Two sheds are better than one. Especially when there’s a sale.
Any farmer will tell you, ‘You can never have enough sheds.’ They’ll always find something to put in it, whether that’s a tractor, a 44 gallon drum or ‘something useful they picked up from down the road’. Like at Nick and Kerry’s shed sale. Five years after moving to The Menagerie (as their farm has become known), Kerry and Nick thought it was high-time for a clean-out. So, they joined forces (and sheds) with their neighbours, John and Mary, attracting many curious passers-by. Kerry believes if you haven’t opened a box in the last five years then you probably don’t need what’s in it. Her theory rang true. But as we all know – ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.’

Clever Hen isn’t the only farm animal allowed inside.
Nick found this treasure in the U.K over 10 years ago. Since then, it’s been sitting in a box, waiting to be remembered. And now that ‘Pig On A Hill’ has been rediscovered, he’s gone from the removal box to the thunder box. Quite fitting for a pig don’t you think?

Red sky at night – a gardener’s delight.
Nick and Kerry are not sailors but they are keen gardeners. So, when they see a sight like this, you know the next day will bring a lot of digging rather than rigging.

As it turns out, there’s a big need for no-knead bread.
Kerry and Nick’s friends, Tam and Cordy, recently built this outdoor, wood-fired oven. And, as it turns out, this little hothouse has been the perfect place to bake Georgie’s no-knead bread. Not just one loaf but a baker’s dozen (perhaps even more). Cordy has been experimenting with various flours to see if there really is a taste difference. First-up he tried plain flour, followed by ’00′ flour, a combination of ’00′ and rye then finally bakers’ flour. And as Georgie predicted, the bakers’ flour triumphed. It gave the no-knead bread just that little extra ‘oomph’. As for the oven, Kerry and Nick are absolutely envious and hope to build one just like it for The Menagerie. If you have any outdoor oven pics, we’d love to see them.

…these seeds were a parsnip plant.
One of the most rewarding things about growing your own vegies (apart from eating them) is planning for the next crop. If you only pick what you need, leaving a few plants in the soil to go to seed, you probably won’t need to buy seeds again. And so, the never-ending tale of  the food cycle continues.

A little R&R to rejuvenate your garden.
Now we’re well into autumn, it’s time to dig up the vegie patch and say goodbye to the parsnips and onions that have gone to seed. Spoil the soil with a healthy dose of organic fertiliser, cover with old bales of hay and take the winter off. Resting soil beds is a must-do for the health and longevity of a productive patch.