Struan Farm

Cheesy but Good

On my recent trip to California friend Laura introduced me to making parmesan crisps. They're quite easy to make and are great with drinks for nibbles or as a crunchy element in soup or salads. Put approximately one tablespoon grated parmesan on a baking tray lined with paper, pressing slightly to flatten. I baked mine in a 190C oven set on fan bake for about four-five minutes. The trick is to watch them closely. You want them crisp, turning golden. If undercooked they will be chewy and if overcooked they will burn. I would also recommend that you grate your own cheese, since the stuff sold in packets isn't grated as finely as needed to make these.

They are especially delicious just warm from the oven. Not sure how much in advance they can be made before being eaten, and they don't last long once the first bite is taken. I dusted a few with smoked paprika, which was quite good. John, who likes all things cheese, is now a huge fan. We enjoyed them with my homemade BBC Tomato Soup for lunch. Thanks for the inspiration, Laura! 

On Hills, foolishly or not

Jack and Jill went up one, they're alive in the Sound of Music, and there's a fool on one too, if you remember that last song. It was written by Paul McCartney, about a man who appears to be a fool but is in fact quite wise. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 recorded the most well known "cover," that's the version I remember.

That fool could very well be me, trying to tackle Hydrangea Hill between rain showers a few days ago. It's time to cut back our 80+ hydrangeas and 30+ roses here at Struan Farm, weather permitting. 

"Weather permitting" being the operative phrase. My supervisor kept coming by and tut-tutting, but I kept at it until the trailer was full and the downpour rather steady. A wise woman does know when to call it a day.

 

The Beauty in Brrrr

In winter we get frosts here at Struan Farm. At least when the weather is sunny and clear, that is to say when it's not raining. Sometimes the frosts can be quite hard, and it looks to be one of those winters. But I've realised that frosty mornings can be quite scenic if I take the time to notice. There's beauty in brrrr.

Yesterday I was heading into town for a food shop, but got waylaid after tying up Clifford and locking everything up. The view from our house once again captured me. Of course I had to go back inside to grab my camera, it was too good not to share.

Say it with me now: BRRRRR. 

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Do you remember this song by Peter, Paul and Mary? I do, it was written by folk singer Pete Seeger.

At the moment I find myself looking at the print I brought home to Struan Farm from California with the Matisse quote: "There are always flowers for those who want to see them." Because I've got a wee bit of a problem, something I discovered when I went out to put together a flower arrangement for farmstay visitors this past weekend.

The hellebores in the roadside wooded garden at the Homestead have almost disappeared. There used to be a virtual forest, each winter I'd gather masses of the droopy, delicate blossoms to put into vases. I'm afraid that when John waged chemical warfare against the Japanese anemone this past summer he either confused hellebores with Japanese anemones or they were collateral damage in his eradication campaign. Either way, it's not good news, since these are/were my winter flowers. 

Some remain. But they were also hit in other parts of the garden, I'm assuming by the same culprit, for the same reason. These are flowers that date back to John's mum, delicate "winter roses" that self seed.

I will continue to see the flowers that remain, and rebuild.

Shorn and Shivering

The pregnant ewes at Struan Farm got shorn a few days ago by Farmer John. It's something that happens shortly before they deliver lambs, to reduce their weight and make it easier for them. I'm not sure they appreciate that fact at the moment, given our frosty mornings, but they'll cope. At least the sun is shining to provide them some warmth.

He's shearing them over two days, this is the first lot. Rosie, Ruby, Pip and Pepper overnighted with the remainder of the mob in the wool shed. They might not have liked that, but I suspect they were warmer than this group inside with their longer fleece.

 

Celebrating Winter Solstice, Belatedly

I confess, I was two days late planting my garlic and shallots here at Struan Farm. They are meant to be planted on the shortest day of the year in June and harvested on the longest in December. The planets and stars were aligned for Matariki but I was not. Shall we just say "better late than never" and move on? Let's. 

Several rows of garlic and one+ of shallots have been popped into the well fertilised soil (sheep manure and blood and bone). I discovered some of last season's shallots sprouting so decided to pop those into the ground to see what happens too.

 

A Winter's Break

Yes, I went away overseas. You might not have figured that out, since I wrote and scheduled blog posts to keep things humming while I was gone from Struan Farm. There are almost always enough stories to tell, things that happen, to do that. Typepad did have a bit of a malfunction, not posting to Twitter or FB for a day or so, but I was able to chase them up and get things corrected from afar.

John and I flew over to Southern California together for a wee winter's break. He had a business meeting, then headed back to New Zealand. We stayed together for a few nights at the westdrift Manhattan Beach, formerly the Marriott, after which I went to stay with friends. We had a chance to do a bit of shopping for him, visit Whole Foods to experience that situation, and go for walks. I lived in Manhattan Beach many years ago now. Much has changed but much has remained the same. I still know my way around and am able to adjust to driving on the right hand side of the road in all that traffic. 

