Saturday 16 April 2016

Working Bee - April 10th 2016.

Another Sunday - another (mostly) fine day for our community working bee. Good to see the collection of bicycles as allotment holders use active transport to travel to the gardens.


The noticboard lists the tasks for us to choose from, with everyone's favourite - Eat Lunch - to end with.

Preparing the cardboard boxes for use as a barrier under the mulch layer. All of the plastic tape is removed as they are flattened.


Meanwhile, out in the garden Sarah, Jackie, Ann, Christine, Carla, Caitlin, Corinne and Mike clear the communal beds for the Autumnal rotation planting.


Sinead checks in with Sarah after completing her stint at the Grey Lynn Farmers market, selling our wares to bolster our allotment funds.


Richards workshop on 'sheet mulching' being put into practice.


The continual supply of beautiful compost is a workout for those who enjoy the physical challenge. Nigel and Ian are up to the task.

Ian empties the bay ready to start the new compost pile.

Nigel standing by to start the fresh pile.

Our charming young gardeners Caitlin, Timothe at the back, Lucile, Louise, and Tegan.

 Fiona and Kira (a student at Unitec) weeding the peas.

 Sarah, Sinead, Fiona and Kira.

 The rotted down noxious weeds are emptied from the plastic bags and form a layer in the new compost pile. Only 5 weeks of 'cooking' in the bags which were placed on top of a compost pile has rendered the noxious weeds ready to use as a valuable compost ingredient. Hooray!

Adding a layer of brown (carbon) in the form of the well wetted, prepared cardboard boxes.

Meanwhile, John builds a sturdy frame for the next planting of sweet peas. They are not only delightfully attractive, deliciously scented but also one of best earners at the Grey Lynn Farmers market. Hooray again!



Bev, as usual, tries to dodge the paparazzi.

Shonagh came by to tidy up her plot before it's passed on to the next lucky person on the allotment wait list. Luckily for us, Shonagh will stay part of our community as a volunteer and work in the communal areas as time permits.

David has been opening up the road frontage to allow more light onto the side plots and is mulching the rare plants there.



 Sarah weeds around the bins.

The working bee in full swing.


Bev and Trevor's son Karl, puts in the posts for some more signs.

Weeding the asparagus beds are Benedicte, Carla, Karine with Timothe and Caitlin.

Always plenty to do in the food forest.



Clare goes to get another load of mulch in the "food forest".

 Mountain Pawpaw.

 Tamarillo.
 Some of our new signage.

Corrine mulching the "food forest".

Pete mulching too.


And everyone's favourite - Lunch!


We shared out the feijoas, french dwarf beans, almonds, and rhubarb. 
At our next working bee, we will be having a big push in the 'food forest' and we will be harvesting the Kumara and pumpkins - see you there. 






Thursday 14 April 2016

Kira's Rye Bread

Kira, our fabulous Danish Unitec student volunteer gardener, has shared her delicious bread recipe - for all of you who asked.

Kira's Rye Bread

The recipe is only a guide as some of the ingredients differ from those available in Denmark. Sometimes Kira makes a sweet loaf by adding in chocolate and almonds. Other times she adds more rye and seeds....

The basic recipe (translated from decilitres) looks like this;

1 C whole grain rye
1 & 1/2 C water
1 C beer - different beers give different flavours so choose your favourite tipple...
1 & 1/2 C buttermilk
salt
Dried yeast - approx 1 Tsp.
1 C seeds - sunflower, pumpkin, buckwheat etc.
1/2 C wholemeal flour
1 & 1/2 - 3 C rye flour - enough to make a thick batter

1. Cook the rye grains in the water for 3 - 5 mins.
2. Mix with the beer, buttermilk and salt.
3. Add the yeast when the batter is at skin temperature.
4. Add the seeds.
5. Add both lots of flour.
6. Mix until you have a thick and somewhat smooth batter. It needs to be thick enough so that it sticks to the spoon.
7. Out into a loaf tin and punch holes into the top with a fork.
8. Let rest for an hour.
9. Bake at 200 Celsius, in the middle of the oven for 65 - 75 mins. It's cooked when it sounds hollow.

Even though it is tempting.... do not cut the bread until it has cooled completely as it will be difficult to cut and the inside will be sticky.

It will keep best in the fridge.

Good with any kind of spread - sweet or savoury - and is particularly good with cheese. Delicious toasted too.

Enjoy!