How does your garden grow, November 2016

This season I've taken a different approach to my kitchen garden. Instead of planting things out in neat rows and sections, I've decided on more of a laissez-faire strategy. By that, I mean that I'm letting seeds fall where they may. I'm letting things from the compost grow and revelling in the mystery of what comes up. Yes, it's a bit of a lazy approach, but it seems to be working pretty well.

I've got a new crop of chillies fruiting. The original plant was grown from a chilli Mr Fork's father gave me. They've got a great amount of heat, so I love these chillies. The plant is a prolific producer, so I've always got a well stocked freezer supply too. The kids don't tolerate heat as well as their parents do, so spiciness is always something we add at the end of the cooking process to individual portions. It doesn't taste as good in my mind as cooking the heat in, but what can you do? I hope to gradually build their tolerance up so we don't have to prepare quite so many separate meals. You can also see a small section of my chicken proof fence.

Part of my natural approach includes letting my plants with good properties go to seed so that I can save them for later planting (and let some fall where they may as well!). Coriander flowers are so pretty. I have this herb constantly growing as the Queensland heat makes them go to seed so quickly. I like the contrast of white coriander blossoms with purple eggplant flowers.

Speaking of eggplants, my sad plant has perked up with the recent rainy weather. I've got a bumper crop of eggplants. I'm never quite sure when the ideal time to pick them is, but they're a welcome addition to my cooking - such a versatile ingredient.

The weather has made my basil plant very happy. It's started to grow at a very rapid rate and keeps me busy pinching off the flowers so it doesn't go to seed.

I *think* this is some sort of purple basil. Mr Fork's aunt gave me a cutting. I thought I'd killed it but it seems to have come back with a vengeance. We use the leaves when we are making Vietnamese rice paper rolls. I'm not sure what else people use it in, but apparently it's quite hard to grow. It definitely smells and tastes delicious. You can also see my clumping sweet potato in the background. I grow it not for the tubers, but for the leaves which are great in stir fries and similar.

I found a few organic corn seeds left from last year so popped them in garden bed too. They're about six inches high now and looking very happy. There's also some tomato seedlings coming up, I think some lettuce seedlings, and I admit I have no idea at all yet what that round leafed plant in the top left corner underneath the corn is.

The rough leafed pineapple I planted from a leftover top some years ago is fruiting again. I'm quite glad as the chickens ate all the other pineapples I had planted in the garden so this is the last one left. It probably only survived because it was in a pot and it has the most delicious fruit, so I'm looking forward to that, and also having a second top to plant out too. Waste not, want not!

Finally, here are Vanessa and Jemima, greedily eyeing my vegetable patch. Chickens are much messier and destructive than I ever imagined, but they're so useful. They eat my scraps and leftover plants, they do fabulous things for the lawn and give me a great source of fertiliser. My family and neighbours are also grateful for their eggs as well. While not technically in my edible garden, Mr Fork has recently put lots of effort into the lawn and it's lovely to see it looking so lush.

How is your garden growing lately? I'd love to hear tips about when to harvest the perfect eggplant.

In My Kitchen, December 2015

Cue shocked exclamations about how it's December already. But seriously, how is it December already? Summer has just started and if it continues on the way it's begun, it's going to be a long, hot season. Probably an expensive one too as we will be getting heavy use out of the air conditioning and blow up pool. I suppose that seems odd for my Northern hemisphere friends to think of a festive season with scorching heat. One of these days, I will experience a white Christmas. It's definitely on my bucket list! Perhaps when the kids are older and can appreciate it more...

In my kitchen is...

A selection of Nestar and Miss Sweetie vegan chocolates I won from a competition on veganopolous. I'm super pleased to discover an Australian based (in Melbourne) chocolatier that likes to source locally where possible. They make a mix of fruity and nutty chocolates (not pictured here is the ginger version, which was in no fit state to be photographed as it was ripped open for consumption immediately!). Everything I've tried so far has been delicious - the perfect blend of filling and chocolate. Thanks for introducing me to this fabulous brand Faye! I think a few packets will be finding their way into Christmas stockings in a few weeks... both other people's, and my own...

In my kitchen is...