The weather was perfect:

The avos reasonably priced, even at the high end gourmet supermarket, Bristol Farms:

Once I got down to Corona del Mar/Newport Beach to stay with friends Laura and John the gourmet fare improved considerably. Breakfasts were homemade muesli (Struan Farm's recipe), fresh berries, Siggi's low fat, low sugar Icelandic style "skyr" yogurt, and freshly ground coffee. Lunches included Taco Maria, the LA Times' Restaurant of 2018, Zinc Cafe  ,with its healthy salads, and Le Pain Quotidien, where we had a "grains bowl" made with quinoa, farro, kale, roasted kumara/sweet potato, pecans and goat cheese.  

At Taco Maria we enjoyed a starter called "aguachiles," scallops marinated in citrus juices and cilantro (coriander) oil with thin slivers of watermelon radish and cilantro flowers. For our mains we tried a fish and a chicken taco each that were made with blue corn tortillas. I preferred the chicken mole, Laura preferred the fish. Either way, the food was excellent and service outstanding. I'm going to try making the aguachiles, since we can grow watermelon radishes here and make coriander oil. With scallops from the Marlborough Sounds, of course.

 

I was introduced to "poke," raw ahi tuna with various seasonings, at Bear Flag Fish Company. I will definitely try to make "poke" once I can get my hands on some sushi grade tuna from Egmont Seafoods. They've told me it's stocked on Wednesdays, and they can courier. The Bear Flag recipe seems to have chile sauce, black and white sesame seeds, and perhaps a splash of lime juice. We shall test it out. And as you would expect everything tastes better with chips and guacamole.

 

We enjoyed local produce and Icelandic cod at The Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens. Their tagline is "field to fork." Our server wasn't quite up with the play in describing the provenance of the food, but I was interested to learn that passionfruit is now being grown in California. Most Americans have never seen or tasted it, don't know how to use it. Dinner my last night was in Laguna Beach at Broadway by Amar Santana. This was by far the most hip and happening place I dined at. Laura, John and I shared a dessert called "The Beehive," a wonderful honey goat cheese mousse based on an almond sponge, encased in meringue with elderflower jelly, honeycomb, edible flowers, and honey ice cream. The people watching was also quite good.

 

Aside from the gourmet extravaganza, there were lots of long walks and shopping (of course). The wardrobe and makeup stash were refreshed, along with some bed linens. Regrettably I had to jettison some rather special Temecula Olive Oil Company balsamic vinegar (apple) and olive oil (roasted garlic) due to Air NZ luggage restrictions. Laura was the winner on that one. I've contacted them to see if they might be able to ship to me, along with their honey balsamic and pomegranate balsamic. It was very hard to choose amongst them! Their shop in Laguna has a tasting room, a great idea.

While I normally read quite a number of books when I travel, I didn't manage to do so this trip. Jet lag got the better of me, it was a shorter trip. On the flights over and back I did watch a few movies: "Four Billboards," "Moana," "Ladybird," "The Battle of the Sexes," "I, Tonya," and "Paddington 2." I realised too late that I should have swapped out Paddington for "Phantom Threads," actor Daniel Day-Lewis' final film before retirement, but we may get around to seeing that one here in NZ.

It was a good break. The warmth and sunshine helped my Vitamin D levels and mood generally, I had a good fill of avocados, and I'm looking less "farm-y" according to John, my fashion advisor. Anticipating the impending demise of plastic grocery bags, I returned home with a supply of reusable shopping bags from Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. They are good sized and cost quite a bit less than the $6.99 being charged at New World for those burlap Trelise Cooper numbers!

Oh, and my only impractical purchase?

It will be transformed into a Christmas decoration, eventually, once I finish the grandchildrens' Christmas stockings. Santa at the Beach, a very Kiwi concept, from Jebba Needlepoint in Corona del Mar. He had to come home to Piopio with me.

 

 

 

A Teaser: Thoughts About Flowers

Hi there. I'll be back blogging properly soon. We've got farmstay guests arriving today and I'm still settling back into the groove here at Struan Farm after being overseas for ten days. I'll tell you about that too.

In the meantime, here are two items that came home with me. The first is a quote by Henri Matisse:

The second is a tea towel that will help me get through the remainder of winter in Piopio, when the wind and rain are blowing sideways:

 

Eager for Greener Pastures

I have to laugh. When the ewes see me coming now they think it's time to move paddocks here at Struan Farm. Even if they've just been moved that morning. They can't help themselves, the allure of fresh grass, greener pastures, is way too strong.

I had to tell them it wasn't going to happen today. Pepper, who never looks me in the eye, took the news well, as did Pip. They've got more than enough to eat where they are and they know it. Rosie just figures she'll get through the fence when she wants to, so isn't phased either way!

