Back in Thailand

We're back in the land of smiles.
It is hot, and we are all looking forward to the rains arriving and cooling things down.
One of the first things we did was go and visit our friends Bodge and Ya and check out their garden. As always it looked fabulous.

 

There was lots of garlic drying under the eaves.

Along with the ripening squash and papaya.

 

 Lots of egg plant, cucumbers and lettuce on the go.

Ya washing up some vegetables from the garden. Some ended up coming home with us.

It is always wonderful to sit on the veranda, sipping cool drinks, and munching on dried and fresh fruit from the garden. Watching the bantam hens and rooster scratching around in the yard, and listening to the birds sing in the trees. It is hard to believe that Chiangmai is only a short drive down the road.

Chasing the sun

We are leaving New Zealand for the winter.
The chooks have gone back to their owners, who are back from their summer travels.
Today we dropped the worm farm off at my friend Debbies for the winter.
The vege garden has been stripped and covered in weed cloth.
The grapes have been pruned, and the garlic has been planted.

 

Covering the vege beds with weed mat is the best way I have found to get the vege beds through the winter without them being covered in weeds on my return.

I tried green manures, but we started returning so late in the spring that the green manures had already gone to seed and the weeds had crept in on our return.

It doesn't look pretty, but it seems to work.
There is still lots of fruit on the trees, but we shall leave it to the birds.
The figs and grapes are just finishing, and the late apples are doing fine.
A few days ago we had a big wind storm and the first of the feijoas blew off the trees, so I got my first taste of the season of those. The kiwi fruit are starting to ripen, as are the cherry guavas.
Always sad to leave, but business beckons.
We are off to Thailand for a month, then back to Canada where we can enjoy the spring and the beginning of a brand new season.

Chillies

Yesterday and today we are getting a lovely rain. Desperately needed, but for my vege garden a little late.
Though the chillies are ripening up a treat.
The Serrano chillies are not so hot, but they sure look great on the bush, and with their thin skins are easy to dry.

 

 These yellow ones I don't know what their name is. We call them the perennial chillies because they survive from year to year in this climate, which the others, while technically perennial in their native environment, aren't here.
I started 3 plants of the yellow chillies last summer, and this summer they are laden with these golf ball size chillies. There are probably over a hundred all together, and the bushes are producing more flowers.
The flesh provides a bit of bite, but the real heat is in the seeds.
Because they are thick skinned, I find throwing them whole into the freezer is the best way of storing them. To use, I chop the whole fruit up while it is frozen and toss them into the dish I am preparing.

 

I also have some habanero chillies on the go, but they have shown no signs of changing colour yet. they are grown in a pot, so when we leave here in a few weeks, I'll put them, pot and all, into the house, and hope they ripen and dry on the plant.

Figs and grapes

It is so dry here. The climate here verges on being too wet much of the time, but this is the 2nd dry summer in a row.
Because we rely on rain water to fill our water tank, I haven't been able to water the gardens much. A patch of lettuce and a patch of pak choi are the only things that get the water, so they are holding on.
The tomatoes have struggled, though produce a small bowlful each week, and I get the odd bean.
But the figs and grapes have come through a treat. In spite of the dry or maybe because of it, they seem to be extra sweet and there are so many of them, it seems like even the birds can't keep up.

 

 

 

Worm farm

I have had my worm farm for about 10 years now. When I'm not in the country I take the whole setup over to my friend Debbie's, and she takes care or them.
They don't need a lot of attention or affection. If a few basic requirements are met, the worms are happy to spend their lives converting household waste into lovely dark crumbly compost.
I have a commercial black plastic 3 tier bin arrangement, but the worms aren't fussy, and can live in a variety of setups.
Every month or so during the summer I harvest a tier of worm compost. I also collect the liquid that drains out the bottom. Dilute it to the colour of weak tea, and it is a great liquid fertiliser.

The basic requirements of the worms are a dark, moist, cool environment, with good drainage. I avoid feeding them meat, fats, onions, citrus and anything that might sprout eg tomato or pumpkin seeds.
In the autumn I try to take the time to get a load of horse manure from my friends, I fill my high sided plastic wheelbarrow with the drainage hole in the bottom with the manure, and throw in a couple of handfuls of worms. For the winter this is parked under a tree, and partially covered, to stay cool, and let a little rain in. In the spring the load of manure has been converted to a lovely crumbly mix, and the worm population has exploded. This mix is perfect for transplanting the new spring seedlings, or revitalising the potting mix in my planters.

 

 

Worms definitely aren't as entertaining as the chooks, but they are an important part of our life here on the (tiny) farm.

 

Fish in a tortilla

Steve (the fisherman in the family) has been away for a while, but now is back. So we have the net back in the water, and are catching fish once again.
Our favourite lunch is fish fillets in a fresh tortilla, and lots of diced red onions, tomatoes and lettuce from the garden.

Todays catch is a flounder.

The fish is doused in flour that has some pepper, salt and a little curry powder mixed with it, and is then grilled or fried for a few minutes.

The tortillas:
1 c flour ( I use spelt, but all purpose works too)
pinch salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 dsp oil
1/3 c water (plus or minus depending on how dry the mix is)
Mix together and divide into 2 balls. Roll out each ball thinly- this makes each tortilla about the size of a dinner plate.
Cook a few minutes on each side and fill with fish, tomatoes, lettuce and onions.
Enjoy.

 

 

Drying Fruit

Drying fruit is a great way to keep fruit. I have been drying apples lately, but I have also been drying peaches and grapes. The figs are starting to ripen, so it is a race to harvest them before the birds find them.

 

The apples are easy to prepare with this little gadget. It peals, cores and slices all in one go. the slices are uniform, and this helps everything dry consistently.

 

I use an electric dryer. A little noisy, but I set it up to run at night so it isn't too intrusive. Set at a low setting for the night means that the fruit doesn't get over dried before morning. Then in the morning a short time on a higher setting finishes it off.

 

 

 

Now I am starting to accumulate bags of delicious leathery dried fruit. Great to add to granola or mix with nuts for snacks.