prosperousgarden's posterous http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com Most recent posts at prosperousgarden's posterous posterous.com Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:39:01 -0700 Preserving the olive harvest http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/preserving-the-olive-harvest http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/preserving-the-olive-harvest

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Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:24:00 -0700 Olive Harvest http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/olive-harvest http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/olive-harvest

After 5 years our olive trees have finally set enough fruit to harvest! The past 3 weekends I have been up and down ladders picking the fruit. We've decided not to use lye whilst the kids are still small. The rock salt method I began 3 weeks ago has worked a treat so I've got another bigger jar going. Brining began last weekend and what a painful process it is to change the brine everyday. Mike has read something that says not to worry so much about daily changing of water just make sure you stir well so I'm only changing the brine every 3rd day. It is about twice as salty as the recipe asks for.

We don't have enough large containers for brining olives so Mike has relinquished a brewing vessel with a tap. This helps with the brine changing as I dont' have to upend it all. Was hard finding something the right size to fit through the mouth but cover the olives so they didn't float. Resorted to using cheesecloth bag but it is a bit narrow and I they are a little too tightly packed for my liking. In any case, a couple of china plates weigh the bag down nicely and I'll try to get hold of some wider cheesecloth to sew a looser sack to put the olives in.

As I type a feisty little willy wagtail bird is harassing the cat who is harassing a sparrow and they are generally all enjoying this beautiful Autumn dusk.

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Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:43:34 -0700 Mulberries in Autumn http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/mulberries-in-autumn http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/mulberries-in-autumn Went into the garden today in true Aumtumn drizzle and discovered that there are several mulberry fruit, nearly ripe. Maybe the tree has responded to all the complements on its fast growing beauty and produced more flowers out of season because last Spring it jumped the gun and there were no bees to fertilise the flowers despite the fact that we keep hive within suitable distance.

 

Karin McLean

Mob: 0434 008 376
Email: karin.mclean@hotmail.com

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Sat, 09 Apr 2011 23:00:35 -0700 Autumn Fruit http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/autumn-fruit http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/autumn-fruit Karin McLean

Mob: 0434 008 376
Email: karin.mclean@hotmail.com


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Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:38:59 -0700 Autumn Garden http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/autumn-garden http://prosperousgarden.posterous.com/autumn-garden

After 29 degrees yesterday the weather has turned into a wintery chill. A lot of the fruit trees have lost their leaves without the glamour of a colour change. Everything is so green! The pomegranites and figs are splitting with all the rain. For the first time ever the olives are ready to harvest. I'll pick the first ones today and try the simplest preserving method - rock salt. I'm putting off the water changing methods for as long as possible. The strawberry guava has ripened nearly all of last year's fruit and they are beginning to fall due to rain and wind. I might need to freeze some for jam or wine as we are not going to be able to eat them all.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1139079/IMG_1014.JPG http://posterous.com/users/Ztn39lRPfFv Karin McLean prosperousgarden Karin McLean