by Krista | Apr 15, 2015 | Autumn
Autumn weather is here at last with stunning beauty. Chilly mornings where slippers and flannels are essential, followed by exquisite golden days of rich sunshine and cool breezes. I feel like I’ve come back to life and it is marvelous.
Bear and I have been working hard on the farm pruning trees, chopping wood, planting winter veggies, and using up the remains of last year’s bounty from the freezers so we can start filling them again with homemade sausages, frozen vegetables, and baking.
We’ve been bottle-feeding two orphaned baby goats and look forward to each feeding. They are the sweetest little girls and make us laugh every day.
Our geese, ducks, and chickens have slowed down their laying, ready to hunker down for the cold months. Each time we find a new egg is cause for celebration.
In my downtime I’ve been making wood-burned necklaces for my Etsy shoppe, building up my stock for the medieval markets we’ll be attending in just a couple of months. It’s such a lovely break from hard labor, turning pieces of wood, beads, and stone into little works of art.
Today we took a break from our labors to wander through one of our favorite thrift stores to see what we could find. My treasures are this darling little pottery mug and a bag full of nearly-new cookbooks and gardening books to inspire me.
Our dessert this week has been a fresh strawberry tart with vanilla cream in a whole grain crust sweetened with dark brown sugar. Simple, delicious, and just the edible cheer we need to keep us going through our chores.
What keeps you plugging along when you have lots of work to do? xo
Strawberry Tart with Vanilla Cream
Ingredients:
1 pint strawberries, washed and trimmed
1 tub sour cream
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Crust:
1 cup whole grain flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Mix all crust ingredients, add a little flour if too soft. Press evenly into 9-inch tart pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until crust is golden brown.
3. Gently blend sour cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth. Do not whip or it will get too runny. Chill until crust is cooled.
4. Let crust cool, remove from tart pan and set on serving tray. Spread sour cream mixture in the bottom of the tart shell, and top with strawberries.
5. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
by Krista | Apr 13, 2015 | Autumn
I love mindfulness, meditation, stillness, whichever word you wish to apply to moments throughout the day when, no matter what you’re doing, you stop, close your eyes, slow and deepen your breathing, slow and steady your heart rate, and linger in a place of physical, mental, and emotional peace until you’re ready to return to the world with a strengthened heart and restored spirit.
I like that you can take this practice with you anywhere, like a secret weapon, ready to pull out whenever life goes wonky or people give in to their mean side or your body just decides to feel frazzled.
But I also love those precious moments when you can steal away to a place of peace, a place where the very surroundings calm, steady, and ground you.
Like the beach.
Last week my friend Ann asked if I’d like to accompany her to Brisbane for the day, so we packed water bottles and snacks and headed over the mountains to the coast. We popped into bead shops and thrift stores, European delis and Greek food shops, and took a few moments away from our errands to have fish and chips at Wynnum Pier with my friend (and Ann’s daughter) Lizzie.
It never ceases to amaze me how even an hour at the beach can restore your spirits immeasurably, and linger with you long after you drive away.
It was sheer bliss to feel hot sun on my face and shoulders, salty breezes tossing my hair this way and that as we found treasures in the sand like this banksia cone. I’d never seen banksia before I came to Australia, and I find it incredible that the cheery and soft yellow blossoms above become these equally beautiful cones.
We watched people wading in the water, kids screaming with laughter, others strolling quietly along the beach lost in their own thoughts.
I found a seagull feather and watched boys racing each other through the trees, gasping for air as they shouted, “Again!”
I love the air at the beach, so fresh and cool and briny, especially as Autumn deepens and the fierce heat of summer dissipates.
Bear and I often talk about retiring to the beach, finding a little spot just for us where we can fish and look for treasures in the sand and potter away at our crafts and projects. But we always return to our beloved farm, a sense of belonging and welcome engulfing us as we descend over the mountains to the rolling hills of the Darling Downs.
For now we are happy for jaunts to the beach, for pleasurable hours sitting under the shade of palm trees, watching seagulls hop ever closer hoping for a nip at our fish and chips.
