I’m always on the lookout for recipe ideas that help reduce waste, use up leftovers, and still feel like something special. These Chicken & Potato Croquettes tick every box. This recipe is endlessly adaptable and a great way to turn fridge scraps into something you’d happily serve to guests. The base ingredients are simple:...
My Love Affair with Agee Special Jars
Years ago, while renovating our charming but weathered 1920s bungalow (who am I kidding, it was falling apart), I stumbled upon a small treasure trove of jars tucked away beneath floorboards, stashed in the back of cupboards, and buried in the garden: old 1 litre and 500ml Agee preserving jars. Most were the distinctive...
The Odd Drawer Chest
Yes, you read that correctly! Here’s how to make chest of drawers from discarded furniture – the ultimate upcycle. Much good can come from the odd and the eclectic, particularly with regards to old furniture. Here, many ‘odd drawers’ have been salvaged from old bedroom tall boys, desks and bedside tables – some decaying...
Firewood, Frosts, and the Quiet Joy of Preparation
These chilly overnight temperatures mean our log-burner continues to work hard at the centre of our old homestead, keeping the main living areas warm and welcoming. While September is just around the corner, here in rural Ohaupo we remain firmly in the depths of winter. The days are often glorious with blue skies and...
A Winter Twist: Beetroot Caprese Salad
When it’s time to beet the cold, this cozy Caprese Salad is fit for all seasons. It’s always time to celebrate when the beetroot harvest rolls in. Earthy, vibrant, and naturally sweet, beets are one of those lovely humble vegetables that brighten up any dish. A quick splash of lemon or vinegar in the...
DIY Cottage Cheese
This cottage cheese recipe is incredibly simple and rewarding to make from scratch. If you’ve ever been curious about making cheese at home, this is the perfect starting point. It’s an ideal project for anyone interested in traditional food-making, reducing store-bought packaging, or just experimenting with real ingredients. For this version, I used Puhoi’s...
Chargrilled Broccoli
If you’ve only ever steamed your broccoli, prepare to see this humble veg in a whole new light. Chargrilled! Chargrilling brings out a deep, smoky flavour and irresistibly crisp edges, turning simple broccoli into a standout side with just a few ingredients. Tossed in olive oil, chilli flakes, and bright lemon zest, it’s packed...
DIY Spud Stacker
Homegrown Potatoes – All Grown Up There’s nothing quite like the taste of freshly dug new potatoes. They’re simple enough to grow, but traditional rows can eat up a lot of garden space. Luckily, potatoes are flexible things. You can grow them in all sorts of places and spaces: old compost bags, sacks, big...
How to Preserve Lemon or Lime Juice
Homemade shelf-stable lemon and lime juice? Yes-siree. If you’ve ever found yourself with a glut of lemons or limes, whether from a backyard tree, a seasonal haul, or a swap with a generous neighbour, preserving the juice is one of the simplest and most satisfying ways to make it last. Thanks to the naturally...
Preserving Pears in Juice
Preserving pears in juice makes for a handy breakfast or baking companion, long after the pear season has ended. You can preserve just about any fruit using the Water-Bath method. In fact, I use the water-bath method a lot, particularly as my fool-proof way to ‘fix’ any preserves where the lids didn’t seal correctly....
Homemade Slow-Cooked Soup
The Humble Slow-Cooked Soup There’s something deeply satisfying about rediscovering the simple joy of a slow-cooked bowl of soup. It’s not just comfort food, it’s been a major contributor to my 28kg weight loss. Yes, really. A bowl a day? That’s been my thing. Homemade soup for lunch, all year round, at least six...
DIY Growing Ladder
Transforming a humble ladder into a thriving vertical garden is not just a charming DIY project, it’s a smart way to grow fresh food and herbs in tight spaces. Repurpose an old ladder that has passed its prime, or create your own for garden art with edible results. Firstly, whether you’re working with tin...
How to grow Spaghetti Squash
Oh you South Islanders are sly. You’ve been holding a foodie secret close to your chest and haven’t said a word. I have you rumbled. I’ve tasted Spaghetti Squash and the cat is out of the bag. Spaghetti Squash. Why isn’t this on my weekly shopping list? Probably because it’s difficult to buy in...
Back to the heart of Modern Homesteading
It’s been a little while since I last posted in this Moments section. And while the updates may have paused in this little corner of the website, life behind the scenes certainly didn’t. If anything, it got fuller, messier, more creative, and ultimately more joyful. Like many, the post-lockdown years left me feeling like...
Sprouting Spouting: A Gutter Garden
Gutter Gardens are a small-space hero of edible gardening When space is limited but your green thumb is itching, a gutter garden offers the perfect solution. Ideal for decks, patios, courtyards, and even balconies, this slimline setup makes the most of vertical space, transforming plain walls or fences into productive patches of greenery. Gutter...
DIY A-Frame Growing Trellis
High Achievers – Growing Vertically on an A-Frame Most vegetables in the gourd family, like cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, and squashes, are quick to take off. They’re fast-growing, ground-hugging creepers by nature, but given the chance, they’ll climb enthusiastically, wrapping their wiry tendrils around just about anything they can reach. Training these vigorous growers up...
DIY Fruit and Vegetable Storage Rack
Smart Storage: A DIY Rack for Room-Temperature Produce Gardeners with bountiful harvests know the storage struggles of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially produce that doesn’t require refrigeration and thrives at room temperature to ripen properly. No longer do windowsills need to be overtaken by ripening tomatoes, or laundry rooms cluttered with overflowing baskets of...
Stone Fruit Pudding
If you’re looking for a simple summer dessert that feels fancy without the fuss, this Stone Fruit Pudding is a rustic take on the classic French ‘clafoutis’. It’s made by pouring a flan-like batter (similar to a light pancake or custard mix) over fresh fruit, typically black cherries, and baking it until puffed and...
How to cook polenta the easy way
Polenta, like so many interesting grains lately, has made a kitchen comeback. It’s affordable, versatile, and when cooked well, absolutely delicious. But how do you cook polenta, and how can you make it more than just another pantry staple? For anyone who’s tasted polenta in a restaurant, you’ll know what I mean when I...
Fresh Fruit Shortcake
Shortcake just seems to taste even better when you use foraged, gifted or seasonal fruit from your own backyard. Update (2025): Since posting this recipe many many ago, it has become a regular ‘go to’ for virtually any seasonal fruit. I’ve used fresh plums as a filling (sliced thinly), as well as a batch...
Quinoa Bowl
A wonderful way to use preserved lemon and the wins from your veggie patch! If you’ve never cooked with preserved lemon before, this is your sign to start. These salt-cured citrus gems add a punch of brightness…savoury, yet citrusy and floral all at once. Just a spoonful can transform everyday dishes into something special....
10 Ways to use Preserved Lemons
Preserved Lemons: the pantry staple you didn’t know you needed Bright, tangy, complex, and deeply aromatic, preserved lemons are a traditional ingredient in North African and Middle Eastern cooking, but their usefulness stretches far beyond any single cuisine. At first glance, they might seem intimidating: salt-packed, intensely fragrant. But once you learn how to...
Homemade Flavoured Salt
Once you’ve made a batch of Homemade Flavoured Salt you’ll not want to use ‘standard salt’ again! The beauty of homemade flavoured salts is that there is no real recipe – although there are guidelines and methods to take note of. This is a particularly wonderful use of excess herbs in your garden. Depending...
Lady Godiva Pumpkins – ‘Naked’ Seeds
Last season I was introduced to the Lady Godiva pumpkin. What’s all the fuss about? They are ‘naked’ seeds! One of the many marvelous benefits of belonging to a Crop Swap group is that you get be introduced to, swap and seed-save a wide variety of unusual home grown produce. While the Lady Godiva...