Minimal ingredient vegan gravy, mainly to make a dinner of potato gems seem less 'thrown together' and more 'I put some actual effort in'. I love gravy. I'll be taking a modified mushroom version of this to Christmas lunch with the family, along with some kind of loaf as usual, to cater for the vegans and "picky eaters" as my family calls them (aka gluten free).

In my kitchen is...

Cuttings! In the small bottle there are some mushroom plants that I've been carefully nurturing. They started as just bare sticks and have now grown leaves and small roots. These are a fabulous plant - growing low to the ground and clumping to make a nice ground cover, the leaves smell and taste faintly of mushrooms. You can eat the leaves and stems as is in salad, or cooked in a stir fry.  This is my sole stock of the plant at the moment as my naughty chickens breached the protective fence around a garden bed and demolished an entire crop of corn, tomato, pumpkin and other edibles.

I also have a small sweet potato that those same naughty chickens unearthed from the sweet potato patch, but I managed to save it before it was consumed. It seemed silly to eat such a small specimen especially as it was a bit pecked, so I thought it would be a nice science experiment for Ellie to see it grow. We impaled it on some toothpicks and left it to sit in an ex-candle jar with water. It's now got some tiny little roots and some healthy looking leaves. She was quite impressed but now seems to have lost interest as it isn't really a speedy grower. The impatience of toddlers!

When I chicken proof my garden bed again, these will all be off into the outside again but for now they decorate my window sill.

In my kitchen is...

Treats for those undeserving chickens. With the weather so hot lately, I've taken up my old tradition of making icy treats for the animals which I distribute for them before I leave for work in the mornings. For the chickens, I put small pieces of vegetable scraps in an old container, top up with water and leave in the freezer overnight. They get all the fun of pecking frozen treats out of the ice cube the next morning. Yay for them! This ice block (seen from the side, below) has canned corn in it as I'd opened it to use half but forgot about the rest of it until making chicken treats.

The puppies get a similar block, sometimes I just use plain water and add a huge ice block to their water bowl, other times I'll freeze some of their dog biscuits into the middle (although where vegetables sink, the dog biscuits float so the sneaky puppies just wait for the cube to melt enough and then snaffle their treats from the top).

In my kitchen is...

Dried sourdough starter from Lorenzo, son of Priscilla. I have been making extra starter every time I make bread, drying and bagging it all up ready for this December post. Mr Fork is just about over the little plates of starter I have been spreading all around the kitchen. I'm going to restrict postage to within Australia only (sorry!), but I have a few packets to give away so if you'd like one, please let me know. 

I am linking this post in with Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial's monthly In My Kitchen event. As an aside, this is the last month that Celia will be hosting the event before it moves over to Maureen, the orgasmic chef, and I'd like to give her my sincere thanks for creating such a marvellous online kitchen tribe!

What's in your kitchen this month?

Child rearing advice NOT to follow

I know that people mean well, but it seems that having children paints some kind of sign over your head that encourages people to distribute their child raising advice whether you want it or not. Lately I've been thinking about some of the advice that people have 'gifted' me with, and some of it just makes me mad.

Here are just a few of the pearlers I've been given.

Sleep while the baby sleeps. 

As my good friend says, sure, shall I also clean while the baby cleans, wash up while the baby washes up and do the endless laundry while the baby does? Yes, there is definite sleep deprivation and more sleep would be great... but really, it's not always practical.

Having said that... here's a picture of Jimmy and I snoozing together... on a 35 degree day, so honestly it was more like sweaty snuggles but I'll take it.

You'll spoil the baby

Actually no, you can't spoil a baby. It's a baby for crying out loud. So if I respond to my child when he cries, that's not spoiling him. If he gives hunger signs even though he only ate half an hour ago, feeding him again isn't going to ruin him. If he falls asleep in my arms, I don't need to put him down. There will be plenty of time when he's happy to sleep on his own... but while I can, I'll enjoy those snuggles at mutually convenient times.

It's called meeting your child's needs. It's setting him up to know that he can count on you when he needs you.

