White.......plants and such....

Cockeli, Coquette, cocky doodle doo, she was part of our family for 18 years. She never flew away. Last Year she took to the sky, returned a couple of times and since then we haven't seen her anymore. She wasn't a great talker...hello cocky...from time to time she added a new word.
I miss her. Yesterday she was still here, today she isn't, tomorrow she might come back.

Memories...the"converted" diary. It has beautiful pictures and would be a shame to discard.
Today...

Snowy roofs...this picture is from my diary 1991....Yesterday today and tomorrow!

Gardenia belongs to the familyRubiaceae. Is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa.This particular plant was a present from a nursery man which nursery I frequented often when I planted my garden from scratch 20 years ago! Yesterday today and tomorrow.

In 1991 I received a beautiful diary from dear friends, both sadly passed away now. I still use the diary I have converted it into a "cookbook" ! Yesterday today and tomorrow!

My dear Soefeli 1995-2006....sadly Yesterday.

Rose Perle Dior loves autumn, winter and early spring to display its flowers. It propagates easily in winter from cuttings. Yesterday and tomorrow.

Yesterday!

Penta lanceolata...beautiful....easy to grow and propagate from green stem cuttings. Holds well in vases, flowers all summer long. The plant to grow in a mixed border. It comes in a big array of colours. Sometimes it mutates and I get a new pink or red. Yesterday today and tomorrow.

Calla "Lilis" make a statement. They like best a moist cool place to grow.

Yesterday and tomorrow.

Cruzifix Orchid shows its flowers for many month. Yesterday today and tomorrow.

Dendrobium Orchid flowers in September/October in my garden. "

Yesterday and tomorrow.

I was on the last voyage the Galileo made to Australia 1974. "Yesterday"






Believe it or not: It is said that a good vegetable cook never needs a garbage bucket. Ladies Home Journal.


Pictures: T.S.





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Poppy dance, facts

At Dawn

I slipped into the garden
Almost before 'twas light

As the lazy sun arose
I glimpsed a charming sight....

Red poppy flung her cap aside,
Shook out her silken skirt;

The way she danced with a young breeze
Told me she was a flirt.

Mary C. Shaw

Types of poppies and how to identify them.
A number of annual and perennial species of the poppy (papaveraceae) family are grown in Tasmania, either as commercial crops, as ornamentals or may appear as weeds in a variety of situations.
The only species of poppy, which is grown extensively and commercially throughout Tasmania for alkaloid and culinary seed production, is the oil poppy (Papaver Somniferum).


In addition, the perennial or Persian Poppy (Papaver Bracteatum) has been grown periodically over a number of years for alkaloid research purposes by commercial pharmaceutical companies and the Department of Primary Industries.


The culture or possession of both Papaver Somniferum (and this includes the sub-species Setigerum) and Papaver Bracteatum is strictly prohibited.


The only exceptions are those growers, processing companies or research institutions that are licensed to do so by the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services and the Poppy Advisory and Control Board.
This restriction also applies to the old-fashioned brightly coloured and seemingly multi-petalled ornamental or Peony Poppy, which is only another form of Papaver Somniferum.


Papaver Somniferum (Oil Poppy)Papaver Somniferum or Oil Poppy grows to a height of up to 1.5 metres. It has 4 petals which are pale pink with a dark basal blotch. The capsules are spherical with a flat cap and are 20-40 mm in diameter.


Papaver Bracteatum (Persian Poppy)Papaver Bracteatum or Persion Poppy grows to a height of up to 1.5 metres. It has 6 petals which are blood red in colour with a dark basal blotch. The capsules are 40mm long with a concave cap and persistent bracts.


Papaver Rhoeas (Field Poppy)Papaver Rhoeas or Field Poppy grows to a height of up to 600mm. It has 4 petals which are red and may have a dark basal blotch. The capsules are elongated and are 5-10mm in diameter and 15-20mm in length.


