Struan Farm

Waxing Philosophical on Weeds

I spent some time out in one of the newer gardens at the new(ish) house here at Struan Farm a few days ago, weeding. Again. This was probably the fourth major weed I've had to do in this garden bed in less than two months. This, our largest, was the first one we made after the front lawn area was fenced at the new house and redefined from "paddock." John edged the bed along two sides of the fencing and turned over sod and weeds in time for us to get some shrubs planted that winter. Unfortunately this was done without killing either the grass or weeds first, the consequences of which I've been contending with ever since the garden was planted. It's full of thistles, grass and other weeds in addition to flowers and shrubs. We do things differently now with new garden beds, but it's still taking a huge amount of work to get this one right.

As I worked I found myself getting philosophical. I was trying to find something positive in all these weeds, to avoid being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work (yes, the games people play....). Would the flowers indeed exist without the weeds? I realised they wouldn't.

Taoism speaks about the concept of "Yin" and "Yang," duality forming a whole. When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created. Long and short define each other, high and low oppose each other. You can't know flowers if you don't know weeds.

And as one aspect increases the other decreases to maintain the overall balance of the whole. Aha! So I had my answer: get out the vinegar and salt to spray the weeds and plant more flowers in the void. More flowers will push out the weeds. There wouldn't be flowers without the weeds, but I just need to change the balance.

Not sure I needed to get Taoist about all this, but it's always good to exercise one's brain from time to time, even if over seemingly simple things. We like to mix it up at Struan Farm!

Progress Report: The Next Big Thing

Digger alert! John had the digger back at Struan Farm a few days ago to carve the lower part of the track from/to the river. Nephew Mike has been digging and fencing the top part. John decided it would be more efficient to bring in the heavy equipment for a wider track on the lower part. This means we can also use the tractor to ferry fencing materials and trees up as needed.

 

 

Now we need to grass and fence. Then plant and plant and plant (and plant....) native trees. There will be a new track across to Jim's Hut as part of this exercise too, just beside the extended native tree reserve, so I'll be making track signs in due course (when I'm not planting trees!).

Girl Talk & Special Things

It was wonderful to see granddaughters Ella and Livvy reconnect with our former pet lambs Rosie, Ruby, Pip and Pepper during their visit to Struan Farm over the holiday weekend. The girls went out to the Pet Paddock, appropriately enough, where they searched out (the other girls) Rosie, Ruby and Pepper, who all stopped munching grass and came up for them to cuddle and pat. Yes, even our introvert Pepper!

Eventually Pepper had enough of the cuddles (she is still Pepper, after all...). She stood off to the side as an amused observer before heading over to nibble one of the young apple trees.

The girls and I then went to find Pip, who was mingling with the rest of the mob. Pip wasn't terribly interested, although she did walk up to Livvy for a quick pat before running off. Livvy was thrilled she had been designated the "special" one by Pip, who has always been "her" lamb, after all!

BBQ at the River, Almost

We're making some progress on the new picnic and BBQ area beside the Mangaotaki River at Struan Farm. It's a little late for this season, but will be finished for next.

We've inherited a picnic table from son Daniel (recyclers that we are), while nephew Mike is working away on his BBQ design. The BBQ will be made with concrete blocks, tiles, and metal grates "the old fashioned way." Should be great when it's done!  

The area is just down from Jim's Hut and the ablution block/kitchen, right beside the river.

Helping Out the Easter Bunny

I received an SOS from the Easter Bunny. Help was needed to dye some Easter eggs for two little girls coming to visit Struan Farm over the holiday weekend. So after hard boiling some eggs, I cracked out the vinegar and food colouring to step into the fray:

The recipe is 1 teaspoon of vinegar for every 1/2 cup boiling water along with 10-20 drops of food colouring. This doesn't have to be terribly precise. Leave in the solution for at least 5 minutes, it depends on the colours you're after. It's almost impossible to find white eggs in the food stores here in NZ now, but I must say that I prefer them for this sort of project. Brown eggs end up looking "muddier" to me, the colours aren't as clean and vibrant.

