Garden Journal Update
Ah, I've had THE most perfect day. I got up early, went for a beautiful surf (the best of the year so far), had a yummy soy latte and worked in the garden all day. I'm now sitting on the couch with a spoonful of peanut butter and feeling happy.
We go back to work in ten days so it's feeling imperative that we prune, weed and harvest what we can as we'll be dead busy for a few weeks and unlikely to get our hands dirty. Sad face. It was satisfying to get about four wheelbarrows of prunings out of the garden, including the lemon and lime trees. Gave them a good old shake and brought in a bucket load of lemons, which I'll squeeze tonight and put a heap in ice cube trays in the freezer. When life gives you lemons! I love it when life gives me lemons! More lemons!
The chickens had a good old time, being let out of their smaller enclosure to forage and scratch. I'm still trying to figure out which one are roosters and which are hens - can you tell? These are gold laced wyandottes and have the most beautiful feathers, don't you think?
Speaking of chickens - eggs! They are such a good source of protein when you don't eat much dairy or you don't eat meat. When I think of the ethics of eating, I really can't see how eggs are bad. My chickens are happy as anything, and we've been living in a mutual relationship with chickens for centuries. We feed them, tend them, keep them safe, and they are happy to give us eggs. I can't see anything cruel about my chickens free ranging under the elders, feasting on the oats and seeds I give them to supplement their diet.
The vegetable and herb garden are going beautifully - pictured below are yarrow and elderberries, but there's so much more coming out of the garden. Beautiful black cherry tomatoes. Yellow butter beans. Fat cucumbers. Black chillis and fat jalapenos, spaghetti squash. The hops are going crazy - we should have a good crop this year. Lots of purple kale, zucchini. Beautiful big beetroot. I swear El Nina is amazing for my garden - so much more water! I've been busy netting the fruit trees because there's apples and pears growing on trees that have never, ever fruited before. I feel like it's a time of abundance before it might get drier and tougher in the next few years, so I'm feeling grateful for this momentary abundance.
Zoodles with Oregano and Pecan Pesto & Fried Spanish Tomatoes
We've been cutting out the carbs and sugars over the last few months, and zucchinis are a life saver! I've raved about spiralised zucc before - they really do make a great alternative to pasta. When you don't eat much pasta or carbs, it's amazing how full you can feel after a plant based meal, especially when you add nuts.
Oregano pesto is super easy, and all you need to do throw a few handfuls of oregano in the blender with a big handful of nuts, and enough olive oil so that the blender is able to whizz it into a paste. If you don't want to use too much oil, add lemon juice as well. A clove of garlic or a spring onion can add another dimension.
Now, the fried tomatoes - what you want to do is get some spiced tomato juice going in the pan so that the tomatoes and the flavoured oil drizzle over the 'pasta' for extra flavour. Give the pan a good old sploodge of olive oil and throw in a few tomatoes, a big handful of olives, smoked salt and smoked paprika, and a splash of either balsamic or red sherry vinegar. Fry til the tomatoes are soft and browned, and the pan is fragrant and juicy. I like to add some garlic too, but take it out before I serve as my husband can't tolerate it.
This dish is also great with maybe some fried tofu or veggie sausages with it if you fancy more protein. We had some vegan fetta so we added that too.
Simple and delicous!