I know the year officially began a month ago, and Chinese New Year is last week, but it really feels as though it starts when I put the first seeds in. I’m not doing onions from seed so the first thing is likely to be broad beans towards the end of March. But today my seed order arrived, and whilst I was in B&Q picking up sandpaper yesterday I spotted bags of seed potatoes so I have a bag of Charlotte. Hmm – since changing to a plant-based diet in the Autumn there won’t be any egg boxes to set them out to chit in.
I’m still digging parsnips and harvesting kale, and there’s a box of yacon tubers we are working through in stir-fries. We finished the last of our own potatoes for Christmas lunch and the frozen berries ran out this month. There are plenty of dried beans and D put some pea-beans in to soak last night so I imagine they will feature in this evening’s meal.
I sorted through all of my old seed in preparation for placing this year’s order and last night I threw all the old stuff that might sprout onto some cornflour gel. Hopefully they will produce some terribly fashionable ‘micro-greens’ which is just the new way of saying mustard cress as most of them are brassica seeds of various kinds.
So… Happy New Year!
Mike's Pad 
Farmer Mike: you’ve got me mystified by some of these foodstuffs. I don’t know what “yacon tubers” or “mustard cress” are.” “Cornflour gel” sounds like a contradiction in terms. However, I have a feeling that you’re doing something radically more healthy than my steak&potatoes cuisine. Wishing you & D rich bounty. Love, Spike
Always good to hear from you sweetie. Yacon is a South American root vegetable. I gave up the animal products last year, both for my own health and that of the planet. It’s working well so far.
Happy belated New Year to you. Interesting to see what you are growing or at least getting to seed. It is so hot in Oz that we are hanging in with tomatoes zucchini and replenishing our lettuce. We also use old seeds for green manure or throw them in the chook yard and fence them off to grow and give the girls some extra green pick. Happy sprouting.
Glad to hear you are OK Leonie. My sister in Canberra reports in on the conditions each week. The news of the fires is back in the headlines here again this morning and I know they have everything prepped for an evacuation if needed.