Be that as it may, the Easter Bunny has said these will do, thank you very much. He's told me not to tell them, but he will hide the eggs around the place for the granddaughters to find Sunday morning before our blueberry pancake breakfast. There may also be some chocolate and jelly beans.

p.s. Clifford will be tied up, he'd wolf these babies down in no time! 

 

Echinacea, Up Close

I'm finding myself increasingly intrigued by granddaughter Emma's echinacea plants, loving the flowers at their various stages of maturity. We planted a seed tray well before Christmas. The plants grew quite quickly, but haven't started to bloom until recently. 

 

Almost looks like a "whirly gig," doesn't it?

Toeing the Line

With the farmstay season starting to calm down I've been able to get cracking on a few major work projects at Struan Farm. The first of which is the groundwork for a new line of hedge plants down the other side of our driveway at the new(ish) house.

The good news is that once I started to turn over the ground I found topsoil, hooray! This means we won't have to cart barrows of soil before planting. Next John will line one side of the fence with chicken wire to keep the sheep from nibbling the hedge plants, before I do any planting.

The Lord of the Orchard & Other Fruity Tales

Our dog Clifford thinks of himself as the "Lord of the Orchard" here at Struan Farm. His house sits right at the entrance to the orchard. He's been known to crunch on a fallen apple or two, but this past week we had a particularly amusing encounter.

I caught him running around with something yellow in his mouth. It was a fallen peach! Our peach tree is fruiting for the first time this year. I put netting around the tree early on to deter the birds, we've got about eight  seven peaches still ripening on the tree. When I tried to get Clifford to drop the peach, he ran away from me into his house, where he deposited it in the back where I couldn't reach. It was quite the treasure in Clifford's mind. (Later on, after he'd forgotten all about it, I grabbed a broom and got it out of there.)

Right now in the orchard we've got Monty's Surprise apples and Jack Humm crab apples on the trees, along with the peaches and our first nashi:

As you would expect, I'll be keeping an eye on Clifford and my precious peaches and nashi! 

Oh Nuts!

It seems that autumn is almost upon us here at Struan Farm. A sure sign is that the walnuts are starting to drop in the Pet Paddock. Time to start gathering them for drying before the dog, wild turkeys and rats beat me to it.

 

Hard to tell at this stage how large the crop will be, but I'm seeing lots of green nuts on the tree.  Note to self: add "gathering walnuts" onto the "To Do" list every few days. Recruiting a few grandchildren might be a good idea too.

The Quest for Winter Lettuces

I contemplated titling this post "Hope Springs Eternal." There are varieties of lettuces that are meant to grow in winter, but (let's be optimistic here) "to date" I have been unable to grow them at Struan Farm. It's possible that I planted the seeds too late in the season, and should have gotten them started growing before it started to get too cold.

We would really like to be able to grow greens for salads of some sort throughout the year. Yes, I've got kale and silver beet/swiss chard already started and growing away, along with carrots and beets, and have just planted my peas and broad bean seeds. But I hate having to buy those washed bags of lettuce or mesclun that go off and get slimy after a few days during winter, would prefer to have my own, fresh in the backyard.

And so this year I am doing an experiment. Planting 2-3 winter varieties outside in the veggie gardens now, and planting two of the same varieties in wooden planters John has just constructed for the glasshouse. I've purchased fantastic Franchi seeds from Italian Seeds Pronto, including "Lattuga Romana Bionda Degli Ortolani" and "Misticanza di Lattughe Autumnno-Inverno."

While I am hoping that both locations flourish and provide us with heaps of winter greens, my money is on the glasshouse. Stay tuned!

The Green Thumb Strikes Again

Kiwis would say "Green Fingers" rather than "Green Thumb," but either way, we're having a bumper crop of chiles this season in the veggie garden at Struan Farm.

This is just the start, I've got lots still ripening on two plants.

