Spring in New Zealand

Due to a family tragedy, I find myself suddenly in New Zealand.
I am not here often this early in the spring, so I am finding it really interesting to see what is happening in the garden.
The first thing I do is check out the food situation.
There are amazingly enough, a few things available to harvest. Even without being here to plant, the garden still provides.

 

The bright orange fruit on the citrus trees got my attention. The mandarins are small and sweet. The oranges are ripening up, and there are a few grapefruit. The lemon trees are laden also, though presently not on my menu.

There are a couple of cabbages that I must have left in the garden last autumn because they weren't doing much. They are not exactly prime examples, but the leaves are certainly tasty enough.

 

I haven't worked out where this broccoli came from. Maybe it is one that self seeded. The florets may be small, but a hand full in a stir fry works.

So far I've managed to harvest only a few of the first asparagus. But there should be lots more on the way. Usually I miss the asparagus season, so this is a real treat.

Last autumn I did my usual trick of putting the chili peppers in their pots inside the house in a sunny window. I came back to plants covered with ripe, dried chillies. These two varieties are Serrano which are not so hot and Habanero which are very hot.

They have been harvested, and put through the blender, and stored in a jar for future meals.

 

This red mustard plant is beautiful, though the leaves are very hot when the plants are this big.

 

 

The herbs are in fine form. The chives are blooming, as is the rosemary. Lots of mint and lemon balm creeping around. The oregano is starting to put on some spring growth also.

The garlic is looking very healthy, though it won't be ready to harvest til December. The spring onions also seem to be enjoying their new spot.

As well there are lots of spring flowers blooming. Next post I'll give you a glimpse of them.