Well time to feed the blog again.
I have finished dressing the garden with lucerne mulch.
I chose Lucerne this year mainly because of 3 new veggie beds, the new soil I used has great moister holding capacity and drains well, I added the usual starter nutrients such as Blood and bone, Dolomite, dynamic lifters, Sulphate of Potash for healthier and stronger plants, as well as sweeter fruit, Garnet dust also known as rock dust for all the ancient rock minerals, as well as trace elements and a good dressing of Sea-Mung.

Lucerne mulch is well known for its higher Nitrogen content, as well as trace elements from its very deep root system.

I found that the Lucerne mulch covered a lot more per bale than cane mulch, and in the long run it works out a fair bit cheaper due to the greater coverages, it is a lot finer than Cane mulch and I thing a greater moister protection and cooling for the soil,it will be interesting to see if it last as long as cane mulch.

However the garden is ready for our very hot summer and ready for planting the summer crop such as cantaloupes (I grow the moister one the size of a cricket ball and very sweet) my Pumpkin is up as well as the water melon. and so is the Mango Melon (seeds from GB on the farm)

To days harvest.
It is a luxury to just go into the Veggie garden and pick the days produce for our meals.
We hardly ever visit the Green grocer any more we are self sufficient as far as vegetables is concerned.

Two more Cheeses new variety, I have recently had the coultuer for Danbo and other Danish cheeses brought in by GREEN LIVING AUSTRALIA,it took close to 3 months to get them here due to the Northern hemisphere country's all go on holiday over the northern summer and most factories and businesses close down for that period.
I am very happy with the the outcome first time using the coulture making DANBO cheese and KING CHR.X cheese with caraway seeds using Jersey milk which is the best for cheese making.
This style style of cheese will mature in just 2 months delivering a mild flavoursome cheese, they can be matured up to 8 months with a constant increase of taste to very tasty.
The Chr.X cheese I added some Lipase enzyme to make a traditional stronger cheese.
A number of my hard cheeses has started to show some signs of early maturity and we have been eating some of the first Cheddar, very exciting!!.

A nice harvest of red cabbage, the seedlings was planted at the end of July,3month from seedling to maturity is very good for a new garden bed.




6 jars good size of pickled sweet and sour red cabbage Danish style, that will keep us going till next season, I am also making 1 jar of Red cabbage sour kraut.

Air drying 2 cheeses that I made late last last week
SWISS Cheese and a EDAM.

I have come across a dependable supply of Jersey milk, the Jersey is some of the best milk for cheese making, the result after only pressing and the salt brine bath looks stunning, I am confident of an excellent result the colour looks so creamy and rich.

Monday:
In amongst the heavy rain I have harvested quiet a crop of Curly Kahel that I will process this evening.

I will simply tare the curly leafs of the ribs, lightly chop them after they have been washed, place them in a large sup kettle with a couple of inches of water and steam them about 10 minutes till they wilt, remove from the pot onto a drainer board let cool a little, then by hand squice the excess water off before chopping the Kahle a lot finer after which i form them to tennis size balls for freezing for later use, the kahle don't like our very hot summers.

I was kindly asked over for Sunday Lunch at Patrick & Merilyn on Sunday.

P & M started growing vegetable for the first time ever, earlier this year,
Pat build a table height bed and a lover bed early Autumn, it didn't take them long to get the soil and plants in after the beds was build.

Gemini and I have made a couple of visits to experience the progress, the garden beds has been a great success and regular harvest has taken place with much pleasure for both P & M. also Merilyn has branched out to some smaller pots as well.

Merilyn has been growing Orchids for many years with a results that would make many a hobbyists growers envious.

As well Pat & Merilyn have a quiet a collection of Bonsais that they attend to on a regularly basis.

As one would presume, the growing of veggies would not have been all that difficult to get started.

My first Asparagus is up only 6 days after planting, it may not look much, but I am impressed

The first dig of new kafler potatoes, the potatos was planted on the 16 July,I am extremely pleased with such a result in succh a short time

It has been a busy week with one thing and an other, the 11 days of planting in the veggie garden finished last Monday, just in time to plant the Asparagus crowns that GB. On the farm gave us after a lovely weekend visiting at the farm, in addition I found a small potted crown at Bunning’s but that will take a couple of years before to starts producing.
The Savoy cabbages did well in the garden , these afternoon I put down some for sour kraut in the stone ware pot, it will take 3-5 days to ferment before I press it into jars and to keep in the fridge.

