by Krista | Mar 16, 2015 | Autumn
“Anyone who has a garden, park or orchard tree has an opportunity to ensure that it offers protection, brings beauty and bears fruit for future generations.” Gabriel Hemery
When I first moved to our farm in rural Queensland, Australia, I could never have imagined the projects Bear and I would tackle as we turned this beautiful spot into a place where little dreams come true.
One of our dreams was to have our own orchard filled with apples, plums, pears, peaches, apricots, etc. But as owners of a herd of Kalahari goats with fence-busting tendencies, we had to make sure the orchard would be safe from their voracious appetites and sneaky ways. We also had to protect the fruit from marauding birds. We both love watching the amazing birds around here – galahs, cockatoos, grass parrots, kookaburras, and more – but any fruit tree left unprotected is soon devoured by the feathered beauties.
All that to say, we had our work cut out for us to grow and harvest our own fruit.
We’ve been working in stages. First we built one row of fencing of heavy duty wire around the perimeter of the Big Orchard which houses plums, peaches, citrus, and 19 grape vines. Then we pounded in star pickets to anchor the large plastic pipes that would form the base for encasing the orchard in bird netting.
This week we’re working on building an inner fence. The last line of defense to keep out pesky goats, kangaroos, and wallabies.
It’s mighty hot work out in the blazing Autumn sunshine, but over the last day or two some cooling breezes have blown in making it more bearable. Thank. Goodness.
Being out there day after day gives us the opportunity to see the orchard up close and personal. While the plums and peaches are past producing anything, the citrus portion of the orchard is flourishing. Even though the trees are only two years old, most of them are bearing good-sized oranges, lemons, and limes.
A few of them are covered with lusciously scented blossoms. I always wondered why brides in old books wore orange blossoms in their hair. Now I know. They’re pure heaven.
Some of the trees were purchase at rock bottom prices because the labels were missing and the nursery didn’t know what they were. So they’re our mystery trees, and we look forward to finding out what they are.
Working in such hot weather regular breaks in the shade with cold glasses of something to cool us down and refresh our spirits.
Our favorite drink right now is Sima, a traditional fermented Finnish drink made to celebrate May Day. It is lemony and fizzy and not-too-sweet and slightly alcoholic, rather like ginger beer. I brewed up a triple batch this weekend, and it is divine. Those Finns have a good thing going with Sima, and we are very happy to adopt their traditional drink as a delicious pick-me-up on sweltering days on the farm.
Traditional Sima is made using sliced lemons, but I have bottles of bush lemon juice I made last year that need to be used up, so I make it with straight lemon juice and bush lemon zest instead. Feel free to use whatever suits your fancy.
What is your favorite drink on a piping hot work day? xo
Bush Lemon Sima
3.5 litres/gallons of water
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup fresh squeezed bush lemon juice
1 heaped Tbsp bush lemon zest
1/8 tsp champagne or regular yeast
handful of raisins
1. Place water, sugars, juice, and zest in a large pot and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and sit until lukewarm.
2. Pour into glass demijohn (or large glass pitcher), add yeast and stir. Cover with clean tea towel and leave overnight.
3. Sterilize 4 1-litre/gallon bottles with lids.
4. In each bottle add one tsp raw sugar and 5-6 raisins.
5. Strain Sima into each bottle and seal well, giving it a vigorous swirl to help dissolve sugar.
6. Let sit at room temperature until raisins have all risen to the top of the liquid.
7. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This should nearly halt the fermentation process and stop the bottles from exploding, but check the bottles now and then just to make sure. Gentle open tops to release pressure if necessary.
by Krista | Mar 10, 2015 | Autumn
“I know the look of an apple that is roasting and sizzling on the hearth on a winter’s evening,
and I know the comfort that comes of eating it hot, along with some sugar and a drench of cream…
I know how the nuts taken in conjunction with winter apples, cider, and doughnuts,
make old people’s tales and old jokes sound fresh and crisp and enchanting.”
Mark Twain
I love this time of year, so very much. Though I must confess that the beginnings of our Autumn feel suspiciously like the roasting hot days of the inordinately blistering Summer we’ve just had. Hopefully cooler days will come soon.
In the meantime, Bear and I are basking in the harvests of Autumn, hauling home boxes full of too ripe pears and perfectly crisp apples as we begin our initial forays into cider-making.
Over the past few months we’ve been collecting all the bits and bobs necessary for brewing our own cider, beer, wine, champagne, liqueurs, and anything else we might think of.
Our outdoor kitchen is still in the dreaming phase, so until then, our breezeway is stacked with demijohns and bottles, packages of lids and rubber seals, and the presses and mulcher Bear has been lovingly restoring and adapting to our needs.
Last week we were finally ready for the trial run of our equipment, so we got it all set up and went to work.
Our cider apple orchard isn’t planted yet, so we just picked up a couple varieties from the market and a box of pears to blend them with.
I was in charge of the mulching, getting the fruit chopped into pressable bits. It smelled amazing!! All that gorgeous apple and pear deliciousness wafting around us while we munched on apples as I fed the machine. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, I tell ya.
When the fruit was all chopped up, Bear manned the press, turning the handle and squeezing out every last bit of gorgeous juice into the waiting bucket. Then we filtered the juice into waiting demijohns, added Campden tablets and yeast, inserted the air locks, and set them into the Granny Flat to do their fermenting work.
