Intimate. Beautiful. Delicious.

It feels like everything is running at full speed at the moment. A little crazier than usual. 
A good crazy though. 
Pattie and Petite are loving the sunshine and the spring grass. They will be heading next door to meet the bull again in a couple of weeks. 
The chickens have just been moved over under the pine trees, for a little more shade. One chicken is broody and into her second week of sitting. I'm not totally convinced that Boris (rooster) is a sharp shooter, but she seems convinced...

The boar left us a few weeks ago for a new farm and some new ladies. I think he weaved his magic on the black pig, she is HUGE. I will move her into her birthing suite next week. If she conceived on her first cycle she could be having piglets in a couple of weeks. The pink pig looks the same sadly. We will wait a little longer to see if she is pregnant. If she isn't we will have to make a decision what we are going to do with her. 
We have bought in 40 meat birds. They are 3 weeks old now and about to move out of their brood. They are nearly big enough for country air and fresh pasture. 

The garden has been a little neglected lately. We experienced some really hot days a couple of weeks ago and lots of things jus bolted and went straight to seed. I will pull out my kale, rocket, broccoli, and cabbage that went to seed and consider what I will plant for the summer months.

My beets, garlic, beans, peas, sliver beet and berries are looking good despite the neglect. 
Water is a huge factor at the moment. We currently rely on tank water. The winter and spring rains didn't really exist this year and the little we had we didn't catch because we were finishing the house extension and the plumbing wasn't in. We have a dam that is not being used so I am thinking of putting another water tank next to the garden and pumping the water up to the tank and then gravity feed it to the garden. The other possibility is a bore. There is so much to consider in regard to cost, quality and practicality. I need to work something out. 
The workshops have been wonderful.  Intimate. Beautiful. Delicious. 

Intimate. We have kept the numbers of each workshop to a maximum of 10 people. A perfect number for the workshop and our lunch. It has created a personal, intimate atmosphere. 

Beautiful. Ben made some tables from off cuts and old floor boards from the house extension. They completely compliment the gorgeous barn. With these tables, fresh flowers, creative, passionate, interested people, the barn is stunningly beautiful. 

Delicious. Our lunches have been delicious. Farm grown chicken, beef and pork. Farm smoked salmon and bacon. Fresh seasonal vegetables and salads from the garden. Sorbets and ice creams from a local business. Pork sausages and other pork goodness from Jonai farms. All served with local wines. So delicious. 

We all find Intimate. Beautiful. Deliciousness in different ways. I hope you are surrounded by yours.  

Tash xx

New beginnings.

I think I may have mentioned before the deep emphasis on the seasons now that we live on a farm. The garden, the animals, the rainfall, the heat, the condition of the pasture. It is ever changing. I find it really magical. Tomorrow is spring. I am excited to greet this season, but also sad to see the end of winter. I love winter here. I love Autumn too! Summer I struggle with. But I guess you can't have it all..
Spring brings new beginnings. New life. New garden. It is beautiful to watch. Yesterday gave me a glimpse of what is to come. 

The gardens have been prepared for spring planting. The bulbs and blossoms are already going crazy. The roses are giving signs of new growth. The incubator is ready for the next batch of fertile eggs. The pigs are looking convincingly bigger. Fingers crossed for those piglets in a couple of months. My workshops start in a couple of weeks. All these new beginnings. 

I hope whatever you are doing this spring brings you lots of love and happiness.

New beginnings. 

Tash xxx
 

Then there were three...

There are so many things we consider when growing our own meat. The top two factors are; can we give the animal the best life possible on this farm e.g., pasture, shelter, space, and will we use the whole animal e.g., the cuts of meat, the hide. 

We slaughtered our first pair of pigs when they were about 12 months old. We used the whole animal for bacon, roasts, salami, brawn, ham, and prosciutto. It was only a couple of months ago when the prosciutto was ready, and a complete success, our bacon finally worked, and I went to an incredible Salami workshop, that I started thinking about increasing the amount of pork we grow. 

Pigs are extremely destructive to the land. They can turn over a small area of paddock within a few days and leave it looking like a mud pit. So we have set up a large paddock into four individual yards. Once they have exhausted one yard, I move them to the next and give the 'mud pit' time to recover. I can then plant out the recovering yard with potatoes, parsnips, grasses, brassicas, anything in season that the pigs can dig up and eat.

