GOVERNMENTAL MEGLAMANIACAL BEHAVIOUR

Here is an interesting fact my fellow consumers:- I received an email today from Choice magazine online informing me that the Rudd government who promised us a consumer website as a pre-election promise....I remember it well......has disallowed this website from happening. The website was to allow us, the consumer, to view local grocery retailers and to allow us to pick and choose where we wished to shop at for the best prices ie name and shame the retailers who are charging ridiculous ever-increasing prices eg Coles, Woolworths etc. Appparently, the minister for Consumer Affairs, Craig Emerson has put a stop to this website only a few days prior to it being launched. According to information read on the Liberal party's website, Coles and Woolworths etc refused to partake in the website.....I wonder why?

If ever there was an admission of guilt by the big boy retailers this is it. I say expose them, get them onto A Current Affair and let Tracey Grimshaw name and shame them and get that website up and running......these are government employees and big business saying no to this website!

If only there were enough farmer's markets to wipe these big maglamanical companies out.

To Be Sure, To Be Sure

Potato talk....I have heard it on good authority that the potatoes are growing well. My partner-in-crime, KW, has informed me that he had to put some more mix on the potatoes due to their stalk growth and are therefore currently multiplying (we hope) in the hessian bag....well done sir!

Forgive me......very busy having fun!

Oh dear, I cannot believe that it has been nearly a month since I added to this blog. What has been going on.....well there are peas, beans, pumpkins, dill, no not me, the actual herb, not to mention the 23 tomato plants, yes that's right, 23 which are now flowering and looking fabulous. I would have to say the beans and sugar peas have had me very excited. The pansys too have been planted and as you can see they are looking just gorgeous, welcoming our cooler winter days.

The cooking has not been neglected I can assure you. As I am currently harvesting up to 20 cherry toms per day, I have had a glut of them so I have created my tomato, haloumi cheese, pesto and basil tart which I will share with you on the food blog. The family absolutely love it and it is so easy to make.

I am delighted to find out that I have some regulars who vist the blog and have, after seeing my creations here, have extended their gardens too. My mother told me that the greatest form of flattery is being copied so I am flattered. So keep the good work going and I hope you get as much joy out of your planting as I do. Not to mention the fact that my hubby and Fob love going out in the mornings and harvesting our tomato crop. The family eat the tomatoes like grapes, straight out of the bowl on the bench in the kitchen and they taste so sweet. Bliss.......

Thus far.....

I thought I should show the progress of the pots so far.  I am so thrilled to think that majority have survivied and I am harvesting around 8 tomatoes per day now which makes my heart sing.  Fob eats them like grapes so that makes me even happier.

Not to mention what is about to grow re the beetroot, potatoes and pumkins....we hope anyway.

Compost city!!!!

It has happened......we have used the first lot of compost which we have been nurturing for the last couple of months.  KW has used it to prepare the soil for our beetroot/pumpkin sowing.  I am just a little excited as you can see.  Hence, I have commenced compost bin number 2.  The wonderful thing too about all of this is that I made three yes three lots of soup over the weekend to freeze (pumpkin, chicken and vegetable) in preparation for those cold winter nights and to feed a hungry family so the amount of compost collected from using all of the veges scraps was fabulous. 

Lime-a-licious

It has to be said that since Thai recipes/restaurants have come to fruition in the recent years I have developed a love for the wonderful lime.  The expense of the fruit has led me to acquiring our own tree-ette.  This gorgeous plant is doing extremely well and I hope that in the next months it will produce the wonderful fruit I am so looking forward to.  

My darling aunt whom I recently visited during the Easter hols has a magnificent lime tree growing in a terracotta pot on her patio, eastern facing.  It had some lovely fruit on it and hence I thought I would give it a try too.  I have read that March and August are the fertilising times and so I have invested in citrus fertiliser so stand by.....photos of fruit may happen!! Please check out the wonderful Vietnamese/Thai salad dressing using limes on my Food for Friends blog....it is truly delicious. 

Beetroot, garlic, potatoes and eshallots around the corner

We have finally managed to organise the hesian bags which the potatoes are nesting in.  We await with anticipation their progress.  I have planted from seed some beetroot which have sprouted and are the most amazing colours.  Their deep-red coloured stems and lovely greener-than-green leaves are truly a sight to behold - I think anyway.....Mother Nature is amazing.  

The beetroots are accompanied in the pots by my garlic.  I have planted 3 so far and they have all sprouted.  You simply use a bought garlic and separate the cloves then plant root down and voila....it has worked....I am so impressed.

Another piece of amazing information I read is that eshallots can be grown from the off-cuts from bought eshallots.  Make sure that the root system is fresh ie not brown and withered and cut about a couple of cms from the root system and plant roots down in the ground of course, water and voila....they are growing too.  Apparently you can harvest them by just cutting the eshallot above the root system and it should shoot and grow again.....I am about to find out how true this is so stand by...a couple of weeks to go yet though.  Enjoy your day.....off to work now.