Changing Directions

What do you do when you realise that you have just spent the last 6 weeks trying to start your PDC on the wrong property?

Thank the universe for helping you work it out, kick yourself over stubbornly pushing forward when everything kept feeling wrong, take a deep breath.. Then start all over again.

I will see you as often as I can... Unfortunately this means I am going to be one busy little Lizzie for the immediate future.

i can has worms?

This morning was spent building new beds. The main worm farm had 80% of its mass wheeled up hill in the wheel barrow to the new long bed down the side of the block. This bed had been prepared by

• Laying plastic over it for the last 6 or so months to solarize and weaken the cooch grass.
• Letting the chickens and tractor away with all their chickeny scratch and scootness. Helps reduce the weeds a bit more again, loosens and aerates the soil. This is when the chickens dust bathe, which I'd never even heard of before seeing the chickens do it. It is a funny sight.
• Layer cardboard and old newspapers
• Spread around some horse poo
  
• Cover with about a centimetre or two of worm compost. Full of worms and should have their spring population explosion in the new bed. Worm mulch is heavy.
  
• Cover with mulch.
• Politely let the chickens know they cannot eat all the worms out of this nice new bed.
  

Citrus Time of Year

Yep, its marmalade time. I have been preparing for the last 3 days to get this first batch in the jar.

boy does using a known recipe make life easier. I have already made one lot of lemon "taffy". Luckily I think I know where the recipe led me astray. If I can get my hands on another load of lemons I will try again.

I am attending a BYO plate event on Friday so with any luck I can turn it from a soft mouldable product that is rather hard to handle into something that will be useful.

Mudbrick Palace Back to Basics - Week 41

Sowing seed or Planting -
Harvesting

• 700G mustard Greens
• 200g Baby Swede(Chook fodder)
  
• More broken BBean Stalks(Chook fodder)
  

Observing

• Nectarine, flowers have burst
• First Almond flower has made it's way into the world down in the bottom orchard
  
• Further Heavy winds flattened another 10% of the Broad Beans
  

Planning for The Future -

• Contemplating running preserving classes through the local community house

Working for the Future -

• Organising Oven Repair
• Picked up Blood Oranges to make 3 Citrus Mamalade
• 
  

Building Community -

• Provided communal meal contribution for PDC class
• Organised to go to the pre making meetup for a DYO/BYO birthday party I will be attending on Friday
• 
  

Learn a new Skill -

• replacing oven light
  

Participant Posts

FootPrint Reduction in the 'Burbs
Thursday August 20th

Cockatoo Dreaming
Monday August 17th

Gardens on the Move

For those that are renting gardening in containers will often be the only choice available. Luckily that choice is actually a great way to grow. Although many people who have more permanent tenure generally choose to grow in the ground, container gardening is a really useful way to make the most of the all the resources available.

Particularly through winter plants in containers often outshine those in the ground. If placed in a full sun position next to a brick wall or other source of warmth plants that simply don't over winter in your climate can often be coaxed through. Being a small fixed space they are so much easier to cover for frost protection or move if you know you are likely to get bad winds. Not only do they often get a little extra warmth, mostly they also receive a little extra attention.

We tend to place containers in areas that we naturally walk past multiple times a day. Even the plants that would survive out in the wild tend to do better when you walk past and compliment them on their growth :-) .. um well, weed and water them.

I personally find the major advantage of container placement is that you are a whole lot more likely to use the produce. Even on the wet and windy winter days if all you have to do is take 3 steps out the back door to collect everything my chances of actually harvesting probably goes up to about 70%.

How many of you also grow in containers? Why do you keep doing it?

Rightshifting

Hi. Andrew here.

Today I sit typing on my 'day not at my normal job.' My midweek weekend. For multitudinous reasons I've switched my job to parttime. I think the normal term is Downshifting. However I don't like that term. I still intend to be doing stuff, probably more stuff, but most importantly stuff that really matters to me.

Exactly what that will entail I really don't know. :)

Today I have no plans, just taking it easy. I held off not going into work with a bloody annoying cold and cough earlier this week as I knew today was coming. So in part I'm just being warm. I'm also just wandering around doing stuff as I see it and making vague plans for future ... whatever I end up refering to this day as. It will be a 'work day' but focusing much more purely on stuff this blog is about, home and sustainability.

