Wow,
This is quite a journey on which I find myself.(I just re-read that and realised I sound like I have cancer... I dont... that I know of...).You may find yourself a bit lost in blogland (blog-land not blo-gland) as I try to figure my way through. I have an idea of what I want to do and know which bits I like out of which blogs- its just figuring out how to replicate that on my blog, Tat style.
Bear with me and please feel free to give me any feedback!
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Taking a bit of time...
I have been a silent appreciater (is that a word??) of blogs for a while now. I could be seen as feeling belligerent when the blogs i follow have been a bit quiet for a while. Now that i have one, i am recognising the battle of doing stuff versus writing about doing stuff.
So what have i been doing?
I have been checking out possibilities for composting (we live in a small inner city flat with a balcony garden). Bokashi bins seem to be a great option- low space needs, little smell, no attraction to insects/ maggots. Ideally, you have two bins and a main deposit are (in my case it is another, bigger bin). One little bin is in the kitchen, and this is where you put fruit/ vege scraps, eggshells, etc. Every 3-4cms, you apply a microorganism bran or spray that ferments the contents and breaks it down much faster than regular composting. A family will fill a bin in a week or so. It is then recommended that you let that bucket sit for a week before adding to the dirt/ garden. This would see you having a bokashi bin to use week on week off so the suggestions is that you have two little bins- one in the kitchen, one on the balcony and one somewhere dark (ours is on a little balcony we have). The cost of two little bins plus bran is around $150- 170 Australian. Wowza.
Being a tight arse, I checked out the interwebs and made my own. All you ever wanted to know about Bokashi bucket making.
To make things easier I put a pot plant roller underneath (from Reject Shop) with a dual purpose- give the tap room to hang without tilting the bucket backwards and manoeuvrability around the kitchen.
So far, it is working well, I have drained off some of the compost "juice" on our garden of herbs and veges.
Segue to the garden...
We have an easterly facing covered balcony that gets about an hour of sun in the mornings and a westerly facing landing on the fire excape of our 1930s art deco unit. The landing is the home to my wee garden. The plants that have survived are durable and drought resistant (though I am getting better now that I have installed a hose)...
I was really inspired by Indira's book and have just realised she also has a blog (will blogging ever stop joining me to people that are as interested in my stuff as I am???).
I am really enjoying pottering and seeing stuff grow- turns out they dont die if you water them frequently.
I am also enjoying eating our own produce- tomatoes, basil, chillies, tatsoi.
This also ties in with my experiementing with vegan cooking.
We met Adam Guthrie in Berry when he showed us a house we were thinking of buying. Friends of ours mentioned he was a lso a keen vegan chef with his own website with great food to cook and classes.
I even made a curried lentil pie. I know!
It has also been freakishly hot here the last few weeks (up to 46degrees C - thats 117degrees F) so I decided to chop all my hair off.
Before
So what have i been doing?
I have been checking out possibilities for composting (we live in a small inner city flat with a balcony garden). Bokashi bins seem to be a great option- low space needs, little smell, no attraction to insects/ maggots. Ideally, you have two bins and a main deposit are (in my case it is another, bigger bin). One little bin is in the kitchen, and this is where you put fruit/ vege scraps, eggshells, etc. Every 3-4cms, you apply a microorganism bran or spray that ferments the contents and breaks it down much faster than regular composting. A family will fill a bin in a week or so. It is then recommended that you let that bucket sit for a week before adding to the dirt/ garden. This would see you having a bokashi bin to use week on week off so the suggestions is that you have two little bins- one in the kitchen, one on the balcony and one somewhere dark (ours is on a little balcony we have). The cost of two little bins plus bran is around $150- 170 Australian. Wowza.
Being a tight arse, I checked out the interwebs and made my own. All you ever wanted to know about Bokashi bucket making.
 |
| My effort |
So far, it is working well, I have drained off some of the compost "juice" on our garden of herbs and veges.
Segue to the garden...
We have an easterly facing covered balcony that gets about an hour of sun in the mornings and a westerly facing landing on the fire excape of our 1930s art deco unit. The landing is the home to my wee garden. The plants that have survived are durable and drought resistant (though I am getting better now that I have installed a hose)...
This hose can attach to our kitchen tap
I was really inspired by Indira's book and have just realised she also has a blog (will blogging ever stop joining me to people that are as interested in my stuff as I am???).
I am really enjoying pottering and seeing stuff grow- turns out they dont die if you water them frequently.
Nice smelly tree (Murraya Paniculata) in background with thyme,
stevia, lemon balm, basil and parsley in the little pot
I am also enjoying eating our own produce- tomatoes, basil, chillies, tatsoi.
Chillies and basil
Tatsoi- used in salads and stir frys
L- R Chives, oregano, chillies, rocket,lavender, basil, mint
Kaffir lime tree with basil and chillies sharing pot.
Pennyroyal at fron (used as a tea to drench our dogs coats in
summer to prevent fleas) and basil/ chillies in the back
L-R Rosemary and thyme share a pot, vietnamese mint,
hydrangea and banana passionfruit vines
These will be siverbeet when they grow up-
just repotted from their seedling pots
This also ties in with my experiementing with vegan cooking.
We met Adam Guthrie in Berry when he showed us a house we were thinking of buying. Friends of ours mentioned he was a lso a keen vegan chef with his own website with great food to cook and classes.
I even made a curried lentil pie. I know!
 |
| Curried lentil pie |
It has also been freakishly hot here the last few weeks (up to 46degrees C - thats 117degrees F) so I decided to chop all my hair off.
After
Much cooler...
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