Can’t help you with the first one, ashram, although I suspect it’s something from the Solanaceae family, so could be poisonous.

However, your second one is Portulaca oleracea, also known as pigweed, purslane etc. So if you don;t want to let it stay where it is, pop it into your salad tomorrow! Although these days it is regarded as a weed, it is…[Read more]

I love all of the above too! A couple more that haven’t been mentioned yet tho’ – The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek [can’t remember author but still available], Winnie the Pooh etc. and ANYTHING by Astrid Lindgren [Pippi Longstocking, Emil etc.]. Also, for older children:
Children of the New forest by Capt. Marryat
The Secret Garden –
The Wind in…[Read more]

The flowers are yellow – a bit like a spike of small dandelion flowers – and then the heads go brown and fluffy. When they get to this stage the seed should be ripe. unless they are from a commercial hybrid seed packet, they should grow true to type when you resow them

You don’t have a problem, vanessa! Cucumbers, watermelons and pumpkins won’t cross with each other! The all belong to different genera. the only time you are likely to have a problem is if you plant 2 varieties of the same species or 2 very closely related species, together. And cucumbers, watermelons and pumpkins aren’t closely enough related…[Read more]

unfortunately, a lot of other insects are also attracted to yellow, including beneficial ones!

The last picture shows a fungus-eating ladybird. it is feeding on downy mildew so is doing no harm to your plants. i can’t see the other one properly but it is possibly the larva of a 28-spotted ladybird which does eat them!

Where to start, starruby!. perhaps you should go to a local quilt shop [LQS] – there are heaps in Sydney – most are only too willing to help you get started. Also check online – lots of kits are available which include all the fabrics you will need. Another idea would be to go along to local quilt exhibitions or the Stitches and Craft show…[Read more]

Hi redhen2, thanks from me too – I had a great time and it was lovely to meet up with bluwiz, pinetree and families as well. I intrigued dh about the pressure canner enough to catch him looking it up on the internet. He said he might import some if they were that wonderful! :metal::metal:Did you give yours a go this week?
cheers
pokarekare

When I said I wanted a breadmaker my dh’s reaction was that it would be just another useless gadget that would sit in the cupboard or on the bench nd never get used – UNTIL – he went to a meeting at a friend’s place and salivated at the smell of baking bread all morning. he thought he would get some for morning tea, but no, it was their lunhtime…[Read more]

18 May sounds good to me too, rh2

m2t I have short hair and haven’t used shampoo for over a year now. I do nothing but wash my hair vigorously under the shower and towel dry and my hair has never been healthier or cleaner! Very occasionally [before a special occasion etc.] I used a conditioner – just put in my hair at the beginning of my shower and inse it out at the end. I…[Read more]

Elizabeth, these ants are species of bull ants, so i’m not sure how you would go pouring boiling water on them -mif you try it, then run like hell!
The only way to get rid of ants [and termites which are totally unrelated], is to kill the queen and this is really difficult as it is at the centre of the nest and well protected from danger. I would…[Read more]

i’m in! I’ve seen a couple of other posts from people around here, eg. pinetree, ?highlander? – they may be interested too?

European wasps can nest in wall cavities in Australia! Because of our mild climate they also tend to be active for most of the year. They have now reached as sar as SE Queensland! Since they arrived in OZ in the 1970s [via NZ to Tasmania] they have travelled further north every year, reaching Sydney in the late 80s I think.

they are…[Read more]

Duck is wonderful with cumquats too!

But the best ever is cumquat liqueur :metal: :
Wash 500 gm cumquats, prick well with a darning needle to release flavour. Put into large screwtop jar with a plastic lid. Add 500 gm sugar and a 750 ml bottle of brandy, screw lid on firmly and shake well. Reverse jar every day for 3 weeks and shake occasionally…[Read more]

REdhen, I know it takes energy to dry them with the dehydrator, as does bottling them, but once dried, you don’t need to use any more until you cook them. Freezing them takes a continuous use of energy. Sundrying is fine if you have the weather for it, but we don’t always! 😉 So don’t give up on the dehydrator – I think that and the solar…[Read more]

Sounds like someone’s covering their backside! Many fruit a d vegetables contain sometimes significant amounts of poisions, eg oxalates, cyanide etc. but enormous amounts need to be eaten to cause harm. Sometimes stock succumbs but usually because they have been forced to eat huge amounts because of lack of other feed , or starve!

It is inkweed, Phytolacca octandra, Rinelle. Don’t give it to your chooks as it is toxic! I remember reading somewhere that early settlers used it to make ink, but it isn’t duarable as far as I remember. I got covered in the juice once when I was doing fieldwork up near Coffs Harbour, I was quite purple, but it washed off my clothes easily -…[Read more]

Glinda – look south of Sydney! When we were looking we saw many places for reasonable prices – not areages but good sized blocks around Oakdale, Picton etc., even down to Moss VAle [wouldn’t recommend camden though – for obvious reasons] There are lots of small villages/communities in these areas, covered by Wollondilly and Wingecarribee shires.…[Read more]

Tasty pasties
I always keep a packet of prerolled puff pastry squares in the freezer because I’m hopeless at making pastry! Get all the leftovers [eg ham, chicken, vegetables, leftover casserole etc.] and mixed raw vegies from the fridge, and steam vegies until barely cooked. Mix all together and place enough on pastry sheets so that you can seal…[Read more]