So far I've:

• Eaten breakfast in the sun.
• Carried dog poop and other black compost down to the spoil line below the orchard.
• Loaded the main worm farm with compost.
• Tried to figure why my windows ext2 driver has stopped working.
• Cleaned up some dead flies. Why have all the flies started so early this year?
• Randomly cleaned and put things away in their right places.
• Installed my main music software. (computer has new Harddrive so 'moving house')

On my todo list:

• Remind myself to meditate
• Install drum software
• Fix multiboot loader
• Find all old music projects and place in one spot
• Find all music and place in one spot after various recent shatterings of my library
• Organise the bookshelves
• Organise the CD/DVDs
• Organise my computer desk
• Clean the shed. That's a mess.
• Get some wood and nails from the mess in the shed and make tool hanging places
• Make a new worm farm
• Put up wallaby guard minifences for the orchard trees
• Put bird netting over the fish pool
• Do the path edges
• Clean where the greenhouse will be
• Make a hexayurt
• Make cob oven
• Rebuild main garden bed taller for Bel and with less spots for snails to hide
• Not let myself make my goals too big. Lots of very small, simple tasks
• Find out what Belinda needs from the interwebs and make it happen
• Talk the interwebs into making some residual income
• Restore some backup files
• Keep in contact with friends. eg mail cehbab.
• Spend some serious time figuring who I actually want to be
• Name this day. Working for the Future day?

oh and neat article.

Eat The Food - Chickpeas with Spinach

Well what can I say about this recipe other than "everyone enjoyed it". It certainly held it's own on a table of other wonderful recipes produced by a talented group of people. In a last minute "what am I going to take to the Community Harvest dinner" I hit recipezarr. I had chickpeas in the freezer but I wanted to do something different, quick... and well it needed to have some garden produce in it to meet my little self challenge.

Fully expecting the only thing I would find were Indian recipes. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised by this wonderfully simple Greek dish. Even better it used only the garden produce and kitchen staples I have on hand.

As I cooked it exactly as listed in the recipe. Well, sorta I used fresh garden spinach rather than frozen...

I am here to Link for you Chickpeas with Spinach

Mudbrick Palace Back to Basics - Week 40

Sowing seed or Planting -
Propagating

• Planted a nectarine pruning, if it creates roots all the better
  

Harvesting

• 10 baby swede
  
• 300g Mustard Greens
  
• 100g Silverbeet
• 500g Broad Bean Stalks (used as chook fodder)
  

Observing

• Nectarine is just starting to show flower colour
• First leaves have started on last years propagated grape fines
• Some of the late planted broccoli are starting to do their thing
• Heavy winds flattened at least 20% of the mature Broad Beans
  

Planning for The Future -

• Thinking seriously about an ETSY store
  

Working for the Future -

• Finished a bag and a couple of other projects for ETSY stock
  
• Sorted through storage preserves to work out what could be provided to a good friend
  

Building Community -

• Provided communal meal contribution for PDC class
• Visited one of the new Mums over in Altona
  
• Picking up Key for Herb Society meeting room
  
• Sent out a short blurb about Herb Society meeting on some appropriate online forums
  

Learn a new Skill -

• new pattern for a A4 Notebook satchel
  

Participant Posts

FootPrint Reduction in the 'Burbs
Sunday August 10th

maia back to basics - weeks 39 & 40

sowing seed or planting -
sowing

• coming soon!

harvesting

• silverbeet

observing

• cabbage almost ready
• chillies have found enough warmth to ripen over winter

planning for the future -

• must measure all furniture so i know where it fits in THE NEW PLACE!! i'm moving 600m down the road
• this may involve shopping cart races
  
• am intending to organise this move to within an inch of its life
• more packing to occur, but not as stressful now
• have given myself 2 weeks for shifting stuff, should keep sanity hovering nearby
• must ask new housemates if they're interested in the compost from here - and helping transfer it
• will transfer some veggies to new place
  

working for the future -

• found a new home. huzza!
  
