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Nikki Wagner

The Local Thirty - The Prep Work


So, this is the state of things on the Far South Coast of New South Wales - freezing, dry, windy, an early fire season, and no relief in site.

The citrus is doing reasonably well, but the temperature overnight is so cold the lemons are freezing - never had that happen before. The rest of the orchard is only just starting to flower.....

 

The garden is slow-growing, but we have:

Greens – Swiss chard, spinach, nettle

Brassicas – broccoli, cauliflower, Brussell sprouts, cabbage, kale, arugula/rocket

Alliums – garlic chives, potato onions, garlic (dried from last season)

Beans – broad /fava beans, snow peas

Citrus – lemons, lemonades, oranges, grapefruit, mandarins

Herbs – coriander/cilantro, parsley, thyme, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, chives

And eggs from our beautiful hens, about 6 per day.....

 

Autumn was a better season, we had heaps of summer fruits - tomatoes, chilies, capsicums, eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini, etc. We made a massive effort to preserve as much as we could - many long days in the garden and long nights in the kitchen, but it was worth it. In the pantry we have:

Tomato pasata

Tomato and summer veg sauce

Spiced pears

Preserved peaches

Applesauce

Rhubarb compote

Salsa verde

Pickled jalapenos

Marmalade

Kasoundi (Indian chutney)

Tomato soup

Olives

Pumpkins

And lots of ferments:

Choko sauerkraut

Jun

Kimchi

Fire cider

Beet kvass

 

I've been lucky enough to acquire a freezer full of local meats and homemade items:

Beef

Lamb

Pork

Venison

Lard and tallow

Bones

Fish

Applesauce

Stewed stone fruit

Lemon juice

Veg stock

Venison stock

Chicken stock

In the fridge there are some staple items which are sourced locally or made here from local products......

Yogurt, homemade

Ricotta, homemade

Labne, homemade

Whey

Kefir milk

Duck eggs

Zhoug (Coriander Pesto)

Blood Moon Tonic (high-iron herbal formula)

Honey

Hazel nuts

Hazel nut meal

Dairy products – milk, cheeses, cream

Olive oil

Seasonal fruit & veg (that we don't produce)

Seaweed

Salt

 

Right, if I have all this what could I need for my 10 'treats'?

  1. Coffee

  2. Black tea

  3. Rice

  4. Pepper

  5. Vanilla

  6. Quinoa

  7. Cardamom

  8. Tofu

  9. Chickpeas

  10. Tamari

 

After looking over this list there's an amazing variety of foods here, I don't think we will feel in the least bit deprived!

I'm quite excited!

In my next post I'll try to articulate why this idea is so important to myself and my partner, so stay tuned.......

N x


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