"Having bought our beautiful old orchard that has been our neighbour for 40 years, to say it's been a steep learning curve is an understatement, not the least of which is understanding that the only way for us to be viable with this orchard is to value add every bit of fruit. I’ve already written about our dried apricots, pears and peaches and the huge amount of apricot jam we made back in January and some great products valued adding the dried fruit, yet it is the making of our cider that has the possibility of being the icing on the cake I think, as certainly fresh fruit has lost its currency in more ways than one and I’m determined to find a way to make the orchard economic (when we’re not actually out there doing all the work ourselves) so it stays an orchard for future generations." - Maggie Read the rest...
I met Fabrizia Lanza at Melbourne Food and Wine at the Langham, and I have her cookbook and love it, so when I heard about the 10 week course she is running, I instantly thought it would be the kind of thing you would like to hear about too. It sounds wonderful; weekly units on wheat, cheese, olive oil and fats, wine, honey and citrus, pastries and nuts, garden horticulture, culinary anthropology, and a chance to study Sicilian cuisine through hands-on kitchen and garden workshops, lectures, local field trips, and a one-week culinary journey around the island. If you would like to know more you can find all the details on Cook the Farm. Read the rest...
"I have so many greens in my garden; three different types of curly kale, cavalo nero, Florence fennel, leeks, spinach, sugarloaf cabbage, sprouting purple broccoli, the most brilliant radicchio I’ve ever grown, celeriac, chervil almost carpet-like it's so dense, and of course broad beans getting ready for Spring. I’m on a bit of a green kick you might say, using my Vitamix to make smoothies in the morning with some of the last pears of the orchard and greens, greens and more greens. I've also been making purees with Extra Virgin Olive Oil to serve as a runny pestou with chicken and lots of other options, but even with all that, I hardly see a dent in the volume. Not that I worry about that as there are always others to share it with and I so love the abundance of the Winter greens; indeed as much as I love my roses in Summer." - Maggie Read the rest...
"As you know, I'm a great advocate of Sunday Lunch, no matter what day of the week! The menu I've put together for this month is a lovely way to enjoy the heartier produce Winter offers, beginning with little goat’s cheese tarts, then a main course focus on root vegetables and the warmth of soft polenta. I've also included some pears poached in my cider which I've been enjoying as a Wintery way to take cider beyond the glass. Every reason to set the table for a long lunch with family and friends." - Maggie Read the rest...
How lovely it was to arrive home to a special parcel waiting for me from my friends at Terra Preta Truffles. I was lucky enough to have some beautiful Western Australian mushroom orecchiette on hand which I tossed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, parmigiano, fresh parsley from the garden and the beautiful addition of truffle; shaved so generously on our plates of pasta. - Maggie Read the rest...