• hard drive upgrade saga continues
  
• garage sale went well, got rid of almost everything
• new freelance job going well, have been asked to return for task II
  
• using up pre-made supplies (tomato sauce, frozen beans) in preparation for move
• discovered pork liver sausages at local butcher; life is heaven
• need to finish tax; i like doing taxes, creating order out of chaos
• refinanced somewhat
  

building community -

• made firmer plans for perth trip later this year; am driving across the nullabor
  
• did veggie pickup for local co-op, helped sort (okay, stayed to help after arriving late to find one of the sorters had left in a justified huff)
  
• emceed a 3-speaker panel i'd organised for australian science communicators
  
• watched sister's gig, the bar manager remembered me from when i tried to organise an event there few months ago
• keeping in touch with lots of interstaters and overlanders
• took an old friend to a play
• met lots of interesting people while househunting, hoping to stay in touch with some
• made friends with someone at the bank
• facilitated discussion group
  

learn a new skill -

• emceeing
• things to do with pork liver sausages
• how not to be manic at house interviews
  

Change is Only..

One step from where you are.

Running With Knives

AKA How Not to Trial a Recipe

1. Decide you want to make sourdough crumpets
2. Search for a recipe and only come up with mostly commercial yeast/baking powder hybrids.
   
3. Decide that the way to go is to use the only recipe you can find that only uses commercial yeast.
   
4. Make an executive decision that conversion from fresh yeast to wild yeast culture is x10g.
5. Make your second executive decision, um insane change, that regardless of the fact you really have no idea what you are doing conversion from wheat to spelt grains with radically different properties when it comes to working with water is totally doable the first time you make a recipe.
   
6. Feed your spelt starter up to the desired amount.
   
7. Once it is wonderfully active leave it for an extra 24hrs so that it is slow, sluggish and deflated because you forgot that Tuesdays are a write off home wise.
   
8. Being in the midst of your second heavy head cold in 4 weeks decide that pressing forward is advised.
   
9. Measure out your flour by weight.. deciding that approx 255g is close enough to 225g but don't bother to write anything down so no one really knows
   
10. Measure in your water by weight.. deciding that something in the vicinity of 225g is close enough to 255g, continuing not to write anything down to ensure your cold addled brain has absolutely no chance of remembering any of this
    
11. Make your first correct move of the entire process and leave the lot on the bench so you can't forget it, about 5-8 hours
12. Cheer when you open the lid and see many bubbles and activity
13. Add the salt then try and incorporate it into the glutinous mass in front of you with a mixing spatula
14. Look at the dough like substance in front of you and decide that it meets the recipe criteria of "should be thick but pour quite easily" so don't add any more water
15. Try and pour the batter out of the bowl into your not exactly tiny mould.
16. Forget that glutinous masses have a very long stopping time... overflowing the mould with at least twice the amount of mix actually required.
17. Decide that scooping from a measuring cup will probably have a better result so slop glutinous mass into your 1.2 c filling to the top cause "it has to hold at least 1/2 a C"
18. Overflow the mould a second time, continue to be firm in your choice that it was wet enough.
    
19. Turn way too early because you haven't actually read the forward to realise that you don't want to turn them until they set holes and start to dry on top.. making something akin to thick pancake after you turn and they slide across the cooking surface
    
20. Decide at this point that maybe part of your moulding problems is that your dough is not wet enough, add a couple of doses of water while still moulding out.
21. By accident leave one of the crumpets on the cook top long enough to start getting set holes.
22. Remember that is actually what a crumpet looks like, leave to see what you get
23. Cheer when you create something that actually ends up looking like a crumpet.. from what happens to also be the last 1/2C of batter.
24. Take a photo to remember that you created at least one thing that looked like a crumpet.. then feed half to your self and half to your DH.
25. Decide to try again tomorrow to see if you can get a recipe that would be consistent enough to be worth blogging.

Catch Ya Later

Budgeting Pouches. Want One?

In one of my wondrous and extensive fits of procrastination last week I came across a crafting blogger that had the awesome idea that budgeting doesn't have to look daggy. When standing in the store rather than whipping out an envelope or a ziplock you could use one of her snazzy well made pouches.

Needless to say the first thought that came to my head is.. OOH Pretty. The second being "I can do that, well not exactly but the genral idea" (I don't particularly like working with zippers)
. Closely followed by "a couple of pieces from Op Shop stash will be perfect".

Unfortunately I made myself a little deal on Thursday that I wouldn't actually do any more craft projects until I started my PDC work. Yep, it was self bribery pure and simple but believe me it was getting to the point that anything that actually got pen to paper was required. Even with this it took until Sunday afternoon before I decieded how to tackle the first step and put marks on the page.

Once I managed to convince myself I was allowed to have a little fun I broke out the tracing paper to make myself a little pattern.