As you know Rosie pretty much runs the show around here.

Peaceful at the River

Early winter afternoon light down at the Mangaotaki River here at Struan Farm. What's not to like? You just need to remember to get down before the sun starts to dip below the hills.

There's an interesting driftwood sculpture at the sandy beach below the rapids. Wonder how long that will stay there this winter? 

 

Beside the Old Race

Sheep are loaded onto stock trucks here in NZ via wooden ramps called "races." Ours here at Struan Farm was at the back gate on this part of the original farm, but it has been de-constructed given the small number of sheep run on the remaining property (100-130 depending on feed and the year). Instead we've built a new race right next to the wool shed and the yard, which is more convenient to use.

Beside the Old Race and the back gate a gnarly but delicate maple tree grows. Often overlooked, it wanted me to tell you that it's at its best this time of the year. 

It seems even quiet, shy trees want some attention some days too.

 

An Outing for the Blackcurrants

It was time for the blackcurrants to come out. From the freezer here at Struan Farm that is.  I saved enough from our harvest after jam making this summer to bake Nigel Slater's "blackcurrant tart." It would be our dessert treat this weekend. 

The tart base is made and pre-baked before the frangipane filling is added on top and baked. I usually leave it a wee bit longer than the cooking time Nigel advises to make sure the top turns a light golden brown (sometimes that can be 15 minutes longer, depending on your oven).  

 

Be warned, this is not an overly sweet dessert in case that's what you're looking for. I'm not really into those. I enjoy it served with plain yogurt while John enjoys his with cream, of course!

The Hills Beyond

It's interesting to look out to the hills beyond Struan Farm at certain times, in certain light. Sometimes there's fog or mist, sometimes sheep or cattle dot the hills. Sometimes there's just a glimpse, a hint, of what lies beyond.

Fossilised: Paleontology in Piopio

Some cold, winter mornings we all feel just that little bit stiff, don't we?

But I'm not talking about us getting older and fossilised (or ossified). I'm talking about the fossilised shell in the large limestone rock John uncovered down at the pond here at Struan Farm. He mentioned it to me the other day, since we're getting ready to fence that side of the pond. The fencing wood has just been delivered. I'm meant to be putting in native plants around the end once that's finished. Despite the muck from recent rains I decided to don my gumboots and trundle down to see if I could find this fossil in the rock.

I did, with Clifford's help.

We continue to find fossilised shells in limestone rocks around the farm. I suspect what this particular find means is that we will continue to expose this rock beside the pond further, another project.

John remembers his family sending rocks with fossils to the University of Canterbury in 1963, when the re-routed State Highway was blasted through and rocks were thrown up in the surrounding area (not a roading practice undertaken today, to say the least). They received a report back indicating that the samples were 70 million years ago. I'm assuming this meant someone down there did some carbon dating rather than hazarded a guess, but John can't remember that either way. He does remember getting the news back since it was rather a big deal in the day.

The family, recyclers always, picked up quite a few rocks thrown up by the blasting and used them to edge gardens. Many of these rocks remain around the Homestead gardens today, including this rather special one full of fossilised shells:

 

Hopefully we'll find more beside the pond in due course. At which point we'll add "paleontologist in Piopio" to our resumes.

Hard Graft Pending

The phrase "hard graft" means hard work, at least here in NZ it does. And I think I might have a bit of that pending as I start to learn how to graft fruit trees. I'm assembling the tools and the information here at Struan Farm, including grafting tape, special knife and the SCE's Open Orchard Project's Handbook :

I've got some Northern Spy apple rootstock and quince interstock (with pear grafted) ordered from Thunder Mountain Orchard & Nursery, for delivery in July. I'll be getting scion wood from some of the heritage trees in our area as part of the Piopio Heritage Fruit Tree Project in the next month too. That is meant to be kept chilled and wrapped in the fridge until actual grafting in September.

I've watched a few You Tube videos on the subject but am hoping to attend a workshop to practice before I actually tackle anything. There's a bit of eye rolling going on in our house but I'll survive that. I have had help from him to get an area prepared for the tree nursery, so I know he does support the cause.

Summoned for Snacks

The ewes have been munching away in the paddock below our house here at Struan Farm, the one we call "the bowl." Of course that means when I step outside I hear "baas" from various and sundry former pet lambs.

Most notably from Rosie, who runs up to the fence and asks me to go inside and CUT UP THOSE APPLES KAREN. Sometimes she does say please, at which point I delve into our remaining supply of Monty's Surprise apples to get her a snack.

She tries to get as much of the bag inhaled before Ruby figures out what's going on and comes barreling up. I try to feed both of them at the same time, but Rosie eventually gets into a snit about having to share with her sister, and wanders off, leaving the rest to Ruby. Cookie comes along but doesn't want any apple. She's a people sheep, just wants to say hello and hear me say her name. I can always recognise her by those black spots on her ears.

