Struan Farm

Back Playing in the Dirt

As reported, friends Kris and Bob went back to California earlier this week. While it was great fun having them visit for three weeks, suffice it to say that not a lot of work got done around Struan Farm.  I'm now needing to crack into things big time. It's that time of the year.

All of the gardens at the Homestead and new(ish) house need to be weeded and cut back, fertilised, mulched. The autumn leaves are starting to fall in the Pet Paddock, at the Cottage and by the pond, so those will get raked up and put onto garden beds and into the compost bins, with help from Mike. Bulbs get planted once the annual shipment arrives from NZ Bulbs. (More tulips, daffodils, and some ranuculus inspired by friend Linda Ducruet. I'm thinking they should arrive next week.) I started planting the new griselinia hedge down the drive at the house before Kris and Bob arrived, this needs to be finished. The veggie garden troughs that are done for the season need digging, compost, and maybe "green manure" seeds planted if I can get around to it (those are grown and then dug in to put nitrogen into the soil once they get to a certain size). Three new garden beds have been dug up and fertilised/composted--they're ready and waiting for me, calling out for plants. And last but not least, I've ordered five bare root Luisa plum trees from McGrath Nurseries in nearby Cambridge. Need to figure out where we'll put those "in due course."

I started with the small new garden in the front of the house to ease back into things. John planted our new weeping cercis here this past weekend, I'd purchased it a few weeks ago at Big Jim's Garden Centre in New Plymouth. This tree has recently been introduced into NZ and isn't large, won't get much bigger than it is. The foliage colour works well with the colour of the house, and it should be pretty when flowering in spring. I dug out a buxus/box hedge that ran across the smaller existing bed and redeployed those plants, also popped in several shrubs to give this enlarged area some more colour and texture. We only need a few bags of fresh mulching bark to finish this and then it can all settle in. I won't trim the buxus until the roots are re-established, so the hedge will look a bit wobbly in the meantime.

But I'm off and running, back playing in the dirt, hooray!

 

The Last Gasp

We've had a beautiful, warm autumn here at Struan Farm in Piopio, but the changes they are a comin'. "One" can feel it in the chilly nights and cool mornings. Piopio Berry Orchard is about to close for the season; the blueberries are over and done with and the autumn raspberries petered out this week. 

"One" can also see it in the gardens, where "one" is having to work considerably more to assemble "one's" flower arrangements. Radio pundits have reported that the dahlias are continuing to bloom much later than normal this year, but I do recall that they finish the summer/autumn flower season for us typically, and are often still flowering when everything else has finished. So while they've bloomed earlier and thus longer this year, I'm not sure the pundits are all that right about when dahlias normally finish their annual show, at least for us in the King Country.

But this is pretty much the last gasp:

Special thanks to "Frilly Jilly," an orange rose that hangs in there when everyone else is ready for a long's winter nap, and to the last of the hydrangea and delphiniums (delphinea?). 

The Pesto Posse

Visiting friend Kris noticed that I had quite the surplus of both basil and parsley in the veggie gardens here at Struan Farm this past week. So she offered to make up batches of pesto, enlisting husband Bob as "sous chef." I was happy to let them have at it, and now have several additional batches of basil pesto as well as parsley walnut pesto and parsley pecan pesto in the freezer, lucky us!

Only problem now is that this used up all of our stash of last year's walnuts, and I really need to start cracking this year's walnut harvest that's been drying out in the garage...haven't had any volunteers to help with that!

Celebratory Quince

Despite all the recent talk about apples, it was a bag of fragrant, jumbo quince that made the journey back to Struan Farm with me from Nelson. There was a pending birthday (and wedding anniversary) dinner to organise, and I figured that Nigel Slater's roast quince recipe would do justice both to the special occasions and this beautiful fruit for dessert. The ancient Greeks gave quince as a ritual offering at weddings, so very appropriate for an anniversary dessert, at least in my book!