Making a Woodstore
Build Your Own Winter-Ready Woodstore …and keep your firewood dry and close-at-hand all year round for winter warmth, summer pizza nights, and every BBQ in between. If you are living rural, anytime is a good time to think about wood storage. Having several m3 of firewood delivered each year for winter heating, many rural properties...
Spiced Plum Chutney
Having an abundant plum season? Maybe it’s time for a batch of Spiced Plum Chutney. I have learnt to be organised this plum season. It has been obvious to me that birds, possums and other rural critters enjoy the process of roaming and munching fresh plums just as much as I do – so...
Making Sauerkraut
With my first real success in making sauerkraut, I am converted. I first fell in love with sauerkraut several years ago on an unofficial urban gardening tour of Germany. While I adored exploring community vegetable gardens in both Munich and Berlin, I looked forward with drooling anticipation to the main meal of the day...
Onion and Beetroot Relish
Ready yourself for beetroot chaos in the kitchen! This Onion and Beetroot Relish is worth the effort. Like many recipes, often it’s the tried and true that are consistent and have pantry ingredients that are readily available in most homes. Of all the Beetroot Relish recipes I’ve found, they are only slight deviations from...
Upcycled Tyre Seat
Upcycle old tyres into something useful – just like our Tyre Seat! What happens to old car tyres once they have been stripped from your car? They may go to a shredding facility to be mulched and destined for concrete-making, they may end up in landfill, or perhaps they remain stashed behind garden sheds...
Making a Cloche Growing Tunnel
From elaborate designs to individual plant protectors made from plastic bottles, cloches (pronounced kl-oshes) provide handy protection from insects, pests and weather. Newly planted seedlings and prized mature plants thrive in such a space. Acting as a heat trap, along with protecting from extreme wind and an unexpected frost, cloches act as a mini-greenhouse....
Upcycled Wooden Pallet Swing
Wooden pallets are a DIYer’s friend and can be transformed into a range of indoor and outdoor furniture – in this instance, an Upcycled Wooden Pallet Swing. Pallets are designed as flat transport structures, built for efficient storage of goods. Traditionally maneuvered by a forklift or pallet jack, they are a common sight in...
The Seed Files – Saving Seeds
Gathering and saving seeds from a homegrown harvest is easy, cost effective and rewarding. Once you have saved enough for yourself, keep saving more! Seeds are well sort after – share with others at a local Crop Swap or make them a thoughtful ‘gardeners gift’ for someone who loves growing as much as you...
Choko: Growing from Seed
Growing choko from seed is easy! All you need is a choko… Whether you have a huge garden, a shade house, a cobblestone slab or a windowsill, there are many places and spaces you can cultivate your home-grown edibles, even in winter. Welcome to the world of choko. I was given a choko a...
Dehydrated Lemon Zest Powder
After a lemon dilemma, I’ve turned my hand to the process of dehydrating lemon zest and turning it to Lemon Zest Powder. Life can often give you lemons and, as I found out the hard way, pests can taketh them away too! That was my dilemma this week. My fully laden lemon tree was...
Making a Propagation Station
Starting Strong: Build Your Own Propagation Station The warm, weather-resistant, pest-free environment of a greenhouse is ideal for germinating seeds. But not everyone has the space for a full-sized structure, let’s face it. For smaller gardens, a propagation station offers the same benefits in a compact, manageable format. It’s perfect for giving seeds and...
Sweet Chilli Sauce with Extras
Sweet Chilli Sauce goes with just about everything and, after a bumper chilli season, just as well! I always like to preserve with the seasons, and while prepping several batches of Sweet Chilli Sauce thought I’d incorporate a few different seasonal additions. Why? Why not! While the recipe is delicious alone no doubt, I...
Pumpkin Shortcake Slice
For those of you with an ample supply of pumpkin after the autumn harvest, and feel like something a little different, check out this Pumpkin Shortcake recipe. I’ve lots of delicious pumpkin recipes including these 10 Savoury Ways with Pumpkin, but I decided to put my hand to a sweet option. If you have...
Green Tomato Pasta Sauce
Be sure to use that glut of green tomatoes at the end of the summer season for good use! You will appreciate bottles of Green Tomato Pasta Sauce come winter. Not all green tomatoes will ripen on the vine nor windowsill. Some stubbornly will remain green as the cooler weather hits. As you may...
Upcycling an Old Door into a Bench-Seat & Shelf
Take a Seat – Upcycle an unwanted door into a pride-of-place hallway statement Every entrance way or mudroom can benefit from a place to hang coats, tidy away shoes, and perch while kicking off gumboots. Upcycling an old door is a great starting point for creating a hallway bench and shelf that’s both functional...
DIY Chair Bench
Old wooden chairs no longer need to be stashed in the garden shed ready for inorganic collection. They can be easily transformed into a delightful garden bench for enjoy for years to come. Love the concept but have no spare dining chairs of your own? You may be surprised to discover through your local...
Pear and Tomato Relish
A delicious all-purpose relish, Pear & Tomato Relish is a winner when looking to preserve the last of the season’s harvest. It’s a delicious all-purpose relish, amazing to serve on a cheese board as it is in a toasted sandwich! Adapted from Digby Law’s Pickle and Chutney Cookbook, the combination of tomatoes, pears and...
DIY Bug Hotel
A ‘bug hotel’ is an enjoyable way to celebrate your garden helpers, a fun family project and instant garden art. Beneficial insects are essential for any garden and bugs will naturally find a home under leaves, bark, stacked wood or within your garden beds. Using natural materials work best, replicating a natural environment for...
Easy Bird Bath
Made with twigs ‘n twine, and all things fine, this Bird Bath is a a real craft project for an arty gardener. Bird baths are magical to have in the garden. In the heat of the summer weather it’s a pleasant reprieve for our fine-feathered friends to have a water source close at hand. ...
Chic Chicks: DIY Chick Brooder
A chick brooder houses new chicks in a warm, contained, weather-proof and pest-proof environment. While brooders can be made out of virtually anything, from plywood to a converted plastic tub, upcycling an old piece of household furniture can add an element of ingenuity, creativity and can become quite a talking point. The aim is...
Dehydrating Leafy Greens – Powdered Greens
With an over abundant harvest of kale, silverbeet, chard and spinach in my garden I’ve turned to dehydrating and powdering their green goodness to keep for another day. I really don’t like wasting food, as you can tell. I have a home dehydrator which I enjoy using for a range of things including herbs,...
Feijoa BBQ Sauce
Feijoa season is short and sharp, usually providing an over abundance of fruit. Time to add Feijoa BBQ Sauce to my seasonal repertoire. Once ripe and fallen to the ground, feijoa will start to decay and you’ll have rotten fruit in no time at all. USE IT before you lose it! I’ve made Feijoa...
Forgotten Fruits: Loquat Jam
It’s October – that means Loquat Jam is on the menu. My loquat tree has self seeded numerous times and I have several fruiting copious amounts at this time of year. It’s an early season for a stone fruit, and the birds know it. And the possums too, to be fair. There’s not a...
DIY Garden Obelisk: Grow Up, Not Out
Where garden structure meets sculpture…my DIY obelisk. There’s something satisfying about creating a garden feature that’s not only practical but also brings a touch of timeless charm to your outdoor space. We’ve made the most of this DIY project over the years, and our obelisk has become a firm fixture in the garden, equal...
Make a Garden Gate from Old Tools
Where Tools Retire with Dignity: Build a Garden Gate There’s something quietly noble about an old garden tool…the worn handle, the chipped enamel, the marks of a hundred seasons etched into its surface. These are the tools that helped carve out paths, plant seedlings, and turn compost. Rather than relegating them to a dusty...
