We are well into Autumn but the chill in the air today makes me think Winter is not far away. I am joining in with
Christine with my monthly 9 link up for April.
Nourish: I thought I would share something that I chanced upon
here this blog is enchanting and an absolute "feast" for the eyes....I spent way too much time scrolling through all of her posts...the photos are just mesmerising...I love it...nourishment for the soul !!
Prepare: I thought I had prepared my harvested pumpkin for storage....I left them outside for 10 days to dry then bought them inside and stored them in the laundry cupboard...that was two weeks ago...I noticed this morning that they are growing fluffy fungus on the stalks...I think it is too warm in the laundry....have read that you can wax the stalks so I am going to remove the fungus and coat the stalks with organic beeswax....hope it works...anyone else ever had this problem?
 |
| horrible fluffy fungus growing on the stalks of my pumpkins....all suggestions welcome. |
Have added new mushroom compost / soil mixture to a few empty garden beds to prepare them for the autumn / winter planting....hopefully lots of goodies sprouting here very soon.
 |
| two beds almost prepped and ready for planting...just need a nice day to get out there and do it. |
Reduce: I managed to have a wardrobe cleanout...not that I had all that much to get rid of as I am not much of a hoarder....but it was good to sort out things I haven't worn for ages.... and the charity bins were happy to get them.
Green: As always am avoiding plastic wherever possible...juice and milk are in cartons, all food is stored in glass jars...even only buy take away drinks in glass bottles.....still haven't found a way to totally avoid gladwrap......will keep trying to come up with options...wish they made recycled plastic wrap...now there's an idea !
Grow: Have my seedlings waiting patiently to be planted . Baby capsicums were pickled , filled and bottled....last of the tomatoes have been put in the freezer...things are a little quiet in the garden this month......the lone fig however now has many friends....hopefully all will ripen up soon...
 |
| Lettuces, beetroot, broccoli, silver beet.. ,all waiting patiently in the greenhouse.. |
 |
| Onions , leeks, kale and chard .... bugs have already attacked the kale .....hopefully it will be okay when planted.. |
 |
| The first ripe fig....the start of things to come....he looks a bit like an ant eater... !! |
Create: I managed to knit the cushion I planned in my March post.....that was one of my projects I wanted to finish...there's always May !!
 |
| Finished the knitted cushion from March post....a gift for my daughter. |
Discover: This month I discovered Pinterest....I know ....I'm pretty late getting on board but you could lose days looking at that stuff.......some of the photos are truly bizarre...there seems to be a bit of a fascination for people to put their pets in ridiculous outfits and odd places....I'm an animal lover and I'm not sure if it is cute or cruel ????......it's definitely odd.
 |
| I don't know.....kind of cute but also disturbing !! |
 |
| This one seems a little cruel...don't know how they got him into that little jumper...he doesn't look terribly impressed |
 |
| He looks like he is saying...okay you've had your fun, know get me out of here !! |
Enhance: Then you finds things like this on Pinterest....this would certainly enhance my backyard
 |
| Then you see gems like this.....how beautiful does this look outside... |
There seems to be a bit more than moulting going on in the hen house....this girl is the bossy chook and usually spends her time pecking at all the others.. ...looks like the other girls tried to enhance her tail....she has a big bald spot...maybe there is a pecking order challenge going on....has this happened to anyone else's feathered friends?
 |
| Quite a bit of feather loss on this poor girl.,...not sure if its moulting or hen pecking |
Enjoy: April was a lovely month...Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year....the smell of wood smoke in the air as everyone around lights their open fires....we had a lovely trip to a winery...then celebrated my son in law's 30th birthday at a micro brewery in Mornington..a sunny afternoon.....beer tasting paddles and woodfired pizza's ...my man was in heaven.....needless to say I drove home !!
Hope everyone out there enjoyed April as much as I did.....May is our birthday month....my two daughters and step daughter all celebrate this month.....keep warm and stay happy !!
Hi Suzie, I think perhaps your stalks were not dried out before you stored? And if you look closely at your chicken do you see new feathers starting on her blade spots? If so it probably moulting. Nice to have you at the link up this month.
ReplyDeleteI think you may be right, the weather turned quite cold while I had the pumpkins drying. I hope the chicken is just moulting...haven't seen bald spots before, but it did look like a few new feathers were there.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzie, it's lovely to have you joining in! I have had mouldy stalks on pumpkins before, often when there is rain before harvesting. I usually cut them open, discard the mouldy parts and cook and freeze the flesh. Have a great month, especially those birthdays. xx
ReplyDeleteSuzie, I enjoyed the link at the top of your post. As far as pumpkins go, we only pick them after the first frost around here. This intensifies their flavour. In South Africa, we often see pumpkins sitting on top of tin roofs, so I guess they benefit from some drying out after picking. In your situation I would do as Christine suggests. I cut up and dry roast a whole pumpkin, skin and al and then freeze the bits I want to use later. It's less mushy this way rather than cooking in water.
ReplyDeleteOh dear - I really have had to limit the pinterest activity, the time just flies... and suddenly it's dinner time! I do agree with you about the pet photos - just a bit disturbing! Lovely reading this month - thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt IS a lovely time of year, isn't it! I love planting the winter garden. Btw I manage without glad wrap by using washed bread bags or tea towels to cover food.
ReplyDeleteLovely to peek at your month.
ReplyDeleteNice to stop by and have a peek at your month!
ReplyDeleteIt's best to harvest pumpkins after a frost or two - it 'hardens' them for storing - and then leave them outside in an airy place for a while before storing them in a cool shed or carport. Yo may need to keep and eye on possums or rats nibbling them!!
Glad wrap can be avoided - if I need to store leftovers I put them in an appropriate sized bowl and cover with a saucer or plate. Or I use repurposed jars. I also have a couple of glass pyrex dishes with a plastic lid that I use on occasion but mostly its the bowl and plate trick! I'm sure there are other ways which I can't think of right now….someone else is sure to add some more!
Aren't we good women, driving those fellas home??
Have a wonderful May!
I think your hen is just moulting. Some of our hens loose heaps of feathers until they are nearly bald and others you can hardly tell it is happening. Love the knitted cushion.
ReplyDeleteI feel so peaceful after reading about your month.
ReplyDeleteI am a little envious of your lone-ant-eater fig. I wish we could grow them here... In my day dreams I have a huge green house with figs, avocados, mangos and limes. ;-)