With right sides together I sewed the facing to the pouch outer. As I don't have an overlocker I just have to do the next best thing, zigzag then straight stitch to reduce fraying. If the item was likely to take a beating either use or washing wise you would tend to do the same on each of the sides that are not being joined as well.

Then I turned it out the right way. Ironing on the outer cover, folding in the unjoined end to be reasonably level with the sewed side.

Cut out the text display ribbon. I used a really sharp Stanley knife and ruler to get a product that was reasonably close to straight.


Measure and pin the ribbon vertically centred about 3/4 of the way from the bottom of the piece.


Pin and fold the flap into its final position to check that the placement is to your liking.
When you are happy with the placement unfold the flap so you are again working flat. Using a small straight stitch, which will be less visually prominent, stitch the ribbon in place both top and bottom.


Top stitch around the edges, ensuring you catch the unsewed side into the seam. Be careful that the loose edge of the ribbon doesn't fold as it does make the fraying step more difficult. For consistency you may choose to also topstitch the bottom although as you can see I haven't here.

Once the top stitching is complete, trim and fray the ribbon for final presentation.


Attach your catch, as you can see I have used a metal press stud but it could just as easily be a button, velcro, hook and eye or with a minor modification fabric ties.

Mudbrick Palace Back to Basics - Week 39

Sowing seed or Planting -
Harvesting

• 6 Swede
• 1 Turnip
• approx 200g Spinach

Observing

• Almonds at the top of the orchard are sending out leaves, the one at the bottom is probably at least 2 weeks behind and only just seeing buds well
• Bud swell being sighted on nectarines & cherries, no obvious movement on apples at this point.
• I think scythes are pretty awesome.. unfortunately the person who would have to use it remains unconvinced even after today's demo and trial.
  

Planning for The Future -

• N/A
  

Working for the Future -

• Attended Community Garden project planning meeting
• Bought glass lemon juicer
• STARTED PDC Project
  

Building Community -

• Provided communal meal contribution for PDC class
• Provided communal meal contribution for Community Harvest meeting
  
• Organised and held scythe trial and demo over lunch
  
• Sent Camp Message to my niece using their electronic system.. QLD to Canberra is a long way when you are 12

Learn a new Skill -

• new pattern ignited by an online idea for Budgeting Pouches.
  

Participant Posts

Cockatoo Dreaming
Monday August 3rd

Remote TreeChanger
Saturday August 8th

FootPrint Reduction in the 'Burbs
Sunday August 2nd

Our World of Broken Cycles

Many ecological processes can be most accurately described as cycles.. circular systems where the "output" feeds back into the system to create the initial input that keeps the process rolling. There are many but the one I am interested in today is the "Nutrient Cycle".

One of the cycles most affected today by modern life is the Nutrient cycle. The advent of industrial fertilisers meant that it was possible to obtain a yield from the land without returning excreted material back to it. In the past nutrient rich manures were used to maintain fertility in the land giving you a cycle that looked something like the Intact diagram above. Balance is maintained by an overall redistribution of nutrients through the system rather than making any additions.

Ok, so why would adding nutrients be a problem?

Well it's a problem because there are already enough nutrients in the system to do what is necessary. If they are not used for the job they should be they will be off creating problems somewhere else.

All "Natural Pollution", not manufactured, is more about a product being in the wrong place than the product not having any useful function. Nutrients will be used within the system they find themselves in. If that happens to be a body of water it encourages growth of organisms such as algae or overgrowths of naturally occurring aquatic plants to use it up. That in turn creates water quality problems, either due to a lack of solar access or aeration, which then require both time and energy to return the body of water back to it's natural state, safe drinking water.

The reality is that every "advance" humanity has made in the name of convenience impacts on various of these natural cycles. Every animal on the earth contributes and relies on the functioning of these cycles. We are the only ones that subvert them in the name of comfort.

Honestly, I can't see anything, beyond a sense of entitlement, that gives us that right. If we are going to change the way these cycles interact within the planet don't we have a responsibility to ensure that the same functions are being served at every step?

Sisterhood Award

I was awarded this award by Crunchies Mum at Cockatoo Dreaming. I can't quite say just how important this award was to me last week. Let's just say I am humbled and filled with joy that Crunchies Mum thought of me and acknowledged my writings in this way.

I hope you enjoy my list.

The rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3. Be sure to link your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link the person from whom you received your award.

