Grow your own Food - One Million Gardens

ONE PERFECT DAY

Some people love to spend the day amongst other people and shops and noise and hustle and bustle.

Some people love to stay inside and read or talk with friends and maybe cook or drink.

Some people love to sit on the beach and just watch and listen to the sea.

Some people love to do something to make the adrenalin rush like rock climbing or parachuting or playing computer games.

Some people love to garden and get things all orderly and under control.

  Today I spent my one perfect day with tiny things. I needed to get my soul nourished; to feel rich, fertile soil in my fingers; to be there amongst it all with those creatures who live there in my vegetable garden but whom I haven't visited for a while. For the first time in several months I spent the day in my own garden.

The tiny things were around me all day and I don't think I have ever noticed such a diversity of life in one place before. It was as though they all said.... here she is.... look.... come and say hello.... show her you are still here doing your best for her.

This little frog, about the size of a strawberry, was in the worm farm and seemed quite happy to let me get within inches of him to take a photo..... The bee collecting from this dahlia obviously loves orange because its legs are loaded with balls of orange pollen.....

 

 

 

 

 

There were several sorts of ladybirds, this one on a fennel flower.

 

This wasp found the fine landing platform of a large succulent leaf an ideal place to do a spot of face cleaning....

 

 

 

 

 

The butterflies were out in the sunshine too.....

I invited 3 friends around to help me with some of the gardening but all morning there was just the one friend and myself, working side by side, not talking much... here she is..

 

 

 

 

When I came back out after lunch I could hear that the other 2 had arrived and they were happily chatting away in the garden as they worked and didn't even notice when I arrived....

Vegetable gardening is not just about food; it is so much more. It is about life. Real life.....

The soil was so full of worms and bugs and insects and all manner of creatures, working slowly and steadily to keep the cycle of life alive. I left my camera inside after lunch other wise I would not have finished all the clearing out and digging over I needed to get done in order to be able to sow and plant tomorrow. But I saw them all and I felt so happy to be with them all again.

A FEW NEW LINKS

On Easter Monday, between bottling tomatoes and eating chocolate I was blogging and here is what I found:

A really nice bloke called Bob writing about growing his food and things that happen, like a chicken auction, in Kansas, USA:

http://grandbobsgarden.blogspot.com/

Pip, from right here in Adelaide, has discovered the best way to make quince paste is with a slow cooker:

http://restisnotidleness.blogspot.com/

Veggie Gnome and Flower Gnome's neighbours:

http://oliveandpopeyetheneighbourgnomes.blogspot.com/

In French.... but the recipes..... ooooh la la la:

http://www.mercotte.fr/

And we made it to number 1 on the top Adelaide blogs! See Feedjit, by who is reading what in your area:

http://feedjit.com/news/AU/adelaide/

HOME STAY IN INDIA

There is an Indian lady I know through KGI, called Sunita, who helps run Vanestree which is a small collective dedicated to promoting forest garden biodiversity and food security through the conservation of traditional seeds, in India. I was looking at the website and saw this page below  and thought wouldn't it be wonderful if we could help link people to home stays in places like this where visitors could learn so much, not just about another culture, but also about saving the seeds of what is their civilisation.

If you are thinking of a trip to India, please consider becoming a small part of saving Indian heirloom food crops from the ravages of agribusiness. I am sure your stay would be eye-opening and inspirational.

....The family has been farming here, near the village of Mathighatta, for generations. Their homestead features a plentiful garden and orchards, where visitors can learn hands-on about organic agroforestry or simply sit back and enjoy. The surrounding jungle contains natural and cultural treasures accessible through treks of various lengths; but innumerable varieties of birds, plants and wildlife are literally just at the back door.....

http://www.vanastree.org/homestays 

Organic Gardening Course with Diana

SEEDS FOR HEALTH

Organic Garden Course

AUTUMN 2009

Seeds For Health is an organic, grass roots community garden program combining support, education and focus on health in a hands on, seven week program designed to equip people to produce their own organic food. An activity of Adelaide’s Cancer Care Centre, Seeds for Health it continues a 20 year tradition of innovative and effective health programs.

The course provides skills in organic vegetable gardening, both in gardens and containers, so it will be possible for people to grow their own ‘healthy food’. A holistic experience - providing the opportunity to connect with nature and gain the important health benefits of relaxation, reducing stress and anxiety, increasing self reliance along with a real sense of achievement, and experiencing the fun of great community garden spirit!

SEEDS FOR HEALTH

Held at Fern Ave Community Garden

18 – 20 Fern Ave, Fullarton

On

Wednesdays 10am to 12 noon

(with lunch from 12noon to 1pm)

Autumn 2009 course is for 7 weeks beginning Wed 29^th April to

10^th June

Cost $70.00 (members Cancer Care Centre)

$90.00 (for non-members CCC)

Bookings essential

(by Friday 24^th April 2009 )

Course Overview

Seeds for Health— insights to organics, permaculture & biodynamics. Sowing seeds for a home grown project

Kitchen Garden Inspirations - creating productive organic food gardens

By Design — permaculture ideas for creative Kitchen Gardens (be it a tub or a backyard!)

