thequarteracrelife

I recently pruned my Hawaiian Guava tree so that I could put a frame over it so that when it fruits, I can put an insect mesh over the frame and hopefully protect the fruit from fruit-fly (which do significant damage to the fruit). This video is of me putting up the frame. All the chunks of shale that we have in the ground made it very difficult to get the stakes in exactly where I wanted. I had to compromise on symmetry a bit, but got there in the end.

In order to protect my guavas from fruit fly, I'm going to try putting insect mesh over the tree. Even if it isn't 100% effective, I'm hoping that it helps, because otherwise 100% of the fruit gets damaged by fruit fly and I can easily lose up to two thirds of the fruit to damage. In order to put mesh over the tree, I need to give it a severe prune-back, so that it's smaller and I can train it to stay low by encouraging lower hanging branches.

These are the green potatoes that are no good to eat from my previous harvest. They are however good to plant! This planting should make a decent crop of potatoes and I am going to ensure that I mulch up the potatoes as they're growing this time. Growth and upcoming harvest videos to follow.

This is a made-up mixture of fertilisers that are supposed to be good for passionfruit, especially flower and fruit production and applied it to the various passionfruit vines I have growing. I mixed up: - 1 bag of 5-in-1 compost - Blood and bone fertiliser - Wood ash from the fireplace I don't know for certain that this is the right mix... they are all individually meant to be good sources of nutrients for passionfruit. Hopefully the results come summertime will let me know that I did the right thing. I will post a follow-up video or two showing progress of these vines.

The rest of my family had never tried a wonton noodle soup with char siu pork before, and after we made this recipe at home for the first time, it instantly became a family favourite. This is a hearty, delicious, fragrant meal that fills the whole house with a wonderful aroma and fills bellies with amazing food. I need to acknowledge and thank the two videos that I found that inspired me to make this dish. @SoupedUpRecipes Your recipe and video for the chicken wonton soup is amazing. So full of detail and the results are delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. @MadeWithLau That char siu pork is incredible! It's worked perfectly every time, and I need to be quick when slicing or it all disappears before it gets anywhere near the soup! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Chicken wonton soup by @SoupedUpRecipes : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-5WAmkqlCQ Char siu pork by @MadeWithLau : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkCoAKTbHpQ&list=PLvd5bo3J-_kq4FcYVCOK6ZR87dCGDqrSH&index=4 For the pork, I used a 1.4kg scotch roast, which seems to work very nicely. I haven't tried with shoulder, but that would probably work well too. We used chicken mince only in the wontons, rather than 50/50 chicken/shrimp. I know I missed a few steps from the original videos, not deliberately, just forgot, but thankfully this one still turned out great. Also, having half the wontons left over to freeze means the next time we want this meal, it isn't quite as much effort.

This might not be the healthiest way to eat chicken, but it might well be one of the tastiest. There is something really special about the combination of that golden, crunchy, flavoursome exterior and the juicy, tender chicken underneath. We tried a few different breading mix options, mixing plain baking flour with corn-flour in various ratios, but we found that just using the Orgran Gluten Free Plain Flour as is, then adding your flavouring, works perfectly every time. Orgran is not a sponsor of this video... but hey Orgran flour people... hit me up if you appreciate the love in this video! 😉 Seriously though, this flour makes a great crunchy exterior to the fried chicken, and it hasn't failed us since we first tried it. Here is the recipe: 2 large chicken breasts, cut into ~2 finger thickness strips 300ml buttermilk BBQ spice rub (a bought one or make your own) 250-300g of breading mix (Orgran Gluten Free Plain Flour works well) ~1 litre vegetable oil for frying Place the chicken strips into a large bowl and cover well with the BBQ spice rub. Pour over the buttermilk, enough to cover the chicken, then mix the chicken strips briefly through the buttermilk. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Add the flour mix to a plastic bag (I like to use the bag that the rolls came in), and add the BBQ spice rub to the flour and mix well by closing and shaking the bag. Be generous with the spice rub. Test some by tasting a pinch of the mix. You should be able to taste the saltiness and other flavours in the spice rub. If you can't, and it still tastes like plain flour, add more spice rub, mix and repeat until it tastes good. Heat your oil in large cast-iron casserole pot, like a Le Creuset pot. You want a heavy bottomed pot to hold as much heat as possible. This stops the temperature dipping for too long when you add the chicken to the oil. Use a thermometer and ensure the temperature is around 180 degrees C. While the oil is heating, drop each chicken strip into the bag of breading mix and give it a shake about to cover it. Squeeze the mix into the chicken so that as much sticks to the chicken strip as possible, then set aside on a plate. Once all the pieces are covered, your oil should be hot enough to start frying. Drop as many pieces as will comfortably fit into the pot without crowding it, and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the outside is a nice golden brown. Serve with condiments of your choice and enjoy. Let the oil cool, then strain/filter it for re-use next time. NOTE: Apologies the audio mixing levels in this video. I made the music too loud and my voice not loud enough in many parts. I am only starting out with video editing/production and do everything myself, so I am going to learn from this and make sure it doesn't happen in future videos. I also make my electronic music in my spare time, so if you like the music in my videos, please feel free to check it out on Spotify and most other music providers: This song: Blue Cloudy Sky: https://open.spotify.com/track/0KD0HViK4K933OHc4LkN9I?si=6684b55833084926 Album this song is from: NvK - Life (2022): https://open.spotify.com/album/6aKsgKqfK5vo7BWc908jaf?si=Oong3OP0QJyo8yxngZgT4A

