Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Spring Things

The start of spring, in Australia, is the 1st of September, and it has definitely warmed up here in Townsville. We still have the blankets on the bed, but when I walk the dog very early in the morning the sun is up, and I don't need a jumper anymore. The warm weather has meant a few different things.
Cucumbers.

Bucket loads of cherry tomatoes. We didn't plant the cherry tomatoes in our garden - they just came up, all over. We get big bowls full a few times each week.

Last week Andy gave Tika some cherry tomatoes to see if she would like them. She did, and he thought that was awesome. The next morning I saw Tika eating them straight off the bush. Upon realising that he has competition for his tomatoes, Andy doesn't think it's so awesome anymore.

Cherry tomatoes in fresh salsa - with cucumber, capsicum, chilli and coriander.

Fresh salsa on Nachos, with refried black beans and guac.

Cherry tomatoes in Brooklyn Pad Thai.

We got a BBQ, which is fantastic not just because BBQed food is yummy, but because BBQ dinner is quick and easy and doesn't make a big mess.
Stuffed capsicums, cooked on the Weber, with some baby zucchinis.
BBQ potatoes, garden radishes, garden zucchinis, felafel balls, and corn on the cob.
Side salad with tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, nasturtiums and rocket, all from the garden.
Chickpea patties. Check those char marks.

I grew soy beans over the winter, knowing full well they are a cool climate crop and they might not do much. But I knew they would fix nitrogen in the soil even if they didn't produce beans, so they were worthwhile.

And they did produce a tiny crop.
I got more shells than beans.

Edamame salad with cucumber, wasabi, soy and pickled ginger.
We also got solar panels. On a good day we get 24kilowatts per day, and if it's a bit cloudy more like 20, which is 2-3x what we use each day, so we're pretty smug about things.

 Also, our patio is getting lovelier and lovelier, with the BBQ and the fairy lights, and a quickly growing passionfruit for shade.
 

11 comments:

Amy said...

I'm seriously jealous of your cherry tomatoes. Have you tried the tapanade with cherry tomato pasta recipe in VWAV? OMG, so good.

NOM!

Susan said...

Look at all that, amazing! I wish cherry tomatoes would just come up in my yard!

Nadine said...

All those fresh bright vegetables look stunning, I'm so jealous!!!! Getting warmer here.... But I'm still in my winter coat!

Kate said...

I am also jealous! The stuff from your garden looks amazing, and so cute that your dog likes the tomatoes :)

Mel said...

All of your meals featuring your home grown produce look so good!

Jasper used to eat regular tomatoes straight off the plant too! He also used to eat strawberries off our plants and plums that had fallen from the neighbours tree.

Beznarf27 said...

Love the cherry tomatoes, we won't be getting those till December! Thems the breaks when you live South of Australia in good old Tassie ;). I didn't know that soybeans were a cool climate winter crop?! I just missed my opportunity BUT there is always next winter :)Cheers for a lovely informative post :)

Theresa said...

Beznarf27 - they may well be a cool climate summer crop? Which is why I thought they might make it through the winter, I think. But I planted them too late and it heated up before most of the beans had a chance to get bean-sized. So I think go for it! I got my seeds from Green Harvest.

Vaala ◪ said...

Wow, that all looks delicious! Especially all the salad. And it looks so nice and warm! It might be spring here too but jeepers, it sure isn't warm (most days...some days it sort of is!). We even had snow again last week. I guess I'll have to wait until summer to warm up.

Kari said...

Yay to solar panels! How exciting, and you're in the perfect state for them. These meals and foods all look incredible too.

urban vegan said...

I'm so jealous it's spring there. Ugh--I hate fall. I;m the only person in the world. Love how you & Andy are living "off the grid." Hope I can do the same one day. Enjoy all those lovely veggies (I have a cherry tomato recipe on my blog right now ;)

urban vegan said...

I'm so jealous it's spring there. Ugh--I hate fall. I;m the only person in the world. Love how you & Andy are living "off the grid." Hope I can do the same one day. Enjoy all those lovely veggies (I have a cherry tomato recipe on my blog right now ;)