Food is a massive factor when having pigs. They eat most of our food scraps, scraps from the garden, but a substantial part of their diet is grain. The grain is something I am buying in and we go through a lot! But you know what, I don't mind because I know exactly where my meat is coming from. I know that that animal has had the best possible life and death. I know that that animal has eaten wholesome, nutritional food. It reminds me of that saying, "you get what you pay for". When pork is being sold at $7.00 a kilo. It makes me wonder...

Anyway, to increase our pork supply I decided to borrow a boar for our two gilts.

Then there were three...

We have only had one experience with a boar and Ben nearly lost an arm.  That's another story.
I asked around my farming friends and a lovely family not too far away were more than happy to lend us their boar. He is not at all what we had experienced. He is so sweet and gentle. A true gentleman. The girls were a little thrown at first but they are coming around...
A pigs cycle is every three weeks. So the boar will stay for a couple of months before returning home. The gestation period for a pig is three months, three weeks, and three days.
Spring piglets! Hopefully.

Keep you posted. 

Tash x

Beautiful Delicious Autumn

It has been so long since I have written. We are nearly half way through Winter and I am reflecting on Autumn.

Where does the time go?

I have to admit, I did spend a lot of that time foraging in a Pine Forest...Autumn brought me the beautiful, world of wild fungi. Saffron Milk Caps to be exact. There are a lot of Pine Forests in the area. The perfect place to find Pine Mushrooms (Saffron Milk Caps) and Slippery Jacks. I spent many hours scanning the forest floor for these gorgeous mushrooms, wandering aimlessly through the forest. I would return with enough for a delicious risotto or fry them up with garlic and butter. Beautiful, delicious Autumn.

Autumn bought us cooler weather too. A time to get the smoker smoking. This year we have had success. We built the smoker to be a cold smoker. Unfortunately we built the fire box too close to the smoker and the heat cooked everything. I tried a slightly different technique this year by building a smaller fire and then basically smothering the fire in charcoals and hickory chips. It worked! Smokey goodness. I cured the pork belly and salmon for a few days. Dried them and then smoked the pork for 7 hours and the salmon for about an hour. We also had an abundance of chillies, so we smoked them and made a paste. Heaven. Beautiful, delicious Autumn.

Autumn also brought us pears, apples, eggs, and the planting of winter vegetables. We planted rocket, kale, broad beans, peas, spinach, silver beet, garlic, cabbage, broccoli, and beetroot. 

Beautiful, delicious Autumn.

I think you get the picture....

Slow Honey.

Funny how things work out.

I am looking after two hives at the moment. One belongs to our friends and the other is ours. The hives are situated on our friends property, surrounded by a variety of Gums. They are very happy little bees.

Not having an extractor of our own and reluctant to spend the money hiring one, another friend suggested we extract the honey the natural way. Slow honey. I am so glad we did. 

Ben and I took four, very heavy honey frames. We cut the comb from the frames. Crushed the comb slightly with our fingers, and then placed the comb into a muslin cloth. Tied the muslin up tight and hung the ball of muslin over a pot. It is so beautiful to watch the honey slowly drip through the muslin. There is a romance to it. It's like watching a sunset, a chick hatch, a seed sprout. You just want to stop and watch the magic happen. Well we did. 

I have so much appreciation for the bees and their incredible intricate lives, it seems now to make sense to approach this in the most sensitive way possibly. Slow honey. 

I highly recommend. 

Tash x

The Gorgeous Circle - Compost

To create a successful compost system is quite personal. I mean, you need to consider your waste, your resources, your time, your space. These factors are crucial to a thriving compost. 

We have very little food waste. Whatever waste we have goes to the chickens or pigs. We do have a reasonable amount of green waste (grass cuttings, tree cuttings, garden cuttings), brown waste (straw, fallen leaves, and newspaper) and a large amount of poo. So we chose a system that requires every second layer to be a poo layer. 

In regard to size, we have built two, one cubic metre bays. Removable slats on the front. We have decided that in the next month we will add another two bays, sharing the back walls of the bays. Four bays will work well for us here, considering the amount of waste that is created. So as we start layering..

GREEN

POO

BROWN

POO

GREEN

POO...

Watering in every layer.

Cover. Let it sit for one month and then stir every fortnight. Be ready in a few months.  

We have just created one gorgeous circle.

Tash xxx

Contents of Summer - Rose Petal Cordial

Contents of Summer will be inserts of our Summer at A Plot in Common. The food we grow, the drinks we make, the preserving we do, and the way we make the most of the long, hot, dry Summers (animals included).

Roses are something that came with the farm. Some very old, beautiful roses. After the bees have had their turn and they have been admired in our vases, Maya makes a Rose Water. The fragrant and colour is really stunning. 

