Two new garden beds constructed

At was all systems “Go” at our working bee this Saturday. Thanks to all of those who helped plant seeds and seedlings, weed and move what seemed like endless  wheelbarrow loads of horse poo and sand to fill our two new, water-wise “Wiki beds”.  Special thanks to Leigh at Newcastle Jockey Club who have been generous in donating “top-shelf” garden manure from his “fastest horses”. Thanks also Leigh for offering to load our trailers with your tractor - I reckon you took a couple of hours off the job and probably added a couple of years to our life expectancy!  In the next couple of weeks the Wiki beds will have settled enough for us to plant some autumn/ winter crops. Also the mural wall has been patch rendered and sealed in preparation for mural painting...so watch this space.

Something to chew on!

Happy New Year fellow gardeners, friends and neighbours.  After a rather sleepy Christmas break the Garden has continued to grow and is now calling us all to come eat and play! Our first aboveground bed has burst into life and now supports all sorts of flora and fauna! In particular the silverbeet is flourishing and needs picking. Why not make your own Gundagai Spinach Pie!  Other varieties on the way include tomato, zucchini, beetroot, climbing spinach & rhubarb. Corn has grown above the fence line and promises a good harvest in a few weeks. Also watch your step as you come in from Union Street as pumpkin and rock-melon tendrils try to outrace each other.

Santa Claus has delivered two new corrugated iron beds which will become water-wise Wiki-beds in the near future. We hope to have other raised beds established along the back fence as we move into the year as well as painting the mural, establishing a rainwater tank etc. We welcome your ideas for other tasks and activities also!

All in all 2012 promises to be an exciting and enjoyable year for the Terrace Garden. We will circulate emails to let you know the dates of working bees and post more updates as things develop. In the meantime, why not drop in and have a look and don’t forget to mention the garden to your neighbours who may also like to be involved, receive email updates or a bunch of silverbeet!  

Gundagai Spinach Pie

This recipe was provided by Mark’s mother, Norma who grew up in Gundagai,  NSW and modified this recipe from her brother-in-law Jack Castrission who was born on the island of Kythera, Greece. Mark’s Uncle Jack and Aunty Joyce Castrission owned and ran the Niagara Cafe in Gundagai for 64 years.  Mark fondly remembers visiting Gundagai and the Niagara Cafe over many school holidays. The Niagara was a magical place to visit due no doubt due to the fabulous Art Deco interior, the company of many mischievous cousins, and Uncle Jack’s shout of “lime spiders all round!”  Many Australians also have fond memories of the Niagara Cafe when the Highway ran down the main street and Gundagai was the half-way stop between Sydney and Melbourne.  Gundagai Spinach Pie remains a favourite recipe of our very large extended family then and now. Enjoy!

For more on the Niagara Cafe and the wonderful contribution of Greek born Aussies follow this link: http://www.kythera-family.net/index.php?nav=117-119&cid=225-288&did=5674

Gundagai Spinach Pie.

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry
1 bunch if Silverbeet
250g pkt of Kraft Cheddar Cheese
2 teaspoons of butter or margarine
4 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste.

Wash and dry silver-beet well with paper towel and chop roughly. [NB the pie will be too moist if the silver-beet is not dried thoroughly]. Grate cheese. Beat eggs with a splash of milk, salt and pepper.

Line baking dish with baking paper.  Add bottom sheet of pastry (no need to pre-cook). Sprinkle with one third of the grated cheese, alternate layers of silver-beet and cheese. Pour evenly with beaten eggs, add two dots of butter then top with pastry. Brush pastry with a little of the beaten egg and milk. Pierce with knife to allow steam to escape during the cooking process. Bake in a hot oven 180 degrees Celsius for approx. 40 minutes.

Something green at last

The seed plantings of several weeks ago succumbed to the killer snails, and our enthusiasm for working bees dwindled after such an energetic start. Nevertheless, a few people have been pushing along and we will start promoting working bees again soon - so if you haven’t heard from us for a while you will soon.

In the meantime Dorothea found a tip that has kept the snails bay - snails hate pine needles. So a couple of weekends ago Enid and other hopeful planters armed with pine needles gathered by Karen, Charlie and Joe, sowed some more seed and at last - something GREEN is growing in our Garden!

