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We've just started to harvest the broad beans from the veggie gardens at Struan Farms this week. (These are basically fava beans...)
Meanwhile, the heirloom "Dali" beans from Mr. V. in Dargaville, dwarf yellow beans, and soybean seeds I planted a week ago are already started to come up!
Yep, we're full of beans.
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In the past week at Struan Farm the wisteria have popped out, and the late rhodos have started their show along with the azaleas. It seems to be a bit more staggered this year, not sure why.
But blink and you'll miss something!
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John and I went over to Ohope Beach on the East Coast over the long holiday weekend to attend an important birthday celebration for a friend. She'd invited us literally six months ago, so there was no weasling out of it as we are wont to do, since it's hard to leave Struan Farm on weekends!
We decided to travel via nearby Benneydale and stop by Pureora Forest Park and the Timber Trail cycleway. This could be a destination for some of our farmstay visitors, easily. Enroute to Benneydale, we turned off SH4 at Kopaki Road, and drove up Mapara Road South to the Mapara Wildlife Reserve, where the endangered kokako (my favorite NZ native bird) have been reintroduced. Somewhat frustratingly, there is no road sign for Kopaki Road, Benneydale, or the Mapara Wildlife Reserve. I will get onto this! Pureora Forest Park and the Timber Trail are well marked off SH30/Kopaki Road, so no issues with that once you get onto that road, but it might be a challenge finding it in the first place...
There is also an amazing "Totara Walk" here, a short, easy track into beautiful bush with tall native trees. We were pretty much blown away by the size of the trees, so this is worth a visit.
We've had farmstay guests try to find the kokako reserve in the past without luck, so now know how to tell them to find it.
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This past Labour holiday weekend I managed to get the tomatoes and potatoes planted at Struan Farm, around a journey with John to Ohope Beach on the East Coast for a friend's birthday celebration.
I have so many plants from the glasshouse that I've pretty much popped them in everywhere. After the first night we discovered that the rabbits are nibbling my complimentary planting of marigolds, so those have been protected with wire netting and sprayed with my natural pest spray (fingers firmly crossed). While I've read that rabbits don't eat tomatoes or potatoes or eggplant (members of the nightshade family), one of my smaller tomato plants has been nibbled. We've discussed moving Clifford into the backyard for a period of time to protect the crop if need be!
The corn and watermelon patch has morphed into the corn and tomato patch, I'll find somewhere else to plant the watermelons "in due course." Twenty of Mr. V's heirlooms have been planted, surrounded by marigolds and basil plants. I'm not concerned about the rabbits here, since we've got chicken wire fencing and it's right outside Clifford's house.
I've planted "Rocket" and "Jersey Benne" spuds, both of which are early types. I rarely eat potatoes, so this is really for John and the granddaughters. Plus I make a potato salad for our family Boxing Day celebration, and it would be good to use our own potatoes for that.
So a wee bit of labour on Labour Weekend...
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I was able to spend a few hours at Piopio School's annual Calf Club Day last week. Unfortunately didn't have time to make the rounds of the baking, crafts, or flowers, but did spend time watching and photographing the kids with their pet lambs and calves, also some kid goats (and one cat!). It's a fantastic day, pretty much total chaos at certain moments, but great fun.
It's one of those special events at which you can't stop smiling!
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Came across pomegranates last week while food shopping. Of course we've planted one in the backyard at Struan Farm as an experiment, but it's a long way from fruiting. They are not terribly common in New Zealand, I'm not sure that many people know how to use them even though Middle Eastern cuisine is starting to catch on.
We were having rack of lamb for dinner, so I decided to improvise a spinach salad with pomegranate seeds.
I combined spinach, avocado, red onion, feta, pomegranate and roughly chopped pistachios, dressed that with the juice of one lemon, 3 T fruity olive oil, a drizzle of honey, salt & pepper. I normally make up my dressings in jam jars, it's easy to mix them that way.
It was seriously delicious, try this one out!
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I'd planned a post about the other apple trees blooming right now in our orchard at the new(ish) house at Struan Farm, in addition to Monty's Surprise.
So here's Peasgood Nonsuch and Jack Humm (latter is a crab apple), also our new nashi:
But as I was out wandering around I noticed that our three quince trees are FINALLY FLOWERING! Profusely! We're into year five, maybe six on two of these trees, the third was planted a year ago, and I was beginning to lose hope that these trees were going to work out for us.