All too soon it was time to leave, to get back to school and work and chores. We took one last look at ocean waves and sand that seemed to ripple in the heat, nodded farewell to the gulls and headed back home to the people and things we love.
Where is your favorite place to go to restore your spirits? xo
by Krista | Apr 8, 2015 | Autumn
“Okay, this is the wisdom.
First, time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted.
Second, almost anything can be improved with the addition of bacon.
And finally, there is no problem on Earth that can’t be ameliorated by a hot bath and a cup of tea.”
Jasper Fforde
Bear and I were out running errands this morning, getting groceries, picking up library books, and looking at plants, when he suggested cuppas at a sidewalk cafe.
I was delighted to oblige.
While he dashed off to finish up the last of his personal errands, I secured a table in the glorious sunshine and settled in for a luxurious read of the Autumn edition of my very favorite dreamy magazine sent all the way from America by a dear friend.
The dappled Autumn sunshine, cool breezes with just a hint of bite to them, the bustle of shoppers strolling past my table, it was all so marvelous I couldn’t stop smiling.
There’s something utterly restorative about a hot cup of something in the middle of chores or errands. Suddenly the hurly-burly of life slows down and instead of going over to-do lists and trying not to forget anything, you get to sit, and breathe, and visit about everything and nothing while you watch the world go by.
It was a luxurious break in the midst of our slightly madcap day and we both stood up from our emptied cups with spirits restored and bodies relaxed.
The rest of our errands went smoothly: finding little treasures at the thrift store, having a chat with a good friend at the shop where we buy fence-building supplies, and nabbing the cutest little fern to put in the kitchen.
We arrived home tired but happy, just in time for a glass of Oma’s homemade plum wine to warm our bones as the sun set.
What do you love most about your favorite cafe? xo
by Krista | Apr 6, 2015 | Autumn
“rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor
— such is my idea of happiness.”
Leo Tolstoy
Our weekend was a whirl of work and commitments, a 24-hour flu and visits with dear friends, but today was a delicious blend of rest and creativity.
We gave ourselves the entire morning – a long time when you wake at 4:30 a.m. – to do whatever we wished. No jobs, no chores, no demands, just simple pleasures and quiet moments.
Bear made us cuppas and then we disappeared to our corners. I hunkered down in my office, curled up on the couch with a blanket, gorgeous magazines, a new book from my friend Sue, and a scented candle flickering cheerily on my desk.
I can’t remember the last time I spent an entire morning reading. It was like reuniting with a beloved friend. I lingered over gorgeous images, closed my eyes and mulled over thought-provoking words, smiled to myself at the sheer luxury of these hours of alone time to restore my mind, spirit, body, and creativity.
When the afternoon finally rolled around, I was peaceful and excited, ready to tackle my chores.
I headed out to my gardens, luxuriating in hot sunshine on my skin after days of dark skies. I gathered tomatoes and asparagus, checked on my late crop of green bell peppers and chillies, chatted with the dogs then headed back to the house.
The afternoon was spent working my way through boxes of tomatoes and capsicum, bags of chillies, bowls of pears and grapes. My dehydrators are humming again, filled with fruit and veg that will be dried by morning. A big pot of roasted tomato garlic sauce is cooling on the counter, almost ready to be packaged and put in the freezer. Chillies were turned into a luscious and spicy Tomato Chilli Jam. Now I can rest easy knowing all the fresh produce has been taken care of.
With all those gorgeous roast veggies, dinner was a no-brainer: pasta tossed with roughly chopped tomatoes, silky nuggets of roasted garlic, and freshly grated Parmesan-Romano. Simple but scrumptious.
Now it’s time to bid goodnight to the world, and crawl in bed for a bit more reading before sleep.
What is the best book you’ve read this year? xo
Slow-roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
ripe tomatoes
olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, etc)
heads of garlic
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 F (250 C)
2. Line baking sheets with baking paper.
3. Quarter tomatoes and spread in one layer, skin side down, on baking sheet. Scatter with fresh herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and add sea salt and ground pepper.
4. Roast for 90 minutes in center of oven. If tomatoes are in large chunks, you may need to roast an additional 30 minutes.
5. 20 minutes before tomatoes are done, place tray of garlic heads in the oven.