Pip and Pepper are out there but don't deign to get involved in the apple thing, even if they occasionally do acknowledge my existence, still. Everyone is gestating lambs, it will be September and the next round of lambs (and pet lambs) will be upon us before we know it. I'm already starting to make a list of possible names....

Mnemonics: We All Need Rainbows

ROY G. BIV came to mind recently. Do you know him? He represents the colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. This was triggered by someone saying they aren't all that keen on the colour orange in gardens, except perhaps in autumn. As you will know, we support diversity here at Struan Farm, we enjoy all the colours of the rainbow, especially in my gardens. I went back in defense of orange, the contrarian that I am.

This got me thinking about "mnemonics," little tricks we often use to remember things. Mnemonics can be songs, rhymes, acronyms, images, or phrases. I still remember my piano mnemonics. The treble clef notes: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, and the bass clef notes: All Cows Eat Grass. The planets can be remembered by the phrase "My Very Excited Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies," assuming you deign to include Pluto. (There's another one if you don't.) Taxonomy can be remembered as "Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach." In case you don't remember your taxonomy, that's Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

ROY G. BIV is an Acronym Mnemonic. Thought I'd share some ROY G. BIV with you today so you can remember the colours of the rainbow. If you ever forget them that is. I don't!

If you were going to choose a colour to live without, which one would it be? For me it would be most likely yellow or red, but I'm glad we don't have to make that choice.

On Losing One's Marbles

Marble cake, that is. I don't think marble cake is all that common here in NZ, so I was interested to see a recent recipe for Olive Oil Marble Cake in the NZ Herald's weekly "Bite" supplement. I haven't eaten it for years and had never made one.

Growing up in the US we had marble cake all the time. But I'm not quite sure why that tradition existed in our family. It turns out that marble cake was introduced to the US by German immigrants before the Civil War. Early versions used molasses and spices for the dark colour rather than chocolate. My family is of Irish/Scottish/English extraction, but it could be that marble cake is just one of those cakes that everyone makes in the US or in certain regions of the US, like angel food cake.

This recipe uses cocoa and rum to colour the dark marbling. The base batter is mixed in the food processor, it's quick and easy to make. I'm not sure why the cake rose up and cracked in the middle, research required. I'm sure an old school baker could tell me. Perhaps the milk was too cold and should have been room temp. SOS Mary Berry!

 

Glazed Over

I realised a few days ago that with all this focus on healthy eating here at Struan Farm I miss baking and my gourmet cooking experiments. I'm also well and truly into an early winter funk. There are only so many walnuts I can shell, and so many hours I can sit needlepointing, before my eyes start to glaze over. I don't do sedentary well. Hard to believe, but I can get grumpy. Me.

Yes, I've been baking bread, muesli and chocolate chip cookies for recent farmstay guests, but otherwise we've been eating, and I've been cooking, simply. Meat/fish/poultry and vegetables or salads. I'm missing testing out new recipes. The creative part of me demands expression, somehow, pretty much all the time, and it's been calling out. 

Recently I watched Annabel Langbein's Free Range Cook television show on FoodTV. I'm sorry Annabel, I love your recipes but I can only handle so much gushing. However I was intrigued by your mention of a salad made with finely sliced raw beets/beetroot, finely sliced fennel, walnuts, and crumbled goat cheese, drizzled with good extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze. You can find the recipe here. After a rainy afternoon I decided to venture outside to dig up the last of the beets/beetroots and teach myself to make balsamic glaze. It wasn't much of a challenge, but it is good and finished the salad. Let's just say that making the glaze helped get me out of my bored, grumpy funk, however briefly. 

Two cups of balsamic vinegar are brought to the boil with 1/2 cup brown sugar, then simmered until reduced by half. About 20 minutes. It can be put in a jar and saved for future use. If you have any questions you can check out the recipe here.  Assembly is quick and easy, I sliced the beets and fennel using my mandolin, tossed on the walnuts, crumbled cheese (used low fat feta) and drizzled glaze and oil... Voila!

 

John wasn't terribly excited by the prospect of eating raw beets/beetroot, but the crumbled cheese won him over. 

Enveloped

And then there are those early winter mornings, when the air temperature is just that little bit warmer, when Struan Farm is enveloped in fog. It adds an air of mystery and moodiness to the morning landscape, at least until the sun starts to filter through and warm things up.

While the ewes were mingling with the turkeys in the front Pet Paddock (good thing Clifford wasn't with me), they wasted no time moving. There were no stragglers, I did check. Cookie, Ruby and Pip led the way, Rosie was dawdling but rushed up to me once she realised the situation. She seemed a bit clingy, wanting to stay by my side. Perhaps she really does need that apple.