Africanaussie

Once again it is time to catch up with other gardeners in our  Garden share collective and the theme is SAVE. Link to the other gardeners here . I really dont make jams or preserves out of the garden - I prefer to just grow enough so that it is eaten right there and then while fresh.  I did plant extra ginger last year, and dug that out a month or so ago.  I like to keep a big bag in the freezer, so easy just to grab a chunk and grate it - I do that with turmeric as well.  My favourite after dinner drink at the moment is grated turmeric and ginger in hot coconut milk, with a little black pepper grated in.  A little golden cup of goodness. Oh another thing I have been doing is picking and drying our coffee beans, and the first batch was roasted last weekend.  I just pick them as they ripen, so it looks as though I will have one pot a week :). I do love to grow from seed - it seems proper somehow.  If someone else has started the seedlings it seem...

This month is all about seeds.  Connect with others at the Garden Share Collective. I must admit I am not always very good at saving seeds.  Last collective I showed a lovely photo of my bok choy flowering.  I have been keeping an eye on the seeds as they began to form, last weekend I looked for my little paper seed collecting bags, and then got distracted.  Ooops - now they seem to have scattered with the wind.  A lot of my seed saving is like that, and next year I will have bok choy coming up in that same spot. A while back there was a competition to grow oats and my grand kids got quite excited about it.  They are now ready to harvest (I think!)  I pulled out the plants and lay them over the compost, then cut most of the seed heads off.  the remainder of the plants went straight into the compost tumbler - lots of lovely greens (and probably a few seeds I missed!) The seeds are now in a paper bag pegged on the washing ling line under ...

I just watched a film that Kate at vegetable vagabond  posted.  You can view it here -  Seeds of Freedom. I have always been worried about genetically modified seeds, and this answered a lot of my questions. Seed is nature's gift, not an invention.  Nobody should be allowed to patent seeds as far as I am concerned. This amaranth that adds lovely color to my salads pops up regularly in my garden.  It was first planted by a packet of seeds that Kate sent me about 3 years ago.  It adds diversity to my garden and diet and amaranth is one of the oldest heirloom seeds in the world.  I think we as gardeners have a responsibility to make sure that seeds like this never die out. Listening to the dates of when genetically modified seeds were first patented ties in so tightly with the advent of the current globesity and diabetes epidemic I can't help thinking that this is all interconnected. Dill is lovely in the ga...

My boss has been keeping me supplied with cucumbers for a couple of months now, and I have taken the seeds of some of the older ones and scraped them into a bowl.  I will let these ferment and dry out as this evidently is the best way to save cucumber and tomato seeds.  This creates a barrier that protects the seeds from fungus when they eventually start to grow.  I planted a few of his seeds betwen my pigeon peas and so hopefully soon will have my own home grown cucumbers.  Heirloom seeds, that have been passed down from one generation to the next seem to adapt well to our climate and are quite disease and pest resistant. I was forwarded this useful list - who knew the little cucumber could be so useful!  It came with no credits, so I am also posting it as I found it.  with thanks to the unknown person who compiled the list in the first place. 13 magical uses for cucumbers The humble cucumber is actually a little gem. And not just for its nut...