Making Bunting

One for my beautiful baby grand daughter Emmalyn

Celebrating all things Vintage/Natural ........... Pink Vintage Nursery Toile with a Calico backing & bias binding

And for no other reason than my teenager expressing his inner child....and that bunting is FUN! for anyone.......Navy blue with tiny red stars, Red backing & bias binding.

Who can I make bunting for next??

Caroline xo

Around the Yard

Planted this gorgeous Bougainvillea, hopefully it will grow up & over this old gate that I've put in the garden. 

Water Chestnuts are doing well, they are so much bigger than this already. They seem to grow before your eyes. I've never grown them before. So I'll let your know the end result!

Should be in for a good crop of Lemonade fruit this year. Although the tree is looking very heat stressed the last couple of days. Over 40cdeg & high humidity most days is playing havoc with the garden.

YTD we have only had 1.0ml of rain - not even a teaspoon.

Every other morning I pick my chooks a basket of this.....

they love it......

then they lay me these. I'm so thankful to them.

Not like Mother duck who likes keeping them all for herself.

Thinks there may be some little ducklings  to start this new year.

New Year, New Life

Hope you enjoyed your morning walk around the yard with me. I'm off to have a cup of tea & a piece of cold meatloaf (left overs from last nights dinner yum!)

Caroline xo

Baking

Smoked Cod Pot Pie Recipe

• 500g Smoked Cod
• 2tbsp. Butter
• 2tsp. Curry Powder
• 1tbsp. Plain Flour
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 300g Frozen Mixed Vegetables
• 800g Potatoes (cooked & mashed)
• 2/3 Cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Boil fish until tender, drain well & remove all the skin & bones.
Flake the fish into pieces & place in a bowl, add the frozen vegies & gently combine.

Heat butter in a small saucepan, add curry powder & flour cook for 1 minute to develop the flavour from the curry powder. Stir in milk, stirring until the mixture boils & thickens. Pour sauce through the fish & vegetable mixture.

Stir the grated parmesan cheese through the hot mashed potato ( I always whip my mash with the electric beaters to make a light fluffy potato topping) 

Place your mashed potato on top of your fish/veg mixture & cook in a 180c oven until nicely browned on top.

ENJOY!

Does certain food evoke memories of the past for you? It does for me.

 I made this pie a few days ago. I hadn't made it since my two eldest children were very very young. It bought an instant picture to my mind of my eldest (soldier boy) sitting up at our breakfast counter with a big spoonful saying "This is yum MUM" then laughing as he had rhymed his words, then his little sis who had just started talking copied  his exact words "This is yum MUM" 

 (she ALWAYS copied whatever  he said)

Caroline xoxo

January Egg Count

One of our beautiful Barnvelder hens-these are the chooks

that lay the lovely brown eggs.

We had 10 chicks hatch this month (naturally- no incubators here)

This sent our egg count down as we had 2 hens that were sitting.

Our egg count was from 14 hens & then from the 9th January was from 13 hens.

Total eggs for the month was 188

I thought it was okay seeing as some hens are now on there 3rd year of lay & also the big variation in weather we have been having.

and this is the Daddy. Our Barnvelder Rooster who has just the quietest temperament but still looks after his ladies well.

Caroline ....

Novella Carpenter - Farm City

I am reading.....

Farm City

The Education of an

Urban Farmer

by Novella Carpenter

It's interesting how you come to read certain books at times. This book was lent to me by my good friend Simcha who blogs over at Turkish Cooking, Everyday.

Simcha has recently come back to Australia to live after many years of living in Turkey. This book was sent to her while she lived in Turkey by an American blogging friend (sorry can't remember their blog)

When Simcha & her family recently returned to live here - bringing only a suitcase each, it was one of the things she just had to bring. Goes to show how much this book has been enjoyed.

You can listen to Novella Carpenter on utube here

I have nearly finished this book & I can thoroughly recommend it, especially to people that may wonder how much food can really be produced on a small amount of ground.

