March – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia

March – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, sustainable living consultant, and healthy food advocate. March is the month when we get busy! Very busy! Even though it still feels like summer, we do have autumn. The winter sowing and planting have started and I am excited about it! I also look forward to the following weeks when I can spend more time in the garden. The summer heat and humidity didn’t make it very easy lately. General jobs in March Note: This is the monthly edition. If you haven’t read my ‘Autumn Gardening Jobs’ article yet, start there: Autumn – Permaculture Food Gardening… Read More

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Autumn – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia

Autumn – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, sustainable living consultant, and healthy food advocate. March, April, and May are autumn months. The days are getting shorter and the summer heat is slowly going back. Very slowly, I would say. The ‘summer bugs’ are getting fewer, which is a bonus! We can start to sow and plant the winter crop. Yes! The time of radishes, brassicas, and other subtropical winter veggies has finally arrived. Yummy! While March is still very hot and humid, the following two months will bring some relief, and the garden work becomes a pure pleasure. I promise! Listening to nature… Read More

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Sweet Chilli Sauce Recipe – Simple and Quick

Why would you make your sweet chili sauce? because you have plenty of chilies in your garden or… you have read the ingredients on the sweet chili sauce bottle you bought at the supermarket because natural homegrown and homemade food is always best! Okay, I got lots of chillies in my garden but I also checked the ingredients on the bottle from the store-bought one and I don’t like any of the additives like flavours, colours, and preservatives….! Sweet Chilli Sauce Recipe – Simple and Quick 300-400g chillies 6-8 cloves garlic some ginger and or turmeric (optional) 2 cups of white vinegar 2 cups of sugar dash of salt Combine… Read More

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February – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia

February – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, self-sufficient and sustainable living consultant, and healthy food advocate. Hot and humid! However, nature is generous with rain at the moment and we appreciate every single drop and enjoy the food we harvest at this time of the year, and there is plenty to harvest! We are not running out of jobs in the garden, however, we are limiting the work to the early morning and/or very late afternoon hours. In addition to the summer gardening jobs listed below, February is the month when I prune all sorts of my perennial and self-seeding bushes. Especially Pigeon… Read More

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December in the Garden- Permaculture Food Gardening in Australia

December in the Garden- Permaculture Food Gardening in Australia by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, self-sufficient living consultant, and healthy food advocate. Summer is here! Hot and humid days are going to be our companions for the next three months or so with more or less rain however, this doesn’t stop us from producing healthy and delicious food! There is no “food-growing brake” in a self-sufficient homestead. Firstly because we love naturally grown food without any additives, and secondly because many different foods are happily growing during this time of the year. This article might give you some ideas about what can be done, sown, planted, and harvested in the… Read More

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November in the Garden- Permaculture Food Gardening in Australia

November is the month when we can literally watch the food grow. The winter crop is gone, the last cabbages are transformed into sauerkraut and we concentrate on cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, capsicums, and co.
This article might give you some ideas about..

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Processing Coffee is Easy and So Worth It – Step by Step Guide with Photos

Processing Coffee is Easy and So Worth It – Step by Step Guide with Photos When I say easy, then I really mean it! After reading various articles outlining the complete procedure, I wasn’t even sure if I should harvest the berries at all when our young coffee bushes provided us with the gift. It seemed like a huge load of work that takes lots of time and effort but I decided to give it a go, and I am so glad I did! There are a few steps you have to go through until you can enjoy your first cup of homegrown coffee, but most of the tasks can be… Read More

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October in the Garden- Permaculture Food Gardening in Australia

October in the Garden- Permaculture Food Gardening in Australia by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, sustainable living consultant, and healthy food advocate. The days are longer, temperatures are higher, and Mulberries and strawberries are having a ripening competition. October is also the time when we need to protect our ripening nectarines, peaches, blueberries, and co. This article might give you some ideas about what can be done, sown, planted, and harvested in the garden in October in warm and subtropical parts of Australia. Note: this article is based on my experience and the work I do in the food forest. Feel free to comment below if you would like to… Read More

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September in the Garden- Permaculture Food Gardening in Australia

This article might give you some ideas about what can be done, sown, planted, and harvested in the garden in Australia during the month of September. Feel free to comment below if you would like to add or ask something.

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Beetroot Leaf Kimchi

Beetroot Leaf Kimchi Ingredients: Before you start, wash your hands, rinse the jars with boiling water. Same with the bowls, and all the tools you will use. Working in a clean environment is super important while preparing food for preservation. Clean the leaves and cut them into about 2cm long pieces. Leave one larger leave for later. Massage the salt in for a couple of minutes. Weight down with a plate and place a pot filled with water on top. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for about 3-4 hours. Combine all remaining ingredients. I usually use my small food processor to do so. Add a bit of… Read More

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