You will know of course that quince cannot be eaten raw. They are hard as a rock, albeit an exceedingly fragrant one. When cooked down they are transformed in yummy deliciousness. This particular recipe, with star anise, cloves and maple syrup, is magic-- I've sung its praises previously and will continue to do so. 

p.s. still trying to grow quince here at Struan Farm. We have three trees in the orchard, which are several years old. They flowered profusely for the first time this past year, but had no fruit, which was disappointing. It's been suggested that I use a paint brush to try to pollinate them if the bees aren't up to it, but we do have lots of bees around. I am determined that we will get there eventually, one way or another. I want to grow my own quince!

 

Picnic at Waikawau

After attending the ANZAC Day commemoration service in Piopio yesterday friends Kris, Bob and I headed off for a picnic at the beach. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to take them to Waikawau Beach. We drove south on the main road from Struan Farm to Awakino and turned right at the sign to Marakopa. This road used to be metal in some parts but is now entirely sealed, at least until you turn off to head to Waikawau where it turns to metal, into one lane and gets "interesting." There's an old stock tunnel carved through the hillside that opens out to a beautiful rugged black sand West Coast beach. It was a fun spot for Kris and Bob on their last day here. 

For me this sort of spot epitomises New Zealand: so near, but yet so far. Close to civilisation, yet wild and remote. We were the only ones there!

In Honour of ANZAC Day

You probably don't know that we have two historic landmarks on the property here at Struan Farm: trenches dug by the Piopio Home Guardsmen during WWII to defend against possible Japanese invasion. It was thought that the Japanese might attack the Arapuni Power Station, something that would have crippled the North Island of New Zealand during the war.

John's brother Carrick erected copper signs years ago at both sites to commemorate these pieces of history. One is in an area of the farm called the "Bull Paddock," and is much easier to walk to than the other, which is down a hill in bush overlooking the main road.

Awhile ago I'd learned that Piopio resident Ron Bevege was involved in digging the trenches on our farm from his grandson Aaron. I went to see Ron to learn more about it, since the Robertson family really didn't know all that much other than the fact they were on the farm, they certainly didn't know that people in the community they knew had actually dug them!

This past week The Waitomo News decided to write a story about the Piopio Home Guard as part of its ANZAC Day publication, and brought Ron and Stan Neal, another area resident who was also in the Home Guard, out to the farm to share their stories.

The main strategy was to block the road through the Awakino Gorge by felling large trees, backed up by machine gun emplacements in a number of trenches that were dug by hand.

Ron (now 90) joined the Home Guard in 1941 when he was 15, while Stan (now 89) joined in 1944 at age 18. The Piopio Guard was led by Arthur Ronaldson, a veteran of WW1. 

Trainings were held on the Piopio Primary School grounds with a rifle range on farmland nearby. The defence HQ was in a woolshed next to the bridge over the Mangaotaki River. This structure is still standing by the roadside; John and I are thinking it needs a sign too given its historical status.

We will remember them.

An Apple A Day

As advertised, I wanted to share with you some of our apple related encounters while recently down in Nelson. The region is well known as an apple growing area, although many of the old orchard properties have been redeveloped into housing over time. 

Richards' Orchard Fruit Stall in Mapua is always on my flight path for heirloom/heritage varieties of apples, plums, quince, and pears in season.  

This year our trip coincided with the Wakefield Heritage Apple Fair, a fantastic community event. People were able to bring their apples for pressing into juice, or buy freshly squeezed apple juice at the fair as well as apples (and other foods/goodies). Teams of people were working away at various apple presses during the day, something that was really interesting to watch. Richards set up an exhibition of various heritage/heirloom varieties, some for tasting and sale. Entertainment included Morris dancers and a ukelele band, with games and apple bobbing for kids. It was a genuine, special community event.

And yes, the freshly pressed juice was delicious!

I was also able to get more information on a few of the apple varieties we have at Struan Farm, including Akane, Cox's Orange Pippin, Peasgood Nonsuch, Granny Smith, and Monty's Surprise. The latter is the only NZ apple amongst the lot.