This video shows the harvest of the potatoes I planted in one of the raised beds. I didn't mound up around the potato stems as I should have while they were growing, and you can see the results of not doing so. A pretty decent little harvest overall though, and I know what I need to do for next time.... and there definitely will be a next time, because I have more than enough inedible potatoes to replant.

Clouds are so amazing. I love seeing them melt away into nothing, and then other clouds appear out of nothing. The way they move is mesmerising.

This is one of the ways I like to use up some of the turmeric and ginger that I grow. The flavour of the turmeric is distinctive, but pleasant and works really well with the tangy citrus and sweetness from the honey and sugar. And of course, turmeric is meant to be really good for you... so, win right there, right? The addition of a little bit of yeast and storing in airtight bottles to ferment gives a nice fizz to the drink. Be sure to use strong brewing bottles for this. In summer, the fermentation can happen quite quickly and build up a lot of pressure. You should check the bottles daily after 2 or so days to look for signs of bubbles. Shine a torch through the bottle to look for bubbles. Once you see bubbles, I open one to try. If it needs longer, I leave the others and try again in a day or two. If it's ready, I put all the others into the fridge, which stops the fermentation, and leave them there to use when ready. If you leave the ferment for too long, you can get some impressive fountain action, but it's a waste of most of the tasty beverage and all the work you put into making it. But when you get it right, it's a really good drink. Enjoy over ice as is... or spice things up a bit with some vodka, rum, or gin.

Round 2 it seems... I assume this is the same kookaburra as before. Again, it didn't seem terribly phased by me getting close to it and holding my phone up close to it. Quite a relaxed bird.

This kookaburra just didn't seem concerned about me at all. Really cool to be able to get up so close to it. I shot this on my iPhone 6. Still pretty good quality video for a phone that's nearing retirement.

This video shows me digging out and harvesting the turmeric and ginger plants I have in a bed in the front garden. I expected that the ginger didn't do that well, as the plants were only put in last season from small cuttings. The plants themselves didn't grow very big and had already died off completely. I actually got a few useable chunks of ginger, which is more than I was expecting. The turmeric plants all looked very healthy and I must admit, I did expect more from them, considering how much I got from the two plants in the back garden. I ended up with about the same (~700g) from the back and front garden, but from 5-6 plants in the front, I did expect a bit more. I'm hoping that the application of organic fertiliser will help with a more impressive harvest next season. I'll also need to remember to fertilise a bit more regularly, which is something I probably didn't do as much as I should have last season. It was also a good excuse to get that bed cleared of weeds and mulched again.

This video shows me digging out and harvesting the two main turmeric plants I have in the back garden... and the ginger. A little disappointing on the ginger front. No matter, it at least provided four good pieces with roots to plant again (which was a tad rushed due to the rain). Hopefully the harvest of ginger will be better next season. The turmeric did very well though. I got ~700g of usable turmeric from those two plants (and a lot of pieces to re-plant), and I still have yet to harvest the ones in the front yard. That is coming up in Part 2 of this video.

We hope you enjoy our tasty granola! It makes a large batch, so is great to share with family or friends. Anita’s Homemade Granola Recipe by Anita @ Leave Room for Dessert http://leaveroomfordessert.com/anitas-homemade-granola/ 150g honey 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon vanilla essence 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (optional) 1/4 teaspoon salt 140g (3/4 cup) vegetable oil 500g (5 cups) rolled oats 400g (3 cups) mixed nuts (I use what I have in the cupboard, almond, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecan, walnuts etc), chopped 40g (1/4 cup) sunflower seeds 40g (1/4 cup) pepitas (pumpkin seeds) 65g (1 cup) shredded coconut 40g (1/4 cup) hemp seeds Preheat oven to 150C (fan forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper. Mix together the oats, nuts, seeds and coconut in very large bowl. Whisk together the honey, cinnamon, vanilla essence and vanilla bean seeds (if using) and salt in a bowl until well combined. Add the oil and whisk again until well combined. Pour the honey mixture into the oat mixture and stir with a spoon or spatula until well combined. Divide the mixture onto the two trays and push to fill the tray. Once the mixture has filled the tray, make a line in the centre of each (this helps make the cooking more even). Make sure to press the mixture down firmly. If you want smaller pieces more like a muesli, Bake for 15- 20 minutes, stirring the granola occasionally (every 5-10 minutes) to ensure even cooking. Once cooked to your liking, turn the temperature down to very low and allow the granola to dry in the oven 10min at 100-120C – this will make it store longer. If you want large chunks: Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the granola is nice and golden (checking and rotating trays after 10 minutes). Wait until the granola has cooled completely before breaking into edible sized pieces. When breaking the pieces apart, you may find the edges break easily, but the centre portion may have some give or stickiness. If this is the case, put the broken pieces back in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Again, wait until completely cooled before transferring to a container for storage.