6. Remove from oven and let tomatoes cool 5-10 minutes.
7. While tomatoes are cooling, use rolling pin to crush roasted garlic and press out the soft, cooked cloves. Pick out any extra bits of paper.
8. In large blender or food processor, puree tomatoes and garlic in batches. Pouring into a large pot when each batch is done.
9. Whisk sauce together and let sit 30 minutes for flavors to meld and sauce to cool.
10. Pour into freezer containers and freeze until ready to use.
by Krista | Apr 2, 2015 | Autumn
One of the things I love best about living on our farm is that I’m always learning new things. I may get tired and dirty here, but I never, ever get bored.
This week I learned more about my favorite trees on our property: Golden Rain Trees. Although they are lovely and green all year round, Autumn is when they come into their true glory. First they’re covered with tiny yellow flowers that give a siren call to any bee within sniffing distance. These then fall off, carpeting the ground in a sea of yellow. They’re replaced by these gorgeous fuchsia pods filled with small green seeds that later turn black.
I love the Golden Rain Trees for their shade, their colors, their beauty, and this week I learned, much to my amazement, that the seeds are edible if roasted. I cannot wait to try them in a few weeks when they are ready for gathering.
This weekend we trimmed one of our Golden Rain Trees to ensure our new cider orchard will have plenty of sunlight. I made numerous cuttings from the fallen branches and planted them to see if they will take. I’d love to have a whole new bunch of rain trees to plant around our farm.
I like how the branches provide cuttings, seeds, firewood, and even beautiful displays of gorgeous, amber sap. When I was a little girl I used to love roaming the woods and finding nuggets of jeweled sap on various trees. I would taste the different types, most rather pitchy and resinous, always hoping that they would taste as wondrous as they looked. I still think they’re beautiful, like droplets of spun glass against the rough wood.
With the big winds we’ve had this week, the Golden Rain continues to fall, covering the dirt, grass, potted plants, and even my rain-filled wheelbarrow. It makes me smile every day.
Do you have a favorite tree where you live? xo
by Krista | Mar 30, 2015 | Autumn
With great delight we welcomed the cooler temperatures of Autumn this weekend. I can’t tell you how lovely it is to not need a fan blowing on me all day just to keep going. I’m a happy camper.
With the decrease in temperature came an increase of energy, and I’ve been working hard putting up all sorts of fruits and veggies for the cold winter months.
Our markets are currently full to bursting with inexpensive boxes of ripe tomatoes, fat apples, and oh-so-juicy pears, and Bear and I happily load them into our car each week to be turned into delicious things.
This weekend I made trays of roasted tomatoes and pureed them into scrumptious tomato sauce that is now frozen and ready for winter pasta dishes and hearty soups.
I hauled out all three dehydrators and have kept them humming as they dry stacks of tomatoes, apples, and pears. The dried tomatoes will be packed in jars with capers and garlic then covered with olive oil. The apples and pears are for snacking now and to be used in dried fruit pies and puddings down the road.
I also did a lot of baking, two dozen whole grain sunflower seed flat bread rolls and a loaf of sunflower seed bread.
Mmm, it smells so good in here.
I ended the baking, cooking, preserving frenzy by making a quick and easy Maple Fig Cobbler using up the last of the figs I picked with my friend Katy a couple of months ago. They’ve been waiting in the freezer for a just right recipe, and this was it. The hearty whole grain cobbled crust was a wonderful accompaniment to the melt in your mouth fig filling. It was a delicious way to end a busy day.
What is your favorite part about the season you are in? xo
Maple Fig Cobbler
Ingredients:
10-12 fresh figs, washed and quartered
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp real maple syrup
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp maple extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F (200 C).
2. In large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter and add fresh figs. Drizzle with maple syrup and simmer until sauce forms from the butter, syrup, and fig juices. Pour into pie plate.
3. In medium bowl stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using fingers, work in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add milk and maple extract, stir with fork until soft dough forms. Will be quite wet.
5. Using a tsp or your fingers, cover fig mixture with dollops of dough to create cobbled surface.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crust is golden and fig mixture bubbling.
7. Serve warm or chilled.