As you can see, with the exception of Monty's Surprise, these varieties have been around for quite a long time. Interesting really, at least to me.

I'm thinking there's an apple press in my future, it would be great to be able to make freshly pressed juice with our apples at Struan Farm, especially as our eight trees start to produce fruit in greater volume.
 

 

Road Trip: Across the Street, oops Strait

Yes, crossing the Cook Strait to the South Island came next. Kris, Bob and I took the Interislander Ferry across to Picton from Wellington. Driving the car onto the ferry was a first for me.  Since I don't know my way around Wellington by car all that well, it was definitely an early morning challenge, but we got there without any problem.

It was a beautiful day for the crossing:

From Picton we stopped in Blenheim for a quick lunch enroute to our final destination, Nelson. I'd forgotten that Kris and Bob are serious wine afficionados, and with the route from Blenheim to Nelson packed with amazing wineries and vineyards the driver was asked to detour by just a few cellar doors for tasting: Fromm, Seresin (both an organic and biodynamic producer), Spy Valley, and last but not least, Gibson Bridge. At this time of year grapes are being frantically harvested 24/7 (as are apples), so it's an interesting time to visit the region. A stop at Gibson Bridge was recommended to us by Fromm given our interest in pinot gris; the boutique winery is making acclaimed and innovative wines with this particular varietal.  The owner Howard spent quite a bit of time with us explaining their wines, philosophy and business. I had never heard of them before this, but we're now dedicated fans for sure.

After these pitstops we made it to Nelson, where sunny blue skies reigned supreme for our entire visit. The following day we popped over to Golden Bay, finishing up in Mapua for an early sunset dinner at Jellyfish Cafe on the wharf.

Our real reason for having an early dinner in Mapua was to attend the opening of the Pastel Artists of New Zealand's national exhibition at the nearby community hall. Friend Glen Davenport, and as it turns out friend Anne Bannock, were two of the artists with pieces on exhibition. So after dinner we spent some time browsing and admiring pastel works from across New Zealand.

The remainder of our time in Nelson was spent walking on Tahunanui Beach, going to the fantastic Nelson Market on Saturday, and the Wakefield Heritage Apple Fair on Sunday. 

Apples deserve a separate post, which you'll see next. I might even throw in a quince or two!

 

Road Trip: Lest We Forget

Next stop on the road trip was Wellington, where we needed to overnight before taking an early morning Interislander Ferry across the Cook Strait to the South Island.

I'd heard from several people that it was important to see the Gallipoli exhibition at Te Papa, and with ANZAC Day coming up it was good historical context for visitors Kris and Bob. After checking into our hotel off we went! Lucky for us it was a beautiful day in Wellington.

Developed in conjunction with Weta Workshop, the exhibition profiles a number of individuals who went to Gallipoli, putting their experiences into context with particular events. Putting names and larger than life faces to those events served to humanise them, at least for me, making the exhibition quite an emotional experience.

I managed to maintain my composure winding through the exhibition, reading the various formatted displays about the landing and events, until I saw this: 

A chart of the percentage of each national force wounded or killed on Gallipoli. New Zealand was by far the highest, at 93%. I started crying, couldn't help myself. Fortunately this was towards the end of the exhibition, where there are paper poppies. Visitors are invited to write a note on a poppy in remembrance of a family member or commenting on their reactions to the exhibit. I simply reported that I was in tears from it all.

At the very end of the exhibition there is a screen where the national online cenotaph can be accessed. A museum docent helped me look up my father-in-law, who is indeed listed.

Yes, more tears! The bookshop outside had a box of tissues on the counter, so it seems I wasn't the only one overcome by it all.

In need of a lighter note, we spent the rest of the afternoon on a tour over at the Weta Workshop "Weta Cave."  At the entrance we encountered several trolls who have obviously escaped from our friends at Trollshaw Forest, aka Hairy Feet Waitomo. 

