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A Herb Tree

18/2/2015

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A few months ago, in early November, I created a "Herb Tree" and entered it in a competition for garden structures, winning a prize and ending up in the newspaper. This is the photo taken when it was completed, and entered into the competition:

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I call it a “herb tree” but basically it’s a fancy structure to hold multiple hanging baskets, most of which I’ve planted with herbs. I was inspired by a post and hanging baskets I found at an op shop for a bargain $30 price. The base of the stand was completely rotten, so I began by dismantling it, having my husband cut some new base pieces (which needed some fancy work with the bench saw to make them interlocking), as well as cut some new blocks for the holders. I then rebuilt it myself, and also nailed it to a pallet for extra stability. I painted the pallet and the pole with free paint from the dump – first with a light green, then with a top coat of glossy enamel forest green.
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Not all the baskets came with liners, so for the ones that did not, I used some wool from the last time we crutched our sheep to line the insides. Wool makes a great basket liner – it holds water but drains freely, and holds in the soil. Any dags in the wool are a bonus fertiliser!

I planted up 14 hanging baskets. They contained:
  • Basil
  • Dwarf Munstead Lavender
  • Rosemary
  • Nasturtium
  • Parsley
  • Pizza thyme
  • Golden Marjoram
  • Oregano
  • Curry plant
  • Chives
  • Yates Tiny Tim tomatoes
  • German Chamomile
  • Peas (which I hope will drape down over the sides of the basket)
  • Strawberries
Sitting on the pallet I also have four buckets which I drilled holes in the bottom of, filled with potting mix and planted two each with Borage and Geraniums.

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I also created labels for each plant. I used some battens from a piece of trellis that fell apart, and cut them into 10 and 15cm lengths with the dropsaw. I drilled holes in each end, and I then painted them all with more free pale green paint. After they dried, I used a stencil from my kid's art supplies to pencil on the lettering, then painted with acrylic art paints and a fine art paint brush. I added some decorative touches to some of them. And then I sealed them with a coat of varnish. Lacing wire is threaded through the holes and over the edge of the baskets before being twisted to hold in place. The labels will make it easy for my children to identify which herb is which when they need them for cooking. Plus they look pretty cool.

My plan is to have everything on this stand be edible, and to make it easy to come along and snip a bit of this and a bit of that to add to salads or cooking.

There is room to add a few more baskets onto my herb tree stand as I am able.

The whole set up has been placed onto a barked area I created between several other garden beds, where there is just the right amount of space for it. I would prefer to put it closer to the kitchen door, but that area is very exposed and windy, while this spot is a wee bit more sheltered.
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The downside of hanging baskets in summer is that they dry out very fast, and have to be watered every day without fail. Some plants have done particularly well:
  • Golden Majoram (which is neat, as when I've tried to grow any kind of marjoram in the past it's just died)
  • Oregano
  • Thyme
  • Parsley
  • Chives
  • Mint (a wee bit of a surprise, as I always think of mints as needing rather moist conditions). It now is putting out runners through the bottom of the basket - in time it may well be a whole ball of mint!
  • Geraniums
Some others are growing slowly and doing ok:
  • Rosemary
  • Lavender
  • Nasturtium
  • Sage
A few others were a bit of a "flash in the pan" - doing well at first and then either bolting or coming to the natural end of their cycle quite quickly, and not enjoying the hotter conditions:
  • Tomatoes
  • Dill
  • Chamomile (this is still growing, but it looks quite straggly)
  • Borage
  • Peas
  • Basil
By the time the photo below was taken for the newspaper in mid January, the borage and tomatoes were finished and had been removed, and the peas and dill were on their way out.

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It was a fun project! I enjoy using free or very cheap items creatively in my garden!
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Making and Preserving Tomato Soup

17/2/2015

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It's the time of year when tomatoes are plentiful and cheap - the ideal time for putting up jars of soup, sauce, diced tomatoes and relishes to enjoy throughout the year. Last week I had a bowl of tomatoes from my greenhouse and a couple of boxes of slightly damaged tomatoes I purchased at a good price locally in need of processing - close to 35 kg in total. I was short on time that week, as I had a lot of other commitments, so decided to turn this batch into our favourite tomato soup. I first learned this recipe last year - the kids complained I didn't make enough of it to last longer than a couple of months.

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Each batch of soup takes 6kg of tomatoes. I got the first batch cooking away on the stove, and then since my time was so limited, I washed and chopped up another 12 kg of tomatoes, filling ziplock bags with 2kg each, and then laying the bags on trays of 6kg each before popping them in the freezer. 12 kg frozen -  ready to make up more soup another day. There was no more space available in my freezer, so I had to get on with processing the rest.

This is a simple and delicious recipe; I particularly like it because it uses lots of fresh herbs from the garden. This recipe comes from Lynda Hallinan's lovely book Back to the Land.
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Ingredients:
6kg tomatoes, roughly chopped
6-8 onions, roughly chopped
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP non-iodised salt
2 TBSP celery salt
14 sprigs parsely, chopped
7 sprigs thyme, chopped
7 sprigs mint, chopped
7 whole cloves
3-4 sage leaves, chopped (don't use more as its flavour is strong)

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Method:
1) Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. Yes, even the cloves - they don't need to be in a muslin bag. Bring to the boil, stirring from time to time. Simmer with the lid off for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.


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2) Process soup through a food mill, or blend in batches then force through a sieve, to remove most of skins and seeds.

3) Return soup to pot, bring back to the boil, and then bottle in prepared hot, sterilized jars and seal. Exact details for how to prepare jars and lids or seals, and how to bottle effectively can be found HERE. Note, I leave about a 1/2 inch of head space.

That's all there is to it!

In this particular case, again due to time constraints, on day one I cooked and bottled one batch of soup, cut up and froze enough tomatoes for two more batches, and cut up and put another 2 batches worth in the fridge overnight. On day two, I cooked up those two batches of soup, and put it through the food mill, but didn't have time for bottling. So I put it back in the fridge for another night. Day three, I returned the soup to the boil, simmered it for a few minutes, and then bottled it. Three batches produced 15 quart jars of soup. To use the soup, simply open a jar, reheat in a pot, and serve. Delicious with home made bread!
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    Author

    This page is my blog formerly known as Kiwi Urban Homestead.

    I'm a Kiwi homeschooling mother of 5 living in a small town. After growing 1000 kg of produce in my back yard in 2013, I'm now expanding my edible gardens even further.

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