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gardens & polka dots

gardens & polka dots

Monthly Archives: August 2013

Be Brave, Plant a Garden!

23 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens

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garden design, Gardening, Grow Your Own, Seredipity Garden Designs

When I tell people that I am a garden designer they will generally say one of two things, ‘oh, my blah blah* isn’t doing too well, what’s wrong with it?’ or ‘I kill plants’. The former, as you can imagine is difficult to answer. I am after all the professional and as such should know all things horticulture, but this is not always so. It is far easier to identify a problem if said plant is present. But I will say, often, the problem with your blah blah* probably has something to do with a lack of, or too much water.

St Patrick Rose

My magnificent St Patrick Rose.

To the second response I simply say at least you’re giving it a go. People either get too caught up in the detail and the whole process leaves them overwhelmed and unsatisfied or they read a label stating low maintenance and mistake the plant for plastic. Either way it’s the wrong approach.

Native Rock Orchid

Watching this rock orchid produce its flower spike then all of these little flowers has keep me mesmerized for weeks.

Gardening isn’t an exact science, sure there is science to back it up but you have to experiment with it, tweak it to suit the conditions that you have, be patient, persistent and give it a go.

Yellow Paper Daisy

This yellow paper daisy has been providing me with colour all thought winter.

I would much rather hear about someone giving gardening a go and having a few casualties than someone not trying just because they think they can’t grow anything.

Pink Jasmine

This guy doesn’t get as much sun as it would like, but it’s still flowering.

The best gardeners have all had casualties and just quietly some of them probably still do. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the garden down the road, the one that always looks lush, flowers when it is supposed to and never has a blade of grass out of place.

Lavender

I encourage everyone to try their green, red or black thumb at gardening. I’m not suggesting you start off with a botanical wonder but something small and you guessed it, edible. A pot of herbs is the best thing to start with, just make sure that you have good soil, don’t drown it or ‘drought’ it and choose a herb that you regularly use in your cooking. By picking off the leaves or the ends of the stems you are encouraging the plant to produce lush new growth which is exactly what you want.

Not the most photographic of plants, but I just pick the leaves as I want them.

Not the most photographic of plants, but I just pick the leaves as I want them.

If you aren’t sure about what to plant ask someone that knows. There is a wealth of information out there and people that know plants are always happy to talk about them.

Dwarf Saffron Snap Dragons

There was one flower, then two, then they just kept coming and coming.

I encourage you to try your hand at a little gardening, you might surprise yourself and open up a whole new world of hobbies and interests.

*Insert plant of your choice

Until next time.

Carmel

p.s All of the pictures above were taken by me in my garden.

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Bushfood – Dry Roasted Wattle Seeds

02 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Bushfood, Gardens, Polka Dots

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Acacia sophorae, Bush Food, Bush Tucker, Bushfood, Home Grown, Roasted Wattle Seeds, Serendipity Garden Designs, Wattle, Wattle Seed Pods, Wattle Seeds

I have been hearing the term ‘bush tucker’ since I was a little girl. But, to be honest the only ‘bush tucker’ I can confidently say that I knew back then was the Witchetty Grub and I can tell you now there was no way I was going to even look at a Witchetty Grub, let alone eat one.

Fast forward, I don’t know, lots of years, maybe even a couple of decades and growing in my own garden are a number of bushfood plants, lovingly planted and cared for by myself and my husband. I usually refer to them as bushfood, but you should use which ever term you like to describe the wonder that is the edible Australian landscape.

Those of you in the Sydney region will be starting to see and smell the golden flecks of wattle gracing our neighbourhoods. Don’t you just love the scent of the wattle floating on the cool winter breeze, I do.

Growing wild, beautiful golden wattle

Growing wild, beautiful golden wattle

I thought it might take a little more time but our wattle (Acacia sophorae) is in full bloom too. In ‘Winter Blooms’ I shared with you my surprise to see so many plants flowering in my garden. The vibrant yellow wattle is no exception as the little lime green balls on the flower spike burst open with all of its glorious stamens.

From the garden, our bush food

From the garden, our bush food

After the flowers come the fruit and in the fruit you find the seeds. While the flowers look and smell delicious it is the seeds that I am really waiting for. Not all Wattle seeds are edible but this one is and the flavour that the seeds add to our breakfast muesli is wonderful.

Home made toasted muesli with roasted wattle seeds

Home made toasted muesli with roasted wattle seeds

I finally got around to opening the wattle seed pods that I harvested at the begining of our previous Summer. They had completely dried, some had opened and some of the seeds had fallen out into the bowl (which saves me from picking them out of the pod). 

Wattle Seed Pod with one remaining seed

Wattle seed pod with one remaining seed

My bowl of Wattle seeds ready for shelling

My bowl of Wattle seed pods ready for shelling

Seeds in the pod

Seeds in the pod

They are fiddley little things and the amount of pods plus the time it took to harvest has left me with little more than a couple of tablespoons worth of seeds. But it doesn’t matter, it is all about the adventure of growing, harvesting and turning our produce into an edible product that we can enjoy.

Shelled and ready for roasting

Shelled and ready for roasting

Once I have all of the seeds out of the pod I dry roast them, this brings out all of the nutty, coffee, chocolaty tasting goodness.

Ready for the oven

Ready for the oven

I’ll then grind them in a pestle and mortar and store them ready for homemade breakfast muesli and baking.

The last stage is the grinding

The last stage was grinding the seeds, this was done in batches in a mortar and pestle

I can’t begin to describe the gorgeous scent the ground wattle seeds eminate out into my kitchen, like I said it is nutty and chocolatey with a little coffee but it is so much more than that. The scent makes my heart melt, it is warm, inviting and smells like a country kitchen with a difference.

Oh my goodness, the ground seeds smell devine and look at that colour

Oh my goodness, the ground seeds smell divine and look at that earthy rich colour

Try some roasted Wattle seeds for yourself. You can purchase roasted ground Wattle seeds from online bushfood stores, specialty shops and I have often seen them in Botanic Gardens shops. So next time you are visiting an Australian Botanic Garden don’t forget to ask at the shop for your packet of roasted wattle seeds and find yourself deliciously hooked like I am.

Until next time

Carmel

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Terranora NSW
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