Naughty trolls!

 

 

 

 

Road Trip: Finding Frida

Sorry for dropping the ball for a few days this week. I've been away from Struan Farm, on the road for the past week or so with visiting friends Kris and Bob. I will fill you in on what we've been up to over the next several days.

Upon leaving Piopio our first overnight stop was Palmerston North, where we went to the Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science & History to see the Frida Kahlo photography exhibition. 

Te Manawa is the only stop in New Zealand for this touring collection of recently discovered personal photographs of Kahlo. They had been sealed up in Casa Azul, the house she shared with artist Diego Rivera, upon her death in 1954.

While we all knew quite a bit about Frida Kahlo's art and her relationship with Diego Rivera, all of us learned quite a bit more about her early family life and education, the debilitating treatments she endured for a serious injury sustained in a bus crash, her various romantic liaisons, and her political activities during a turbulent, revolutionary time in Mexico. 

Definitely worth a visit!

Aunt Alice's Fuchsia

I like the idea of saving and planting flowers, trees and shrubs that have a Robertson family connection here at Struan Farm, and this would be one of those. Call them whatever you may: heritage, heirloom, or just old, hard-to-find varieties.

Sister-in-law Anna recently sold her house in Te Kuiti to move elsewhere. Before that happened we wandered her garden to decide what, if anything, I should take a cutting from for our new gardens here. And this was our choice. Anna called it "Marg's Mother's Fuchsia." In fact, "Marg's mother" was her (and John's) Aunt Alice. So I've christened it "Aunt Alice's Fuchsia." The cuttings have taken off, and at least one will be planted out in one of our new garden beds this winter.

I was glad to see it flowering, so hope it's happy in Piopio.  

Even-steven?

Before we travelled up north with visiting friends last week I would have said it was "even-steven" between the winter lettuce planted outside and that planted inside the glasshouse here at Struan Farm. One variety has germinated first in both locations. However, while we were away, that planted in the glasshouse has surged ahead (along with self seeding tomatoes and weeds in the compost in the box too, I might add..).

 

It's a thrilling race, I know. But could this actually mean home grown salad greens in winter for us here in Piopio? Fingers and toes firmly crossed!

Talking Turkey

We've had several wild turkeys grazing in the paddock bowl in front of the new(ish) house at Struan Farm for the past two weeks or so. I'm afraid they're closing in on my veggie gardens, and am going to do basically whatever I can to stop that. 

My latest ploy is to have Clifford patrol the perimeter when I see them around. He's too old to catch them, but he does scare them off. They fly up into trees.

 

This bird's name is Henrietta. I've told her to move along to friendlier pastures, either across the road or next door. Suffice it to say she's been warned!

The Oystercatchers of Kellys Bay

Yes, travels up north, continued. For some reason Kellys Bay up in the Kaipara near Dargaville attracts a huge number of pied oystercatchers on the beach, something bird watchers visiting the area really shouldn't miss. It's worth the drive out to see them if you're interested in birds at all.

Apparently the locals aren't that keen about the birds, we were told they find them noisy and annoying. A gentleman I bumped into told me the numbers this day were actually lower than normal. He also said they were eating all of the flounder!

 

Tree Huggers

Our recent travels up north this past week included walks in the Waipoua Forest to see the ancient kauri trees, including Tane Mahuta, Lord of the Forest, the largest remaining kauri tree in NZ, and Te Matua Ngahere, Father of the Forest and the oldest remaining tree.

Thanks to John we took an amazing evening tour into this bush with Footprints Waipoua, learning much about the trees, bush, and local guardians of the forest. While friend Kris wasn't into hugging any of the trees, Bob and I decided to go for it:

And as the small group was led out of the forest in the dark by our guide Billy Boy we were lucky enough to hear the call of a male kiwi (bird, not human). Very special! 

Travels Up North

Just returned to Struan Farm from several days up north in the Kaipara District with friends Kris and Bob visiting from California. Enjoy some of the sights and the road less travelled!

