Kick Off!!

The whistle has blown, the referee's decision is in, its time for me to get moving - I can tell the season is right and the turf is ready, but before you get excited its not footy I'm going to blog about. I couldn't tell you the first thing about sports but i can share with you how the seasons influence my kitchen and garden. My mother Dorothy enjoys if not excels in these these homely pursuits, so I assume thats where my interests originates from. In the 1980's her Pavlovas and Meringues with their pert tips and crusty white edges (smothered in cream and kiwi fruit of course) were skillfully made, presented well and appreciated by those who came into contact with them. She also likes to potter in the garden and occasionally shares some of her wisdom with me. The other day she told me to 'plant leaks on the longest day and garlic on the shortest'. I don't know where these little gems of knowledge come from nor if they are relevant to Australia. Having moved from New Zealand over 20yrs ago i was interested to realise on my last trip home that my gardening knowledge has developed a specificity to Melbourne conditions - because of the drought over recent years and long hot summer days i no longer plant strictly to the north. I know have a variety of vegie beds, some which i consider more suitable for summer - plenty of morning eastern sun and shaded from hot afternoon western sun, and those that are more suited to winter. This weekend V built another vegie bed so I look forward to seeing how it goes in winter conditions.
I quite enjoy Autumn, i love the fruit (persimmons and quinces especially) and have been spending what ever time i can bargain making jam and a few preserves. I often get a bit stuck on making something and i will make it several times, either to perfect it or to adapt it more to my tastes. Last year i couldn't stop making quince tarts I am not sure what my calling will be this year.
One of the reasons for setting up this blog is to prompt myself to record what I am doing and any observations i want to pass on. They may on occasion be a bit weird (can't wait till i get a chance to talk about making liquid manures for the garden), i will include failures as well as successes because thats how i seem to learn. Happy reading and feel free to comment.