February for me is normally least favourite month. Hot, dusty and dry, dry, dry. But this year the weather gods have delivered a remarkably mild Feb and included some rain, which has really taken the pressure off the watering circuit. One thing I do love though are the stirrings of autumn, the subtle changes in the garden that mark the change of season. The hawthorn berries are ripening:
as are the crab apples:
The sedums are starting to flower
the deciduous leaves are starting to turn
and the first belladonna has popped up
Did anyone see the disturbing story on 4 Corners last night about plastics in the ocean? I know this is a bit out of the blue and off topic but I've been reading about the problems associated with plastic and was shocked to learn that basically it never actually biodegrades and every bit of plastic ever made is still on the earth, breaking down into tiny pieces in the ocean and being swallowed by fish or sitting in landfill. Sarah Wilson goes into more detail here. Those handy little Nespresso coffee pods take 500 years to break down! The sheer volume of the problems seems insurmountable but here are a couple of things we must do to help save the planet.
- Plastic bags. These have been banned in South Australia and believe me you only get caught out once. It's high time Victoria followed suit. Have reusable bags and keep them in the car or right by the door so you can grab them on the way out.
- Take away coffee cups. Same deal, even if they look biodegradable, they are not, because the lining that stops you from burning your hand is pure plastic (as are the lids). Millions get chucked out every year and you can't put them in the recycling.
Use one of these instead (this came from House) and I have another one from the supermarket. I like that it's china, it keeps the coffee hotter.
- Coffee pods. Don't chuck them in the rubbish or your own recycling (they are too small for the processors to handle and end up in the rubbish anyway). You can take them back to the Nespresso shop and put them in the recycling bin there. It's a bit of a pain for country people to remember to take them but in Melbourne there's a shop in the city and one at Chaddy.
- Use pyrex glass containers instead of plastic for food storage. These are obviously more expensive than plastic but will last longer. Buy them on special or at Aldi or Ikea.
- Other shockers are plastic water bottles, plastic straws and plastic cutlery. Most of us use our own water bottle, but since I seem to be forever on the road, I'm thinking I should put a fork and a spoon in the glove box as well.
Anyway enough ranting for today...just something for you to think about.
I've had hardly any tomatoes yet (maybe this week of warm weather might get them going), but the basil has been amazing. I've been making lots of pesto and heard a great tip on the weekend which came from Jamie Oliver. When you've made your pesto, roll it into a log, wrap in glad bake (if trying not to use plastic) and put in the freezer. When you need some just slice off a piece.
I posted a few pics on Instagram about how I've been using up the nectarines off the tree and had a few requests for this tart:
NECTARINE AND FRANGIPANE TART
You can also do this in a round tin
1 quantity sour cream pastry, rested in the fridge
50g mixed nuts (or just almonds will do if that's all you've got)35g castor sugar
50g butter at room temp
1 small egg
1 teasp plain flour
1 tblsp honey or golden syrup
juice of half a lemon
Heat oven 180c
Roll out the pastry on a floured board and line the tin. Prick all over with a fork. Put it in the fridge while you make the frangipane.
Whizz nuts in food processor to chop finely. Add sugar, butter, egg and flour and whizz until well mixed. Spread over the base of the pastry case.
Chop nectarines (you could also us apples or pears) and arrange over the frangipane.
Bake the tart in the oven for 15 mins. Melt 2 tblsp honey/golden syrup and add the lemon juice. After 15 minutes take out tart and brush over the mix then return to oven for approx 30 mins until tart is golden