I'm popping them into ziplock bags in the freezer for use during the year.

 

Reunion

John and I went for a wander, and guess who we bumped into? Our "former" pet lambs here at Struan Farm, Pip, Rosie and Pepper, quietly munching grass! Ruby was off somewhere else with the mob.

Learned from Farmer John that the lambs won't be put to the ram this season, he'll wait until next year to give them time to mature. I was somewhat relieved, since it means I can hold off on that somewhat awkward "birds and bees" discussion with them for awhile longer, phew!
 

 

Listening to the Flowers

I found myself running around like a silly chook for part of the day yesterday. Had to head into town to food shop for provisions ahead of Swiss farmstay guests arriving for several nights here at Struan Farm. I obviously know the drill, but got caught up in rushing around for some reason. Once the groceries were put away and bread was made the flowers were next. 

I went out to the gardens with vase and scissors in hand. Normally this is my happy time and place. It's peaceful playing around. But when I'm rushing my head space and creativity aren't where they need to be. The flowers weren't cooperating. Or rather I should say that Karen wasn't cooperating with the flowers!

But then a voice inside my head told me to listen to the flowers. They were telling me the vase was too big for them, they needed something shorter. And (of course) that was the case. 

 

So it isn't just about stopping and smelling the flowers, it's about listening to them too. They are much wiser than I am!

On Becoming a Gardener

It seems I've become a "gardener" without realising it over the past two or so years.

I've always thought of gardeners as a rarified breed, mostly ladies who wear hats and gardening gloves, babbling on about plants and structure and colours. Oh oh. Yep, I now wear hats and gloves and babble on about plants, and lately even have started to talk about "structure."  Oh dear, tick that box.

I've always thought that being a gardener meant a wealth of knowledge about flowers, shrubs and trees, and what to do when. Oh oh. My knowledge of all this has been growing since I moved to the farm full time. I can recognise plants and do know what to do when. Oh dear, tick that box.

I have been inclined to minimise my knowledge relative to that of other people, been embarrassed to say I was a "gardener" because surely other people know so much more than I do.

John pointed out to me a few days ago that maybe now this just isn't the case. I have learned quite a bit in a short period of time and have things growing profusely around the place and want more. I can't deny I'm a gardener now.

I've always been keen to grow our own vegetables and fruit trees here at Struan Farm. I knew I could handle all that (okay, except maybe the odd tsunami of tomatoes!). But the flower gardens intimidated me for a very long time. They were planted by John's parents with some very special things. I was reluctant to make them my own, for years. But once I took ownership that all changed. Maybe it was making Hydrangea Hill, the zinnia and sunflower bed beside the Pet Paddock, or the daffodils and tulips at the front entrance, I'm not sure. I can't deny that's all me.

I do know that making new "greenfield" gardens up at the new(ish) house was a turning point. I was able to plant what I wanted. I discovered that I do know what I like. I'm "old fashioned" according to my sister-in-law in my taste for flowering shrubs and flowers. And I like that accusation! I can take cuttings and grow plants myself, but the search for the right things in garden centres is sometimes challenging. I've surprised even John, who didn't think my orderly approach to life would allow for that unrestrained, exuberant cottage garden look (it did).

So I guess I need to accept and wear this mantle proudly, along with the dirt under my fingernails. There's no going back. Lots of winter planting ahead!

Late Night Rendezvous with Rosie

Our former pet lambs surprise us when we least expect it. You will know that they are now out running with the mob of other lambs at Struan Farm. Sometimes I manage to get a look or a "baa" when I call out to them. Usually I can walk up to Rosie and Pip to give them a good scratch, they still remember me and aren't afraid. Pepper and Ruby are a different story, it's up and down with those two, but then that's always been the case.

Last night John went out after dark to dust some wasp nests. Often the nests are in the ground, or in an old stump. They only get larger if left untreated, which can be dangerous. Trying to sprinkle dust in daylight can prompt a swarm, so isn't all that smart. It's best to go out when they're asleep. So off went John after dinner with torch and dust in hand.