Let him cry himself to sleep

Really? This is a little baby. He was rocked to sleep with the sound of my movements, voice and heartbeat for nine months. He's not suddenly going to be able to sleep on his own. If he needs a little help to sleep - patting, rocking, boobing... I'll give it to him. They're only little for a short time... let them be little and just go with it. What could I be doing that is more important that comforting my baby? Besides, each to their own, but I've always believed that a crying baby doesn't just learn to stop crying. They stop crying because they no longer expect you to come to them. I want my babies to know I will always be there for them.

He's just doing it to get to you

New babies don't know how to manipulate yet. If he cries, it's not to annoy me. He didn't just poop three times in a row purely to have me change nappy after nappy on purpose. If he needs nurturing, he needs it. I'm his mama. He needs me.

You brought this on yourself

Oh? The having a baby thing? I'll pay that. The having to rock him to sleep because if I lay him down he will either a) vomit or b) wake up? Well sure, I'll pay that too, but none of that stuff is forever. Seems that when ever I raise my children in a way that someone doesn't agree with, it's a bad habit that I "brought on myself". When I had Ellie, I went to a mother's group that was run by a community health nurse. She said something that has stuck with me.... she said, it's only a bad habit if you're tired of dealing with it. So, if for example, I'm ok rocking Jimmy to sleep, that's what works for us. When I can't do that anymore, then we will gently transition to a new sleep habit that works for both of us, together. What did I bring on myself? Oh, just the desire to be the best mama I can be.

Share with me. What is some of the worst (well meaning) advice you've been given?

Tips for traveling with children

Are you heading away for the long weekend? Let's be honest, travelling with children can be a bit like trying to wrestle a live chicken into a hessian bag (ever had to do that? It's hard!). Whether they're your kids or someone else's, there's a bit more to it than bunging a Playschool CD into the player and stopping for constant snack and potty breaks. I remember driving my parents insane on our regular driving holidays, and I'm not looking forward to the day my children do that to me!

Here are my top six travelling with children tips:

1. Take your Time

Small humans don't run to the same schedule that bigger humans do. Toddlers in particular love to explore and we all know that babies are unpredictable and love to throw a schedule out the window. So you'll cope better if, from the outset, you factor in lots of faffing, tantrums, toilet breaks and just general extra preparation time into your travel. That six hour drive you used to do? Yeah, get ready for it to take nine now.

2. Book Ahead

Really this one is a bit of a no brainer. It applies to everything - accommodation, entertainment, travel, transfers... everything. As an adult it's ok to not have a hotel in mind and just take whatever you can get. That's not going to fly with children in tow. Especially if you need special considerations, like a travel cot. Or, if you're flying, certain expectations about where you'll be sitting and a bassinet seat. It'll save your sanity if you know exactly where you need to be, when, and what you can expect. So make those bookings! Which means, if you were planning a last minute escape this weekend... well, you best get right on that!!

3. Pack Snacks and Entertainment

Have a collection of toys to be handed out regularly. Ideally, these should be things that have a bit of novelty, so not toys that they already play with every day. I like to pack things like colouring books and crayons, stickers, board books and the like. Also, don't give them everything all at once. Ration that entertainment out, otherwise you'll be stuck with constant laments of "I'm bored!" and "Are we there yet?"

Pack snacks. There is totally something to be said for ordering food when out, but what if that food isn't suitable? Or isn't served at the right time? Pack a few things that you know your kids will eat and that travel relatively well without special conditions and temperatures. Think sultanas, sandwiches, muffins (like my apple and oatmeal muffins) fruit, crackers and cheese. Really resist the urge to feed them too many sugary things... do you really want to be stuck with a small child who has consumed their own body weight in sugar and has nowhere else to go? Exactly.

4. Let the children know what to expect

Children really do understand more than we give them credit for. Explain to them what is going to be happening and what they can expect so it's not a complete shock for them. It's hard enough as an adult to fall asleep in a new bed, imagine how hard it would be for a small child! Tell them what to expect so that you can remind them of the conversation when things are happening, and they have time to get excited and think about all the new things that will happen.

5. Everybody does not need their own bag 

Pro tip. Don't let everyone have their own unique bag. There is nothing worse than getting to your destination and realising you are short a piece of luggage. Of course, that would probably be the bag that has the special toys required for sleeping, the nappies and all the other essentials. At least if you have an outfit and bare essentials spread across the bags, it probably won't be too bad a disaster. 