As a Summer treat I used some of Maya's Rose Water and made some Rose Water Cordial. It is so simple and another lovely way to use some of those old rose petals. 

Firstly you need to make Maya's Rose Water. To create a beautiful deep colour and flavour, Maya uses about 80% deep pink or red rose petals. 

One cup of rose petals to two cups of hot water (just before boiling). Soak the petals until the water cools and strain. For every litre of rose water, 700g of sugar is added (though this is variable to personal taste). Warm the rose water until the sugar has dissolved. 

That is it! Rose Petal Cordial. 

Enjoy!!

Tash xxx

What's Been Happening.

A little update on what's been happening in my part of the world...

The weather here in Central Victoria has been wonderful for the gardens. Not too hot and the occasional shower. Everything is settling in and preparing for the hot weather to come. I have been planting on those cool, dreary days. One of my favourite things, I have discovered, is to garden in the rain. I don't feel so intrusive on the plant if it is raining...

I've just recently planted two beds with pumpkins, two beds with zucchini, a bed of spinach, a bed of rocket, my strawberry runners are now taking off in another bed, the Clucker Tucker is still going strong, Eden's bed of edible flowers are starting to blossom, Maya's carrots are doing o.k. (not enough watering), Kobi's potatoes are bursting through the pea straw, the herb garden is going crazy with coriander and mint (I planted too much mint) and in the garden shed, the tomatoes are thriving. I am really excited by the tomatoes. I have never grown a tomato before and the garden soil was made using the lasagne method, which I hadn't done before either. I was initially going to put berries in there, so put in a lot of Pattie's poo and pine neddles. When I changed my mind (as you do), I was worried about the PH level for the tomatoes. I treated the area with some lime and the tomatoes are very happy in their little shed. 

I found a new garden at the front of the house for the berries this year and they too are very happy. I remember someone once saying to me that the positioning of a plant or tree could come down to centimetres. I always keep that in mind. We currently have raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries in the garden. I dream of an abundance of berries....

There are some old and new fruit trees on the farm. Last winter Ben and I planted about 20 new fruit and nut trees. These trees are planted up near the garden shed. We hope next year to enclose this new orchard, to protect them from birds, and let the chooks run around in there. The older fruit trees, are producing some lovely looking fruit. There are apples, pears, figs, cherries and peaches. I really need to net them up. As soon as the fruit starts to appear, so do the Rosellas!

We currently have about 100 chickens on the farm. The flock that I hatched back in October are coming along beautifully. They are a mix of 40 heritage breeds. Stunning looking. I'm not sure who's who yet. I look at the combs, tails and personality but it's still too early to tell. Once I know exactly what I have, I will then work out what to do with them all. 

We decided to buy in some broilers. This is our first time raising meat birds and something we wanted to share with others. We currently have 60 in the brood. Trying to create a balance in growing your own food ethically and affordably is tricky. I am interested to see how this goes. We asked around to see who was interested in being apart of this and everyone we asked wanted to be involved. I am grateful for their support and enthusiasm. 

The piggies are loving themselves and Pattie and Lola are still 'visiting' the bull. 

So, there's a little update of what's been happening in my world. 

I hope everything is wonderful in your world. 

Tash xxx

Makes my head spin.

I'm not writing anything new.

It has all been said before.

It makes me feel sick, angry, sad, determined, and even more passionate about reaching out as much as I can.

I am talking about the Food Industry. The food systems, the big ugly corporations that attempt to manipulate, distort and sometimes poison our food.

Have you heard of Michael Pollan? The documentary Food Inc? A friend lent me one of Michael Pollan's books. The book and the movie reiterates so many of these concerns. I know there are many probabilities but the fundamental message is WE NEED TO BE AWARE.

We all need to make a conscious decision every day about what we put into our bodies.

FOOD.

Where does it come from?

How does it grow?  

What sort of practises are used in producing that food?

Chemicals?

Seasonal?

The list goes on...

photo by Tara Pearce

I realise there are many obstacles for many people but we all have CHOICES. The choices may be varied but we have CHOICES. That's something these corporations haven't taken away from us!

There are some incredible people out there growing and supplying beautiful produce. Local people, passionate people, people trying to make a change. Your Local.

We need to support our Locals. We have to stop supporting these ugly, greedy, poisonous giants that we call "Supermarkets". Nothing "super" about those "markets". Break up with your "supermarket" and find your Local.  

As Michael Pollan states, the cigarette industry was a big, ugly, powerful machine that was slowly taken down. There is hope for our food industry. There is hope for our Locals'.