Kez's Blog -
Kez is a wonderful woman who is homeschooling both herself and her son this year. Watching their adventures of trecking, reading and learning is a great reminder of how much life you can fit into a week.

OZ Tucker -
Miss Eagle is a passionate being who does a fantastic job of writing from her heart. I may not always agree on all the points she brings up but variety is the spice of life and I really appreciate this ladies spice.

Looking Out a Broken Window -
Kenbeni is a lovely lady who has presented us with some particularly generous posts along with wonderful links to music, comics and ideas that have made me smile.

Inner City Garden -
Inner City Garden may not be quite so inner city anymore but she is always someone that is grateful for all the gifts she recieves from life.

The Crone at Wits End -
L's a "doer" and a "Keeping on Goer" who has achieved so much in the time she has been blogging. Even if some days are just one foot in front of the other you can guarantee this lady is moving forward and doing what needs to be done to ensure her family has the best future possible.

Dustpan Alley -
Angelina often encourages me to laugh, sometimes helps me cry and often challenges me in ways that force me to examine my world and how much I have to be greatful for.

Thank You Ladies, you all often make my day a little more precious.

Use the Food - Vietnamese Fried Mixed Vege

These use the food recipes are all about using what is around, not what is traditional. They are made from either garden produce or pantry staples and will have been modified accordingly. If I am changing a recipe from a specific food tradition my substitutions will be made as closely as possible to ensure the overall characteristics of the recipe is maintained.


Belinda's Com Chay (Vietnamese Fried Mixed Vege)

2 large bunches of spinach, chunkily shredded inc stems
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tsp Fresh ginger, finely grated
1 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp Tamari
1 C Water
3 Tsp Corn based Cornflour
8-10 dried Shitake Mushrooms
1 Tsp Roasted Sesame oil
2 Tsp Sugar
6 Broccoli florets + a good amount of stem
4 Lg Kale Leaves, chunkily shredded remove stems
1 Med Mixing bowl loosely filled with Young Leaf Mustard (if using older leaf
mustard remove the central stems), chunkily shredded inc stems
1 sm chilli, diced finely

Rehydrate dried mushrooms, in boiling water for about 35 min. Drain water into
mixing bowl and Trim off any hard ends. Thinly slice the rest.

Heat oil and fry off the onions until translucent. Add the chilli, garlic and
ginger cooking until fragrant.

Add mushroom water, soy, water, sesame oil and sugar and bring to the boil for a
couple of minutes. Add the stems of your vegetables (and broccoli) and cook for
about 2 min.

Add leaves to the top and wait until you can see things start to wilt down then
stir to mix everything through. Add your cornflour paste and stir the
vegetables until the sauce thickens.

Serve over grain of choice.


Sorry I didn't manage to take a photo, it just didn't work out this time. The recipe was an attempt to find a way to find use for a plethora of Mustard Greens. Of the recipes I have tried with this ingredient we have enjoyed Com Chay the most.

Mudbrick Palace Back to Basics - Week 38

Sowing seed or Planting -
Planting

• 2 SilverBeet
• 2 Scotch Kale
• 2 Cauliflower Self Blanche
• 2 Cauliflower Early
• 2 Cauliflower Sicillian Violet
• 2 Broccoli Romanesque

Harvesting

• 2 Turnips
• 10 Swede
• approx 50g Kale
• approx 200g Mustard Greens
• approx 100g Spinach

Maintenance

• Cleared some of the overly enthusiastic Mustard Greens to give the other plants more room to grow
• Chicken tractored the new bed extension for next season
• Chicken tractored the new compost bed site.

Observing

• Wood pile is almost finished.. need to ensure we have more in future
  
• Broad beans have been flowering but no sign of beans, probably being burnt off by the heavy frosts we have experienced

Planning for The Future -

• Refreshed Wild Yeast starter for breadmaking
  
• Researching the viability of Angora Rabbits
  

Working for the Future -

• Made and Froze Spelt Egg pasta
• Made Yoghurt
• Made Muesli Bars for A's work snacks
• Organised for someone's cast off fruit tree netting to come home to protect the pool trout from the local Kookaburra's

Building Community -

• Provided communal meal contribution for PDC class
• Finished project for A's parents
• Keeping in touch with the new Mums via email
• Attending Reiki workshop

Learn a new Skill -

• Lots of new recipes to "eat the food"
  

Participant Posts

Cockatoo Dreaming
Monday July 27th

Remote TreeChanger
Saturday August 1st