Every day has its own rhythm, but on the weekend I can take things a little slower, though some things stay the same.
I always water the garden just after dawn, check the roses for bugs, trim away dead branches or leaves, fertilise certain plants if they're due...
As it was overcast yesterday morning I took the opportunity to pull my spring onions (green onions/scallions) from their garden beds and pots where they have been growing for almost three years. As these are my most prolific vegetable crop I had them scattered wherever there's a space in the raised beds, however, we're at mid-summer in the tropics and it's time to tidy everything up, rest a few beds, and prepare them for our mid-autumn planting.
I decided to divide the plants between three pots and no longer have them in garden beds, as being alliums they aren't always good growing companions for other veggies.
First I pull them up, then I cut the bottom section off, about three inches from the roots. With fresh soil in the assorted pots I've allocated for spring onions, I planted the ends as these will sprout new growth again within 24 hours.
Three pots and twenty six spring onions later, I washed the tops for kitchen use in the coming week or two.
Some of them I chopped finely and stored in a glass container inside the fridge for salads and garnishes. The remainder were sealed in a vacuum seal bag an hour or so later, and stored in the vegetable crisper where they'll be fine for a month or more. By then the rooted stems I planted in pots yesterday will be full grown again and I'll just cut the tops off as I need them, same as I've been doing for three years. (actually they had already grown an inch by this morning!)
I also picked some fresh lemon balm from the huge amount I'd pruned to use in herbal tea this week.
After two hours in the garden I was dripping in perspiration because the sun was now quite fierce and the clouds had departed, so into the pool for a swim before heading inside to the air conditioning and a refreshing morning tea.
Banana and Raisin Loaf, with sparkling soda water to which I'd added a tiny bit of ginger cordial...
We always have loads of bananas as my husband eats one or two every day, but in this heat they ripen very quickly and I do not like ripe bananas, so this loaf is a great way to use them up and if stored in the fridge it lasts a week. We like it spread with butter, especially when it's more than a couple of days old and has begun to dry out.
But let's go back a few days...
On Thursday I made that no-knead bread I told you about in my previous post, and I promise you I will make it again!
I'll share the video below. Connie has VERY easy instructions so let me encourage you to give it a try.
Also Thursday...a purchase arrived, one I have had on my wish list for over a year! An Instant Pot.
After doing a test run with pressure cooking water so that I could acquaint myself with how it works, on Friday night I made something completely different for us - Chicken Taco Soup. I know this sort of meal is pretty common to Americans, but it's not common in Australia. Anyhow, there's a few homemakers I like to watch on YouTube during my morning or afternoon tea break, and one of them is Robin from Faith & Flour (she shares this recipe at 21:40 minutes through the video I've linked). Robin made this soup and I thought, wow, this looks simple, so I chose that as our first Instant Pot meal.
I did have to make my own Ranch Mix for the soup and used another of Robin's recipes to do so because that's another thing we don't use/have in Australia...but I had the individual ingredients in my cupboard so it didn't hold me back. I still can't get over how moist the chicken breast was, but I'd never used a pressure cooker before in my whole life so there may be many more surprises in store for me!
Earlier on Friday...
I hadn't seen Blossom for over a week due to the long wait for a result on my Covid test last Sunday 9th. In home isolation I got lots of odd jobs completed and introvert homemaker that I am, enjoyed the inability to travel, but when my result arrived via text late on Friday 14th as negative I quickly baked a Cinnamon Tea Cake and headed over to her place for some love, hugs and tea with her, Ross and the children.
On the way home I dropped into the supermarket for a few supplies and found cheese, meat, yoghurt and many other items completely missing. Fortunately we had abundant pantry supplies at home, but I was overjoyed to see loads of fresh fruit and vegetables still available because that's what I wanted more than anything.
Sunday breakfast...
I tend to have the same breakfast most days - fresh fruit and coconut yoghurt, soy decaf cappuccino, and a little bowl of our mega-vitamins. Hubby adds cereal to his breakfast.
We've been doing mega vitamin therapy for about five years now, and every day we take things which serve a purpose in our health and support our shared auto-immune disease. We choose good quality vitamins and supplements and have found them to be amazing for our overall health.
4,000 mg Vitamin C; Zinc Picolate; Niacinamide; Vitamin E, Vitamin D3, Phosphatidylcholine; Tumeric; Hemp Seed Oil; Multivitamin; Magnesium...and Thyroxine medication for our Hashimoto's Disease.
At the start of a cold we increase the Vitamin C to 10,000 mg per day and it's usually gone the next day or within 48 hours.
Sunday afternoon as I write this...
I've thrown out the old dry roses from my vases, and replaced the kitchen vase with my favourite variety, a beautiful scented pink bloom.
Now we're about to clean up and head off to Blossom's for a visit. I have some of the Chicken Taco Soup to take with us, plus an old animated movie we used to love but have not seen in many years (I bought it last month off eBay) - The Iron Giant. Do you remember that one? I much prefer the old animated style to the new one...back when children knew it was a cartoon and not real. Nowadays the animations are far too lifelike and the themes far too adult for children. Just my opinion.
Bless all of you as we embark on a new week. Like a new year, there's no mistakes in it yet, so chin up my dears and put a smile on your lovely faces. There's so much beauty in the world, and though at times we have to look hard to find it, the effort is worth the result.
God bless you and keep you safe in His care always,
hugs