Shortly after he left the house I heard hoots and saw a waving light outside in the paddock. I was able to make out John standing beside a lamb. It was Rosie--apparently she had seen the light and recognised John! She came up and jumped up on him for a reassuring pat. He thinks she might have been asleep and was frightened by the torch, but was very happy to see her old friend John, the very same John who did morning bottle duty on weekends.

He couldn't believe it and neither could I, but then Rosie's always been a special lamb.

 

 

The Mad Mower, Continued

We've had quite a bit of grass growth this summer here at Struan Farm due to (unusually) decent rainfall. And with only 110 lambs on the property they can barely keep up with the growth.

While the lambs have managed to eat down a good part of the paddock in front of our house, John decided it was time to help them out and take to his mower. The mower is 4WD, but as you can see the bowl in front is reasonably steep.  

 

I watched to supervise unruly behaviour, there was only one harrowing moment. And so the Mad Mower survives to mow another day, the mower will be taken in for a service shortly, and the lambs are happy to have some freshly mown grass without seed heads. All is right with the world!

The New Gardens Take Shape

Yes, a wee progress report. Nephew Mike has now done the hard yards digging up the areas marked out for new flower beds at our house at Struan Farm.

Now it's over to me to supplement the soil with sheep manure and blood and bone. Once we're got autumn leaves on the ground we'll also put those on the new beds. I'm already thinking about what to plant here. Have some plants grown from cuttings that are likely candidates.

On the Sauce

No, not what you may think, rather slow roasted tomato sauce. Ripe tomatoes continue to come at me here at Struan Farm. The good news is that I have now perfected my own version of a slow roasted tomato sauce I'm happy with (or with which I'm happy, to use proper grammar!).

I put 1.5kg of quartered tomatoes in a roasting pan lined with baking paper (this makes clean up MUCH easier). Also four cloves of garlic (peeled) and one onion peeled and cut into small wedges. Sprinkle with dried oregano and basil. Separately, mix 1/4 cup tomato paste, 2 Tbls. sugar, 2 Tbls. olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss this mixture through the tomatoes, onions and garlic to coat. I use my hands, it's messy but achieves the outcome desired. Roast for 2-2 1/2 hours in a preheated 160 degree C oven. You can simply turn off the oven after two hours and let everything cool and caramelise further in the oven. Once cool, puree in a food processor. 

This makes a tasty sauce for pasta and pizza. That being said, the smell of lovely roasted tomatoes was so overpowering on the kitchen bench last night that I couldn't resist using some for pasta, un-pureed, and it was delicious with some buffalo mozzarella and freshly grated parmesan. Not sure how it would freeze without being pureed, if it would get mushy? Any thoughts on this let me know, since I have a few more batches yet to make over the next week or so. I will test one out.

 

Resting on One's Laurels

Interesting to learn this past weekend from sister-in-law Julie that our English Laurel trees at Struan Farm have dark purple edible fruit at this time of the year. Something that John and I had never noticed. And so we keep learning from the trees and gardens around us (as well as from the Robertson siblings). Or better perhaps to say "being educated." 

Prunus laurocerasus is commonly called "Cherry Laurel" or "English Laurel." The leaves and fruit pips are poisonous. The birds seem to love the fruit. People have reportedly confused these with Laurus nobilis, bay leaves that are used in cooking, and this is not a good thing to do! They do look very different although both can be used for hedges. When in doubt, check it out...

Fruitful

Interesting to see a number of trees "fruiting" around us at this time of year at Struan Farm. Remember the flowering dogwood tree, under which two couples got married this past summer? At the moment it is covered in beautiful red fruit. The fruit is/are commonly called "strawberries," but on closer examination they do look more like raspberries. As the flowers die away the green centres mature and turn red. The birds love eating them. The fruit is edible but I haven't tested that out personally just yet!

A different sort of beauty but beautiful nonetheless.