The garden.....

We love our garden

The hydrangeas are about to pop out.

Every single lavender will pop their flowers out within a few days

The sage, we are going to chop it back now because it's so huge, it's heavy on itself.  I actually used to buy sage as a treat in Dubai!

Our vege garden, a work in process....

Little Nudge looking slightly pissed off

 

Andy's vege garden

I made nettle risotto for dinner with nettle pesto.  It was absolutely delicious.  Vibrantly green.  Sweet and that's for another post.  

This is about the vege garden and Andy's idea of getting arches to support tomatoes, peas, broad beans, beans etc.  He has clamps and levels and he's cementing everything in place.  I find it so very very clever.  

Who knows how he comes up with this stuff.  But.  It's looking good and is quite exciting.  

 

Nettle

I went out early to pick nettles.  We'd done it the day before for our nutrients for the garden.  But I had read up you can eat them.  So.....I picked some of the leaves only.  Keeping the stalks in tack so they can continue to propagate.  Brought them back to the house and blanched them quickly.  Wearing gloves of course, but once blanched they are no problem.  I made a nettle and pea curry.   They are soooo delicious!  I'd say a mild version of spinach and sweeter.  I also made a nettle pesto with nettle, parsley and chervil for a risotto.  It tastes unreal 

As an aside, we cooked tandoori chicken on top of cabbage leaves.  Served it with the nettle and pea curry, basmati rice, fresh tomato and coriander salad, lettuce, raita and bits and bobs.  Utterly YUM.   

Nettles, blanched.

Nettle, chervil and parsley pesto.  Yum. for another night.

Nettle curry.  With fresh ginger.  

Tandoori chicken, sitting on (yes that gorgeous veg...) cabbage.

 Love cabbage roasted and all caramelised and delicious.

Our garden

Andy's setting it up with an incredible irrigation system.  

                                                         

                     For example the photo above. He's watering our seeds, using minimal water with his self                                                                             created irrigation.

This (above) is our vege garden ready for everything we bought today 

(apart from the Jeruselum Artichokes, they are prolific so need to go into big buckets).

This is the next garden, we need more dirt for this one.

                                                

                                             Our herbs are doing so so so well.  We ADORE them.

                                               My favourites (apart of course from corriander), is chervil, 

                                                         curly leafed parsley  (ie French, not the flat kind) 

                                                                and celeriac leaf.  

                                

                        Check out the irrigation system Andy has self made.

                                           

                                                        He's very clever is my Andy.

 

Siggie in late Spring.

                                               

We have new chairs below our property for the tourists

I can't explain how gorgeous it is here

The garden pops up fresh flowers every day at the mo..

It's Andy's passion.  He has an incredible irrigation system.  Self made. (and no, you don't usually see the hose).

Our spot, which we enjoy watching the cows and little calfs and the valley in general.  

It's quite surreal at times. (We pop on our cushioned seats).  

This white flower is so fragrant, just outside the cave door.  I smell it everytime I go past it.  The wee purple creepers are unreal.  They grow and grow and grow.  Andy's transplanted some of them.  

We aren't sure what herb this is, but it's absolutely delicious. It's not thyme, or oregano, or savoury, or marjoram.  

Andy's herb garden and the vege garden awaiting well.... soil.  We can't dig soil.  It' s the bain of this section, it's our Bali dog.  Too many rocks.  So we need to get it in.  The area is so fertile, just a fact with what has gone on historically with this piece of land.  

                                                      It's hard to capture the beauty of this place. 

And this photo certainly doesn't do it!!!

Andy's vege garden in the making.  There are cows right at the bottom of our section which are so cute.  

We have a love affair with this property.  We simply do.