Bug city

A few months ago I decided to plant some flowers throughout my food garden for a few reasons. Firstly, because they're pretty and I can cut them and bring them inside. Second, because I was frustrated at the nematodes and thought if I can't grow vegetables, what can I grow? And most importantly because they attract insects into the garden. Bees for pollination and everyone should be doing all they can to keep bee populations healthy while insecticide sprays on crops are wiping them out and they are vitally important to food production. (rant over) Also all the other bugs we have keep a neat ecosystem going so that no one type of bug will take over and destroy crops.

Here's some of the bugs visiting my garden over the past week;

I have a couple of spiders that I like to leave in the garden. I threw a slater into his web. The spider didn't seem too interested in it, sadly.

And this mantis was about 5cm long and was trying to hitch a ride around on my arm the other day. I haven't seen one of these so big since I was a kid. I hope he eats slaters.

Beans!

 

My first broad beans of the season:

 

They're a little bit late. I know this because my neighbour has picked, podded, frozen and dug the remains of hers back into her soil already and planted out tomatoes on top of where they were. I only have a small patch, mainly because I don't like broad beans all that much. Until now. My experience of broad beans in the past has been giant beans with the outside a kind of grey colour and boiled to a soggy mass. I have decided that if you pick the beans really young, they are sweet and delicious!

 

For dinner the other night we has this delicious broad bean bruschetta, an adaptation of a Donna Hay recipe. We brushed slices of sour dough with olive oil, grilled them, then rubbed them with a clove of raw garlic, like you would for bruschetta. Then spread on some soft fetta, topped it with beans quickly blanched in boiling, salted water and then sprinkle dover some gremolata (finely chopped parsley with lemon zest). It was really tasty and the beans were delicious;

Even Mustard thought it looked pretty good and insisted on watching us eat every single bite with a mournful expression on his face!

 

I'm now watching closely for the next lot of beans to grow to the right size for picking!

It's cactus!

Gardening isn't for everyone. And when all else fails you can try this:

                                      

I picked up this fantastic knitted cactus at a craft fair in Perth recently. I know it's not a real indoor plant, but at least I can't kill it! The beagles probably could if they got their teeth into it, though!