Citrus Sweet & Sour Cooking Sauce
I first discovered this recipe when I was trying to make a citrus jelly. The result was it was too runny and I was determined not to waste a drop – so, a Citrus Sweet & Sour Cooking Sauce was invented on the spot. In a recent Crop Swap meet we were overwhelmed with...
Feijoa, Date & Walnut Loaf
Great for fresh or frozen feijoa pulp, this Feijoa Date & Walnut Loaf is virtually fool proof! If you have never thought to freeze feijoa before, think again. I have had success in freezing feijoa whole and as scooped out flesh. Here’s a few tips: When using whole frozen feijoa fruit peel skins with...
Homemade Hummus
If you are a hummus fan, it’s always good to have a go-to recipe so you can make this delicious spread or dip at home. A popular Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dish traditionally made from chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans) and tahini (which is a paste made from roasted ground sesame), you’ll also...
How to use Kaffir Limes
I love limes. I absolutely adore them. In fact, all citrus gets a big tick from me. Here’s how to make the most of your Kaffir Lime tree. Did you know that limes actually turn yellow when ripe? This may be slightly confusing in the fruit bowl as some varieties can look very much...
Green Tomato & Chilli Chutney
With my passion of saving food, my green tomatoes are destined for the preserving pan: Green Tomato & Chilli Chutney Near the end of the tomato growing season, frost can completely annihilate tomato plants. Their leaves burn in the chill and the branches begin to blacken. Those gorgeous green tomatoes that once turned a...
Preserving Chilli in Brine
As you may have spotted in my 5 Ways to Preserve Fresh Chilli, this simple brine recipe works a treat. If you have an abundance of chilli in your garden and want to preserve for practical reasons, I’d recommend the ‘chilli chunks in brine’ approach, purely due to the volume it holds. It is...
Mini Cheese Balls
If you are looking for something extra-yum to add to your next cheese or nibbles platter, I can highly recommend mini cheese balls. The iconic Cheese Ball used to be a must-have for entertainer’s platter in the 70’s, that along with cubes of cheese and pineapple on toothpicks! As we have progressed through the...
Fresh Fig Chutney
It’s fresh fig season and I’m loving it. Out come the preserving pans once again and it’s Fresh Fig Chutney time! This recipe is pretty traditional, adapted from past foodie extraordinaire Digby Law’s Pickle and Chutney Cookbook. If you haven’t heard of him before, he was an Auckland-based food writer and cook (sadly died...
Chilli Fig Jam
As the name suggests, this Chilli Fig Jam is sweet however with the beautiful chilli after-kick it isn’t the kind of jam you may be used to on toast! If you are lucky enough to have a fig tree you may already appreciate that figs ripen when they ripen, which isn’t necessarily all at...
Super Celery – All for the Eating
This blog is to honour the humble celery – all of it, from top to tail. Celery takes a while to grow, costs an arm and a leg at the supermarket, and makes up one of the top wasted food categories in New Zealand – vegetables. Once you’ve eaten the crunchy stalks, let’s face...
Frozen Mystery Mix
I am so into this at the moment! Frozen Mystery Mix bags, conveniently frozen and ready for a stir-fry, slow cooker or soup. Do you have an oven tray in your freezer, or is it just me? It started when all my broccoli matured at the same time. I blanched and froze several kilos...
10 Savoury Ways with Pumpkin
If you’ve already enjoyed it mashed and roasted – check out ten of my favourite other ways to enjoy pumpkin this season. Pumpkins take a full season to grow and at times can cost a fortune in the supermarket. Don’t waste a slither! Here’s another food saving idea for you. 1. Best Ever Pumpkin...
Pumpkin Pasta
A spare cup of cooked pumpkin can go a long long way, perfect in fact for a homemade Pumpkin Pasta recipe. I make no secret of my love of my ‘waste not’ approach to living and a long time supporter of Love Food Hate Waste New Zealand. Several years ago they asked if I...
Restoring Painted Door Knobs to former Glory
In old villas especially, original knob knobs can be hiding under multiple layers of paint applied over decades. Here are some tips to help restore them. This post was originally published in 2020, but I’ve now updated it as I’ve tried a new trick that involves boiling the paint off (thanks to Jeff who...
The Joy of Crop Swaps
Do you think you are the only one out there with a humble veggie plot in your backyard? Think again. There are lots of locals, just like you, looking to grow, share, swap and be social. The joy of a money-less exchange of edible goodness is not a new concept, although after decades of...
Zingy Cabbage Pickle
Not a refrigerator pickle nor a fermentation, this Zingy Cabbage Pickle is a preserve recipe that is shelf stable. I was gifted a huge cabbage when I was doing some thrift store retail therapy, of all places. I am always on the hunt for large preserving jars and gosh, second hand stores have plenty!...
Homemade Pasta Sauce for Freezing
It’s tomato season, enjoy! Freezing fresh pasta sauce is so easy. Here’s how I do it. Pasta sauce isn’t just for pasta! It can be used in casseroles, on a pizza, folded through steamed veggies, or as the base of meat dishes where you’d usually call upon tinned tomatoes. This fresh pasta sauces as...
Smokey Tomato Sauce
If you need ANY more inspiration to plant untold tomato seedlings next season, this is one of them: my yet-to-be famous Smokey Tomato Sauce is simply divine! It’s yet to be famous because this recipe hasn’t been published until now, but I will claim this one! I have tried them all. Virtually every tomato...
My go-to Blueberry Muffins
This Blueberry Muffin recipe is my ‘go to’ home baking for my bed & breakfast guests. Sadly fresh blueberries aren’t available year round. The season is short and gosh, they can be expensive in the supermarket. So, if you have enjoyed picking-your-own in abundance in the summer season or have a stash of frozen...
Free-flow Freezing Steps for Excess Veggies
Free-flow freezing is a must when you have fresh vegetables in excess. Here’s how! Whether you are looking for points on how to freeze courgette, green beans, snap peas, corn, broccoli or cauliflower, leeks you’ve come to the right place. In fact, virtually any vegetable can be free-flow frozen using this method. The beauty...
Almond Crescent Cookies
Almond Crescent Cookies remind me of Christmas – short-bready, nutty, a hint of spice and very moreish! Baking with leftover Pantry Ingredients And yes, I had my baking tins full of them over the holidays! Now that the dust has settled on 2021, I thought it was about time I published a few recipes...
Easy Refrigerator Pickles
Save those fresh veggie leftovers and make a delicious refrigerator pickle. Unlike most of my preserves which are intended to be stored for up to 2 years, these refrigerator pickles are super-easy to make on a whim and perfect for summer. Crisp, tasty refrigerator pickles make for a perfect summer side with cold or...
Curiosities: Charity Shop Planter Pots
I’ve scoured charity shops for interesting homewares to use as non-traditional planters. Whether for a present, or for the home, I thought I’d share. I love supporting charity shops. Hats off to the generous and thoughtful folk who declutter their homes and donate pre-loved goodies to charity stores across New Zealand. One person’s trash...
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
A favourite side of mine now turned into a soup, Cauliflower Cheese Soup is simply hearty and delicious. Some days you look in the fridge and there’s just not a lot of inspiration, but with cauliflower there’s always something delicious on the menu. The great thing about this recipe is that it uses the...
Peanut Butter Cookies
If you’re a peanut butter fan like me you’ll love these Peanut Butter Cookies! A super-easy recipe to follow, it results in soft, buttery and not over-sweet cookies. Seldom will you find baking recipes on my blog that don’t involve seasonal fruit or vegetables, but I am partial to finding ways to use up...
Fused Soft Plastic Tote Bags
If you collect soft plastics (from chip packets to bread bags) rather than sending them to landfill, here’s a fun craft to transform them into a handy tote bag. This blog is an adaption to a contribution piece written by me for NZ Lifestyle Magazine (2019). Fabric bags or multi-use, hard wearing reusable plastic...
