Blog
Weekly tales from The Outpost.
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
Not sure what needs doing in your garden this month? I’ve got you covered.
Gran Shirley’s quick pickle
An easy-to-prepare vegetable accompaniment for summer meals.
Apple crumble
My favourite way to use our apple harvest.
Chickens love coprosma
An accidental observation leads me down a rabbithole.
Apple harvest
Three of our heritage apple trees produced small harvests this year.
Getting over garden overwhelm
Gaining a focus on turning around the garden for another season.
Welcome to the Garden Club!
Join us to keep on top of your garden this year!
Testing the coffee beans
After a recent workshop to learn how to process my own coffee, I put my own coffee beans to the test.
Storm surge
We weren’t entirely unscathed by Gabrielle, but we are left feeling very grateful.
The pursuit of self-sufficiency
We’ve been here a while, so how close are we to being self-sufficient?
Making Nana Retter’s Fruit Cake
Last Christmas I joined a long line of women in my family who have made my great grandmother’s fruit cake.
The pros and cons of owning chickens
If you love eggs, you might be thinking about owning some chickens… but should you?
Six things I did this summer
I’ve had a wonderful summer break, though I’m not sure how relaxing it was. Here’s a catch-up of what I got up to.
2022 Garlic harvest (part 1)
Four of our six garlic varieties are out of the ground! See how it went!
On patience
Time marches on and if you’re patient enough, it delights you.
Oh, Christmas Tree
This year our pine nut tree is tall enough to be our outdoor Christmas tree!
Where are the avocados?
We have a lot of trees at The Outpost, but we don’t have any avocado. It’s not just because we’re saving to build a house.
Planting peanuts
I’m feeling more on top of things in the garden, so I’m growing something new.
My happy place
3 years ago I wrote about my frustration at my new garden. Today, it is my happy place.
Paying for my cow’s farts
How will the proposed agricultural emissions scheme affect my little farm and tiny cattle herd?