A Visit to Small Acres Cyder - Borenore, NSW

You have read about me proclaiming about the appley goodness that comes from Orange, NSW and well, here is some more of it. This is a post about the best kind of applely goodness, the kind that comes in the form of apple cider. Oh, and its not the kind of cider- pop that you would have grossly overindulged in your *cough*, late teens, waking up with a stonking hangover that lasted for a couple of days. This is the stuff that now you are at a more *cough* mature age, you want to savour the flavours, know the history and process of how it is made, and share it with your friends at a dinner party...now that you are more civilised.

Not just a pretty name...

Cavalo Nero. What a beautiful sounding vegetable. Much better than Tuscan Kale which is the other name it goes by. I think my parents would have had a lot more luck in getting me to eat my most hated of vegetables as a child if they had called them by their Italian pronunciation " Eat your cavoletti di Bruxelles (Brussels sprouts)! ,"Ooh how exotic! Sure, pile them up thanks Mum!".

Yes, dress it up and make it sound pretty and I am sold.

Buddha's Hand and a Lemon Cake

Ever since I saw "Battle Citrus" on Iron Chef America I have been obsessed with citrus. I love all citrus but one variety in particular caught my eye on that episode. It was so interesting and kind of ugly, like an old, shriveled hand. Iron Chef Bobby Flay was zesting it into a dish that I cant quite remember (probably because I was so mesmorised by the ugly shriveled hand) and I remember them calling it a Buddha's Hand.

I had to have one, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Till one day while Googling, I found that I could buy a tree and grow my own! Daleys Fruit sent my Buddha's Hand to me from Queensland within a couple of weeks and just like that I was on my way to fullfilling my obsession. I also bought a dwarf Lemonade tree which I am equally excited about, but that is for another post.

The Buddha's Hand or Fingered Citron (Citron Medica) is native to the foothills of the Himalayas and contains little to no flesh, the pith is mild tasting and edible and the zest is supposed to be extremely fragrant, as are the flowers. The fruit is also used in religious ceremonies and as a room freshener. I can think of so many things to make with this fruit and I cant wait. In the meantime, there will always be lemons.

Growing: Garlic

One of my dreams is to have my very own veggie patch filled with beautiful, tasty veg and I would rarely have to shop for my groceries.

I have vivid memories of my Pops veggie patch where he had made pathways running between the beds so you could easily get in there to water, pick some fresh beans right off the vine or play hide and seek with your brother. Or my Dads one where corn and tomatoes for Christmas morning breakfast (a major family tradition) reined supreme.

For now, I will be content with pillaging my aunt’s garden in Orange (Cheers J!) every month or so when I visit, or for a more convenient supply, make my own potted garden. I will slowly introduce you to different plants that I have growing as this blog progresses, for now, please meet my 2 month old garlic.

Purple Carrot and Ginger Soup

There they were, nestled among the usual suspects, purple Dutch carrots. I am drawn to vivid colours; they make me happy, and beautifully coloured, heirloom variety vegetables make me feel delighted, kind of like a cat being presented with a ball of aluminium foil; "ooh....shiny.."