Reforming Soap from Old Soap Scraps
Wanting a break from your baking marathon this lockdown? How about making your own soap…from soap, old soap scraps that is. Before going through the process, I will note that to make soap from scratch you’ll need a whole bunch of ingredients you may not be able to source in lockdown: coconut oil, olive...
Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are so very delicious and full of goodness too! Instead of reaching for packet of chips or eating all the home baking ‘because it’s there’ this lockdown, I’m trying to get creative. Did you know chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans? They are packed with magnesium, B6 and B9 (folic...
1918 Influenza in NZ – Realities of the time
Level 4 lockdown: I’ve been immersed in the pages of my late grandmother’s handwritten memoirs and came across her recall of the 1918 Flu epidemic in New Zealand. She was 11 years of age when the flu hit, living with her family in Auckland: Cath had looked after my younger sister Edna ...
Green Bean & Potato Salad
If you are looking for a summer vegetarian/vegan main or side dish to feed plenty, be sure to add this Green Bean & Potato Salad to the menu. This recipe has carbs, lots of leafy greens, seasonal veggies and looks so colourful! Served on a platter it can make a real statement glorious. I...
DIY: Washable Face Mask
Here are step-by-step instructions to make your own washable face mask, complete with pattern. Update: As of January 2022: With the emergence of the Covid Omicron variant in New Zealand, it is deemed that DIY fabric face masks do NOT cut the mustard (ie: are not protective against ongoing mutations of Covid19). We will...
Feijoa Jelly
Yum! So delicious with cold meat or on cheese platter, and a pretty addition to the picnic table, homemade Feijoa Jelly rocks. This recipe is ‘skin on’ which makes for a no-fuss preserving. It’s also a great way to use those small feijoa which otherwise are finicky to scoop. Sweet and delicious, fruit jellies...
Feijoa & Ginger Jam
With an abundance of late croppers, it’s time to make Feijoa & Ginger Jam. Maybe it’s the Waikato weather, maybe it’s just a late cropper, but my Feijoa tree seems to always be months behind the rest of New Zealand when it comes to harvest time. It’s not just me, it’s my neighbour’s tree...
Homemade Citronella Candles
Mosquitoes can be very annoying, any season! It is super easy to make homemade citronella candles – cheap, effective and practices recycling/upcycling along the pathway to be mozzie free. Citronella is a naturally occurring oil that repels insects – an essential oil that’s made from the distillation of the Asian grass plant in the...
Spaghetti Squash Relish
Spaghetti squash is such a delicious crop – now you can enjoy it year round in the form of a tasty homemade relish. This relish is mild and family friendly, light and reminiscent of a chow chow with its mustard tones without all the chunks! What’s it delicious paired with? Hotdogs, cheese toasties or...
Baked Spaghetti Squash
What a delicious veggie to have growing in the garden, and baking in the oven – Spaghetti Squash. My love for spaghetti squash started several years ago. At the time of first blogging about them I was struggling to get my hands on both the seeds and the mature fruit, they are now more...
Plum Jam
I’ll be honest, I am more of a relish-maker than a jam-maker, but I’ve finally found the knack. This Plum Jam recipe is super easy and most delicious! Yes, it’s plum season again. I have a wonderful plum tree that has been grafted over time to grow three different varieties of plums. I haven’t...
Versatile Cauliflower Pickle
Cauliflower, yum! I love this versatile vege so much I could almost drink it! Cauliflower Pickle has been my latest indulgence – a flavour to savour all year round. Cauliflower Pizza Bases, Cauliflower Rice, Minted Cauliflower Risotto and Buffalo Cauliflower Bites have all become part of my household’s staple menu, but with a generous...
Homemade Mixed Fruit Compote
I’m a keen preserver and look forward to enjoying as much homegrown fruit as possible off season. Homemade compote is an easy way to preserve excess harvest. Compote is really easy to make. The majority of the time you may be making such small amounts you are able to consume it within a week...
Easy Pickled Fresh Beetroot
How is your beetroot growing? If you planted several seedlings and they are naturally maturing at the same time, you’ll no doubt be looking for plenty of ways to enjoy them. Roasted beetroot is delicious, Beetroot Relish is divine with cheese and crackers, Beetroot Hummus is very tasty…but don’t forget Pickled Beetroot – perfect...
DIY Bird Deterrents
Bird deterrents act as a visual and physical barrier to deter small birds from perching on window ledges. Here’s how to make your own easily, cheaply and effectively. At this time of year with nesting in full swing, your backyard feathered friends will be looking to settle down. Inevitably poop splashes will make their...
How to remove sticky labels from glass jars
Removing labels from glass jars and bottles can be tricky, so here are a few tips and tricks to make it easier for you. Upcycle-lovers are very creative and endeavour to find numerous uses for glass jars and bottles whenever the opportunity arises. Paper stocks used for labels include matt, glossy and textured paper....
Homemade Yoghurt without buying endless Sachets
Love love love homemade yoghurt…and oh those delicious supermarket bought sachets, creamy and perfect every time. But you only need to buy one and that’s enough to make endless homemade yoghurt every week. When wanting to make your own WITHOUT buying more sachets, simply keep the last dollops of cultured yoghurt before finishing off...
Freezing Eggs and other everyday food items
Can you freeze egg whites and yolks? Yes you can! How about avocado, milk and coffee? Save money and get freezer-wise with these everyday food items you didn’t know you could freeze. New Zealanders waste SO MUCH food every year and it’s not just leftovers. These freezer tips are less about landfills challenges and...
25 delicious ways to use leftover Jam in Recipes
Love your leftovers! Thankfully, there are many delicious ways to use jam and those last few spoonfuls can go a long way to add flavour and yum. I’m a waste-not kinda girl so I’m happy to ‘eat my pantry’ so to speak, to use rather than waste, any last scrapings from the jam jar....
Jam Cocktails
While enjoying your refreshingly delicious jam cocktail, you may be doing your fridge a great favour! Those mostly empty jars of jam can be finally scraped clean, enjoyed and the jar stored for your next batch of preserves. I’ll raise my glass to that. I will indeed add to this blog as my jars...
Potato Season: chitting & seeding varieties
Are your potatoes well chitted and ready to be planted? With so many varieties of potatoes to plant, it’s fun finding your personal favourite. Did you know a medium sized potato can supply nearly half the recommended daily intake of vitamin C? Waxy or Floury? You’ll see reference to potatoes either being ‘waxy’ or...
PBJ Oat Balls
Packed full of almonds, dates, oats and bound with peanut butter and maple syrup, these PBJ Oat Balls have a sweet secret in the centre – jam. For something a bit different, jam is frozen before using in this recipe as it thickens and makes it more manageable. To do this, spread a thin...
Belgium Biscuits with Jam Icing
A baking treat adopted by many for Easter, Belgium Biscuits are warmly spiced and jam packed (sandwiched between two biscuits). But who needs to wait until Easter to enjoy them?! They are deliciously iced with natural colour and flavour thanks to the deliciousness of Raspberry Jam, so there’s no need for food colouring here....
DIY Draught Stoppers
Save on heating bills and get nice and cosy this season with a homemade Draught Stopper for doors and windows. With winter nearly upon us, you’ll be feeling the odd draught here and there – particularly if you live in an old villa like me. It is inevitable the cold will sneak its way...
Lemony Leeks & Thyme
Looking for a new spin on serving up leeks, Asian veggies and preserved lemons? Check out this tasty side that combines them all! Leeks are very delicious and a popular gardener’s choice of crop. They tend to all mature at the same time, leaving a PLENTIFUL leek harvest. I’ve written many recipes for tasty...
