Tasmanian Blacksmith and Tassie Farm’s very own Nick Attfield, fires up in new exhibition.
Official Opening Wednesday 22nd May, 2013.
Presented by The Tasmanian Artist Blacksmith Association, Nick will be joined by fellow smithies Ben Beames, Pete Mattila, Richard Martin and Simon Pankhurst. This melding of sound, moving image and sculpture will also involve Violent Femmes bassist, Brian Ritchie and artisits Dr Deb Malor, Nick Smithies, Mosh Zsabo and Stu Williams. For more information click on one of the links below.
www.facebook.com/pages/Tasmanian-artist-blacksmiths-association
https://www.facebook.com/nick.attfield.33http://nickattfieldwroughtiron.com
Acorn envy – this is The Tassie Farm’s first from our small Oak Tree.
The most famous acorn-lover is, of course, Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel from the Ice Age movies. Since 2002, this acorn-obsessed creature went to extreme lengths, in four movies, to squirrel away his prized possession. Despite his constant failure, we’re sure Scrat would love this story about an acorn that travelled from Yorkshire to Australia 200 years ago. Last year, a sappling was grown from one of its acorns and has now been planted back in Yorkshire! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2196206/Sapling-grown-acorns-sent-Australia-200-years-ago-planted-UK-village-original-oak-stood.html
Did you know? In Spain, acorns are fed to pigs because acorn-fed pigs make the best Jamon (Spanish ham).
How to plant? http://forestry.about.com/od/treeplanting/p/oak_acorn.htm
Oak Tree songs: Without a doubt, and Kerry’s dad would vouch for this, the most famous Oak Tree song would be, ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round The Ole Oak Tree’, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown, released in 1973.
Spaghetti squash – looks like spaghetti but tastes a lot sweeter.
This pumpkin squash was a gift from Friends of The Tassie Farm, Andrea and Jollie. We’re hoping they’ll tell us where to source the seed, so we can plant them in our patch next year.
Method: Cut it in half and and bake for an hour, then fork the flesh it out so it strands like spaghetti.
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2013/04/26/spaghetti-squash-with-bolognese-sauce/
http://greenharvest.com.au/SeedOrganic/VegetableSeeds/Squash.html
Carrot growing season isn’t just reserved for summer. A lot goes underground in winter too.
The Tassie Farm grows carrots for about seven months of the year – by ‘over wintering’ or storing them in the ground during the colder months. We planted ours about a month ago. They are very small at the moment but all we need to do is thin them out so they’ll grow larger. Ideally, you don’t want to leave the ‘thinning’ too late or you’ll end up with twisted and knotted bunches. You can store beets, parsnips, turnips, celery, cabbages, leeks, kale and spinach in the ground too!
For general tips, check out our trusty friends at http://www.gardeningaustraliaguide.com.au/growing-vegetables/growing-carrots
and to find out more about ‘over wintering’, go to http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/carrot/overwintering-carrots.htm
Mother’zzzzzz Day is today! And the beezzz on Higgledy-Piggledy Farm have bee-n very beezzzy creating this card for Mother’s Day. So, we thought you may like to send your mum this little message. If you do, she’ll think you’re the beezzz kneezzz!
http://www.facebook.com/higgledypiggledyfarm
Mother, and 3 badge show judge, Jean Miles, generously shares her Ginger Kisses recipe.
Mums everywhere will love these dainty biscuits – especially if they’re made by their little treasures and accompanied by a very matchy-matchy Mother’s Day card from https://www.facebook.com/higgledypiggledyfarm
Ingredients:
3 oz (85g) butter
3 oz (85g) caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp teaspoon ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
8 oz (225g) self raising flour
Method:
Cream butter and sugar, add egg and sifted dry ingredients. Roll into balls and press with a fork like you do Yo Yo’s Cook 10 minutes in a moderate (150 C) oven. When cool join with icing. I normally put some condensed milk in the icing to keep the icing soft if I want to keep them a while.
Jean’s Tips: Not many people make ginger biscuits these days but this is a nice recipe. I sometimes put a little ginger in the icing. These can be joined like Yo Yo’s or left plain. Also I sometimes put a little glace ginger on top of a single biscuit. I have also put them through the biscuit forcer.
Apple anniversary – This time last year The Tassie Farm picked its first Cox’s Orange Pippin.
As Nick and Kerry have since discovered, many creatures depend on their apple tree. The cycle starts with the wasps who burrow into the skin to eat the sweet flesh. These ‘bad apples’ are then fed to the pigs. Of course the ducks and hens are always waiting at the base of the tree for any ripe fruit to fall. Kerry and Nick know when it’s time to pick their Orange Pippins because they can hear the seeds rattle.
There are 7000 apple varieties world-wide. The Tassie Farm has one. Well, two actually but we’re not sure what this mystery one is called. It was bought on the pretense that it was a cider apple but not a drop of cider has eventuated. For more apple news visit these Australian sites http://www.aussieapples.com.au http://www.freshforkids.com.au
BITE SIZE FACT: Granny Smiths originated in Australia. They were first grown by Maria Anne Smith in Eastwood, Sydney in 1867 and are now one of the world’s major varieties.
Autumn vegies are popping up everywhere on The Tassie Farm.
This month we’ll be photographing what’s in-season and serving you bite-size morsels as they shift from ‘Patch to Plate’. Apples are falling from the trees and so are the last of our pears. We’re pulling up carrots, digging up a few final spuds, liking our baby leaks, relishing out tomatoes and finding new ways to cook with our collossal cabbages. So, pull up a chair and join us at the kitchen table as we dig up and dig in this Autumn. You might find a few Autumn inspirations here too http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/
Autumn has captured Melbourne. The streets are awash with regal hues.
Locals feel like royalty as they walk along the footpaths – as if a lady-in-waiting has just scattered rose petals at their feet. A season of beauty – by far the most romantic and captivating.
Thank you to our 5-star celebrity show judge, Jean Miles, for being our special guest.
We’ve loved swapping recipes with you, hearing all about your dairy and pig farms and your (almost) 50 years with the CWA. If there are any Tassie Farm followers who are champion cooks, you may like to check out Jean’s Worcestershire Sauce recipe which appears in the CWA’s ‘Well Preserved’ cookbook, celebrating CWA Victoria’s 85th anniversary. We hope you will visit us at The Tassie Farm again, Jean xxx
https://www.facebook.com/CWA.Recipes www.cwaofvic.org.au
