What a great day.

Today was a great day. For a start I took a day off work, this is my second to last four day week and then I’m working full time for at least 8 weeks.

I’ve reminded myself that Wednesday is a terrific day to take off. It splits the week into two manageable sized chunks making time in the office not seem so torturous.

I started the day early, getting to my friend Helen’s house at 8am to learn to make cheese! 

Helen collected 20 litres of fresh cow’s milk that morning from a local dairy farm. The double boilers were set up and the cheese-making process began. We made camembert, haloumi and ricotta using Mad Millies products. Although I didn’t stay for the finishing process of the haloumi I did get a good idea on how it all works and I’m hooked. Now, I just need to find someone that I can barter some milk from.

I also planted a heap of seedling, not raised by me but purchased from the nursery. At least it will get me started. I set up the cloches I’ve had buried under a mountain of weeks in my old garden (and soon to be goat enclosure). I’m hoping I can rope Sam into helping me put in a new garden in the weekend. Towards the end of my planting mission I donned a head torch to aid in my moonlight planting. Here’s what I planted.

Vietnamese Mint – striped like a tiger and smells amazing!

Coriander

Flat Leaf Parsley

Curly Kale

Cavalo Nero

Hearting Lettuce

Butter Crunch Lettuce

Cabbage – green and red

Broad Beans

Spring Onions – red

Spinach - perpetual

And I relocated a couple of silverbeet plants that weren’t thriving and gave some TLC to a New Zealand spinach plant that got nailed by the frost. 

It is odd but I’m so excited to have perpetual spinach again. For years I had three very successful spinach plants that grew into shrubs with trunks and yet they continued to reward me with the most delicious leaves for my salads and quiches and as a stand alone dish steamed with a knob of butter. Whole baby potatoes steamed and finished with a twist of pepper, some lemon zest, finely sliced spinach leaves and a dash of olive oil, the thought of it makes my mouth water. I haven’t planted my seed potatoes yet but that’ll be on the cards once the layout of the garden is sorted.