Sanctuary working Bee- Sunday December 13, 2015.

After an impending wet morning, thankfully the forecasts were proven to be mistimed and we enjoyed another productive working bee without recourse to raincoats. Front of mind was the potato harvest - always an eagerly anticipated event.

All hands to the forks - Abbie and Brendan in the foreground, Sarah (obscured) and John and Jackie.

Sarah and Christine filling up the wheelbarrow.

Sarah clearing the potato tops to the compost.

Trevor and Christine digging the first row of our potato harvest.

Trevor and Christine still digging...

John digging the Uenuku Maori potato - the first of three varieties.



Jackie and Marita hauling some of the potato harvest to the shed.


Sarah sorting the potatoes to be kept as seed potatoes for next year's crop. Approximately 25% are reserved off for this.


Valiantly keeping up with the incoming green material is Robbie and David who completely turned and then filled the compost bins. Seen working hard in the background of the potato diggers.


Shonaugh and Mike removed the last of the Broad beans.

Meanwhile, back at the shed Mort, Ainsley, Helen, Birthe and Karine processed the cardboard boxes for mulching the food forest. A dedicated team of workers who removed all of the plastic and flattened them out for....

Bev (unstoppably still working even during her photocall), Aaron, Clement and VJ who reclaimed the overgrown area under the Almond trees, before moving into the food forest proper.

Clement and Benedictine removing the bagged noxious weeds and laying the mulch in the food forest.

Benedictine with yet another load.


And what a fantastic result. The Sanctuary garden looking like the beautiful inner city haven it is.

Meanwhile Rose and her friend Dot who came along to lend a hand, dig out docks.


Helen proudly displays the magnificent cauliflower!



Some unofficial working bees will be organised as in the glasshouse, the corn and pumpkins are ready for planting out. They will go where the potatoes were and will be joined by beans - collectively known as the 'Three Sisters'.



Purple Lambsquarter is sprouting up everywhere in the garden.
Lambsquarters is a wild edible weed perfect for green smoothies and packed with nutrition. It is also called wild spinach, pigweed or goosefoot. It has a mild chlorophyll flavor. Lambsquarters is a relative of swiss chard and beets; all in the chenopodium family. Make the most of this nutritious vegetable in a simple green smoothy;

Lambsquarters Tropical Green Smoothie 

Blend well:

1/2 cup fresh pineapple - chopped

1 large handful Lambsquarters

1 handful of Mint

3/4 cups water - or coconut water

1 Tsp Lemon juice

OR

Steam lightly and eat as a cooked vegetable. 

Also delicious wilted into a stir-fry

New potatoes
Soak and wash - there's no need to peel them.  Boil for 20 minutes, or until a fork pierces them easily.  Drain.  Add butter, or for a Vegan option use  a good quality, cold pressed oil (Olive or Flaxseed).  Add chopped fresh herbs - parsley or mint.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
YUM!