Chooks(chickens)

We have chooks (as they are called here in NZ).
Our neighbours down the road are going away for the summer so we have taken their chooks for the next few months. They have 5 shavers. Two are elderly and there was some doubt about their laying abilities. We have taken possession of these 2 elderly ones, with the 3 younger ones following when their owners actually leave on their trip.
The two old girls have been with us for about 5 days now and every day we find 2 eggs. I guess they are earning their keep.

 

They are very easy to have around. Moving around in a dignified undemanding way, softly talking chook talk to each other.

It took them a few days to find the laying boxes and stop laying in the corner of their run. Now they like to share the same laying box.

It is a pleasure to have chooks again. With our moving around life style it is difficult to fit them in. Chook sitting seems to be the answer.

 

Mid summer seedlings

Now that we have the weeding under control and have established what made it and what didn't in our absence, I have the time to plant more seeds, and seedlings that will be ready to harvest in the latter part of the summer here.

 

 

I have started peas and beans, amaranth and pak choi,arugula, lettuce, summer squash and cucumbers.

If we have a nice warm summer with regular rainfall, the new plants should reach harvesting size over the next month or two. If that doesn't happen, we'll still get to harvest some of what I have started. It is always worth the effort.

 

It looks like we'll be harvesting grapes in a few weeks. The vines are laden and taking over their neighbours in the garden.

 

In the mean time we are eating plums, tomatoes, oranges and apples. The lemons are heavy on the tree and are getting great use on the daily harvest of fish we get from the river in front of our house.

 

Usually we don't get this many, but we are getting enough that we eat fish daily and get to smoke the surplus. Smoked fish on pasta-yummmm/

Enjoying the sun

We are back in New Zealand. The weather is warm and my garden seems to have survived.
Lots of weeds, and some of the veges took a beating, but overall it has survived quite well.
The lettuces had almost all gone to seed, though there were a few still good in the shady corners.
The basil and chillies were having a hard time amongst the weeds, but the pak choi and cabbages are doing well.
The scarlet runner beans haven't started producing beans yet, thought they are covered with flowers.

The summer squash has just started to produce, and it looks like I can look forward to a lot more.

 

Lots of flowers around. The hydrangeas are covered with flowers.

 

As are the dahlias

 

I started some fresh perennial chili pepper plants a year ago as my old plants, which are about 8 years old, are starting to give up. These new plants are covered in flowers and have a few dozen green fruit on them as well. We shall make good use of them.

The purple podded bean plants had a few over mature beans on them. I'm hoping that by picking off all the beans they'll produce a fresh batch of flowers, and keep going.

 

The tomatoes are doing well and we are eating the first of them.

 

 

Now that we are back we can keep it all going. Have already started a new round of seeds to fill the gaps. So with regular rain we should be able to keep eating out of the garden for the next few months until we are off again.

 

Seasons greetings

We are spending a warm Christmas in ChiangMai, Thailand.
In a land where the poinsettias grow to 3 mtrs or more. Up in the mountains they use poinsettias for fence lines or hedge rows. it makes for a colourful view over the valleys.

Have a great Christmas season.
We are off to New Zealand on boxing day. looking forward to seeing how the garden survived there in my absence.

The rice harvest

Sook (our Karen hill tribe 'daughter'),took us on a recent trip up to her village-Ban Kuen Pae. Everyone there were busy with the rice harvest. We wandered out into the fields and were given a few lessons.

 

Here Sook gives shucking the rice a go. First the sticks and string are wrapped around the sheath of rice, then the whole thing is beaten onto the tarps and hopefully the rice falls out and the empty sheaths can be discarded.

 

 

Then Steve got into the act. I think the regular workers thought it was a bit too funny to see these amateurs at work.

 

 

The whole valley was filled with families working on the rice harvest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next step is to mill the rice. This machine was set up under one of the houses.

 

 

There is a large Royal Project on the go there. One of the things they are growing are hydrangeas that are then sold down in ChiangMai.

 

 

Here I am frolicking amongst the flowers.

 



 

There were also a lot of cabbages being grown.

 

 

The rice wasn't the only thing getting harvested.

 

 

 Sooks  real mother welcoming us back home after our tour of the fields.

 

 

 

Coffee harvest

As I have mentioned before we are getting into the coffee business. For the full coffee story click here.
This month we have started harvesting. It certainly is a different experience to grow things on a commercial level as apposed to growing for our own use.
Miss a harvest for the table because of weather or not paying attention, it's not such a biggie. But growing something to sell, you better pay attention.
We have taken our coffee plants to this point.

 

Then a few months ago they were producing these.

 

Then 2 weeks ago the coffee cherries looked like this and the harvest began.
The pulp has been removed from the coffee cherries and the resulting beans are being dried in the sun. The harvest was up in the mountains, but for the last few weeks there has been a lack of sun to dry the beans.

 

So last week we hauled the beans down to Chiangmai where there was a bit of sun and laid them on tarps in an empty field.

The sun has been shining since and today the beans were pronounced dry and were bagged ready for the next step.

 

 

At this point we can sell the dried beans either with or without the parchment that is still on them , or remove the parchment and start roasting the beans.

I think we'll be doing a combination of these things. We'll see how it all works out.

 

 

The harvest will continue over the next few months. Lots of work ahead of us.

 

 

 

Nepal

We just returned from a short trip to Nepal. As well as doing a little buying for our stores, it was a great chance to explore some of our favourite places there.
One of our favourite things to do is visit Nargakot, a town in the hills looking over towards the Himalayans. You can watch the sun rise over these mighty mountains if you are up early enough. We then like to walk down the hills toward Kathmandu, exploring the countryside as we go.

 

 

Marigolds were blooming everywhere, seemingly to thrive on neglect.

 

 

The name of the guest house we stayed in in Nargokot translates to 'sea of fog'. In the early morning that was certainly true, as fog filled the valleys and only the mountain tops were visible.

I love to walk through this countryside. The houses clustered together with the goats and cows tethered nearby. The gardens full of produce or being prepared for planting.

 

This cow enjoying her breakfast with a friendly chicken.

 

Here is a woman bringing home the feed for the animals. The downside of tethering the animals.

 

At this group of houses everyone seemed to be busy organising the recent rice harvest.

 

A woman with a basket full of veges for the market.

 

The houses are built with a combination of stone, bamboo, wood and mud. It made for some interesting houses. The ground floor is for the animals. The people live upstairs.

The rice had just been harvested, and the empty terraces were being planted in potatoes for the winter season. There were a lot of terraces filled with canola in full bloom. The hillsides glowed with the yellow flowers.

 

 Here we have a cone made of corn. Dried and stored for the coming season. Behind the corn are some Chinese greens, and in the terracing in the background we have potatoes growing.

These women are hauling what looks like composted manure to their fields as they prepare for planting

A shrine nestled amongst the flowers in the guesthouse we stayed in.

 

A vendor selling flowers for offerings at the temples. Lots of garlands of marigolds.

 



Produce being sold in the market. Lots and lots of cherry tomatoes.

 

A man outside his house weaving a basket.

In Kathmandu the streets are busy with people buying and selling.

 

More flowers sold for offerings at the temples

The ubiquitous marigold growing in a crevice at the base of a wall.