So this is the real story. There was a happy dance around the orchard, the dog thought I was nuts.
The flowers are quite beautiful, aren't they? I'm sure the fruit will be too....
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Haven't been able to hold myself back from planting the veggie gardens at Struan Farm. Okay, I haven't planted the tomatoes, seed potatoes or lettuces as yet, I will wait until Labour Weekend for those.
But I've planted beans, including "Dali" beans from Mr. V. in Dargaville, yellow dwarf beans, and soybeans:
And zucchini plants from the glasshouse have been popped in ("Black Coral," "Florence Ribbed," and "Romanesco"). Kale, rocket and quinoa seeds have been sown (the latter is a complete experiment), along with coriander, dill, chervil, basil and chives. Italian parsley and basil plants being nursed along in the glasshouse are almost ready for planting out too.
This year I've dug a proper pumpkin patch, out near the compost bins, with Marina di Chioggia and Musquee de Provence pumpkins as well as Spaghetti Squash now in (all started in the glasshouse):
The pumpkin patch has been fenced to protect it from Clifford crashing through as well as any hungry rabbits, I'm not sure which is the greater threat.
And since we're not going to get the area near John's workshop landscaped properly this year (haven't made any decisions on what to do as yet except for the weeping copper beech tree), it's being turned into this season's cornfield and watermelon patch, with the copper beech in the middle!
Yes, we've erected a low chicken wire fence with standards to keep the dog out, since it's right on his normal flight path. He could hurdle the chicken wire with a flying leap, but the standards will give him pause and he'll detour.
Stay tuned!
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John and I went down to the river a few days ago. He is mulling over the next stage of clean up that we've got to do. We're working hard to make Struan Farm as scenic as possible, and are gradually getting into the more remote corners of the property, including the river.
So while John walked and plotted the big picture, I focused on the details, including some beautiful ferns and native orchids. Thanks to our friends at Hairy Feet Waitomo I learned these orchids are called "Peka-a-waka" or "Bamboo Orchid," (Earina mucronata).
John and I are a great team, aren't we?
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It's starting to be that time of year in the gardens at Struan Farm. If you blink, or forget to look around from one day to the next you'll miss something new!
Here's the latest, including the first irises and roses of the season, azaleas happening, and warratah and pieris in bloom:
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The Pied Piper went for a brief wander with the pets, Clifford included.
Truth be told, he sneaks around on his appointed rounds trying to avoid the pet lambs, they all want pats and walk so closely to you that tripping is quite a possiblity!
Afterward John and Clifford went off to work while Rosie, Ruby, Pepper, Pip and Spanky settled down in the house paddock for a wee rest.
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As previously reported, John returned from one of his weekly trips north with a cache of heirloom tomato seeds, courtesy of Mr. Vodanovich of Dargaville. He's a veteran and enthusiastic tomato grower, and along with the seeds passed along a few tips. I was keen to have it all!
Weeks ago I planted his Oxheart, Big Yellow, Little Devils, Hook, Sweet 100, Mexican Pink, Red and Pied tomatoes into seed trays in the glasshouse. Mr. V suggested that we put the small plants, once sprouted, into recycled toilet paper tubes filled with compost before planting them out into the garden (he suggested using recycled ice cream containers to hold those too, which I've done). He also gave John a supply of copper wire for me to wrap around each plant once established (think this is meant to help with fungal disease?).
Here's where we are so far:
I had so many seeds and thus plants (and so relatively few toilet paper tubes!) that I transplanted some into peat pots.
Counting the days to Labour Weekend to plant these out.......
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Things happen all the time at Struan Farm.
Trees fall over, ewes and lambs get into trouble (or into the garden..), pipes freeze and break, cows and goats from the neighbouring farms appear in our paddocks. John has instilled in me that it's important to get out and walk around to make sure all is right in our little world, and if it's not to deal with it. He remembers his dad Maurie telling him to pay attention and notice things.
It's a different way of seeing, paying attention. Quite similar to being in the "photo zone" where you look at the details, the trees and not the forest.
Last week I asked sister-in-law Anna if there were white bluebells. I'd seen white flowers in the roadside wooded garden at the Homestead. Didn't think these were that scourge of the planet, onion weed, but wanted to make sure. She told me that yes, there are blue, white and PINK bluebells. Did we want any pink? She could sort us out. I remember mumbling that we had hundreds of blue bluebells and that was probably enough for now.
