The Ultimate Closed Circular Waste System

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for ever so long! I think I was in such awe since visiting Raglan’s Xtreme Waste Works three years ago, I’ve not been brave enough to to attempt to unravel it yet! Today is a grey, dull day and I am inside without too many distractions, so it’s…

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DIY Laundry Powder

I love living sustainably, and being self-sufficient. I love making things and I have always dabbled at making my own household cleaners and products from leather conditioner to window cleaner. At the back of my mind, I always wanted to try making my own dishwasher powder, and laundry powder. Before Lockdown, I had invested in…

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A Wee Contribution to the Garden

Okay, those queasy ones maybe can pass on this blog. Maybe not your cuppa tea, but here’s the little wee truth of it. Urine is great for your garden! “Wait,” I hear you say with alarm, “did you say urine is good for the garden??” Nope, I said it’s GREAT for your garden! Call it…

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Planning an Edible Garden

During Sustainable Backyards month of March, we usually open up our garden to visitors to see a working Edible Landscape in action. They ooh and aah and think that it is all incredibly well planned but I point out our mistakes in the hopes of sparing them the same mistake of NOT planning and allowing…

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Preserving Autumn Feijoa Fruits

Feijoas are wonderful Autumn fruits! Every New Zealand house should have a lemon and feijoa tree! Such versatile fruits and so easy to grow. A mature feijoa tree can produce between 15 and 25kg of fruit! So you can imagine how much we collect from our 8 trees! Gulp! Yes, we planted 8 tiny little…

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Creative Provocations during Lockdown

Okay, so I’ve been stuck at home, harvesting and preparing or preserving food, as normal. I deem myself an Essential Services worker. Every day I have to go to work! In my own backyard! But of course, I get a whole heap of extra time on hand, so I took up a challenge to Pimp…

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BananaRama Vegan Bread

Who said you couldn’t grow bananas in a non-tropical location? Yes, they get hammered by New Zealand’s Wintery blasts, but they are real hardy guys! Come Spring, they bounce back and sprout forth again. Did you know that a banana palm is closely related to ginger? Strange but true. We planted the variety Misi Luki…

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Rhubarb Revolution

Okay, I am super excited about Rhubarb and have already waxed lyrical over it’s benefits in the past. But as you know, there is only so much compote you can make and eat. So one day, after harvesting a big bunch of juicy stalks, I thought to myself… “So this is actually a vegetable, but…

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Nasturtium Pesto

Yes, you heard right! I make basil pesto in summer, parsley pesto in Autumn, and Nasturtium pesto in Winter. If you’ve ever planted nasturtiums in your garden, you’ll know they are prolific! They will veritably cover vast swathes of your garden seemingly overnight! Nasturtiums are an amazing plant! There are so many reasons to grow…

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Olive Leaf Extract

Mid March/April is Olive Time. It’s the time to start picking olives, preparing them and bottling them. It is quite an exciting time and for some, a tedious process of washing the olives twice daily but for me, a daily ritual that I love. You see I love olives, I was introduced to them by…

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