I mix a sliced apple and a little finely sliced carrot with the cabbage, personal choice!!!
on the 3rd day I will mix in a little caraway seed as well.
Tha sour kraut will have sufficient flavour after 10 – 14 days, but will improve over time to reach maximum flavour at 4 month, that is if there is any left.
I have a big crop of Red cabbage coming on in the next 4 – 6 weeks, some I will make into Sour Kraut and the rest I will Pickle the traditional Danish way.
To morrow I will make a “Traditional English style Vintage cheddar” that will sit in the Cheese cave for at least 10 months to mature.

Again a nice supply of fresh vegetables, the Cabbages will be pickled to Sour Kraut,
the Cauliflowers and turnip will be part of dinner no night with chicken Apricot.

We spent the weekend at the farm with Linda and GB!!
having a very relaxed weekend helping Linda getting started with Cheese making, as well as a Sunday morning trip to Kenilworth looking at a couple of galleries, and a visit to the Cheese factory before hitting back to the farm making a Tasmanian style Blue cheese.
We had already had made a Cheddar on the Saturday,
the local milk supply is Jersey, some of the best for cheese making
we had a wonderful weekend
GB send us home with a couple of Asparagus crowns for the Veggie garden as well as a few avocados.

A new variety of tomato to the garden, "Green Zebra"
it is a Heirloom Tomato, it will be interesting to see if it cross breads with the other tomatoes,
I will take seeds and plant on the next moon cycle of planting!!!
It has pale green flesh and a mild flavour low acidity.


The beans has started to crop well sins the weather has started to warm up, and the first sugar loaf cabbage of the season.
I finally got around to put electricity and fluro light in the garden shed, and tidy up as well!!

To day we had a visit from the air-conditioning company to install some diverters plates in the ducting, this has been going on since late January this year, we have 2 systems as the house is rather a long house, one of the systems have been running without any problems, the other one we have had no end of trouble, in the heat of the Queensland summer with high humidity we could not cool our bedroom or my office below 28C on a hot day, the family room and kitchen was fine.

The A/C company changed hand late last year and the new owners just didn't want to know any costumers with a current warranty!!!

We have had 3 visits from the technician without having any thing done, the last visit 6 weeks ago and he said the office will phone you in a couple of days to arrange the installment of the extra equipment, nothing happened, I chased it up again late last week and finally the problem have been fixed, and plenty of air is now coming out of the register in both the bedroom and my office, apparently the system had never been balanced?
lets hope that is the last of it.

Well the long awaited rain finally arrived over night we had 34 millimeter of rain, the tank is full whereas yesterday it just dieseled, barely sufficient to make any impression on the water gauge.
The garden looks sparkling and refreshed this morning, and the pool is overflowing ready for a back flush, great start to spring!!!!

Hi Linda
Thank you for the comment on the Toamccicum?
comments are always welcome, at least I know some one reads my Blog Spot.

In Fact to any other readers and followers, I would like comments and questions!!
so that I am are more aware of how many readers I have as well as their interests.
Cheers
The Viking ( GD)

To day is fathers day. As usual we have a different breakfast as from the rest of the week. As I had started to plan breakfast in my mind, Gemini was very firm about only having a soft boiled egg and a slice of buttered Rye. She told me that I had to watch my sugar level!!,

I reluctantly agreed thinking that I would make up for it at dinner.

I will be cooking a Lamb Shoulder slow roast a la Jamie Oliver.

Already having planed to make an other Brie for the Cave, later to go into the deep freezer for later use over the festive season.

Surprise surprise; soon after returning from Woollies with 6 liter of milk and just started the cheese making process I hear people coming through the front door (which is open most of the day when we are home), shouting out Happy Fathers Day, the Brisbane and near by based kids with a Friend turned up with morning tea, Bread rolls, Danish Pastry etc.

All organised a few weeks ago between the gang and Gemini, therefor the reason for the light breakfast only!!!!!

In addition to all goodies we had to break into a couple of the hard cheeses that are just about ready, and they passed with flying colour.
I will still have the Lamb Roast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In addition I think I have scored well.

They all went home with a supply from the veggie garden as well as some cough mixture from the herbal dispensary.

well here is a possible freak of nature, the square tomato Gemini picked yesterday on the berry cross tomato vine, in amongst the Tomato's I also grow miniature Capsicum?

I don't know if a natural cross pollination has happend, but the tomato is shaped like a capsicum and upon cutting it open it has a hollow space like a capsicum and the seed cluster was also shaped like a capsicum but tasts like a tomatoe.

the flavour is extremely rich and sweet, and the colour is reader than a normal tomato,

I have taken seeds for propagation, it will be interesting if I have stumbled on a new variety of

(let us call it a) Tomacicum