6. Stick to a routine

I know from experience that my children are at their best when I roughly follow their daily routine. They need to sleep at a certain time and eat at a certain time to be cheerful. So keep that in mind when you're planning a getaway - the most enjoyable holiday might be one that's closer to home instead of taking a long haul trip away.

Organisation is really the key. Make sure your bags are packed early, and pack the car in advance. Pick the right time to travel - if your kids are good sleepers, it might work better to travel overnight so they sleep for most of the journey. Alternatively, it might be best to get an early start... work around nap times so that you don't have tired and cranky little complainers.

Want some more travel tips? See this series by Lifestyles of the Modern Mum:

• Travelling with baby - the flight
• Travelling with baby - packing
• Travelling with baby - the passport picture

What are your sanity saving tips for travelling with children?

How does your garden grow, January 2015

It's been seriously hot here in Brisbane this month. So hot that our air conditioner has been working over time and I'm dreading getting the electricity bill. But... with a newborn and a toddler in the house, there isn't really many alternatives unless I want to drive myself crazy taking them both to a shopping centre on my own, or dehydrating all of us running around a park... I digress.

The other morning, before the day got too unbearably muggy, I popped out to the garden for a bit of maintenance (weeds ahoy!) and just to connect and have a little me-time before my tiny humans wanted all the attention.

The eggplants are just amazing. Mr Fork has staked them up again for me as they outgrew the previous stakes. They are producing prolifically, despite having some kind of sucker infestation that won't respond to my usual treatments. There are plenty of them to eat now, and to freeze some extra for winter time too despite whatever bug is on them.

The garden bed is a bit bare looking but I've planted some tomatoes in there, as the vines did so well last year. Nothing yet, but I live in hope. There are also carrots, but I'm not sure if those have taken, as they are planted where my dogs have decided they like to rest. A whole yard for that and they choose to lie in my vegetable bed. Typical.

The silver beet was out of control with the recent rain, but then I left it a few days too long and the grasshoppers decimated it. All silver beet plants have now been consigned to the compost bin!

In addition to my sweet potato section, I've finally planted out some regular potato in a separate area. It's my first go growing potato, but already I see some leaves appearing so I'm hopeful they're doing their thing underground.

The purple tiger chilli bush has really come back with the hot weather. It's laden with fruit, I'm just waiting for them to ripen up and turn red before I pick them. I'll freeze a bunch and dry some out to turn into chilli flakes and powder as well.

My basil is going to seed. I'm pinching flowers whenever I get a chance but I can't keep up. I may have to cut the whole thing back again and wait for the next growing season as I don't want it to taste too woody and old.

Chilli, woody basil and weeds a-plenty!

There are baby limes on the lime tree. Well, really one lime of any note, but there are other little babies growing. The lemon and mandarin trees have flowers, but no fruit and appear to have been a favourite of the grasshoppers and leaf miners yet again. Boo, hiss!

I've got a new pumpkin vine sprouting, which makes me happy. I never plant these on purpose, but they grow from the compost (gross when I think of it really). Last year was the first time I ever got pumpkins off one, and I'm hoping to get some more this year, although Mr Fork will be stricter about letting me have vines growing across his new grass now I think. I love pumpkin in winter, so hopefully I get a few that I can store away for then.

My pineapple looks like I might get another fruit off it this year. It's had pups and they're all looking really healthy so fingers crossed!

That's a snapshot of my garden at the moment... what's growing in yours?

Beach getaway

Over the recent long weekend, Mr Fork had a boys' night scheduled, so instead of staying home alone, I decided to take Ellie on a road trip up the coast to visit my aunt for a few nights.

It was really lovely for Mr Fork to have some man time, but I think I was the real winner getting a happy, snuggly toddler all to myself. We shared a room there, so in the mornings, she would wake and I would lift her into bed with me for some quiet snuggles (and to allow everyone else to get a little more sleep before loud toddler shrieks of joy rocked the house!).

We went to the beach and explored. Although a real water baby in the pool, Ellie was not too impressed with the waves and much preferred the sensation of sand on her toes I think.