Distressed Paint Project: Outdoor Herb Chair
I decided, in Level 4 Lockdown, to create an Outdoor Herb Chair to add some colour to my veggie patch. A hanging basket (without the chain) was nestled in the frame of the seat quite comfortably. The herbs I scavenged from the garden, the chair however needed much love in order to look rustically...
Stout Beef Stew
Good old stout beer. Infused in a gravy stew, it’s hard to beat. My Englishman is adorable. He’s grateful for every meal served and doesn’t complain (most of the time he has no need to, to be fair)! I’ve been making regular ‘Sunday roast’ type dinners to mark the end of each busy DIY...
Anzac-Inspired Lockdown Slice (with DIY oat flour)
I know I’m not the only one: flour is in short supply at the moment. It seems New Zealand has gone into a baking frenzy during Level 4 lockdown! Inspired by an article in the Daily Mail, I decided to have ‘a go’ at making DIY oat flour from whole oats. With the help...
How to split and divide Flax and Grasses
Why are we planting Flax and Grasses? We’ve chosen to divide and replant a variety of flax and ornamental grasses as they are shallow rooted plants (they don’t seek-and-destroy underground water pipes), they’re hardy and thrive on any extra moisture in the soil. If you live in a rural part of New Zealand, like...
How to fix Putty: Guide for Beginners
I’m a give-it-a-go DIYer and recently got stuck into puttying – a first for me. We have a 100 year old villa and many of the windows are original, poor condition yes, but original! Understandably, over decades of summers (and multiple applications of paint), despite obvious maintenance, some putty had cracked and fallen off....
Forgotten Fruits: Crab Apple Jelly
I’ve started a series of recipes dedicated to forgotten backyard fruit. You know the ones: look a bit strange, have an unusual name and unlikely to be found in the local supermarket. The odds are that your grandmother would have known exactly what to do with them: quince, persimmon, loquat, kumquat, cape gooseberry, elderberries,...
Skin-on Feijoa Chutney
I LOVE feijoa – the smell, the taste and the convenience of having a tree absolutely laden and ready at my disposal….for the month-long harvest that is. Now time to stock up on Feijoa Chutney so I can enjoy it year round! Skin On Feijoa Recipes The best thing about this recipe is that...
Cranberry Chilli Chicken Casserole
While in lock-down and familiarising myself with the back of the pantry, I was inspired to make Cranberry Chilli Chicken Casserole. It started as I was tidying my pantry. I thought I was somewhat organised but found a few half-packets of ‘things’ that were partially hidden by other half-packets of ‘things’. I stumbled upon...
Yorkshire Puddings & Toad in the Hole
Staring at a pack of sausages and looking for another way to cook ’em? Cue ‘Toad in the Hole’, an old English dish that is rather tasty and very hearty. You get good bang for your buck with this blog as basically you’ll learn how to make Yorkshire Pudding too. Toad in the Hole...
Being Resourceful: Menu Planning
Being resourceful in the kitchen in a time of uncertainty helps to manage stress levels, your budget and your supplies. Firstly, take a deep breath. If you are genuinely concerned as to where your next meal will come from, reach out for support immediately in your local community – church groups, neighbours, online community...
Grow Your Own
With the ramifications of Covid-19 in New Zealand, from stockpiling to food rationing, we should now, more than ever, embrace a war-time approach to some aspects of our lives. Whilst there is NO shortage of fresh vegetables (we are told), and may indeed never be a shortage, anything we can grow at home will...
Rainwater Butts for Garden
This is a throw-back to several years ago when we built a Rainwater Butt solution for our plastic house, but a nifty little project all the same! Our homemade plastic house was 10sqm, just under the council planning rules, so perfect to raise our seedlings. We had a mission to go from Zero to...
Forgotten Fruits: Loquat Sauce
If you’ve never tasted loquat, you’re in for a treat. The fruit is sweet and bursting with juice. ‘A flavoursome blend of apricot, plum and cherry with floral overtones’ according to one descriptor, and quite true. Loquat trees used to adorn our grandparents’ backyards but not such a familiar sight these days. I have...
Nifty Tips for Pots-to-Garden Planting
Now, planting sounds like a very simple job to do, and it is. HOWEVER after planting more than 250 hedges around our section, I kinda got the hang of a few nifty little tips I thought I’d share. Preparing Holes for Planting If you are digging an untold number of holes, consider a post...
Upcycling Wooden Pallets
Upcycled Pallets are a common DIY theme running through Pinterest and a dream for many DIYers. It seems so very easy: pallets are generally free – so it’s simple, right? Yes and yes. However, depending on what you plan to make from them, it can be a little time consuming. We’ve seen bedroom furniture,...
August 2019
With Spring just around the corner, I must say I will miss my wet Sunday afternoons. Best Cleaning Tip An easy way to clean your woodburner window, without chemicals and mucking about, is simply (a) fine ash from the fireplace itself (b) tap water and (c) a paper towel. Dip a wad of paper...
Pickled Beetroot (from frozen)
Delicious with so many things, Pickled Beetroot may be a little messy to make but worth it many times over for the taste. I made this recipe with frozen beetroot. I’d always wondered how that would turn out, but rest assured, it’s absolutely perfect. Like many seasonal vegetables, often it’s a quick ‘chop, blanch...
25 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Relish
Other than grilled cheese toasties, dagwood sandwiches and adorning your cheese platter, just how do you use relishes and chutneys in recipes? Here’s 25 things to do with relish! If you’re like me you’ll have untold jars of homemade relish stacking up in your pantry. From excess fruit harvest, you may well have fruit...
Black Bean & Quinoa Stuffed Pumpkin
Winter and pumpkin go together like a blissful duet. Stuffed pumpkin is not only a centre piece but the main course too! Here’s my vegan-friendly, dairy-free, Black Bean & Quinoa Stuffed Pumpkin. Whether you’ve saved dozens of pumpkins from the season and wondering what to do with them, or you make a special effort...
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Cauliflower-lovers, vegetarians and vegans, rejoice. This Buffalo Cauliflower Bites recipe ZINGS and is oh-so-tasty, you’ll want to serve it up time and time again. Wow! If you have ever needed inspiration to enjoy cauliflower, here it is! Just like the chicken version of Buffalo Wings or Bites, this 100% vegetarian version is scrumptious and...
Feast Waikato
If you are up for a great foodie weekend, be sure to pencil Feast Waikato in your calendar for next year! Feast Waikato 2019 started with a bang with a wee progressive dinner for 60 in central Hamilton. Holy Moley, 60 guests – would that give you wobbly knees as a home cook?! Anxiously...
Hungry Bin Worm Farm – Years Later #part2
My Hungry Bin worm farm is trucking along just nicely after many years. I adore my Hungry Bin worm farm, but for various reasons it’d been ‘house-sat’ elsewhere for the past 12 months and came to a sticky end – not the bin itself, which is sturdy, but the wriggly friends within it. Worms...
Paint Tin Recycling (empty or partially used)
Now as you know (or should know) you can’t just send paint tins to the tip nor try and sneak them in your kerbside rubbish collection. They do need to be disposed of safely and landfill is not the destination – but Resene is! We have a large garage, which is essential for us:...
Apricot & Avocado Mustard
Whether folded through a summer slaw, used as a dipping mustard for fresh vegetable tapas or dolloped on BBQ skewers, this Apricot & Avocado Mustard is a zingy, vegan-friendly, dairy-free dressing to enjoy. With four simple ingredients, what’s not to love about this creamy condiment. The sweetness and complementary flavours of apricot, the bitey...
How to stop lettuce from spoiling
Have you bought lettuce only to find it weeks later in the back of the fridge in a limp mess? Did it sweat into slimy oblivion in the plastic wrap it was purchased in, or self combust through neglect? A man who knows a lot about hydroponic lettuce, a grower himself, told me some...