John, Yassi and Mark planted a patch of zucchini and dwarf beans. Yesterday silver beet seedlings were also planted after a full morning of Mark mixing horse poo and Robyn and Lawrie carting soil to our now complete first raised bed. Soon we hope to have another couple of beds on site. Slowly but surely we are getting there.

Oh yeah - if your passing by you might be lucky to collect the last of this seasons mulberries!

Snails Pace Picks Up

Well the rain and the school holidays slowed us down a bit, but “my” haven’t the snails been busy! So far the main beneficiaries of our efforts have been the snails who called a convention on our seedlings and had a feast. No worries - we have more seeds and time, and we are getting some horse poo to kick things along, and a couple of new beds on order.

So you won’t be surprised that we have another working bee this Saturday 15^th October to (you guessed it) plant more seeds; have fun painting some garden signs , shovel some horse poo and other bits and pieces that only your eye will spot needing to be done! Come along and join in the fun anytime 9.00 am -12.30 pm.

If you can’t make it in the morning you might like to drop in between 3.30-4.30 pm and say G’day as we will be there as part of the “Back to Tighes Hill” event on Saturday.

More to do Saturday 24 September

Come along between 9 and 12md and meet some like minded folk. Help put up a garden bed, encourage our seedlings, turn over the compost, or just turn up for a friendly chat and share some of your ideas for the garden layout by filling out a garden planning sheet.

Purpled people – eaters!

A good turn out on another sunny Saturday. In the din of the mulching machine the last of the tree cuttings were mulched. More composting, seedlings planted, the lemon tree pruned and feed, lots and lots of mulberries picked, and kids large and small with purpled lips and hands and feet! As people came and went there were lots of smiles and happy-getting-to-know yous! Tim disappeared for a while but was discovered high in the Mulberry tree – was he harvesting, or grazing?  I would guess there were a few Mulberry pies cooked in Tighes Hill that night. I found and used a recipe that had the usual ingredients plus half a cup of port and some orange rind- yum! The tree keeps on giving with some more fruit ripening each day. Drop by and pick a few if you like – just remember to use the Union St entrance via the back of the Church if visiting during business hours.

Anyone for Mulberry Pie?

The Mulberry Tree is ripening so why not come along and pick some Mulberries to make your own Mulberry pie or design your own Mulberry wine!   Why let the birds have all the fun when your kids will look great with purpled hands and smiles. This Saturday 17 September  9.00 -12md we are having another working bee including the mulberry picking.  Other fun things to do include planting some seedlings, give us your ideas on the garden layout.

Working Bee #2 Sat 10th September

What a great day of activity with about a dozen gardeners turning out on a rather cool but sunny morning. Cath was seen busy there early in the morning while the rest of us emerged around 9.30 after leisurely starts to the day. The main achievements were a substantial reduction in the Mulberry tree trimmings which now have been transformed into promising piles of compost and thanks to Mr Mulcher machine a good lot of fresh mulch. John and Tim put together the beginnings of above ground bed #1 in lightening speed. Various visitors, young and old did taste testings of the mulberries.

Working Bee # 2 - Saturday 10th Sept 2011

Saturday 10th Sept 2011 9am -12.30pm.

Yes, the excitement has turned to action! The trees have been trimmed back and we have decided to work with the cement already in place by building raised beds on that! Come along to our next working bee and help with the following tasks:

- Stripping leaves from the already pruned mulberry branches for composting.
- Plant some seedlings (we have seeding mix, trays and seeds)
- Help put up a raised garden bed (do you have any old carpet for their base?)
- Help fix the bench seat (sander, extension cord, drill, bolts)

Once all the tree trimmings are off the cement we can then start to bring in other materials to help build the beds. If you or your neighbours have any of the following that you could donate, please let Mark know and we can arrange to collect them: wooden pallets, corrugated iron; sleepers; screws; Styrofoam boxes; PVC pipe; Aggie pipe; garden tools or other useable equipment; compost bins; fertilizers,; hay bales; lattice; star pickets; bench seats; soil; compost. Looking forward to seeing you soon!