For Easter this year we managed to get all five of us together. Eden came up from Melbourne, and we all drove out to Tenterfield for a few days. It’s getting harder to coordinate now, getting everyone together —Eden in Melbourne living her best life, Maya and Kobi both juggling part-time work and uni—but when it comes together, it feels really special. There’s something about being in the same place again, even just for a few days, that fills my cup.
Eden stayed for ten days, and it was just so good to have her home. We spent a lot of time visiting family, eating good food, and just hanging out. It’s not often we get that much time together anymore, so I really soaked it up. We saw grandparents and cousins, baked a few things, and stretched dinners out into long chats around the table. When she left, the house felt quiet—and I really felt the gap she leaves behind when she’s not here. But I’m also so happy for her. She’s doing her thing down there, she’s happy, and I’m so so proud of her.
Since then, I’ve been mostly in the garden or in the kitchen pickling. The winter vegetables are starting to find their feet—broad beans, garlic, kale, cabbages, carrots, broccoli. I’ve been doing a lot of weeding, added compost and worm juice, and spent way too much time removing cabbage moth eggs and pulling off caterpillars. They’re so persistent, those moths. A constant little battle.
Over at Millers Lane, the chokos and pumpkins have been coming in thick and fast. Benji and I have been trying to get creative with the chokos.. I grew up eating them cooked in the microwave—usually for way too long—and served with just a bit of salt and pepper. I couldn’t stand them. But now that we’ve got them growing like crazy, we’re on a bit of a mission to bring back some flavour to the old choko.
Benji tried cooking them in butter and miso a couple of weeks ago, and it was surprisingly good. I also made a choko kimchi—same method as usual, just swapped out the cabbage—and it worked a treat. I’ll pop the choko kimchi recipes at the bottom of this post in case you’d like to try them too. The choko pickle is hands down our favourite. A lovely woman on Instagram recommended the recipe from the Cornersmith’s book Pocket Pickler and it’s so moreish. I’ve been making batch after batch, and we’re eating it almost every second day. I’ve been giving away jars to anyone who stops by.
In other news.. I bogged the ute. Classic. Got it properly bogged. A friend tried pulling it out with his ute, then a neighbour had a go with his tractor, and finally another mate came over with his digger and had to lift it out. It wasn’t funny at the time—just frustrating. But it did make me realise I need to slow down a bit, not take on quite so many things at once.
Benji’s been spending a lot of time in the garden too, working on edging the beds and creating little paths in and around the garden and the house. It’s made such a difference. It suddenly looks intentional and really defines the spaces.
And autumn? She’s definitely here now. The mornings are cool and still and golden. Benji and I have been setting the alarm extra early and getting up before the sun. We take our coffees out onto the deck, rug up in jackets, and watch the day begin. The birds start calling, the light shifts, and everything feels calm and new. It’s become one of my favourite little rituals. Do you have a seasonal ritual? Something that you like to do each season as a way to mark the change?
With the beautiful family time over Easter, the hours and hours spent preserving, the bogged ute, and the gorgeous changing season, it all feels like a gentle nudge to slow down. I feel like autumn is quietly reminding me to pause, take a breath, and let things unfold at their own pace. For once, I’m actually trying to listen.
Love,
Tash
Choko Kimchi Recipe
Here’s the choko kimchi recipe I’ve been loving lately. It’s super simple to make, and the choko works so well in place of cabbage!
Ingredients:
2 large chokos, peeled and julienned
2 tablespoons sea salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Instructions:
Start by salting the julienned chokos. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss to coat and leave them to sit for 2-3 hours to draw out the water. Afterward, rinse and drain them well.
In a separate bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, gochugaru, and rice vinegar.
Toss the salted chokos in the spice mixture until well-coated. ( I recommend wearing gloves here)
Pack the choko mixture into a clean jar, pressing it down as you go.
Leave the jar at room temperature for 2-3 days to ferment, then store it in the fridge for up to a month.
Enjoy it as a side dish with your meals, or use it in sandwiches and wraps. It’s a bit spicy, tangy, and totally addictive!
