5 May 2024
Traditions
Traditions are a great source of how things used to be done and a wealth of knowledge. A great tradition handed down through generations is the storage of summer produce. These small tomatoes have a sharp point and taste delicious. Nonno picks them in bunches at the end of summer, ties them together, and hangs them under a cool shady spot. He calls these tomatoes Spuntinni. They last for four months; I would love to see the ones in the supermarket last four days. The ones that go rotten drop off and are discarded, but not before seeds are collected. The same process goes for the peppers, which are strung together and dried to make flakes or to fry and eat like chips. A wealth of knowledge is slowly disappearing, and people like me are trying to share and keep it alive.
Mushrooms
After some heavy rains and a bit of sunshine, the lawn is looking very vibrant, and on closer inspection, I have noticed lots of mushrooms. They’re very pretty but not so great if consumed by the family pet. Lily, our border collie, is very inquisitive and highly suspicious of anything new in the garden; she gave them a good barking (along with the wind, clouds, birds, and anything else that moves or breathes, lol). I put on some gloves and got rid of a heap of them under Lily’s supervision. I also made a dish soap solution and gave the affected areas a sprinkle. After a few days, it did the trick.
Bonsai Pot cleanup
It’s Anzac Day, time to relax, pay our respects, watch the football, and give the Bonsai pot a cleanup. I cleared all the dead leaves, propagated as many as I could, removed stones, and gave them a wash. I pruned the Jade bonsai slightly to retain its shape, then placed some red rocks around the base and also some for the elephant to balance on. I might blue tack her down and have decided to call her Caron, a beautiful reminder of a great friend who gifted her to me. I topped up everything with white crushed rocks that were only $6 at Bunnings. It was very relaxing and therapeutic. Turned out looking really nice in the end.
Succulent progress
On another sunny Melbourne day I’m happily veggie patching my way everywhere and enjoying the sunshine before the cold weather hits later on this afternoon . I had a peek at my succulent propagation cuttings . The leaves have some roots – some have just withered away and died, but the ones that have taken off still look healthy . I will leave them alone for a couple of weeks and some time in the future I’ll transplant them into pots. I’ve got some from even about a year ago – they’re coming along nicely. I spray them with some water maybe once a week depending on how hot it is. They do like things to be nice and dry though. I will be keeping them undercover as it has been very cold weather and lots of frost and the little greenhouses have worked a treat.
Veggie Patch Anywhere 