I needed to write about this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because I feel so strongly about it and, secondly, because I feel there is a certain level of responsibility about SHARING.

As I write these words and try and stop my head from spinning. That is a huge part of this puzzle isn't it? Sharing.

Coming together and sharing.

Sharing information and knowledge.

Sharing stories.

Sharing friendship.

Sharing support.

Sharing food.

Sharing garden.

Sharing home.

Yes. I feel a little better. We can all easily share in some way. Can't we?

Tash xxx 

The Hills Are Alive...

I have to admit, Maria has been on my mind.

Spring really is a time to dance and sing on a hill top isn't it?

Everything is thriving.

The perfect time to dance and sing.

Speaking of singing, the Plotters garden's are singing growth and beauty. The beetroot, spinach, carrots, artichokes, rocket, broad bean, fennel, nasturtium and corn flowers are all in incredible chorus.

I can't express how much it means to me to see these gardens growing and see the occasional Plotters in the garden, sharing and growing together. A Plot in Common is doing what we set out to do. It is so much more than I imagined. That's part of my reason for a song...

Let's sing together.."The Hills are Alive...."

Tash xxx

From little things.....

From little things...

What an incredible start to A Plot in Common. Our first Sow Day was such a wonderful day. The sun was shining as the Plotters arrived with boxes of seeds and seedlings ready to plant. Over lunch we exchanged ideas and interests and learnt a little about each other. My first impression of all these people was the common love and interest we all have for our food and where it comes from. That each of us are trying to make a difference in our own worlds. What a pleasure to be around such people.

From little things...

Let me introduce you to these wonderful people. Our Plotters.

ALISON

Alison works for Slow Food Melbourne. Part of Alison's role is coordinate several Farmers Markets around the city of Melbourne. These markets reflect the Slow Food philosophy of 'good, clean, fair food'. Her knowledge and passion for food tradition is inspiring. It made so much sense for Alison to take a plot. I'm really happy she did.

SCOTT FAMILY

The Scott family live in Melbourne. They balance an incredible life between running a successful Yoga studio, schooling, travelling and family time. We have know the Scotts' for several years now and their interest and support for A Plot in Common means a lot.

EBONY

Ebony and I first made contact when Ebony was on the other side of the world exploring permaculture farms, organic farms and enjoying cooking lessons. Ebony's passion for clean food is reflected in her love for growing, cooking and living.

GENEVIEVE

Genevieve provides beautiful accommodation in Kyneton, The Flop House. Genevieve is very passionate about giving her guests the opportunity to experience the 'real country experience'. As part of this, Genevieve invites her guests to join her at her plot and gives them the chance to tour our farm. Genevieve has been an amazing support from the beginning.

ALICHIA AND BRENTON

Alichia and Brenton are experienced, knowledgeable, passionate gardeners. They have a real love and interest for country living and all that is involved. I have learnt so much from them already.

AARON AND LAUREN

Aaron and Lauren and their young family join A Plot in Common with the interest in community, gardening, and giving their small children the opportunity to plant and grow. What an incredible thing Aaron and Lauren are giving to their children.

From little things....

So there are our Plotters.

I will post regular updates on how the plots are growing and what events we have planned. There were discussions about a Tomato Sauce Day, Pesto Day, Salami Day, Artichoke Day, Bee Day. You are more than welcome to make suggestions and/or join us.

Sow Day was about people coming together and making a connection. It confirmed to me by opening your world, your mind and your heart... wonderful things can happen.

From little things...

Tash xxx

Sow Day

Our Plotters are all go!

Thank you so much to everyone for your interest, enthusiasm and kind words. The response has been incredible.

I am really looking forward to getting started. We have planned a Sow Day for the 14th of September. An opportunity for everyone to meet, have lunch in the garden and have a little dig in their plots.

This is the first of many things that will be happening at A Plot in Common.  If you missed out on a plot and would like to be involved, please get in contact.  There are definitely lots of opportunities to get involved.

Warmest wishes,

Tash xxx

Whispers of Spring

I don't like to wish away anything. Especially time. Do you remember as a child counting down the sleeps till Christmas? It seemed to go on forever..

I do love Winter here. The rain, the frost, the snow, the deciduous trees, the vegetables, the fires, the warm dishes, the coats, and beanies.  Snuggling up with my loved ones. Then Spring peeks it head around the corner and it seems like everything bursts with LIFE, HAPPINESS and COLOUR. And I can't help counting those sleeps.

LIFE.