Papaver Pseudo-orientale (Pseudo-oriental Poppy)Papaver Pseudo-orientale or Pseudo-oriental Poppy grows to a height of 400-600mm. It has 4-6 petals which are deep orange "scarlet" with a part blotch. The capsules can be up to 25mm long with a flat disc.


Papaver Orientale (Oriental Poppy)Papaver Orientale or Oriental Poppy grows to a height of 300-700mm. It has 4 petals which are pale orange in colour with no blotch. The capsules are 20mm long with no bracts.


Papaver Hybridum (Rough Poppy)Papaver Hybridum or Rough Poppy grows to a height of up to 500mm. It has 4 petals which are crimson in colour with a dark basal blotch. The capsules are 15mm long, oval in shape and bristly.


Papaver Dubium (Long-head Poppy)Papaver Dubium or Long-head Poppy grows to a height of up to 600mm. It has 4 petals which are red in colour and overlapping with no blotch. The capsules are elongated, 15-20mm long, and 5-10mm in diameter.

Papaver Argemone (Pale Poppy)Papaver Argemone or Pale Poppy grows to a height of up to 500mm. It has 4 petals which are dark crimson in colour with a dark basal blotch. The capsules are 10-15mm long, elongated and bristly.


Poppy Advisory and Control Board Tasmania.


Red Poppies are worn on remembrance day November 11th.






Poppy seed cake.

150 g butter

150 g sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or some drops of natural vanilla essence

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites, 1 pinch salt, 1/8 teasp. baking powder, whipped until it forms peaks.

2 tbl.spoons sugar add to the whipped egg whites and mix

125 g almonds ground

200 g poppy seeds (whole or ground)

Mix everything very gently and fold in the egg whites.

Fill a cake tin 28-30 cm long lined with baking paper.
Bake around 60 minutes, lowest shelf, 180 C

This cake can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. Wrap in foil to store.





Believe it or not: Feed your soil and it will feed you.

"HELLO" day

Hoya carnosa, Wax plant. This one is a native to our region. Here it scrambles up a tree. It has flowered profusely all summer long.





I have made this day as my HELLO AND THANK YOU DAY, to all my friends and people out in cyber space who view and enjoy my blog. I hope you are well and happy blogging too. Love and good wishes from T.





Thought is the blossom,

Language the bud,

Action the fruit behind.

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

good food... good mood

Recipe for Nocciollette.

Ingredients: Organic plain flour, icing sugar, butter. honey and nuts. Any nuts will do. I think even peanuts....perhaps. I have never tried. I generally use Almonds, Pecans or Hazelnuts. Because they have a very distinguished flavour.

Ground almonds, and mixed flour, butter and Icing sugar

Dough with added ground almonds.

Nocciollette ready for the oven.

Finished, baked, and dredged in Icing sugar while still hot.

Recipe:

90 g nuts (almonds, hazelnuts etc.) ground

125 g butter

3 tbl.spoons icing sugar

1 tbl.spoon honey

1cup plain flour

icing sugar to dredge the finished cookies.

Cream the butter, sugar and honey together until fluffy. Add the flour and nuts and mix to a dough.

With lightly floured hands shape teaspoonfuls in rounds and place on baking tray lined with baking paper, press lightly down. Place them a little apart as they will expand. Bake in a moderate oven 180 C (350 F) for about 20 minutes. Cool slightly then roll in icing suger. Leave on wire rack until cold. Store in an airtight tin.

Makes about 24

Pretty Majolica bowl made by Lilli.

We are harvesting Passionfruit. They suffer from to much rain. They are still nice to eat, so not as sweet as last years crop. The vine has to be cut back gently and we replace it from time to time. It makes fantastic jam, very tropical, luscious taste.

Recipe for Passionfruit Jam.

From 12 Passionfruit scrape out the pulp.

Weigh the pulp and use half of this weight organic sugar

Let the mixture come to the boil. Reduce Heat a little and

cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes until it thickens slightly

Pour into jars. Keep the jam in the fridge as it has not much sugar.