DIY Blackboard or Chalkboard
Whether in a child’s bedroom as a scrawling wall, the kitchen as a shopping list, or the garage as a what-do-make-next agenda, a DIY blackboard (aka chalkboard) is super handy. We love blackboards and wouldn’t dream of being in a house without one. Making DIY Blackboard or Chalkboard Materials Plywood is a great start....
Creamy Lemon Curd
Homemade Lemon Curd is a classic. Love it thick and creamy, or with zesty strips of peel, it’s delicious on hot buttered bagels or in your favourite dessert. If you’ve already tried my Mandarin Curd recipe you’ll note that the method is slightly different to this Lemon Curd recipe. It needn’t be different, but...
Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Here’s a hearty flavoursome meal or side to celebrate leftovers and homemade relish: Stuffed Baked Potatoes I literally lived off baked potatoes when I was flatting. I would scrounge ‘odds and sods’ from the fridge: a slice or two of capsicum, leftover baked beans, a curled up spring onion….you get the picture. Regardless of...
8 Easy Dressings and Vinaigrette Recipes
Get dressed for summer dining. Homemade dressings and vinaigrettes are easy to make and transform a salad in just minutes. Dressings and vinaigrettes are tasty as a marinade or drizzled over a green salad, roast vegetable salad or steamed seasonal greens. Olive Oil: You’ll see a pattern with all of these dressings, all being...
How to paint Villa windows & French doors
So many panes of glass, so many wooden frames. If you sigh at the thought of painting Villa windows (whether new, reclaimed or existing), you are not alone. The thought is daunting. I’ve recently repainted in our kitchen renovations so have some relatively fresh advice. Preparation is the main point so don’t skip it....
LSA Macaroons
Perhaps there was a sneaky underlying message in a recent present, I need to bake more! Win-win I say – delicious LSA Macaroons were the result! My beloved Englishman was gifted a cook book for this birthday. This made us both giggle as he is not a baker nor particularly familiar with the kitchen,...
Caramelised Onion
Yum! With a few staple pantry ingredients, you’ll have whipped up a batch of Caramelised Onion in no time. Unlike a jam but with a twangy bite due to the balsamic vinegar, caramelised onion is super tasty: smothered in or over grilled toasted sandwiches swirled through soup (see my Kumara & Caramelised Onion Soup)...
Mushroom Dumplings
Once you make your own dumplings, you’ll never visit the freezer aisle again. Homemade dumplings are so easy and a perfect way to use up left-overs! Dumpling Wrappers: Don’t be disheartened if you don’t find these in a supermarket chain store near you (from my own experience you won’t) but you will find them...
Vegetarian Enchiladas
This Vegetarian Enchilada recipe is an easy go-to weeknight meal and can be filled with just about ANYTHING. Enchiladas: We know that a ‘taco’ is in fact a tortilla that’s been stuffed and cupped in the shape of a half moon, just like we posted earlier with our Summer Soft Shell Tacos, sorted. An...
Southland Cheese Rolls
It’s wonderful that the South Island has such an iconic dish to claim as their own: Southland Cheese Rolls. Now, Cheese Rolls come as a slight surprise to some tourists who order it in a cafe for the first time. Expecting a roll with cheese in it (think: long roll, bap etc), no –...
Courgette Waffles
Why should breakfast take all the waffle glory? They can be just as delicious for a casual savoury meal too. Add courgette and you have a scrumptious savoury meal topped with just about anything you fancy (waffley versatile). Now, you’d never know there were veggies in the batter except for the odd flicker of...
Red Bean Nacho Lasagne
What?? Yessss….when Mexican meets Italian, the perfect international blend for open-minded dinner guests who adore delicious food! Introducing Red Bean Nacho Lasagne! Sacrilege? Mmmm, it depends on who you talk to. Flavoursome? Absolutely! Now before you query – I have not used Parmesan cheese. Why? To be called ‘Parmesan’ this specific cheese has to...
Citrus Broccolini Pasta
For a light-style pasta, escaping the trappings of a tomato or creamy sauce base, Citrus Broccolini Pasta is refreshingly simple. Pasta: If you are wanting a gluten-free pasta, check in the supermarket aisle. Made from corn and rice it cooks and tastes just like ‘regular’ pasta. I used ‘elbow’ pasta for this recipe, but...
Creamy Pumpkin Spaghetti
When someone offers you a pumpkin, accept it with glee. These long-lasting beauties can be cooked in a huge variety of ways – Creamy Pumpkin Spaghetti being one of them! Pumpkin: As awkward as they are in size, they don’t need to be kept in the fridge until you have started cutting into them....
Leek & Risoni Balls
Are you a leek freak, or willing to experiment? Leek & Risoni Balls are tasty bite-sized mouthfuls of goodness – full of seasonal flavour and ready to be dressed to impress. Leeks: Belonging to the onion family, leeks look a bit like huge spring onions, with a mild onion flavour. In season, which is...
Vegetarian Mushroom ‘Meatballs’
This Mushroom ‘Meatball’ recipe is indeed meat-free, super-tasty and filling. You can’t go wrong with a pasta dish for a hearty, tasty and cost effective meal plan. This recipe is ‘delicate’ however as it doesn’t have the fat, meat or gluten to stick it together — so my only warning is ‘steady as she...
Summer Soft Shell Tacos
Summer Soft Shell Tacos are a ‘pretty relaxed’ dinner choice, perfect for social occasions and a DIY dining approach. I love sharing platters and this is a great recipe for that. Pile up your ready-to-eat ingredients on a large platter, or in individual small bowls, and allow flatties or dinner guests to help themselves....
Spinach & Ricotta Cob Loaf
Whether you are stepping ‘nibbles’ up a notch, or wanting to serve it as part of your main – a Spinach & Ricotta Cob Loaf is a vegetarian delight. It doesn’t matter if the round cob loaf is fresh or stale, it’s a perfect edible container. The contents are so packed with greens you’ll...
Tuna Couscous
Warning. This is delicious. I have made this Tuna Couscous recipe easy-as and all you need to remember is ‘a cup’. A cup of this, a cup of that….well, except for the final flavours. Perhaps you need to pay attention after all! Tuna Steaks: You may have never considered tuna (fresh tuna) before due...
Banana Loaf
Any time is a good time for banana loaf, let’s face it. It’s my birthday and I can bake if I want to! I am surprised at the number of banana loaves I have made over the years, and none of them have made it to my blog, until now. Did you know that...
Salmon & Potato Bake
A hearty dish for the household, Salmon & Potato Bake combines good carbs and protein plus helps empty the fridge of some pesky leftovers. Salmon: Yes you can used tinned salmon, but if your budget stretches, treat yourself to fresh salmon. Rich and flavour, a little goes a long way. When buying fresh at...
Preserved Orange Zest
I’m not afraid to say that this was an absolute experiment. I am delighted to report that it was an absolute success! I have many citrus trees (grapefruit, lemon, lime and mandarin – but no orange) so was determined to make the most of the zest of a bagful of oranges I had inherited....
Pumpkin Scones
Pumpkin puree is easy to make. Come pumpkin season you are sure to be looking for a range of recipes with this very useful ingredient, including Pumpkin Scones! If you are going to the trouble of chopping up a pumpkin, say using half of it for a roast vegetable salad, I encourage you to...
Homemade Chilli Relish
I’ve had such a massively successful run with chilli this season. Planted from seed, virtually every jalapeno seedling grew to flourish into a hefty producer! Homemade Chilli Relish There have been kilograms of chilli in my house. Some I have preserved in oil, brine and others I’ve frozen for another day. We are huge...
