As winter fades to spring...

… hangers-on will be forced to let go, 

making room 

for new growth 

fresh color, 

life.

A little corner created in the shade

It’s the middle of August and I feel Spring is in the air! The warmer weather has spawned an activity of going through my garden to check on what needs to be done and I was horrified to notice that the chickens had just about annihilated my whole garden – what the winter didn’t get, they did! I haven’t been totally oblivious of this, it’s just that it’s been too cold to do much about it.

The start of a new garden

First it was the major job of cutting down and/or removing dead stuff and then taking stock of what was left – lots of open space! Many of the plants I removed were those that needed sun and had totally deteriorated because of too much shade in my garden now that all my trees have matured to 10m beauties – it’s amazing how things creep up on you without you noticing…



So some new spaces were created in the sun with old favourites. Some crusher stone defines a pathway for easy access, now it’s just the waiting until the plants get big and fill the spot.



After removing Red Hot pokers from this shady patch and not having anything to replace them with, I thought it easier to create a feature for the time being, but will have to get to the nursery some time or another!



A temporary feature in a shady patch – It’s amazing what a bit of crusher stone and things found will do to help out when you’re stuck without any plants…


Joseph filling up an empty spot with some crusher stone and turning it into a new pathway.

 
And of course, no day in the garden is perfect without our feathery friends enjoying a snack!

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Winter is dead

She turned to the sunlight and shook her yellow head... and whispered to her neighbour, "Winter is dead”.
- A A Milne

Preserve the taste of summer

Winter is on our doorstep here in South Africa and although most perennial herbs will go through Winter, their growth slows down, which means that you may not have enough of the fresh stuff to meet both your culinary and medicinal needs. This is particularly true of herbs like, Thyme, Sage and Peppermint that are particularly good for relieving coughs, colds and sore throats.

There are other herbs like Oregano and Bay that are better when dried. Bay leaf is much more palatable and less bitter in the dried form. The stronger and sharper flavour derived from drying Oregano is well-suited to Italian dishes, marinades and roasts.

Sweet Basil and the various Mints are also coming to the end of their season and they need to be preserved if you want to keep the taste of Summer going through Winter. Because they lose most of their flavour when dried, it is better to chop the leaves, put them in ice trays with water and freeze. The ice cubes are then stored in a plastic bag and used when cooking.

DRYING HERBS
Drying your own herbs is very easy and there is simply no comparison between home-dried herbs and those bought from a supermarket.

You will need a sharp pair of pruning shears, a sharp knife or a sharp pair of small scissors and a basket or similar container to carry your harvest in.

DRYING METHODS
The main aim of the drying process is to remove the moisture as quickly as possible, while losing as little colour, taste and aroma as possible.

Air drying is the most satisfactory method and a dark, dry place is best for this. Drying the herbs in sunlight will cause the colour, taste and aroma to face.

The herbs can be formed into small bunches, tied with a piece of string and hung up in a cool place. Alternately you can use a table or other flat surface and lay them out on an oven rack, a looking rock or something similar to dry.

Drying times can range from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the drying method and moisture content of the herbs at the time of harvesting. the easiest way to check whether the herbs are dried, is to rub them between your fingers. If the herbs crumble and break, they are dry enough.

Microwave drying is not suited to large quantities and aroma and taste of herbs dried in this manner is not as good as those that are air dried. Most herbs should dry within 2 to 3 minutes in a microwave. Test your herbs every 30 seconds.

Oven drying is also a popular method, but once again the quality is not as good as air drying. the exception to this is cut roots, which dry very well in the oven

STORING DRIED HERBS
As soon as the herbs are dry, store them in air tight containers in a cool, dark spot. rub the leaves off the ranches, but try not to crumble them unnecessarily. It is better to crumble the herbs just before you use them

Remember to label the container with the name of the herb and the date they were dried.

WHEN TO HARVEST
Herbs for drying or other processing should be harvested early in the morning, once the dew has evaporated.

Never harvest more than you can process quickly. Try to avoid harvesting many different herbs in one basket. Discard any leaves that are diseased or yellowing.

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Antipasto Platter

With the weekend coming up, quick and easy meals are always welcome. Whatever you're serving up in this cold weather (we're almost at the end of winter now here in South Africa), whether it's a hot stew or a pasta dish, a fresh, tasty salad is always welcome.

Antipasto (plural antipasti) means "before the meal" and is the traditional first course of a formal meal. Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, olives, peperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses (such as provolone or mozzarella) and pickled meats and vegetables (both in oil or in vinegar).

The contents of an antipasto vary greatly according to regional cuisine. Here in South Africa, an antipasto platter would generally consist of salad material like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and many of the ingredients which you can find in your own vegetable garden, perhaps including some cheese and croutons.

If you’re planning a party with lots of guests, keep the antipasto simple so you don’t crowd out the main meal.

Quick and easy Antipasto Platter 
Serves : n/a
Preparation Time : 20 minutes
Cooking Time : n/a Oven Temperature : n/a

Ingredients:
Cocktail Onions
Dill Cucumbers
 Green Stuffed Olives
Black Pitted Olives
 Jalapeno Chillies
Pickled Onions
Calamata Olives
Artichokes
Pimento
Mini Corn Spears
Asparagus
Few slices Provolone cheese or cheese of your choice
Few slices salami Freshly sliced tomatoes.

Method:
Arrange all the ingredients attractively on a serving platter.

Cook's Tip : Garnish with fresh basil and serve with Olive oil and vinegar




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