She is one very Cool! lady.

Urban and rural collide in this wry, inspiring memoir of a woman who turned a vacant lot in downtown Oakland into a thriving farm

Novella Carpenter loves cities-the culture, the crowds, the energy. At the same time, she can't shake the fact that she is the daughter of two back-to-the-land hippies who taught her to love nature and eat vegetables. Ambivalent about repeating her parents' disastrous mistakes, yet drawn to the idea of backyard self-sufficiency, Carpenter decided that it might be possible to have it both ways: a homegrown vegetable plot as well as museums, bars, concerts, and a twenty-four-hour convenience mart mere minutes away. Especially when she moved to a ramshackle house in inner city Oakland and discovered a weed-choked, garbage-strewn abandoned lot next door. She closed her eyes and pictured heirloom tomatoes, a beehive, and a chicken coop.

What started out as a few egg-laying chickens led to turkeys, geese, and ducks. Soon, some rabbits joined the fun, then two three-hundred-pound pigs. And no, these charming and eccentric animals weren't pets; she was a farmer, not a zookeeper. Novella was raising these animals for dinner. Novella Carpenter's corner of downtown Oakland is populated by unforgettable characters. Lana (anal spelled backward, she reminds us) runs a speakeasy across the street and refuses to hurt even a fly, let alone condone raising turkeys for Thanksgiving. Bobby, the homeless man who collects cars and car parts just outside the farm, is an invaluable neighborhood concierge. The turkeys, Harold and Maude, tend to escape on a daily basis to cavort with the prostitutes hanging around just off the highway nearby. Every day on this strange and beautiful farm, urban meets rural in the most surprising ways.

For anyone who has ever grown herbs on their windowsill, tomatoes on their fire escape, or obsessed over the offerings at the local farmers' market, Carpenter's story will capture your heart. And if you've ever considered leaving it all behind to become a farmer outside the city limits, or looked at the abandoned lot next door with a gleam in your eye, consider this both a cautionary tale and a full-throated call to action. Farm City is an unforgettably charming memoir, full of hilarious moments, fascinating farmers' tips, and a great deal of heart. It is also a moving meditation on urban life versus the natural world and what we have given up to live the way we do.

Homemade Pasta

Oh so fun for the girls to make

& easier than I thought.....

we borrowed the Pasta maker

but I'd definitely think about getting one.

Does anybody else make their own pasta?

Any hints,tips or best brand to get?

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend

Caroline xo

Making things with old horseshoes

We have a LOT of old horseshoes lying around so

The Blacksmith & The Soldier Boy got put to work in the shed to make me a new boot pull. So quick & easy for them to make, with virtually nil cost as the shoes are of course being recycled.

Soldier Boy made one to take home to his place then we had a friend visit the next day that took a liking to mine that I had put by the front door so he then took that home to his place & before you know it I am once again without a boot pull.

I think the boys will have to venture down to the shed again to make some more as we now have a couple of orders for them as well.

Meanwhile back at the house little old me has been searching the Internet & found many nice things that I would like made out of old shoes including one VERY large outdoor table.

But alas it's the time it takes dear always the time.....

Have a great day all

Caroline xoxo

Winters end

The last of the peas from my little garden

Caroline xox

The Pumpkin & Gourd Harvest

The cold weather we have had has just about killed off the Pumpkin vine and the Gourd vine has already finished.

SO......time to harvest. I am in-visioning Hot Pumpkin Soup on a chilly night.YUM!

But...the gourds does anyone know what to do with them??

Caroline xo

Pot Roast Beef -Slow Cooker

Years ago I had a slow cooker, a very much loved slow cooker. This I know because, when I found it lying discarded on a dusty thrift shop shelf it had already seen better days.

While it was rather interesting to look at - as bright as orange as you have ever seen with a mass of flowers decorating the sides. It really was to small for my family to be practicable, living on a cattle station often meant I had the many mouths of Hungary ringers to feed. It eventually died, put a pot roast on one morning for the nights dinner, then went off to muster a paddock of cattle, came home late to no dinner. Broken!!