A few days ago I was at the outside garden tap, and what did I see?
Yep, pink bluebells, some are a bit more lavender. We already have them, in quite a few spots now that I'm seeing.
And then wandering the gardens looking for flowering onion weed, I came across these:
White forget-me-nots. Not blue, white. Another discovery.
Note to self and readers: it does make sense to pay attention more often than not.
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The Monty's Surprise apple tree in our orchard at Struan Farm is in bloom. Lots of beautiful pink and white flowers, think this bodes well for more apples next fall!
Of course John reminds me that I almost took him out after he was nibbled by sheep and nearly ring barked. Seems that the fencing hadn't been done properly by a certain someone at the time. Also seems that Monty has thrived as a result of his near death experience!
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After Pete took down the three macrocarpa trees at Struan Farm, he decided to make a carved seat out of one of the stumps.
We're thinking he thought the kids would enjoy this, but guess who really likes it?
And at the moment dear little Rosie can do as she pleases from my perspective, since we came pretty close to losing her over the weekend! At dinner time on Saturday she wouldn't drink her bottle with the rest of the lambs, was stretching her back legs out and rolling around on the ground in a very strange manner. I checked her legs and fleece for stinging nettles or a bee sting. We decided that she'd eaten something that disagreed with her (or worse, was poisonous) somewhere on the farm, but there wasn't much we could do about that. Both John and I thought she would curl up and die overnight, it was that bad. I had a few teary moments consoled by John behind the garage (away from the little girls visiting, although I think Ella saw). I also said a prayer for her, much as I know that may sound silly to some people.
The good news is that Rosie is a survivor. A few hours later she came baaing back to the house paddock, wanting a late bottle and lots of cuddles, which the girls and I were happy to provide.
So I'm happy to have Rosie use the new chair seat if that's what she wants. I just hope she has learned her lesson on what not to eat, whatever and where ever that may be. I've spoken to Farmer John and he's thinking about what that might be too so it doesn't happen to any other lambs.
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One of our builders Pete was back at Struan Farm this weekend to help fell some of our macrocarpa trees. John has decided that they're blocking our view of the hills and the river, so we'll start to take them down for firewood for us and others, including Pete and his family.
Pete has all the requisite gear, made quick work of felling three trees and cleaned up after himself too (he knows that this keeps him in my "good books.") Timber!
Over to Mike for the next stage of this project, now that it's begun.
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Or perhaps another Georgia O'Keefe? You will recall Georgia's amazing paintings of cow skulls I'm sure, and her fascination with their shapes, textures and lines. We may have someone similar in our family.
Granddaughter Livvy discovered the remains of a rather "ancient" skull in the Bull Paddock at Struan Farm. We decided to call it "Sheepasaurus." After a discussion with pet lamb Rosie, she is taking it to school for the next show and tell.
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It was a serious baking weekend for me with both farmstay guests and three granddaughters visiting Struan Farm.
In addition to chocolate chip cookies and sticky date pudding, I made a delicious Lemon Yogurt Cake from "The Tin Goose Cookbook." Sugar, eggs, lemon juice, yogurt, oil and self raising flour are combined in the food processor then baked. The icing is made with butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon juice. Normally lemon curd is also added to pump up the citrus and offset the sweetness, but since Emma isn't crazy about lemon I didn't add it this time.
To finish, we picked blue and white edible borage flowers for the top!
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Problems until now uploading photos to this week's blog posts, very frustrating!
Here are two more pics of the visiting Helpers at Struan Farm this past weekend, cleaning the gnomes and making boats:
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Granddaughters Ella, Livvy and Emma came down to Struan Farm for a long weekend before the end of the school holidays. John and I "flew solo" for almost two full days; as you might imagine we had heaps of fun but were exhausted by it all!
The girls were great with the lambs, and vice versa. Each adopted one: Ella/Ruby, Emma/Rosie, Livvy/Spanky and gave everyone cuddles regardless. At certain times the lambs made an escape for some down time too, so John and I weren't the only ones! But it made feeding time much, much easier.
There were also trips to the sandy beach at the river to make sand castles, planting of flower seeds in trays in the glasshouse, baking cakes and (of course) chocolate chip cookies, washing the gnomes, and even making boats in the workshop.
Yep, we keep everyone busy here at Struan Farm!
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