It has been very mild here in Perth lately, and with the warmer weather the bees have become much more active. They are bringing in lots of pollen, indicating they are feeding lots of brood! There isn’t enough for us to harvest just yet, but won’t be long now!
Pollen laden bees (photo courtesy of Lucky Mac Photography)
Everything is really growing at the moment- we have had a fair bit of rain but lately the days have been quite mild- perfect growing conditions! The orchard has really taken off in the last couple of years, we have had ample mandarins and it looks like a good crop of nectarines and plums again this year.
Bees pollinating the nectarine
After the bushfire a couple of years ago, the bush is growing back. Though many species have completely gone as they were burnt too severely, other plants really regenerate after a bushfire. Most of the balga (grass trees) have grown back and quite a few are now flowering, lots of gum trees have self sown, and the prickly moses (a type of acacia), has come back with a vengeance (they really are prickly).
Prickly Moses
Running postman (Kennedia prostrata)
Regeneration
The almost spring weather is also shown in the animals activity around! There are lots of birds around making nests, particularly the wild ducks.
You looking’ at me?
The turkeys are nesting in their nice ‘bush’ nest (though safely in their pen!) too, though two on the same nest!
Sharing a nest
Our latest preserving venture is lacto-fermentation, a process which has been around for a long time and has many health benefits. After a few experiments and a couple of hands on workshops (in particular with Yoke Mardewi from Wild Sourdough, we are now well on the way and have a few delicious items fermenting away!
Just a few….
There is a batch of sauerkraut and a batch of kimchi in the fridge being eaten, and in this photo is two types of sauerkraut, more kimchi, rhubarb and beetroot (left), saltless carrots, garlic in brine and garlic in honey. Next on the list is a mushroom ferment…..when we can find the shimeji mushrooms needed! Recipes will be added soon to the recipe section.