Bear checks them all throughout the day, excitedly reporting back on the rate of air bubbles, frothing consistency, and whatnot. We’re getting rather antsy to get to the bottling and tasting stages. Oddly enough, we keep getting volunteers eager to help with that whole tasting thing. Such good friends we have. 😉
What is your favorite brew? xo
**If you fancy reading about how we got involved in making cider, pop over to our farm blog to read my hubby’s highly exaggerated account: Adventures in Cider Making 🙂
by Krista | Feb 17, 2015 | Summer
After the launch of my book and completing the last of the radio and newspaper interviews, I’m slowly but surely getting back to normal life: laundry, animals, new writing projects, and cuddling ducklings whenever possible.
Today I got to bake up a storm and do a Country Tea Party photo shoot and story. It was so much fun, especially because my hubby and our friends, Ann and Oma, showed up to help me feast out under the trees.
We laughed hard and told stories and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves after working full steam ahead all day. Nothing like afternoon tea in the shade of a big tree to relax you in body and spirit.
After they left and the dishes were done, I went for a wander to check on animals and gardens and was thrilled to see my lilly pilly fruiting!
Until this week, I’d only ever seen them in pictures, and never heard of them at all until I moved to Australia. They have such gorgeous little berries.
Isn’t that color fantastic? I tasted my first ones today and am smitten. 🙂 They’re crisp and slightly tart and very refreshing. I don’t know what to liken the flavor to yet, but I will keep you posted.
Have you ever had a lilly pilly berry before? What is your favorite kind of berry? xo
by Krista | Feb 3, 2015 | Summer
Rain is misting lightly outside, cooling things down after a gorgeous weekend spent with my friend Corrie. Neither of us were feeling good, so instead of jaunts here and there, we planned a thoroughly relaxing couple of days filled with eating good food, afternoon naps, and long talks while curled up in comfy chairs.
One of my favorite memories is from Saturday night. After trekking through the bush and spotting a couple of wallabies, we returned home and set up for an evening around the campfire. Bear helped me arrange the fire pit, haul chairs over, and collect firewood.
While Corrie had a good, long talk with her hubby back in Colorado, I sank into my chair with a cold drink and soaked up the stunning light shimmering through leaves and blades of grass.
I never tire of this time of day on our farm. We might be exhausted from wrangling goats or digging gardens, but once sunset begins, stress melts away and you can’t help but be happy to be alive.
As the sun sank lower we opened wine to breathe and brought out ice cold beers. Bear built and lit the fire and I brought out fixings for dinner: lamb sausages made with pepper and sun-dried tomatoes.
As the sausages popped and sizzled we settled back with our drinks, munching on potato chips and sharing stories. It felt so good to laugh hard and chat about our day, thoroughly relaxed and comfy with all the chores done and a free night ahead of us. 
While we chatted and the fire crackled, Bear collected more firewood, fallen branches and bits of gum tree bark to keep the fire going late into the night.
At last the sausages were ready, charred on the outside, cooked on the inside, ready to be dressed with Dijon mustard and homemade chili jam.
Soon the sun was gone and we sat under a star-filled sky wrapped in flannel shirts and blankets, talking about life and work and hopes and plans. Corrie is a writer too, so very, very talented, and it was great to talk shop with her, sharing plans and book ideas.
Following in that vein, I’m delighted to announce that PDF versions of my books are now available for only $14.99 AUS ($12.57 US). With no shipping or printing costs to worry about, they are a great option for anyone who’d like a copy to store on their computer and have inspiring images of Italy and old European doors only a mouse click away.
To purchase a copy or for more information, visit my book shoppe by clicking here.
The rain has stopped, but the clouds and wind are keeping us cool as we reflect on happy memories with a dear friend.
What is your favorite memory from this weekend? xo
by Krista | Jan 20, 2015 | Summer
“Home is the nicest word there is.” Laura Ingalls Wilder
Yesterday Bear and I went to the Post Office and received a large envelope with my name on it. Inside was approval for my Permanent Residency in Australia. I could hardly believe it and promptly burst into tears. I didn’t realize how I’d been emotionally holding my breath, hoping that Australia would want me to stay, hoping that I’d be allowed to remain with my Bear. After my cry we laughed and whooped and hollered with joy. It’s been a long, long road but we’re finally here and it feels amazing.
I belong here now. I’m allowed to stay. I’m truly allowed to call this place home.
I can’t help but smile. A lot.
So Bear and I are celebrating. Much to our delight, on the same day my approval arrived, so did a box full of Christmas pressies from the US. So we’ve been having such fun watching new movies, reading through new issues of my favorite American magazine, and dreaming up the ideal recipes to utilize the three precious cans of mild green chilies our dear friend sent to us.
This afternoon we’re going to treat ourselves to a coffee and cake date, and this morning we celebrated with one of our favorite brekky’s: fried potatoes with onions and sausage.
Now I’m heading outside to start prepping my garden for winter veggies. After searing heat for days on end, last night a new front blew in and it is wonderfully fresh and cool. Can’t wait to get outside and dig and plant and plan.
How do you like to celebrate important things? xo
