Blog
Weekly tales from The Outpost.
Albert (‘Snowie’) Charles Schaeffer (WW1 23/903)
Albert “Snowie” Charles Schaeffer served in World War 1, and returned home, broken.
The price of beef
A frank look at what we do with our cows.
Growing food from kitchen scraps
You don’t need to buy seeds to start growing food. Your weekly grocery shop is full of ways to get your garden pumping.
Poor peanut performance
Turns out, peanuts don’t much love being ignored for the entire growing season.
65 Hours Without Power
Cyclone Tam roared through the country last week, and the fallout took a while to settle.
Boiled peanuts
Hands-down the tastiest and easiest way to eat your home-grown peanut crop.
April in the garden
Establishing winter brassica, securing seed garlic, tiding up strawberries, and harvesting pip fruit.
The Vespex sting
Vespula wasp numbers have exploded at our place this year, so it was time to run a poison operation with Vespex.
Growing paprika
Paprika is made from specific varieties of capsicum, and this summer, I grew and processed my own.
Animal tales, part 4
Our lives are made richer by the creatures we share this place with. Sometimes I write short stories about them. This is the fourth post in that series.
March in the garden
Planting begins for cooler months and harvest continues for summer crops. Time to prune the stone fruit too.
Gran Shirley’s quick pickle
An easy-to-prepare vegetable accompaniment for summer meals from the summer garden.
Citrus care guide
Everything you need to know about caring for citrus in New Zealand. When and what to fertilise with, sprays, pruning, and common pests and disease.
The hypothetical house cow
Dairy prices are rising again, so I’m beginning to wonder if I should bring production in-house…
February in the garden
Summer crops come in thick and need storing. Seed saving for next year begins while your earlier plantings continue.
I just want to write
A rant on the Internet ecosystem and AI in writing.
Hoarding and homesteading
Choosing the things that spark joy.
January in the garden
In January, the biggest task is usually dealing with pests. Also, planting leeks.
5 tips for tidying up your bananas
Practical tips for maintaining a banana clump. Hard-learned lessons from someone who’s ruined a t-shirt.
December in the garden
Last chance to plant most summer crops. Time to harvest garlic, berries, and potatoes.
How my garden grows
A peek at how the garden is doing going into the main growing season.
Making joy
The world is a lot right now, so I took some time to create some joy in it.