Struan Farm

Ephemera Encountered

We've been cracking into the Homestead gardens here at Struan Farm ahead of a wedding next weekend. Normally this is the time of year when there's a big seasonal clean out, but I've been talking to the dahlias and zinnias, asking them to hold on for just a bit longer, along with the "vintage" hydrangea. Thankfully the camellias are starting to come on, along with some autumn colour. Fingers crossed on the weather, it's that time of the year, but the bride has organised a marquis/tent "just in case."

During my tidy up efforts I came across a massive skeleton leaf, the largest I've ever seen:

Here's the same photo with a 12 inch ruler (31 centimetres) for scale:

I think this was a hydrangea leaf in its previous life. Fragile but rather amazing!

Tupping Time

The rams have been put out with the ewes here at Struan Farm, it's that time. John remembered that it used to be called "tupping," so I did a bit of homework. It's still called "tupping." "Tup" is an alternative term for ram. 

 

Hopefully former pet lambs Rosie, Ruby, Pip, Pepper and Cookie are feeling fertile. All have had lambs previously except for Cookie, who was deemed a bit young last year and managed to avoid the ram's advances with some help from mum to move between paddocks.

In A Pickle

I'm contending with a bit of a surplus position of long red chiles from the veggie gardens here at Struan Farm, or "chillies" to spell things the kiwi way. I've been putting them in a ziplock bag in the freezer, but since that is now bulging with a stash that should cover my needs for the next year, creativity is required. 

A recent Donna Hay "Fresh & Light" magazine, issue #11, had a section with recipes for making pickled vegetables,  including carrots, cabbage, green tomatoes and chillies. Basically just the sort of produce we're all having surplus of in our veggie gardens at the moment. I decided to give the "pickled chillies" recipe a try.

The chillies are chopped/sliced and left to sit in a colander over a bowl after being sprinkled with sea salt flakes for a wee while.

Apple cider vinegar, water, and honey are stirred together in a large jug, the honey needs to dissolve.

After the chillies have had their stint in the colander (30 minutes), they are put into a sterilised jar with several peeled cloves of garlic and coriander seeds.

The liquid is then poured into the jar. Once sealed, it goes into the fridge, and can be used after two days. It will last up to one month refrigerated. 

This is a very easy recipe. I'm just not sure I can use this many pickled chiles/chillies in a month, but I'll give it a try!

First Feijoas

Our fruit trees have been relatively well behaved this year here at Struan Farm, delivering in sequence rather than all at once. I'm meant to tell you that I planned it all that way, that this was based on careful research, picking varieties timed to ripen at certain points in the season. But I won't pull your leg. This is purely thanks to the grace and goodwill of Mother Nature.

Now that peaches, quince and apples are done (except for Monty), it's time for feijoas. The fruit is related to guava, and a New Zealand thing. I'd never seen a feijoa before I travelled to and lived in NZ. And it's taken me years and years to like them. They have a rather musty, unique flavour. People tend to enjoy them or not. It turns out that different cultivars have somewhat different flavours. I planted a "Kaiteri" down by the back gate at the Homestead and found myself actually liking the fruit. They are large but don't taste quite as musty. They are meant to be the feijoa for people who don't like feijoas, although I hadn't known that when I bought the tree.

Feijoas are ripe when they fall to the ground, and I've just found the first one with more to come. We're a bit later in Piopio that areas to the north, but that's fine since it gets us through the other fruit in the orchard first. Right now we're enjoying feijoas and figs, both rather slowly.

The fruit can be eaten fresh from the shell, bottled/frozen, used in baking, or made into jams and jelly. We eat them fresh since these are still relatively small trees, so not huge numbers just yet.

 

A New Neighbour

John insisted that I go down to the Pet Paddock here at Struan Farm and say hello to the new neighbour:

A lovely new little calf. Curious but staying pretty close to mum and two other cows hanging out along our boundary fence.

Curious just to a point, since when the photographer got too close it was time to run away!

We'll say hello again when I'm back to pick figs and walnuts.