Monday 3 November 2014

November 2014 Garden Share Collective

The bees are buzzing, the vegetable flowers are flourishing and everything is G-R-O-W-I-N-G.


These lovely crisp beans are hanging ripely for the picking.  
They will grow for months and we will still be picking from the same vines in January.



Picking out the strawberry plants to weed their roots and top up the bed with compost and dirt, there were enough strawberry plants to make two patches.  Hence there are strawberries to be picked daily.
I prefer to pick them at the end of the day when the sun is lower and they have ripened all day.


Artichokes are especially a seasonal delight.  I picked the first ones last weekend and will pick about three weekly for a few weeks.  The plants are perennial so this artichoke bush will be even stronger next summer.  I simmer the artichokes and simply serve them with a hollandaise sauce for dipping.


 These shallots are flowering, so the seeds will blow in the wind and produce more shallots.


Likewise, we are now letting the radishes and lettuce go to seed as well 
so the next plants will be a pleasant surprise when they pop up, well, everywhere.


The leeks are now producing baby leek " puppies " so I hope they grow to maturity 
after the main leek has been picked.


Here are the baby grapes.  This is the second year for the vines.
There are Thompson Seedless, Golden Muscat, Black Isabella and Pink Iona amongst others.
They will be netted when the flowers have finished and the bees have fertilised them all.


This corn, grown from seed is growing daily and as well as pleasant eating,
also create a delightful wind break for a while.
The husks are dried and we burn these in the bee smoker for a pleasant stream of smoke. 

 After 3 and 4 years in the ground our olive trees are flourishing and are about to produce fruit!
I cannot begin to describe how excited I am by this happening.
Last year we harvested 20 and they were the sweetest olives I have ever pickled.
This year, I believe there will be at least one or two buckets = how wonderful.


These broad beans were planted a bit late but have now come to fruition.
There will be broad beans daily, or bi daily for weeks to come.

It really is a dynamic time in the garden, we are also growing cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, snow peas, soy beans, lettuce, fennel, kale, garlic, chillies, capsicum, eggplant and broccoli,

Please, browse the other gardens of all members of the Garden Share Collective.
You will be amazed at the variety of vegetables and fruit that can be grown.
Till next month, bon appetito, enjoy, Merryn.

18 comments:

  1. Oh, what lovely fresh looking produce - Merryn - hard work does pay off - just delicious.

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    1. Thanks Rachel, yes the garden always looks like easy maintenance but there is plenty of weeding done in between photo shoots :D

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  2. Oh golly you have a lot going on in your garden, and it all looks so healthy. I am anxious for my little olive tree to produce something now.

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    1. Yes I like variety and being able to choose what vegetables to pick for dinner.

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  3. What a nice variety of things you have growing. I too love the bees buzzing. I have let too many brassicas go to seed for just that reason :)

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    1. I can sit and watch the bees for ages, they are adorable. We have just started letting many plants seed, it is a constant surprise, e.g. lettuce in the garden path cracks.

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  4. i am excited about your baby olives too! how wonderful. i hope they grow big and fat :-)

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    1. Thanks E I am SO looking forward to the olives, dried, pickled, maybe even juiced for oil ....

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  5. As always Merryn, your gardening skills are fantastic! I recently tried artichokes done Jewish style in Rome and they are incredible. If you can find a recipe (it's quite simple) I'd definitely recommend trying it :D

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    1. I think you mean steamed and then fried with lots of lemon, something my brother often does with them. I have not done them this way but will try now you have recommended it, thanks for visiting my garden Lorraine :D

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  6. Yummo those strawberries are a picture of health and I wish I didnt have wallabies. As always your garden is inspiring and I look forward to hearing more about those magical olives you are so excited about.

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    1. I do not envy you the wallabies, the worst contender we have are the birds (followed by the blue tongue lizards which have emerged from their winter sleep). I feed the soft strawberries to the chickens and call them "chicken chocolate".

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  7. your garden is amazing! i only have a few garlic bulbs, and tomatoes growing!

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    1. Tomatoes however are the tastiest vegetable you can grow at home and organic garlic is unsurpassable in flavour.

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  8. oww, thanks to you i had been seen a photograph of artichoke plant

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    1. I am happy to provide you with one, they are gorgeous flowers of vegetables. If you type picture of artichoke flower into google you can see what one looks like when it becomes a purple flower, they are beautiful :D

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  9. Woow I am so jealous now !! with all these healthy and wonderful crops... I really have to tackle gardening soon.

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    1. Gardening is my favourite hobby. It nurtures your soul, boosts your creativity and is healthy for the family! Even if you start with a potted tomato plant, you will love it Amira! :D

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