Author: FJB

Davidson’s Plum Jam Recipe …

Published on by FJB4 Comments

Davidson’s Plum Jam Recipe

See my post on Davidson’s Plums

500 gm Davidson’s Plums
500 gm sugar
One large green apple
juice of half a lemon
½ a vanilla pod – split open
Packet of pectin on standby (eg: Jamsetta)

  • Wash the plums in a sieve to remove any dust or dirt.  Cut the plums in half and remove the two small seeds.  Then chop the plums into quarters. Wear gloves if you don’t want to end up with nasty purple fingernails.
  • Peel and core the apple and chop it finely, or grate it.
  • Put the plums, apple, lemon juice and sugar into a saucepan and add just enough water to stop the bottom layer from burning (approximately 50mls) – no more or it will take too long to reduce.
  • Bring the water to a simmer slowly, stirring all the time to ensure that the sugar is dissolved before the liquid starts boiling.
  • Add the vanilla pod.
  • Put a small saucer in the freezer to chill
  • Leave on a gentle simmer for 1-2 hours until the mixture has thickened and reduced.  Test the jam by dropping a teaspoonful on the frozen saucer – it should almost immediately thicken.
  • Sometimes, if the plums are not very ripe or particularly watery, the jam will not set, rather than use more sugar I will add some pectin.  Follow the instructions on the packet.
  • Allow to cool slightly and then spoon into sterilized jars.

I’m an exhibitionist !

Published on by FJB7 Comments

I’m very lucky to live in Bellingen.  Amongst its many attractive aspects, is the enthusiastic nurturing of artistic endeavour.  Nobody looks down on your amateurish attempts to produce something that might qualify as “art”.  Even the real artists offer words of encouragement.

Years ago a work colleague commented that she thought I didn’t have a left-brain, and whilst I accept that I am very focused on process and organisation, I thought that was somewhat harsh!

Over the years I’ve tried a few things – painting, sketching, pottery, etc and not discovered anything that grabbed me until I attended an Eco Dyeing course at Camp Creative a few years ago.  I still remember the puzzled looks I got when I told friends that I was doing the course.  “No, I’m not going to crochet my own hemp shroud – that’s dyeing not dieing”.

Paper hoarding

Anyway, I was hooked from the first day, and I’ve been experimenting and hoarding eco-printed paper ever since.  The hoarding was becoming a problem until the lovely Cynthia offered me space in her private gallery, and a joint opening with Leonie another budding artist.  The opening was a huge success – wine, delicious food, great conversation and best of all … SALES!

Cynthia’s Gallery
Some of the guests
My display
My opening invitation
About my work

I was quite hesitant about exhibiting, but I discovered that framing makes all the difference to an eco-print.  Turning it from a scrap of paper to something that you might just want to hang on your wall …

Eucalyptus & iron
Lilly Pilly with Cochineal
Geranium with Cochineal
Lilly Pilly & cabbage
Windfall Eucalypt leaves
Waratah & Tree Fern

So thanks to Cynthia, Leonie and all the friends and acquaintances who attended the opening, and a special thanks to those who bought our artwork.

I’ll be eco-printing more paper soon, but I’m trying to be patient.  I made the decision to use only plants from my garden, and preferably Australian natives, but I fell in love with Cotinus (Smoke Bush) leaf prints, so I’ve been forced to plant one. I’m trying to leave it alone and not strip off all the leaves like I did last autumn

Cotinus leaves
Cotinus imprint

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz …

Published on by FJB2 Comments

It’s winter, and it’s around now that I start to stress a little …

The nights are cold, we’ve had long periods of rain, and the daytime temperature often doesn’t reach 18 degrees.  And 18°C is the magic number when it comes to my native bees (Tetragonula carbonaria).  Below 18°C they stay in the hive and won’t come out to forage, which means they use their stores of nectar and pollen to stay alive.

Is it 18 degrees yet Mum?

Native bees don’t hibernate so the inside temperature of the hive is also really important. Extended periods of cold can kill a hive. I have a mental picture of them all huddled together trying to keep warm, sipping honey and telling tall (or small?) stories to while away the hours.

With all this in mind, I was understandably nervous about splitting my hive, but finally last spring, with the help of a friendly local native bee enthusiast, I felt brave enough to take the risk.  So very early one Sunday morning, we cracked it open and were rewarded with the sight of a healthy, honey and pollen filled hive.

A healthy advancing front
Sugar bags, pollen and honey

We put a new top on the base of the old hive and vice versa and sealed the joins with tape to keep out predators until the bees could seal it themselves.  The new hive is now sitting under the Pecan tree where it will get some winter sun.

New hive under the Pecan tree

Still feeling a bit cowardly, I decided to take the minimum amount of honey, and give the bees the best chance to rebuild the hive and to set aside stores for winter.

Native bee honey is quite runny, and it has a strong complex flavour. Drizzled over vanilla bean ice-cream, I can tell you that it was absolutely delicious!

 

The good news is, that so far after each spell of cold rainy weather, as soon as the daytime temperature reaches 18°C – out they come .  Fingers crossed for the rest of winter.

PS: If you are looking to keep native bees in Australia,
this is the bible , by entomologist Dr. Tim Heard.
Or even better, if you live in NSW or QLD you might be able to get to one of his fascinating seminars or workshops.

This is how I got hooked!

Tim Heard – Sugarbag Bee Events

Hairy Figs …

Published on by FJB6 Comments

I’d love to be able to say that eating “home grown” Sandpaper figs was a delicious bush tucker foodie experience … but sadly, it wasn’t.  Not that they weren’t interesting – slightly sweet and fibrous with a definite hairy mouthfeel (maybe I should have peeled them?).  And I’d certainly eat them if I was lost in the bush and waiting for a chopper to respond to my distress call …  But I’m happy to leave them for the birds to enjoy.

Not the biggest figs in the world!

They are also quite photogenic, both in their natural state in the bush and on the top of an Instagram-like breakfast bowl.  OK – so I couldn’t help myself.  But without the tweezers or the patience, my effort is definitely “Not Quite Instagram”.

Not quite Instagram

 

Initially, I thought I had two types of Sandpaper figs in the garden.  One, a slightly scruffy looking shrub with small figs which turned a dark purply black when ripe,

Female Sandpaper fig?
Female Sandpaper figs?
Love the furry halo

and the other a medium sized tree with attractive bark and fruit which grows on the trunk. The fruit stays green and never seems to ripen.

Male Sandpaper fig?
Male Sandpaper figs?
Male Sandpaper fig?

 

Both appear to be Ficus coronata, so it’s possible that the tree is male and the shrub is female.  As they are separated by about forty metres, you might think that this would pose a problem … but no, they are pollinated by a fig wasp.  Clever.

Traditionally, aboriginals use the fig leaves to polish their wooden implements, and I can well imagine this working, as a handful of leaves rubbed on your skin would probably remove more than just the dead cells.  A case of extreme exfoliation.

This plant is definitely NOT a weed in my book, you can eat the fruit, polish your skin or your boomerang, make rope out of the inner bark, use the latex to heal wounds, and sit in its shade and enjoy the parade of visiting native birds.  It can pop up anywhere it likes in my garden …