Many people ask me why I have a vegie patch at home? Especially when we have the huge range of produce that we grow on the farms? The answer is easy, and one that people use quite often when it comes to food, convenience! We don’t live on either of the two farms we run. The farms are only a kilometre or so down the road, but sometimes when I am cooking I just like to dash out the door and grab some fresh parsley, lemon thyme, rosemary, spinach, kale etc. This is especially convenient when I am cooking a last-minute meal, which is quite often. So today I thought I would tend to my poor over grown and neglected vegie patch. With the strange weather we have had and the almost non existent summer, like the farm, the poor vegi patch looked like a grass jungle! Harry and I cleaned it up, re mulched and pulled out plants that never matured. We have left a few things in and are looking after a few new winter seedlings which we will plant another day!
Today on the farm we are picking picking picking. The amazing weather we are currently having is allowing us to get our Fuji’s off the trees, full steam ahead.
We also had an order for figs so Harry and I went out picking. Needless to say the two of us both snacked along the way! There were many more ripe figs than we had anticipated (again thanks to the weather) so I will be heading out again in the next 24hrs to pick some over ripe and split ones for jamming this week!
When delivering the fig order to A Slice of Orange I picked up a couple of items we had run out of. Some more Malfroy honey, Trunky Creek pancetta and some more olive oil. I usually buy Abilene Grove which is fabulous and just a stones throw away from our house. After talking with Lisa and Jess however I decided to try La Barre this time round. The girls now have it set up so you can take in your own bottle (or buy one) and fill up in store! And the oil is delicious, such a great idea!
As I mentioned in Day 2′s blog we visited the Molong Gelato Factory yesterday. It was great! You can pick up some gelato or eat in and have a coffee or cake. If you have an ice cream maker at home you can also buy their flavored paste’s (also available at A Slice of Orange) and add to your own ice cream or gelato! Where possible local fruit is used. For example their fig, peach and rasberry flavors use local fruit. We came home with some Burnt Caramel Gelato and will be using it as the base for tonight’s dessert, yum!
Day 3.
(ingredients used: Racine bread, Jannei cheddar and goats milk, Trunky Creek double smoked ham, our tomato and apple chutney, Bills English Breakfast tea and plunger coffee, Fourjay hazelnuts, figs, fuji apples, red anjour pears, rainbow chard, potatoes, broccoli, garlic, Hamiltons’ Bluff Sangiovese, Fourjay Unsweetened Mueseli, Fourjay hazelnuts, our clear apple juice, Mandagery Creek venison, our preserved spiced morello cherries, Salt Bird salt, pepper, sugar)
Breakfast– Mueseli with Jannei Goats Milk (Harry – stewed apple and pear with cinnamon and Fourjay muesli, baby style)
Lunch– Double Smoked Ham, Cheddar and Tomato and Apple and Tomato chutney sandwich.
Dinner– Mandagery Venison with Spiced Morello Cherry Sauce, Wilted Rainbow Chard with Roasted Garlic, Mashed Potato and Steamed Broccoli
Dessert– Toffee Black Genoa Figs with Burnt Caramel Gelato
Snacks/Drinks– Apples, Hazelnuts, Figs and Clear Apple Juice. As well as a coffee for me from Byng Street Cafe.
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