 

 

Velvet Earthstar Landing

Sounds almost like a David Bowie song, doesn't it? John and I were walking with friends in one of our QEII Trust bush reserves here at Struan Farm a few days ago. I looked down on the path, and found this:

Quite unusual, isn't it? Unlike anything I've seen around the property before. We decided it must be a fungus of some sort based on texture vs. something that had dropped off a tree. I checked my trusty fungi reference guide, "Mushrooms and Other Fungi of New Zealand" by Geoff Ridley, and confirmed this right away: "Velvet Earthstar, Geastrum triplex." 

It turns out that "earthstars" are a type of puffball in which the fruit-body wall is made of three layers. The outer wall splits and curls back like a star. Spores are puffed out when raindrops (or Karen's finger) hit the inner puffball.

Yep, we just keep learning about the natural world around us here at Struan Farm! And p.s. I took Velvet Earthstar back to where I found her, on the ground in the bush.

We All Need Our Space

You will remember that I've noted previously that vegetables are great teachers? I was referring to tomatoes at the time. Well I've also learned a new lesson from my pumpkin patch at Struan Farm, where I'd planted out spaghetti squash, Marina di Chioggia and Musquee de Provence pumpkins (maybe also Jarrahdale or Queensland Blue, but I can't remember now either way on that one). Over the summer I watched in horror as the spaghetti squash grew to huge proportions while there were no pumpkins in sight. In fact, we'd wanted relatively more pumpkins than spaghetti squash, you know how that works.

Yep, spaghetti squash is an Alpha Male, a veritable bully of the vegetable world. It pushes everything else out of the way. Fortunately for me the squash have grown and matured, making way for a few pumpkins to grow and hopefully ripen in time before the first frost. The squash are so huge there is no way we can possibly eat this much/many. I spend a bit of time each day cheering the pumpkins on, willing them to grow and ripen. (Must confess that a few spaghetti squash have gone straight to the compost bin.) I think I'll end up with one-two Marina di Chioggia, two-three Musquee de Provence, and one mystery. The pumpkins have told me in future they need their own space, like people do, and they've stretched out of their fenced patch to grow around the surrounding lawn and water tank to make their point.

It's funny because most people would say that pumpkins can grow anywhere, like wildfire. That's simply not the case when they have to fight it out with spaghetti squash. Lesson learned. Next year: just pumpkins in the patch!

One Potato, Two Potato, Too Many Potatoes?

It's time for a bit of seasonal transition in the backyard veggie gardens here at Struan Farm. Spent tomato plants have been pulled up, except for a few with some decent fruit still green and ripening. Those plants remaining have been trimmed up so that the fruit is exposed and can ripen asap. Broad beans, silver beet/swiss chard and peas have been planted, along with winter lettuces, kale, and second instalments of beets and carrots.

One final job outstanding was to clean out the potato patch, a complete weed fest. One can't really weed when the potatoes are growing; if one pulls weeds one risks pulling out green potatoes as well. And so "one" waited while the weeds grew along with the potatoes.

Everything is now weeded and all of the remaining potatoes dug. Quite the harvest! I'm not sure what we'll do with them, perhaps we will share the wealth.

Noshing on Nashi

I need to make a confession: I sampled the first nashi grown at Struan Farm. I pulled it off the tree and bit into it, didn't wait for John. He'll get over it. It was AMAZING, a complete surprise. Juicy and delicious, quite flavourful. My only experience with nashi has been the supermarket kind: crisp and crunchy but with little taste.  This is a completely different fruit, and I want more of them.

We purchased our Nashi Dual: Nijiseki/Hosui tree last winter from Masons Garden Centre in nearby Te Awamutu. The tree is actually a graft of two different varieties, so self-pollinating. I sampled the Nijiseki fruit, which has yellow green clear skin, the Hosui is brown russet skinned. 

We will be planting another one of these this winter for sure--Masons here we come!