Pumpkin Balls
It is pumpkin season, which I always welcome. Eating with the seasons is just perfect, especially when it’s locally grown and preferably from your own backyard. We discovered a wild pumpkin growing down ‘the bank’ of our property, much to our delight. Sure enough, several fine pumpkins were harvested just a few weeks ago....
Smoky Bacon-esque Coconut Chips
This Smoky Bacon-esque Coconut Chip recipe is vegan, I am not. Why not however, enjoy some simple foods that simply taste delicious? The smell of salty, smoky bacon is still a fond memory, although eating meat isn’t a desire for me these days. Inspired by Minimalist Baker I have made several batches of smoky...
Broccoli Crumb
I really don’t have a burning desire to upload endless photos of my evening meal, believe me, but when I come across a winner, I can’t help sharing. Discovering Vegetable Crumb, or in this case Broccoli Crumb is one of those exceptions. Inspired by a wilted broccoli glaring at me from the fridge, and a...
5 Ways to Preserve Fresh Chillies
Check out my 5 Ways to preserve fresh chilli so you can make the most of your chilli harvest. If you haven’t yet planted chilli in your backyard or container gardens, make a note to next spring! I have had success with jalapeno and habanero, both generating an ample crop. With an ample harvest,...
Infused Autumnal Vodka
I embrace ‘eating with the seasons’ and have found the joy of drinking with them too! In these autumn months there is plenty of inspiration drawn from the garden: feijoa, persimmon, mandarin and chilli, to name a few. What a perfect opportunity to infuse vodka! Homemade Infused Vodka Vodka can be infused with just...
The ride of their lives: my crazy parents
I am very proud of ‘seniors’ that inspire a generation half their age – a reminder that life is for living and age is no barrier. My parents just upped the ante! You may have already read up on my DNA that helped maketh me, but let me tell you more about my unstoppable parents....
Feijoa & Cream Cheese Muffins
Pondering what to do with loads of small-sized feijoa? Don’t let them go to waste – bake them skin-on in a delicious muffin. Feijoa & Cream Cheese Muffins get a big tick from me. I love it, every season. Feijoa season is worth waiting for but be prepared, she’s an ‘all or nothing’ kinda...
Courgette & Potato Soup
What to do with too many Courgettes? Daylight saving has nearly come to an end so, if you are reaching for soup inspiration, you are not the only one! It’s starting to get chilly out there and a warm bowl of soup seems like just the ticket. Thankfully, the courgette plant, that refuses to stop...
Chocolate Courgette & Blueberry Brownie
It’s not often that you read ‘chocolate, courgette and blueberry’ in a sentence, let alone an ingredients list…but here is my Chocolate, Courgette & Blueberry Brownie. Excess Courgette Harvest I had excess harvest last week and had given a bundle of produce away to anyone who was passing. A little timid at first, one...
Nut-Free Apricot Raw Balls
Perfect for a dessert platter, lunchbox or an afternoon tea pick-me up, these nut free Apricot Raw Balls are packed with sunflower seeds. Not a nut in sight! Call them bliss balls, raw balls or truffles, it’s hard to go past bite-sized mouthfuls of goodness. Similar to a muesli bar, but without all the...
Savoury Skin-On Tomato Salsa
With an abundance of cherry tomatoes in my veggie patch there is nothing more daunting than the thought of having to peel them before preserving. I don’t have the time, energy or patience for that! However, I do have the desire to preserve and the the need for oodles of canned tomatoes come winter...
Cooking with Kamo Kamo aka Kumi Kumi
The Kamo Kamo aka Kumi Kumi, is green, ribbed and delicious. Whilst it may appear to ‘take over’ the veggie patch it’s a much welcomed new crop for us this summer. Very similar to a marrow, courgette or squash when fresh in texture, once fully matured and when the skin has dried and hardened...
Hydrangea Heaven
For our wedding day it felt fitting to go with a hydrangea flower theme. They remind me of long summer days and rural New Zealand to a tee. In an annual summer display, along the fencelines of most country lanes in the Waikato, you’ll see their gorgeous display of blues, purples and pinks. There...
Our rural backyard wedding
Last week my Englishman and I stopped weeding to wed. A moment in time to pause, reflect, celebrate the adventures that have led us this far and to toast those we are yet to imagine. We are not much into fuss nor the grandiose. We chose a small family gathering surrounded by love, laughter...
Broad Beans: standing tall
It’s broad bean season and they are providing faster than I can pick them. While I have already covered how to Grow Broad Beans from seed in a previous moment of clarity, I can now add to it! Supports The trick we have found for a tidy garden and a happy plant is to...
Blueberry Cheesecake Brownies
Summer and berries go hand in hand. It’s hard to beat picking your own fresh from the garden, the neighbour’s garden or your local pick-your-own orchard. Blueberries. Hmm. I have a blueberry bush. It happens to be on a fence line that neighbours a herd of several hundred dairy cows. While they are only...
Easy Homemade Pickled Onions
What is a pickling onion? It is literally just a small onion – no particular variety or sneaky growing methods. Typically onions take 200 days from sowing the seeds to harvesting: sown in New Zealand around the months of June/July and harvested in January/February. If you are contemplating growing-your-own onions from seed check out...
Green Garlic Vinaigrette
Green Grows the Garlic-o….I’ve had that tune in my head all day – but after some googling it’s ‘green grow the rushes-o’. Never mind that, green garlic has been on my mind all week! I planted my own garlic cloves back in July (albeit later than the shortest day) and they have been coming...
Almond Mandarin Squares
Mandarins. Mandarins. Mandarins. How wonderfully understated are mandarins?! Citrus on a whole just amazes me. The season is long, the fruit lasts for months on the tree and is producing its next round of buds before the last fruit it picked. If you don’t have a mandarin tree, perhaps I can persuade you. Out...
About Blooming Time
It has seemed like a very wet old winter in the Waikato. On the upside – cozy nights in front of the log fire. On the downside – a quiet time in the veggie patch. Like magic whether the rain clouds disperse or not, mother nature swings into gear. The plum and cherry tree...
What it takes to be a Kiwi(fruit)
I think we laugh more since we’ve moved rural. We may have gone slightly mad, and while that is up for debate, there is plenty to giggle about. The Kiwi way? Like school kids we explore the backyard like it’s the first time. The seasons are bright and clear and every day shows us something...
Old Fashioned Lemonade
It may not be summer but with the first signs of spring, having a refreshing glass of homemade lemonade in the sun is a delight. With lemons in abundance nothing beats freshly squeezed lemon juice just seconds old. There isn’t much to making homemade lemonade. If you have a lemon tree in your backyard...
Bitter Grapefruit & Whisky Marmalade
When life gives you grapefruit…..why should lemons get all the glory?! Bitter marmalade is a personal preference. I find it delicious in small, thin doses. My Englishman would climb walls to get his hands on it. In fact, one of his major grumps is that New Zealand generally doesn’t make a marmalade bitter enough....
Grapefruit Meringue Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie is a classic but what about the humble grapefruit? In the height of citrus season my grapefruit tree is dripping with inspiration, so I turn my hand to a classic dessert with a grapefruit twist. Many backyards have mature grapefruit trees, much of the fruit fallen and rotting on the ground. ...
Homemade Flaky Pie Pastry
Not only can you bake rustic looking pies, the crust is melt-in-your-mouth flaky. I had previously thought that homemade pastry was a bit complicated. It isn’t! Like most things, good things take time. I don’t have a fancy cake mixer nor any ‘paddle attachments’, so this recipe is made the old fashioned way – by...
Onion Skin Soup
SOOS! Save our onion skins! This is a nifty little recipe that embraces my ‘waste not’ philosophy and delivers a tasty soup to be proud of. Reported research suggests that onion’s outer skins provide a rich source of plant compounds called flavonoids, especially the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound called quercetin. The latter may...