I then went for many years not owning another slow cooker. Then earlier this year sense prevailed me once again when I found this lovely on special. I already had a Target gift card & a Fly Buys voucher that I hadn't cashed in yet. So with all those small amounts added up I was able to buy this slow cooker for an outlay of only $29. What's more it's huge!! AND the sleek Stainless Steel is a far cry from my old 1970's orange horror.

So here is the pot roast recipe I tried to cook many years ago when my old slow cooker died.

POT ROASTED BEEF

1.5kg-2kg piece of Topside(remove outer fat)

1/2 cup Tomato Sauce

1 Onion

1Carrot

1 Turnip/parsnip

1tsp. Mixed Herbs

3tsps. Cornflour

1/2 Cup Good Red Wine

(I say good because I won't cook with anything I wouldn't drink. Oh! by the

way I always add a good slosh more!! He! He!)

Wash, peel & slice your carrot & turnip/parsnip

Peel & finely chop your onion

Place you meat in the slow cooker with the veggies surrounding the meat

Sprinkle your herbs over the meat & season with salt & pepper.

Combine 1/4 cup water, tomato Sauce & the slosh of your good red.

Pour over your meat.

Put the lid on the cooker and sloow cook on the low setting for about 8hrs.

Then remove the meat & veg- Set aside.

Mix the cornflour with 1/4 cup water to make a smooth paste. Use as much of this as you need to make a gravy of the thickness you like. (don't forget to check your seasoning)

(this photo is before removing the meat/veg to thicken)

Yummy!! I always serve more veggies on the side.
Caroline xoxo

EASY APPLE SLICE

340g Pkt Vanilla Cake Mix

3/4 Cup Melted Butter

400g Tin Pie Apples

200g Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 180c. Mix butter & cake mix to a dough. Spread evenly into a paper lined rectangular baking dish (I use a small Pyrex dish) Bake for 15Min's.

Combine apple & sour cream, spread evenly over cooked cake base and finish with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Return to oven and cook for a further 15Min's. Cool in fridge & serve cold.

YUMMY!! and EASY!!

Caroline xxxooooo

HOMEGROWN & HOMEMADE

I picked this basket of citrus off our trees recently.

There are Lemonade fruit, Oranges & Mandarin's for the picking at our home at the moment. I find growing some of our own fruit saves quite a bit as some of my kids are real fruit bats. I also make freshly squeezed orange/mandarin juice & freeze some. While I know the skins are blemished & they don't look as "Perfect" as the shop bought ones, I also know they have not been sprayed constantly with all the nasty chemicals (citrus are sprayed alot) All we use here in our home is horse & chicken poo, a certified organic fish/kelp spray (which incidentally is produced only 20Min's from here -YEH!! for local) and occasionally some Epsom salts in warm water when the trees are looking a little magnesium deficient, due to our soil Arghh!!

(Oh and many thanks to blogger who refused to load the photo the right way)

I saw this idea of making little teacups & saucers on someones blog recently. I am sorry that I can't give that blogger credit as I can't remember where I saw it, but please leave me a comment telling everyone where I did see it. Must be old age it's Birthday time for me again.

They are the sweetest, easiest things for the kids to make and as it's school holidays in our neck of the woods, a great activity for the holidays. No cooking all you need is some Tick Tok biscuits, a packet of marshmallows, a tube of pink musk lifesavers, some sprinkles and some icing to stick it all together.

Have a great week

Caroline xoxoxo

Buy, Buy American Pie

Very funny, but also very scary as it's all to true.

What do you think???

Please leave me a comment with your views..........

Caroline.............

CROCHETED GOODNESS

On my last thrift shop jaunt with my lovely friend Carolyn I found this little bit of crocheted goodness. It wasn't an easy find, as with most good thrift shop finds it happened to be tucked under a rack of trench coats in a box labelled dog bedding!! I mean what is wrong with these people to put something like this in a box labelled "Dog bedding".