We explored local markets and my aunt bought Ellie a gorgeous little sundress.

There was also lots of food consumed (and not just by Ellie!). Tapas and wine was had.

Farm fresh figs.

I think Ellie could get used to a holiday lifestyle, with soy babycinos (I discovered she's not so good with cow milk babycinos!) and almond croissants for breakfast!

How did you spend the long weekend?

Paralysis ticks - the aftermath

Thank you to everyone who has asked about Yuki.

She is finally back home again and on the mend. She came home late last week but had to be admitted again the next day as she still wasn't quite strong enough to be home yet.

She has lost a fair amount of weight and her appetite is very small, but she's being coaxed into eating a special bland food diet (although Ellie insists on offering whatever she is having as well). She still can't blink properly and her face is still partially paralysed so we put in eye drops every four hours, and she has a course of antibiotics to finish off still too.

However! She is home now. Much balder, a little shaky when walking but pleased to be back and reunited with all of us. The vets said she was a lovely patient and even gave her a little bandana!

Just home from the vet

In related news, we found out that our next door neighbour's dog also had a tick recently (when we went to tell them about Yuki). They had removed the tick, shaved their dogs, and even identified the possum carrier, which liked to run between our fences all the time. Yet they didn't think to mention it to us! Not cool, neighbours.

A week or so before the tick incident

The vet told us to give it a week or so before she'd likely be back at 90% and then at least a month until she'd be 100% herself. She's a fighter, and I think she's secretly loving all the extra attention she's getting.

This got me thinking, how do you get on with your neighbours? Do you chat to them much?

Summer heat

If you live anywhere in Queensland, but especially Brisbane, you'll know what I mean when I say, how hot has it been lately?! Seriously, until the massive storm hit yesterday, it was really feeling like spontaneous human combustion was not only possible but becoming extremely likely!!

I'm not talking regular summer heat here, but 40C plus (that's about 104F for my American friends). Holy melt the tar off the road Batman! Mr Fork and I tried to hang out at the shopping centres to take advantage of free air-conditioning, but Ellie was having none of it, and threw one of her biggest tantrums yet. She really just wants to be independent and walk around on her own, but as she won't hold hands, she is constantly running in front of people or off into the opposite direction because she has seen something interesting. If you pick her up, it's an even possibility she'll allow you to wrap/carry her, or she'll scream and thrash around randomly. Toddlers, gah!

Anyway, since we couldn't have free air-con, we grudgingly came home and made ourselves a cool little nest where we all just hung out. The house, except for Ellie's room was locked down and we ran the massive air-con in the lounge, which kept everything at a tolerable temperature and cooled Ellie's room down enough for her to nap away the grumps. Hurrah!

How else does one keep cool in such monstrous heat? Well, ice blocks help. Even better if we got many ice block moulds for Christmas and got to make awesome delicious fruity concoctions.

Mango, kiwifruit and pineapple deliciousness

The blow up pool got a workout too. Even I stood in there and splashed around a bit. Ellie thought that was hilarious. She just loves this towel that packs into a little butterfly backpack that her grandparents got her for Christmas.

The pool actually came in handy when Ellie was scoffing down her mango and pineapple ice blocks. She's not the tidiest eater, or the fastest, so she was a sticky mess at the end of it, and could not be dissuaded from sticky kisses or cuddles... not that I minded (too much).

In the 40+ heat, there is nothing worse than being unnecessarily hot. Even lying in air conditioning, it's still pretty hot. Which is why it was annoying when the puppies and Ellie also chose to lie either on top of me, or right beside me. Lucky they are cute and I love them...

However, not everything hates the heat. Although lots of my garden wilted during the day and perked up again overnight, my eggplants seem to thrive on the heat. They've shot up loads and I can even see a few flowers already. I think I'll need to stake up these babies soon! I do love home grown eggplants too.

How are you coping with the weather where you are? 

Belated Christmas post

I've left it a bit late to do a detailed Christmas post so I thought I would summarise some of the highlights through pictures.

