Wild Hope Homestead

I ate Broccoli. And I liked it. There is only one way in which I like broccoli thus far, and that is in a raw broccoli salad. I’m not sure if it’s because the broccoli is raw, because there’s bacon or because there’s mayo and bacon, but it works. We made some for the first time one night this week. I even said some unexpected words that would be a shock to anyone who knows me well, ” I need to grow more broccoli.” If you’re keen to eat broccoli in a baconated way, here is the recipe we used: Fresh Broccoli Salad. As we only had one head of broccoli from the garden and one cauliflower, we made it a broccoli and cauliflower salad, which worked just fine.

Speaking of brassicas, I planted out my seedlings in the brassica bed. It was a dangerous journey for these seedlings to get from tray to garden, as The Little Fulla was with me, fidgety hands trying to grab things and dig holes with my trowel all over the place. Despite the thwarting circumstances, I managed to get 18 seedlings planted: six each of broccoli, cauliflower and red cabbage. They are surrounded by a mulch of old chicken bedding, also known as poopy wood shavings, that has been on there a while, so hopefully they will be ok with that. Time will tell if it is a good idea or if it hasn’t had enough decomposing time. It certainly helps to keep the weeds manageable and protect the soil while the crops aren’t home.

There are still some humongous leeks lingering in the vege garden. We need to hurry up and use them before they rot. I always seem to plant too many. One huge leek goes a long way. I think some leek soup is in order. Maybe with bacon in it…

Meanwhile, I have been watching my tray of wee onions grow on the dining room table. I really need to make some form of little greenhouse. The brown onions are doing well, the red onions are doing pretty well, although there are only nine, and the spring onions are a total flop. I’m not sure if it’s because the seeds are too old (must check the packet) or because the seed raising mix is too old. This was all I had left and the bag had been around for a while. I guess I’ll just have to go to Bunnings… Time to write a Bunnings list!

My onion sowings. The failed section on the left is the spring onions.

At least the brown onions are doing well.

The citrus trees are doing well this winter. All of a sudden they are bursting with golden orbs, which are a brilliant contrast to the gloomy, grey skies. I think the lack of frosts is doing them well. The lemon tree needs pruning again to let more light in; it’s just such a lush thing, and the grapefruit needs pruning to decrease it’s overall size and give the peach tree in the middle more space. Pruning will be done at a less fruitful time. I’m still behind on all my fruit tree pruning. Some dry weather would be reeeally nice! Please?

How are everyone else’s fruit and veges going? Are your edibles edible?

Before I go, you may have noticed that there has been some exciting redecorating going on around here. And I’m not talking about moving around and displaying pieces of wood all over the backyard. More about all that later!