This clearly is a rug/blanket that has never been used in fact I would go so far as to say that it hadn't even been made up for long. The wool still smelt new and any of you good thrift shoppers must know how quickly things take on the smell of mustiness & mothballs, or as my kids describe it "Dead Grandpa's"

They started to say this many moons ago after we had to clean out my Grandpa's (their great grandpa) flat after he passed away. Oh what delights they had discovering that yes he really was young once and DID once lead an extraordinary life.

Anyway this lovely blanket has found a good home here & will be well used in the coming months as the weather starts to cool. (it's a GOOD single bed size even hangs over the edges a little)

I can't help but wonder what lovely dedicated hands took the time to crochet this and WHY was it sent to a thrift shop.

???????

Is the lady still in this life, was it hard for her to knit - although I don't think so it looks so well done BUT were her hands crippled with arthritis & did she give it to someone as a gift who clearly doesn't appreciate homemade goodness.

I will never be able to answer these questions but what I can do is use & lovingly care for this beautiful blanket. Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Caroline xoxo.......

AN OLD MINCER

This old Mincer was lying discarded on the floor of a shed, that's till little old me nabbed it and bought it home to live. It didn't look like this mind you!! The person I got it off said it is at least 50years old. It weighs a ton which brings to my mind they just don't make things like they use to.

I have been looking at Mincer's this year in all the kitchen shops, most are around the $150.00 mark for one with any quality about it, but yet they are still not as heavy as this. I mean this thing literally weighs a ton. I hope I never drop it on my toe although I would probably have a hole in the floor to!!



I have scrubbed & scalded & then scrubbed & scalded again. I then soaked it in Olive Oil.

It has come up pretty good, so next time my local IGA has Rump Steak on special I will try my hand at making my own Mince(Ground Beef). In my area Mince ranges in price from $4.99kg(I would only use this for pet mince) TO $13.99kg for premium. The IGA has Rump Steak regularly on special for $5.99kg but at least I will have the advantage that I know what is in it eg-Preservative Free. Also it is common knowledge in Australia, among people in the trade that water is added to the mince to make it weigh more.

Mmm I would rather pay for wine than water!!

THRIFT SHOP FINDS!!

Have a look at my beautiful thrift shop finds for today.

These 2 lovelies cost me a grand total of $1.50 & while they are not in the best of condition they have come up not to bad with a little TLC.






I will wash them again and add some borax to the water as this can help restore softness.
(2 Tbsp per 10L water)



I usually make my own Wool Wash here is the recipe-



WOOL WASH

4 Cups of Pure Soap Flakes
(I grate sunlight soap but if you want to you can just buy a box of Lux Flakes)

1 Cup of Methylated Spirits

2 Tbsp. of Eucalyptus Oil

Combine & store in an airtight container. I usually use about 2 Tbsp. dissolved in hot water then added to the cold water in my laundry tub.

Here is another recipe for Wool Wash that someone gave me. I haven't had the chance to make it yet as I still have some of my usual homemade wool wash left. So I can't vouch for it, sounds nice though. I love the smell of Lavender on fresh laundry.

If anybody has tried it let me know what it's like???



LAVENDER WOOL WASH

4 Teaspoons Dried Lavender


1Litre boiling water

500g of Pure Soap
(Once again I guess you could use Lux Pure Soap Flakes but I will grate & use Sunlight Soap) It really is much more economical to grate your own.

1 Tablespoon Borax

Steep the Lavender in boiling water overnight. The next morning strain it through some muslin. ( When things call for this I just use a large men's hankie) Retain the Lavender Water.

Combine the grated soap, Lavender water and borax in a saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until blended. Remove from heat. This will cool to a soft white jelly. Store in a jar & seal.

You will need 1/2 cup of this to hand wash woollens or 2-3 cups in a washing machine to wash blankets.


That's all for now, time to get down off my soapbox LOL!!
CAROLINE xoxo