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Why EVERYONE with access to soil doesn’t grow their own veg is beyond me. Actually I have a good idea why. It’s all those shitty distractions of modern life. Work, TV, Sports, social expectations, giving a shit about the Grammys and wasting time getting valentines day gifts. All unnecessary distractions.
Not sounding like too much of a wanker, although I often find that a difficult task….
Life for us is simple at the same time it’s fucking brilliant. We chose this life and are so much the happier for it. We’re happy, our kids are happy. We live in a little country cottage (that we painted green and not for ironic reasons although come to think of it…..the green house hhhmm might be something in that). We have a tiny mortgage compared to the national average. We work but we don’t live to work. We work to live. Our career is a career in happiness. It’s not always achieved but afternoons like the one explained below are when the dividends from our investment in the Good Life PTY LTD pay big bucks.
I needed a promo shot for an iPad app I’ll be featured in soon (more details soon), this involved a photographer visit for a quick shoot. The lovely photographer came over and put up with my unwanted technical advice, so charming I was. To represent my ‘mission statement’ of grow your own I picked a bunch of produce from the garden with the idea that I could hold it all and pose like a Turkey…now that should really get the right message out I thought to myself. The concept looked much better in my head. (see Turkey holding produce photo below). Taking advantage of an uncomfortable situation for me, Kim grabbed a camera and took a pick so we’d have evidence that we’d spotted the rare bread Urban Bearded Turkey for submission to National Geographic.
This time of the year is bloody brilliant. I’ve harvested so much already and have made space for fresh mid summer plantings. How hard is this….I chucked a few handfuls of boroltti beans in the soil, raked them and now I have a fresh round of beans growing. Took me all of five minutes. Exhausting work this grow your own business.
How cute are the new beans shooting up? And what a fine specimen of a pumpkin! Smokin!
Eggplant has done really well this summer!
Did you know we also have wild fairy princess’ in our garden?
Ingredients for a pork marinade?
Mix for the WLL marinade for the pork ribs and the Turkey (Right with blue hat)
As white middle class urbanites we visited the local farmers market to spend our middle class coin while feeling good about our actions. I bought some rare bread pork products from Greenvale Farm, a local farm (1 hour away…it’s as local as I can get). One of the said pork products happened to be ribs. Fatty juicy tender ribs. I marinated them in a secret WLL marinade and served them with some of the veg that I picked for the turkey promo shoot. I called this veg concoction, Ro-atouille. Along with the marinade it’s a definite addition to the cook book….due out in October this year….still coming to terms with that. Me, a book writer dude. Amazing.
The result? Sexy, sticky, juicy finger lickin good food. Resulting in one very happy bearded Turkey.
In our home we know we’re NOT perfect. We still buy food from the supermarket, avocado, biscuits, milk etc. It’s not all or nothing for us. We don’t profess to be completely self sufficient. We do try to grow, hunt, fish and forage for a good deal of it, which is all very rewarding. And most notably it’s just fun having an edible jungle taking over in the back yard! The taste of the freshest veg is great. And an added bonus is that we know the process of how it was raised. We know that carbon emissions don’t come from road miles our food travels but most notably in the form of gaseous expungements from eating too many fresh beans and artichoke!
All this turkey talk has developed a hunger for a feed of turkey….adios!
Inspired! Thanks for sharing! Heading out to harvest from our garden now…
It’s the good life hun!
Makes you want to ‘gobble gobble’ all that fabulous home grown produce. Sorry Ro, couldnt resist!
As for the book writer dude – your words are an inspiration to many so wear the mantle with pride. I am sure that many of us have rethought how we live our lives based on the words you have written here. Job well done I’d say!
‘gobble gobble’ ….= gold
Sue you cracked me up!!!
Man I envy your garden! I live in a unit, but still attempt to grow whatever I can on our balcony. So far I have a few purple capsicums coming up, spinach, herbs and ONE eggplant! I couldn’t agree more, I think everyone, no matter how little space, should grow something!
Hey Turkey, love your work mate. I am still envious. We must make an appointment with the Leigh and see if we can add a wriggling brown to your magnificent platter of Anderson delights.
dude, we’ve an abundance of bush turkey if you wanna make the trip to the nsw central coast! there are freaking heaps of them in our back yard… as in i counted 18 the other night night… my brother reckons they make a good yellow curry… don’t tell the ranger though! :)
I love the photo of the urban bearded turkey!
And it’s totally true. Sometimes thinking about what to plant where takes far longer than the planting itself.
Loving it. xx
Love this. Very inspiring!
Gorgeous garden! I’m counting the days til I can get out there and plant – roughly 90! Woo hoo!
Such beautiful photos. Those of us in the northern hemisphere love the reminders of summer!
fantastic lookin’ garden, Rohan. I’ve just put a Meyer Lemon tree in the ground and have been singing to it in the mornings before work. hope to have some halfway decent shots to share later this year.
LOVE the photos! And the garden update.
Our eggplants have been such a winner this year too. A bit disappointed with the tomatoes but they are finally coming along.
Although I must confess to watching too much TV lateley – Currently watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s ‘River Cottage Summer’s Here’ on DVD. Love it. So inspiring.
with gorgeous veg like this, you make a rather convincing argument.
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