We had a marvellous time. It was a bit of a food fest stretching over several days, kicking off with a dinner on Christmas eve. In all the excitement, I forgot to take pictures of the entire spread but on the dinner table was: roast lamb, honey and soy chicken wings, cider ham with a cranberry glaze, roasted vegetables, honey and fig damper, mushroom gravy, onion gravy, and my vegan contributions, walnut and lentil balls (courtesy of Oh She Glows) and pumpkin and spinach croquettes (based on vegiehead's recipe). As usual, I ate way too much but it was all worth it!

Croquettes and lentil ball goodness

Dessert consisted of many yummy things, but one of the highlights for me were these delicious dairy-free, gluten-free vanilla cupcakes my friend brought. AMAZING! (and just quietly, also delicious for Boxing Day breakfast....)

Christmas Day itself was full of presents and family time. This year Ellie discovered the joy of ripping paper, so she opened ALL the presents. It was lovely to see her face light up with it all, and I can safely say she had a marvellous time. She was also extremely spoilt, not by Mr Fork and I who stuck to our Ellie gift manifesto) but by friends and family who assure me they couldn't help it. This is her, dressed in Christmas finery heading to lunch with the family.

Those sunglasses! I die!

In our family, we do a secret santa for the adults and mine was sneakily also addressed to Ellie. This is what I got (ok, along with a gorgeous door hook thing), because every little girl needs a pink tennis dress right?! I don't even feel ripped off that Ellie got my present, so it must be love. Isn't it adorable!?

Pink tennis dress cuteness overload

Those pineapples I've been growing? Yeah, I cut those up. I don't want to toot my own horn but they were the best pineapples I've ever tasted (since the last one I grew anyway). Tiny, but so sweet and no acid in them at all. Ellie pretty much ate the lion share of them but I did get a morsel. I've saved the tops, so hopefully I can increase production!

Nothing beats home grown produce!

Christmas in QLD is hot, hot, hot, so we're also getting a lot of mileage out of the blow up pool, especially on Boxing Day. My little water dragon is such a water baby. This photo says it all. Mr Fork was filling up the pool with the hose and she insisted he spray her so she could dance in it. Look at that joyful expression!

Loves the water, just loves it

Speaking of dragon babies, I couldn't resist showing off this cool shirt the1337mum gave me as a present. Yes, it's a geeky Game of Thrones shirt, but it's also a nod to my little girl, who was born in the year of the dragon. Appropriate, no? I paired it with my Black Milk year of the snake leggings to keep with the theme. Eagle eyed readers have also made comments about my bean necklace. That was a Christmas present from Ellie to me (it makes me feel better about buying it when I say that). When I was pregnant, I always called her my little bean, and when we knew she was a girl and we'd decided her name, she was my Ellie bean. What better way to commemorate that than with a bean necklace? I love it!

Dragon, snake, bean

Hope you had a merry, happy Christmas!

Nothing says summer like a blow up pool

Ellie has her swimming lessons on Saturday mornings, and she just loves the water. We've had lessons since she was about 3 months old and they're definitely paying off. She is a total water baby... if there is any around, she is right in it. This includes the hose when I water the garden, to splashing in mud puddles, to dashing back and forth from under cover out into the rain. I'm glad for that, because when I was little I was scared of water. My dad is always telling people that I even had to have a special hat for when they washed my hair so that water wouldn't touch my face. I later grew out of that and became a swimming champion for my school - who would have thought?!

I think the lessons are paying off as well, as the girl has no fear of water. We have a large spa bath in our bathroom, which, since it is so large, we don't fill very often. When we do, Ellie demands to go in and out all day. Last time, she slipped and fell in it (under supervision of course), but it didn't panic her at all. She took a breath as she was falling and calmly closed her eyes then found her feet. That's my brave, fearless adventurer!

Now that Summer is here and the days are warming up, Mr Fork has relented and blown up the (rather large) pool that Ellie got for her birthday. She was so excited to see it and wouldn't even wait to get dressed in swimming clothes - she insisted she be put in RIGHT NOW and proceeded to have a grand time splashing around.

I grew up near a beach, so to me, summer always meant water fun - either at the beach, on a backyard slip and slide, or just running in and out of the sprinkler. I think for Ellie, summer is a blow up pool on the balcony.

What says summer to you?