Passion fruits are very neat they come with their own container. Passion fruit pulp makes luscious desserts.

serves 4

Pulp of 5 Passion fruits

5 tbl.spoons natural Yogurt (not flavoured, it is not nice too sweet.

200 ml cream whipped.

Mix passion fruit pulp with natural yogurt

Gently fold in the whipped cream.

Serve in small Crystal glasses with biscuits like Nocciollette.

Easy and delicious.

Essentials...




Cooking Red Cabbage.

Ingredients: 1 small, half, red cabbage, 1 Onion, 1 Apple, 1tbl.spoon unsalted butter, 1tbl.spoon Olive oil, 1 heaped tbl.spoon sugar, salt and pepper, red wine vinegar and Water.

Put butter and olive oil ( I only use extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil) into a pan.

Gently heat it up and add the chopped onions. Let them sweat and then add the apple slices and the sugar. Stir and push it around in the pan for about 3-4 minute.

Add the sliced cabbage and mix well. Add 60 ml red vinegar and 50ml water. The cabbage shouldn't swim in the liquid! Season and check from time to time that there is still enough liquid.
Otherwise add a splash of water or vinegar, be careful that it doesn't get to sour. Cook for at least 3/4 hour. The cabbage should be soft.

This is a very tasty, healthy vegetable, cooked this way! En Guata! (swiss for bon appetit

My kitchen! T.S.

Ingredients for a salad dressing for lettuce. Lettuce and Rocket leaves from the garden.

1/2 a red onion diced finely

1/2 clove garlic (use garlic press)

1 teaspoon herb salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

white vinegar aged, 2 tbl.spoons and a good dash of dark balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar
enough cold pressed, Extra Virgin Olive oil to make a smooth dressing.

Mix lettuce with this dressing and if necessary add a dash more vinegar or oil. It depends how much salad greens you serve. This is much nicer, and healthier then the ones available in bottles in the supermarket. It can be made in advance for a whole week and kept in a bottle. Omit onions and garlic and add them fresh when the salad is made.

Believe it or not.

Feed your garden before it gets hungry, rest it before it's weary and weed it before it gets foul.
(From the farmers everyday book.)

All pictures.T.S.

InsideOut

Perfumes are the feelings of flowers. Heinerich Heine

Hibiscus

Dwarf Daylili

Coreopsis lanceolata.





Brilliant orange Daylili

Vinca

Canna, I do love Cannas, they have the ultimate tropical look.





Tibouchina "Jules" I have propagated from cuttings.






Peruvian Morning-Glory is an easy shrub to grow and flowers continously.

Peacock Iris, Dietes bicolor is easy to grow and not invasive.

St.Johns wort shrub, perhaps hidcote...... it is not the herb. I am growing the herb, it grows quite well and vigorously but has only sparsely flowered.


Believe it or not. To find a pod with nine peas in it is considered very lucky indeed!

All pictures: T.S.


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Wildside

Elkhornfern home of a possum.

Bromeliads providing homes for tiny frogs.

A night flowering succulent ready to open its white, scented flowers for moth visitations.




A "shady" lady in red.

From caterpillar to butterfly. In the background a Tillandsia cyanea.

Melaleuca with spiderweb.






Pandorea jasminoides, Bower Vine scrambles through shrubs and up trees and displays its showy flowers where ever it wants to.



Rainlilis had a good, wet summer with all the rain making "its day"!




Camellia sasanqua is an early bird in my garden this year.



Canopy of Brazilian Ferntree, Schizolobium parahybum. In Brazil and Mexico it is known as
Bacarubu or Guapuruva. I planted this tree in 1989 as a tiny seedling. It has now a massive trunk and is very high. In spring it has yellow flowers. It is deciduous in wintertime.

Cats Whiskers,Orthosiphon aristatus (Java Tea, Kumis, Kutjing) is said to have medicinal uses.

http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free-herb-information/cats-whiskers.html

Daylili has a visitor, a grasshopper with blue eyes.

Just watching...you

Believe it or not.

One Year's seeding makes seven years weeding!


All pictures:T.S.

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