sometimes, pretty much every morning this would be the case! It's just easier said than done some mornings.

Soggy Weather, New Trees

Quite a bit of rain the past few days, it hasn't been a bad time for planting new trees at Struan Farm. Even if it's not the best weather for blog pics commemorating those events.

John has put a line of silver birches along the driveway to the Cottage. Also a few trios of the same trees along the new front fence in the Pet Paddock. Unfortunately it was raining so hard that I couldn't manage a decent photograph of those!

Next we'll get in a few more fruit trees, I'll report back.

The Limestone Throne

The King Country region of New Zealand where Struan Farm is located is well known for its limestone caves and rock formations. Waitomo Caves, a major international tourist destination, is not far away. There are "tomos" or caves, on our property and throughout the area.

So we rather like the corrugated rock outcroppings around the farm, think they give the landscape character. John especially likes a particular semi-circular rock that encircles a tree (more likely the tree grew up through the center of the rock). Right now John is thinking the tree should make way for this rock to become a seat,  looking out on the Mangaotaki River.

Of course I see a throne, with New Zealand being Middle Earth and all that.

Never a Dull Moment?

Our friends the Sisams recently came to visit Struan Farm, staying at the Cottage. It was all very cozy with roaring fire, duvets, etc. so no worries with respect to creature comforts.

Only one (rather major) problem was discovered when walking outside during the day: the pipe that vents the hot water heater was leaking water onto the roof! John stepped into the fray, ladder and electrical tape in hand.

My theory on anything involving my dear husband walking on a roof is not to watch until the job is pretty much done.

Temporary measure, the plumber is on the way!

 

Magic in the Gardens

It's that rare time of year when nothing seems to be flowering in the gardens at Struan Farm. I went out to search for flowers for the Cottage ahead of our friends, the Sisams, coming to stay. I ended up with two camelias. Lovely, but not exactly what I'd hoped for.

When I went to set the table for dinner that evening I decided to go out once again in quest of something to put into an arrangement, figuring I'd end up with greens.  I wandered into the wooded garden along the front entrance. Magically, the hellebores had started to bloom during the day:

 

I love these delicate flowers, they are fragile and fill a seasonal gap, are often called "winter roses."  And what's amazing about the gardens at Struan Farm is that there IS always something  blooming, whatever the season. I've realized that John's parents worked hard to make it this way, they loved it. 

So I'm always grateful for this beauty around me, and for those flowers that magically appear. 

Finally, Our Very Own Musquee de Provence

It's taken me three years of experimenting and learning about Musquee de Provence pumpkins to grow them properly at Struan Farm; we've finally had a decent harvest. This was the largest pumpkin we grew:

John had time to chop them apart with his machete this weekend so that I could use them. I'm making pumpkin soup for dinner now as I write this post.

I've saved the seeds, now drying in the hot water cupboard, for next year's crop.

Good things take time, right?

 

 

 

 

 

Frosty Weekend in Piopio

It was a beautiful weekend at Struan Farm. Clear with crisp blue skies, perfect winter weather. Of course this means one thing: frosts. (Okay, maybe two things, frosts and night skies full of stars.) 

While it was cold and frosty on Saturday morning, it was colder and frostier on Sunday!

On Saturday I transplanted some rose bushes grown from cuttings into the new rose garden (still a work-in-progress with pergola/arbor about to be constructed). Now is the time of year to do these things so they must get done. Hopefully the roses will be happy if temporarily frosty.

Hard to stick the nose out from under the duvet on mornings like this, but eventually John tempting me with hot coffee and porridge/oatmeal does the trick.

New Fencing at Struan Farm

Progress was made while I was away recently. I arrived at Struan Farm on Friday afternoon to see that the new fencing along the Pet Paddock has been done. And it looks just great:

 

I've included the picture with Clifford because he rarely sits looking so well behaved!

Next we'll tackle the entrance gate, which is being widened and re-landscaped, and the fencing along the other side of the entrance.

 

Knitting on the Fly

I can't really go anywhere without a knitting project of some sort in my bag. So for my recent trip to California I decided it would be good to knock off some baby beanies for  colleague Ange and customer Sarah, both of whom are about to have babies. Ange knows she's having a girl, I'm not sure about Sarah; so I made pink and cream beanies for Ange and cream and a pale mint green for Sarah.

Pattern was the Rosie Posey Beanie from "The second little Sublime hand knit book." Yarns used were Sublime baby cashmere merino silk DK (pink and cream) and Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino (green).

These were quick, easy projects, perfect for knitting on the fly.

Postcard from LA: The Huntington

It's great to have time to visit The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Gardens  while in Pasadena and surrounds. Even if you aren't an art afficionado, the gardens are beautifully maintained and interesting, it's a great destination if you have time for a walk around the grounds. I normally head for either the Japanese or Chinese Garden, walking through the Rose Garden on the way.

This visit I also took some shots of the grape and wisteria arbors as inspiration for John's pergola project at Struan Farm. It's about to go up, then I'm meant to plant something that will stretch overhead.

It was a nice respite from the heat to sit in the shade under this wisteria arbor above, knitting, overlooking the Japanese Garden.

I also met a docent stationed near the herb garden with information on natural dyes, and learned that that the bark and branches of the Cotinus/Smoke Tree we recently planted at Struan Farm can be used to make a natural dye!

Postcard from LA: Carmela Ice Cream

Artisanal ice cream seems to be one of the trends du jour in California, and Carmela Ice Cream in Pasadena must be mentioned in this context. The business has won a number of local and regional awards for its delicious products.

There's a Carmela ice cream truck at the South Pasadena Farmer's Market each week on Thursday nights, but it's fun to make the pilgrimmage to their store location. (Note the retro logo-- I was too shy to snap a photo of the three glass chandeliers inside with my phone, but they lend an elegant touch above the counter and you can see them somewhat in this photo above). The store attracts lines out the door and down the sidewalk on warm summer days/nights despite its somewhat off the beaten track location. Staff patiently allow patrons to sample the various flavors until a decision can be made, which isn't easy. When I was there the flavors on offer included: salted caramel, lavender honey, strawberry buttermilk, mint with cacao nibs, brown sugar vanilla bean, guiness, lemon verbena vanilla bean, and lemon basil, raspberry rose, spice strawberry, and cucumber sorbets (I know I've forgotten a few that involve chocolate and espresso). The flavors can be quite intense, which makes them different and quite special.

The salted caramel ice cream sandwiches were my favorite far and away, but handmade cones and sundaes are also available.

I was seriously bummed to have missed out on a spot in an ice cream making class at Carmela during my holiday, which would have been seriously fun. Maybe next year? In the meantime I'll be on a quest to try to perfect my own versions of the salted caramel ice cream (and sandwiches) as well as the lavender honey ice cream, another favorite.