Struan Farm

First BBQ at the River

It had been a hot, beautiful summer day here at Struan Farm and I'd thawed steak for dinner. John and I had been waiting for the perfect night to test out the new BBQ area down at the river, and this seemed to be it.

It was! 

While I didn't bring down the good china, I did bring a table cloth and flowers. Eye fillet cooked over hot manuka/tea tree coals with salad and a glass of wine was just perfect after a good day's work at Struan Farm. The BBQ constructed by nephew Mike works really well, glad we had a chance to test it out so we can have farmstay guests enjoy it too.

And guess who we came across munching in the paddock right next to the BBQ area? Rosie! Of course we found a apple or two for her.

 

Plum Lucky

Plums, plums, plums. And organic plums at that. Just from one tree here at Struan Farm. It may be time for me to try bottling/canning for the first time, so stay tuned!

In Solidarity

There's been a demand here at Struan Farm in Piopio since the recent U.S. inauguration and women's marches worldwide for me to make pussy hats, or at least one hat to be shared by Clifford, the pet lambs, the gnomes, the buddhas, Gandalf, and me. (John thinks they're silly despite supporting the cause.)

I'm a bit late, I know. I've been busy with farmstay guests, gardens, and garden tours. But I understand the movement will continue for the duration, so have finished our pussy hat.

At the last minute the pet lambs refused to participate in the photo shoot because the hat I've made isn't 100% wool (it's cashmere). They've demanded that I make them one that's 100% wool. Okay, well in due course Cookie, Tootsie, Mickey and Minnie. Rosie, Ruby, Pip and Pepper are wandering the farm but I'm sure would have been much more supportive!






 

Summer Fruit Cake

Yes, another summer dessert experiment. This time "Summer Fruit Cake" from Nourish magazine (readers note the recipe is posted there). They published a link on FB with a delicious looking photo that captured my attention. (Basically at this time of year any recipe involving berries and plums gets my attention.) With the plums in our orchard at Struan Farm now ripe and ready to be used, I need to put them to good use.

This is a VERY EASY recipe. A simple batter (self-raising flour, eggs, melted butter, sugar) is put into a springform pan, topped by your choice of fruit then dusted with sugar and cinnamon. I used some of our Struan Farm plums along with Piopio Berry Orchard blueberries and raspberries. The trick is to make sure the batter is cooked sufficiently through all that fruit. In my oven this took longer than advertised in the recipe, so be sure to check. But it was really delicious, served with a dollop of yogurt.

Flower Power

I'm having fun playing around with the edible flowers I've grown this summer here at Struan Farm. My latest experiment was to put calendula and cornflower petals in our dinner salad, along with a nasturtium or two. The fresh organic baby lettuce was (of course) from our veggie garden, along with the first of the cherry toms. The vibrant colours look fantastic, don't you think? And while John isn't too keen on eating flowers (it seems to be a conceptual thing with him), for once he didn't protest!

Let Sleeping Hedgehogs Lie

I was out weeding in the gardens a few days ago, and came across Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle snoozing in the mulch near a flowering shrub. As you will know, she's a friend of Beatrice Potter, and is in NZ on holiday here at Struan Farm.

My mantra is "let sleeping hedgehogs lie," however I wanted to make sure she was alive and kicking. So I gave her a wee poke to make sure. Oops, this disturbed her, and I had to withdraw and apologise!

She said "harumph" and waddled out to the lawn and then slowly off into the gardens....