It was my turn to host the newly established Urban Homesteading Club in ONC this weekend.
After an absolutely gorgeous, Spring-like week interspersed with
a couple of days of rain, Saturday was cold, threatening rain and altogether wintry.
I was very ecited, and had loads to do to get ready, so we made an early start.
Picked up the community catering equipment, chairs, urn and big box of coffee
mugs up from our daughter’s house. Then went to the butcher’s to get the pets
mince for the chooks – they don’t like the protein pellets, so I give them meat
– we get great eggs!
Home for lunch, then whipped up a quick chocolate cake,
which was just about done when the first knock came on the door!
About 12 people in all turned up, and all were very generous
with ideas, swapping seeds and seedlings. It was great to be talking with a
bunch of like-minded people, rather than feeling like people think I’m some
kind of un-reconstructed hippie! (Actually, I am an un-recontstructed hippie!!)
Yummy food, a wander round my garden, great company, relaxed
friendly atmosphere – can’t wait for the next one!
Saturday night we had Moules Mariniere with chips (Moules et
fritte) for dinner, which was utterly yummy, and leftover chocolate cake for
dessert was an extra treat. I forgot to take photos, sorry.
Sunday, after my healthy fruit punch
I planted up about 12 punnets of all the new seeds from
yesterday’s swap. Then after hubby’s swim we had bacon, egg and tomato for
brunch. Keema’s big 80g eggs were called for, and again, too hungry to take
photos.
To make my fruit smoothie, I pour about a cup of apple juice
into a blender, and then add:
·
A chopped kiwi-fruit
·
A slice of watermelon, chopped
·
A slice of fresh pineapple, chopped
·
A pear or an apple, chopped
And then whizz it all up till its smooth and creamy. Yum,
and awfully good for you! AND, I know I’ve had four pieces of fruit, complete
with fibre, which is all any healthy body needs.
Then we bought a new tallboy and bedside cabinets to help
with the storage shortage in our bedroom, came home for more gardening, where I
planted out the rest of the leek, pak choy, swede & turnip seedlings, and
notcied that my old out-of-date parsnip seeds have finally sprouted under the apple tree – hooray!
Dinner was one of our family favourites – pork spare ribs in
chinese barbeque sauce, potatoes and corn. The recipe comes from Ken Hom’s Quick and Easy Chines Cooking, one of my
favourite cook-books, with a few Greenie adaptations. You twice cook the ribs,
the second time in a yummy homemade barbecue sauce, with ginger, garlic, tomato
paste, soy and hoisin sauce, with a bit of sugar and sesame oil thrown in for
good measure. The recipe calls for chilli bean sauce, but I throw in a chopped
chilli and add extra servings of the liquids to make it nice and thick.
[insert photo]
Slumped in front of the TV and computer for awhile and now
off to bed for a good rest before the week starts in earnest!
Have a great week everyone
Greenie x