The Good Earth—care of the soil with organic practices. Cultivating healthy soil — healthy plants – healthy people

Compost—the most vitally important key to organic food gardening

Garden management & container growing……. making it all work!

Seeds for the Future—looking ahead - discovering the Seedsavers network

Inspirational guest speakers & a field visit included in the program

This course is open to anyone with an interest in health & organic food gardening.

MUNG BEAN PATTIES

A simpler meal you could not cook... What a stupid thing to say! You could just boil an egg or some corn cobs! OK, simpler meals exist but these are definitely the simplest patties you could cook.

Makes 7 patties:

Soak 1 cup mung beans overnight or overday, like I did.... They go a pretty light green, as in the photo.

Drain them then put them in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of cumin.

Blend until pretty smoothish.

Scoop out and make into balls with your hands... they are so light and gorgeous to touch.

 

 

Fry both sides until brown.

Pick up with your fingers and dip into what you fancy.... the recipe said sweet chilli sauce but I used a little plum sauce or just have them plain, with some Asian greens.

So there it is. They held together perfectly.... and tasted great and after the soaking, the total preparation time and cooking time combined was about 10 minutes!

This recipe sounds nice but I haven't made it yet:

ROASTED MACADAMIA AND LIME COUSCOUS

From

The Natural Health Society (of Australia)

Ingredients:
1 Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Red capsicum, chopped
2 Tbl Sunflower seeds
250g Couscous
1.5 cups Vegetable stock
2 tsp Lime zest, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
1/2 tsp Ground cardamom
1/3 cup Roasted macadamia nuts
1 Tbl Butter
Coconut oil, enough for frying

In a large saucepan, heat oil and add the onions, capsicum and sunflower seeds. Sauté for about 5 minutes until slightly browned. Add the salt, cinnamon, chilli flakes, cardamom and the lime zest and stir for a few minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a rapid boil.

Remove from the heat and add the couscous. Stand for two minutes, then return to heat for another minute, adding the macadamia nuts and butter.

Gently fluff with a fork. Serve immediately with slices of lime.

THE EDIBLE WATER GARDEN

  There are so many situations where you might benefit from growing something edible, in water.

• If your water supply is very limited
• If your soil is impossible to work
• If you are renting a house
• Or live in an apartment with a balcony
• Or only have a small court yard
• If you go away a lot, as water gardens are very low maintenance
• If you just love having lush green growth in a dry climate
• Just for something different

I don't know why edible water plants are not promoted in dry areas like here in South Australia because it is so beautiful to look out on a pond or tub of reeds, such as water chestnuts, or the graceful and colourful taro leaves or the lime green water spinach stems and leaves all of which can take the heat as they have their feet in water. No water is wasted and keeping the tubs topped up with water is easy, so long as you have a creeper such as azolla on the surface to reduce evaporation and keep the mozzies away.

I have 3 large tubs from a hardware shop. Each is ........ To insulate them from the heat I surrounded them on 3 sides with small bales of straw and sat them along the front edge of my vegetable garden.Here they get a little sun but are in the shade of the carport roof during the middle of the day. I don't know if this is necessary but they are certainly very happy there, with no attention except a little water now and again.

Right is November 2008 and left is today, April 2009.

Each tub is about 1/3 full of rich compost.  I planted into this and gradually filled the tubs with water as the plants grew in height.

 

I am always on the look out for suitable plants as they are hard to get. I started with just 1 or 2 water chestnut plants that I found in an Asian shop at the Central Market. Cath produced so many last year she didn't want them all so now I have hundreds.The reeds will die down in winter and I will harvest the corms then. I bought water spinach in November at an Asian Green Grocer, to eat, and I put the stems in vases of water to get them to sprout roots. By January they were overgrowing the vase and sprawling over the kitchen bench. I have been able to pick leaves for salads and cooking now for 3 months and they are still growing fast. The taro plants I bought at the Stirling Spring Fair. I hope there will be lots of tubers when I dig them up in winter. The water cress will eventually go to seed and seems to happily reproduce each year, providing more than I can eat.

 

If, like me, you are addicted to leaves then growing water spinach and water cress are a must. If you like digging up potatoes and finding buried treasure then taro and water chestnuts are for you. If you live somewhere too cold for hot climate plants, there is some more information on Edible water plants here. Scroll down that page for more links. There is a lovely website all about watercress here. Interestingly, it was thought in ancient Greece that watercress would cure a deranged mind. It hasn't done much for me!

I am giving a little talk to some inner city gardeners later this week. If you know any blogs about gardening in small spaces please email me the links so I can pass them on.

There are a few more of my photos here.