Pattie produced a gorgeous little calf last Saturday. Fortunately the beautiful little thing is a girl, so we will keep her to breed and also keep Pattie company (the kids haven't come up with a name yet.) We weren't  sure in the beginning how many animals we could comfortably feed on our farm, by using a strip graze system we have been able to work out the type of animals and the number of animals.  So at the moment Pattie and her calf graze in a section for a period of time and then when they move to a new section the chickens come in and scratch and eat all the goodness left by the cows. It works well for the animals and the land.  

HAPPINESS.

With the smell of Spring I have been madly preparing garden beds, shifting poo, and planting as much as possible. We don't have a greenhouse or poly tunnel so Ben used a glass door, we just had removed from the house, and made me this incredible greenhouse box.  I have planted a variety of tomatoes, chilli, beetroot, lettuce, goji, basil and lavender in there so far. The seasonal choices are so exciting.

COLOUR.

Then there's the flowers!

Do I seem a little excited about Spring?

Seven more sleeps.

Tash xxx

Ups and Downs

What a week! I have had such an incredible response to A Plot in Common. The support and enthusiasm has been much more than I anticipated. I was just saying to Ben, how much I love to meet people who are truly passionate about something. This week I have been fortunate to meet a bunch of those people. I think it would be nice to bring everyone together and share their stories, interests and passions. Maybe Spring?

photo taken by Tara Pearce @outertowners

We had quite a bit of pork in the freezer from last years pigs. We dreamed of salami, prosciutto, bacon, anything cured really, but it seemed a little out of our league. Funny how you put things in the 'too hard basket'.  Its just taking that first initial step isn't it? Bacon was our first step. We thought that if we were going to make our own bacon we definitely needed to smoke it! We knew nothing about either. We followed a cookbook on how to cure the bacon and while we were waiting for the salt to do its magic, we started building our smoker. We gathered what materials we could from around the farm and with Ben's creative head and hands, built a smoker (we keep on having a little giggle at our little outhouse with a chimney). We rinsed the bacon and hung it in the barn for 10 days to dry. On Saturday we excitedly fired up the smoker. after regulating the smoke we hung the bacon in the smoker for 7 hours.

Dinner Saturday night was going to be bacon and eggs. Nope. The bacon was too salty to eat. It had a beautiful smokey flavour but was completely overpowered by the salt. I'm not sure where I went wrong. Maybe I cured it for too long. Maybe too much salt. Maybe my rinsing technique. I'll do some more research. Any advice is welcome.

It's a bummer when things don't quite go as planned but I love a challenge and this salty bacon won't beat me!

Tash xxxx

The faces behind...

My beautiful husband Ben and our three kids Eden, Kobi and Maya are my constant support and inspiration behind A Plot in Common.

Fortunately we all have a deep love for food, cooking and eating so it seems to be a natural progression to be doing this together.

Although our love for food is not new. Growing our food is. It has been really interesting watching how each of us has approached this new way of life. The new interests and love for things, the things that have been confronting or of no interest. I find it fascinating.

Last year I had the privilege of home schooling Eden, Kobi and Maya for the year. We set up a classroom in the old barn and had an incredible time. It gave us all a chance to settle in to the farm and learn a whole lot of stuff together and about each other. It  gave us a real opportunity to explore our interests. I loved it.

I love so much learning, trying, failing and succeeding with these 4 incredible people.

Tash xxx

Start with WHY

I watched this fascinating Ted Talks segment yesterday which made me start to think that I should share with you more about the WHY of A Plot in Common, more so than the WHAT and HOW.

There are many reasons for my WHY, but here are two.

Firstly, I've touched on the incredible joy and satisfaction that this farm has given us. The recently new journey in growing our own food and what that means to us. To give others the opportunity to grow food, make a connection with their food, and make that one less trip to the supermarket, would make me deeply happy!!

Secondly,  I have become very passionate and concerned, like many of us, in where we as 'consuming beasts' are headed. So I hope by opening my world to others we might reassess our consumption and think more about giving and sharing....

There are so many ways we can GROW, don't you agree?

Tash xxxx

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The grow page

  I've decided to use this page as a place to keep you updated on how we are 'growing' here at A Plot in Common. It will, I suppose, be a blog but with more videos and photos than words. I'm not much of a writer so I will make up for it will lots of visuals!

I hope that this page will give you ideas, inspiration and a sense of being a part of our farm.

This is a new and exciting venture that we hope we can share with as many people as possible.

Welcome to A Plot in Common!

Tash xxx

Our first strawberry plot

Today we built a strawberry plot, planting strawberry runners. Here is a short video.