Candied Citrus
“Yum, just like Christmas!” was the response when my Englishman spotted me photographing these candied citrus. I have a mental block when it comes to glace cherries, hunks of candied ginger or Turkish Delight. But, when candied fruit is (a) homegrown and (b) homemade with patience and love, it presents itself as a moreish...
Mandarin Curd
You’ve heard of Lemon Curd — so why not Mandarin Curd? Nope, no reason at all it seems. So I make some, of course. It’s mandarin season after all and my three backyard mandarin trees are very fruitful. What’s a curd? The term ‘curd’ dates back to the early 1800’s from English origins. In...
Orange Vinegar DIY Household Cleaner
Keep those orange peels! After enjoying fresh juice and baking ’til your heart’s content, don’t be in a hurry to throw away the skin. Have you ever wondered about what hidden toxins may be lurking in your regular household cleaners? Often the ingredients won’t be listed. What a surprise! Some may proudly claim ‘contains...
Spiced Orange Sauce
Tasty with prawns or as a cooking glaze for delicious baby vegetables, my Spiced Orange Sauce certainly has kick! Now is the time to enjoy all those lost spices in the bottom kitchen drawer. This recipe calls upon most of them! Paprika, cayenne pepper, all spice, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and dry mustard. With...
Winter Pruning & Wood Chips for the Smoker
Let’s prune a tree or two, she says. It’ll only take an hour or two, she says. Well. Ahem. Maybe a little more. Winter pruning is all important. Snuggled up in front of the fire, priorities seem to vanish. You know you need to pay some attention to your trees before spring, but there’s...
Buttermilk & Chia Scones
I haven’t been much of a scone baker to be honest, but after you find a successful go-to recipe, they aren’t that scary to make – in fact, deliciously glorious and deliciously easy. This scone mix is very moist so you have to trust yourself that this is in fact what the recipe calls...
Homemade Cultured Buttermilk
Buttermilk is not a common recipe ingredient but, from time to time, you’ll stumble on a recipe that requires it. It is so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it for years. Originally, buttermilk was the term given to the liquid left over from churning butter. Before cream could be...
Orange & Rhubarb Muffins
It’s citrus season. Orange trees throughout the Waikato are at full capacity. Backyards teeming with amber citrus globes, which hang like ornaments from their well shaped limbs, are sheepishly ignored. EAT ‘EM FOLKS! If you can’t, give them to someone who will, or make muffins. Remember: There’s no place for food waste. If you can’t...
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds & Pumpkin Skin Crisps
Pumpkins Galore, but don’t waste the skins and seeds. Last season, not a single pumpkin seed was intentionally planted in my garden, but as pumpkin seeds have a mind of their own, plenty popped up in the strangest of places regardless. We’ve been in our new place around six months and while our monty...
Dehydrated Persimmon – Slices and Fruit Rollups
Extra ripe persimmon make the perfect dehydrated fruit roll-ups! The persimmon season is a short one. Depending on when picked, they can ripen very quickly and in large numbers. Often they turn into a soft-to-touch squidgy fruit that looks far beyond usefulness…but no. If you have fruit sitting in your fruit bowl, or intrigued...
Persimmon Chutney
To enjoy persimmon year round, make the most of an ample harvest and preserve a batch of persimmon chutney. Like all homemade chutneys, of which I am becoming a connoisseur, making chutneys take a few hours out of your day. You needn’t have to slave over the stove top for all this time, but...
Prawn & Persimmon Dumplings
Well, I did warn you! Persimmon is still flavour of the month for me, as long as the short season will last. Prawn and Persimmon Dumplings had to be on the list. Persimmon is such an underrated fruit that’s a delicious alternative to mango and works a treat when you’re looking for that ‘hint’...
Persimmon Salsa
I am creating persimmon dishes faster than I can share them with you! If you have a persimmon tree in your backyard or some strays in your fruit bowl for that matter, you’ll know how quickly they ripen off the tree. Almost by accident I discovered that ripe persimmon flesh looks and tastes very...
Winter and the woodshed
Fire it up! It’s sure getting chilly! Frosts are an every day occurrence and at times, while the sun pushes through the fog, there may be only hours of daylight heat to savour. We had 10 cubic metres of dry firewood delivered several weeks ago, plus wet wood from a recent prune to a big...
Persimmon Loaf
Damn! Wasps certainly know a good thing when they see it. Ripe persimmon and they are intoxicated! Time for a ruthless harvest! The under-ripe fruit will just have to ripen on the windowsill…more work in my preservery this weekend. Game on. And that I did..a ruthless harvest. With a laundry tub overflowing with persimmon,...
Seriously Moreish Savoury Muffins
I am no trained cook, but I am a foodie and have learnt that we all are capable of taking a recipe and adapting it, once you know a few rules. Inspired by one of New Zealand’s well known foodies and cook extraordinaire, Annabelle White, I have taken her trusty recipe and, for speed and convenience, made...
Logs, kindling, fire
Yes it’s that time of year. The cold snap has indeed snapped in the Waikato to the tune of a discordant F#7 on a detuned guitar. It’s a beautiful scene, frosted farmland as far as the eye can see. The days (generally) turn into a blue sky day, but it’s pretty chilly. Oh, a mild...
Vegetarian Nacho Salad
Inspired by a tasty salad from Tank, this dish combines all the yummy ingredients of a vegetarian nacho dish but with greens – even tastier than a plate full corn chips, says me. There’s no going back now, this hearty salad is my new favourite! The best way to make this is by the serve....
Fruit Bowl Chutney
Saving the last of the fruit bowl stragglers with my Fruit Bowl Chutney! There are times when I look mournfully at the fruit bowl. Dribs and drabs of delicious and beautifully grown harvest can begin to look very unloved and shrivel into lonely despair. With just a handful of each lounging around in the...
Prinzessinnengarten, Berlin
Around the size of a soccer field in Berlin’s eastern Moritzplatz district, Prinzessinnengarten is more than just an urban vegetable garden created on wasteland. More than a community allotment, Prinzessinnengarten is a self-funded cafe and organic edible haven for city dwellers. Diners sit at tables built from crates and eat meals prepared with produce...
Garden allotments in Munich: weekend houses with grit
I’m back from a wonderful fact finding tour of Germany where I continued my quest to rediscover how urban living is balanced by glorious growing spaces. Munich: a proud city packed with history and people, dedicates as it has for generations, green and growing spaces for its people. You’ll see thousands of ‘weekend houses’...
Homemade Plum Port
Several months ago, experiencing an excessive plum harvest, we decided to make plum wine. It took several hours to de-stone and prepare 16kg of fruit and several months of fermentation, stirring, decantering and finger crossing and finally….not plum wine, but plum port. It tastes delicious! Sweet and definitely port tasting, it’s a drinkable drop....
The Burys Allotments, Godalming
If you haven’t heard of ‘allotments’ before, let me introduce them to you. UK Allotments 101 Allotments in the UK date back to the 1800’s when land was given over to the labouring poor to grow food. With the lack of a welfare state this was much needed during the industrial revolution. In 1908...
Food Runners & Urban Farming in San Francisco
I am intrigued how cities apply themselves to meet their urbanomic needs. I recently met up with Phil from Food Runners in the heart of San Francisco. In itself, this particular morning was a baptism in urban goodness and graciousness. Call it food waste, food rescue, food recovery, call it what you will –...
My Ancestral DNA
I know who my parents are, their parents and their parents. That is just a drop in the ocean in terms of my ancestry. Around 15 years ago I went through a vigorous spate of piecing together my family tree through old family records. Looking for clues in a handwritten keep-sakes, faded names scribed...