Tiny Footpath Garden

Not far from here is a row of tiny cottages where very elderly people live.

These little houses are very close to the road and have pocket handkerchief-sized front yards.  Yet despite the age and frailty of the residents, they have the most amazing gardens.  Some grow roses or dahlias or other flowers, and others grow the most beautiful vegetables.  All are immaculately and lovingly tended.  Each summer, one very elderly gentleman grows the largest and earliest tomatoes that I have ever seen. 

Many of the tiny gardens have been extended into the even tinier nature strips.  As I passed yesterday afternoon I saw the miniature winter vegetable garden below.  From what I could tell, the gardener was growing broccoli, cabbages, lettuce and green onions.  And all in a space of about 2 metres by 50 centimetres.

Whenever I wish I had more space in my own garden I think about these inspiring elderly gardeners.  It goes to show, you really don't need much space to grow a productive and delicious garden.

Orange Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

As I pondered what to make my guests for dessert tonight, the obvious answer was "something with oranges".

You see, here in South Australia it is orange season, and my orange tree is laden with fruit.  I think it's wonderful that winter, when we are beset with sniffles and need extra doses of Vitamin C, is citrus season.

I hope the guests like them as much as we did when we ate a few for afternoon tea!

This recipe makes 24 cupcakes; fewer if you use larger tins.

Orange Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Cakes

1 1/2 C self-raising flour

2/3 C sugar

125g (4 oz) butter

3 eggs

zest of one orange

1/4 C freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to moderate (180 degrees C or about 160 C fan forced).  Line cupcake pans with cupcake papers or grease if you aren't using them.  Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, or until pale and creamy. Spoon into tins then bake for about 20 minutes.  Cool on racks before icing.

Frosting

2 Tbsp (40ml) freshly squeezed orange juice

250g (8 oz) unsalted butter

3 C icing (confectioner's) sugar

Beat butter and juice with an electric mixer until pale and creamy.  Add sugar and continue to beat until pale and fluffy.  Pipe or spread onto cool cakes.

Living on an Austerity Budget

All over the Australian media there are stories about how people have stopped spending and how bad this is for shops like David Jones and Harvey Norman.

Various reasons for the new austerity are given: job insecurity; the dramatic increases in food, fuel, education and utility prices that have eaten up discretionary income; the decision by many to shop online and benefit from our high dollar rather than buy from more expensive local stores.  

Certainly, it seems that many Australians are less willing to spend on consumer items such as clothes and electrical items.  I have a sneaking suspicion that people are tired of nasty, poor-quality imported products made from sweat-shop labour.   The expensive brands seem just as rubbishy these days as the cheaper ones.

For various reasons, at our red house we are following the trend of cutting back.  

 Food

I have recently reduced our grocery budget significantly and am focusing on staples such as flour, sugar, meat, dairy, bread, fruit and vegetables.  Breakfast cereals have risen in price so much that I only buy generic cornflakes, weet-bix and plain rolled oats for porridge. 

Utilities

Earlier this year we took advantage of government subsidies and installed solar panels on the roof.  In winter they don't provide enough electricity to meet all our electricity needs but they should hopefully cover most of our usage over the warmer months.  Other ways we are trying to reduce our utility costs include:

• keeping the heating in the house down to 16 degrees C (61 F) over winter and not having it on at all overnight.
• turning the water heater down; this forces shorter showers thus saving both on gas and water
• washing all clothes in cold water
• not using the dryer over winter (winter is the only season we use the dryer occasionally)
• only using the oven when several items are being cooked at once
• turning off electrical items at the wall when not in use

Garden

I am keen to establish my summer vegetable garden early this year so that the food plants are growing strongly before the worst heat arrives.  I am also hoping to 'grow' most of my own fertiliser by using our own chook poo, compost, worm castings and worm juice.  With some luck and organisation I should be able to grow all my seedling from seed - a big saver!

Transport

As I have mentioned in other posts, since April I have commuted to work by bicycle.  My three sons travel to school by bike and my daughter catches a bus.  Only my husband drives to work.  I am now filling up my petrol tank about once every two months.

I am sure that there are many other ways we could be saving money, and I am constantly trying to improve.

Are you living on an austerity budget?  How are you trying to cut back?

Cooking Up a Storm

Last night I cooked and cooked in preparation for my in-laws visiting this weekend.  I made Gran's little cheese biscuits and a boiled fruitcake and shortbread and a sherry trifle.  I made meatballs to be cooked later today in a tomato sauce. I also made chicken stock from the bones of the roast chicken we ate earlier in the week.  The house smells wonderful.

I felt that I was channeling my grandmother, although Gran would probably not have made meatballs.  I think she would more likely have cooked a roast and a clear vegetable soup for guests.

This morning I will make lemony leeks with rice for a side dish and whip cream for the top of the trifle.  I'll warm the crusty bread I bought yesterday and make pumpkin soup with the chicken stock and one of the pumpkins I grew last summer and stored in the cellar. I might even bake a batch of scones, if time allows.  And of course, the whole family can help straighten up the house in readiness.

I have probably over-catered, but I always do.  I like my guests to have plenty to eat. Indeed, it's not really possible to over-cater with teenagers in the house.  They'll Hoover up any leftovers in no time at all.

Do you over-cater for guests?

A Strangely Empty Nest

The house has felt strangely empty over the past few days.  Miss 14 has been in Melbourne visiting friends and the two eldest boys are away on a camping trip.  Suddenly, and for the first time in over 14 years, there is only one child at home.

Of course, our second-grader is thrilled to be an only child for a day or two.  He happily laps up all the extra parental attention and lack of competition over games and computer equipment. And I love having him all to myself.

However, I really miss the older kids, despite all the noise and chaos they bring with them.  And I have very little idea how NOT to cook for a crowd.

This quiet house is a sign of things to come.  One of these days we will be proper empty-nesters looking back fondly on our busy family life.

I hope that day doesn't come too soon!

Cheerful Fruit

Despite grey skies, winter in Adelaide produces the most cheerful, golden and orange fruit.

The persimmons, oranges, mandarins, lemons and grapefruit shown here were all picked in my neighbourhood.

The perfect antidote for winter ills.

In Which Life Gets Away from Me

Every day this week I have planned to sit down and write a blog post and every day it hasn't happened.

Sometimes it's because I leave it until too late on these wintry days to get a good photo of whatever it is that I plan to write about.   On other days the kids need the computer for homework and by the time they have finished I'm too tired to use the computer myself.

In any case, life is going on pretty much as usual at our red house.  We are approaching the winter school holidays and everyone is tired and needing a break.   The vegie garden is in a winter lull, not helped at all by the chooks that keep trying to dig up worms in there, despite all our attempts to keep them out.  They are incredibly destructive little beasts!  

And I am still enjoying riding my bike to and from work (although not as flirtatiously as the girl in the photo above!)