Catch Up

I have been working on getting the items in my freezer down since my last post and have successfully used,
1 pk greengages 
5 sheets of puff pastry
2 fruit cakes
1 leg of lamb
3 pks loin chops
1pk 4 1/4 chops
3 pks sausages
1 chicken snitzel
1 bread roll
1 pk pork ribs
1 pk pumpkin
2 pks beetroot
2 pks bacon
1 pk tomato passata
loads of dogfood
By living out of the freezer I have had to buy only a couple of items at the supermarket so my weekly grocery bills are less than $10, so I will be continuing to wade my way through it.

I've also been harvesting loads of stuff from the garden, therefore I am grateful I have emptied the freezer a little to make room for the vegies.

I had blackberries and windfall apples so I made a pie.

Some of the beetroot that I have pickled whole

I just love potatoes, they grow prolifically and store well. I have harvested nearly 15kgs.

Butter beans ready for the freezer

and freshly picked before processing.

I had a friend call and say she was coming to stay for the night with a friend who happens to be a vegan so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to cook a vegan Vegetable Curry. 

• 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed 
•  2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
•  1 yellow onion, diced 
•  3 cloves garlic, minced 
•  2 teaspoons ground cumin 
•  1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 
•  4 teaspoons curry powder 

•  4 teaspoons garam masala 
•  1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and minced 
•  2 teaspoons salt 
•  2 cups tomato passata
•  1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained  
•  (14 ounce) can coconut milk
  I also added pumpkin, peas, beans, carrots, celery, leeks, capsicum (from the garden) and sweet potato (from shop). 

Directions

1. Place potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.
2. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garam masala, ginger, and salt; cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, peas, remaining vegies and potatoes. Pour in the coconut milk, and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 
   
   It was delicious and my friend and her friend appreciated the meal. 
   
   More updates: I have sold all of my garlic (yay). *     I sold it to Eloise Emmett who's a local chef who makes her own range of ready to cook meals. She offers quail, venison, octopus and quail and prepares them ready for cooking and they are bought frozen in  vacuum sealed bags. You can check out her blog here. 
   
   *     I have begun harvesting corn and tomatoes (cherry toms)  and been eating lettuces from the garden all summer.
   *     The lovely hens laid 114 eggs during January.
   *     We bought 2 ute loads of mushroom compost for the garden beds and as they are being cleared of their crops, I am covering with the compost and allowing them to rest for awhile before I plant out again. 
   *       We have found that we have run low on water for the garden and hopefully through the year we will be able to buy yet another tank to store our recycled water.  It has just begun raining after 2 months and I am loving it as I'm sure my garden is.