Crazy Cooking Sunday didn't happen intentionally. We needed to make and use up a number of things we had bought or grown, and it just happened that we ended up with a ridiculous day of cooking (and filming). - Breakfast: Pancakes with sliced banana, scoop of vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup (didn't do a video for this one - next time maybe) - Lunch: Teriyaki salmon poke bowl (video link below) - Dinner: Carne Asada Fajitas (this video!) We also: - Made a home-made chilli sauce (video link below) - Picked our very first pineapple to have with the fajitas (video link below) This was indeed an epic day and I'm glad it happened. Video links: Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 1: Teriyaki salmon poke bowl: https://rumble.com/v4bx0cx-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-1-teriyaki-salmon-poke-bowl-lunch.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 2: Chilli sauce: https://rumble.com/v4c4u76-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-2-chilli-sauce.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 3: Picking our first pineapple: https://rumble.com/v4c4wmx-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-3-picking-our-first-pineapple.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 4: Carne Asada Fajitas: https://rumble.com/v4c4xli-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-4-carne-asada-fajitas-dinner.html Acknowledgements: I followed Joshua Weissman's recipe for the white flour tortillas. Thank you @JoshuaWeissman . This is the best white flour tortilla recipe I've found. - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynexTOjHbRs - Recipe: https://www.joshuaweissman.com/post/flour-tortillas Recipe: Small handful of coriander/cilantro leaves, finely chopped 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1/3 cup of olive oil 2 teaspoons ground cumin Juice of 1 orange Juice of 1 lime 5-6 cloves of crushed garlic Salt, black pepper to taste ~1kg skirt steak Juice the citrus and place into a bowl large enough to contain the steak. You could also do this in a large ziploc bag. Add the oil, garlic, soy sauce, cumin, salt and pepper and mix well. Place the steak into the marinade, cover and leave in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 hours, or overnight. Cook the steak on the BBQ over a high heat, turning every 2 minutes or so. Ensure the thickest part of the steak is at the level of doneness that you like your steak. For medium-rare, I usually make sure the thickest part hits 52 degrees celsius. The temp will climb a couple of degrees after you take it off and rest it. Rest for 5-10 mins before slicing.

Crazy Cooking Sunday didn't happen intentionally. We needed to make and use up a number of things we had bought or grown, and it just happened that we ended up with a ridiculous day of cooking (and filming). - Breakfast: Pancakes with sliced banana, scoop of vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup (didn't do a video for this one - next time maybe) - Lunch: Teriyaki salmon poke bowl (video link below) - Dinner: Carne Asada Fajitas (video link below) We also: - Made a home-made chilli sauce (video link below) - Picked our very first pineapple to have with the fajitas (this video!) This was indeed an epic day and I'm glad it happened. The pineapple was unexpectedly sweet. I thought that not being in the ideal location in terms of sun exposure would have meant that it might be acidic or tart, but it was beautifully sweet! Video links: Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 1: Teriyaki salmon poke bowl: https://rumble.com/v4bx0cx-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-1-teriyaki-salmon-poke-bowl-lunch.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 2: Chilli sauce: https://rumble.com/v4c4u76-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-2-chilli-sauce.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 3: Picking our first pineapple: https://rumble.com/v4c4wmx-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-3-picking-our-first-pineapple.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 4: Carne Asada Fajitas: https://rumble.com/v4c4xli-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-4-carne-asada-fajitas-dinner.html

Crazy Cooking Sunday didn't happen intentionally. We needed to make and use up a number of things we had bought or grown, and it just happened that we ended up with a ridiculous day of cooking (and filming). - Breakfast: Pancakes with sliced banana, scoop of vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup (didn't do a video for this one - next time maybe) - Lunch: Teriyaki salmon poke bowl (video link below) - Dinner: Carne Asada Fajitas (video link below) We also: - Made a home-made chilli sauce (this video!) - Picked our very first pineapple to have with the fajitas (video link below) This was indeed an epic day and I'm glad it happened. Video links: Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 1: Teriyaki salmon poke bowl: https://rumble.com/v4bx0cx-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-1-teriyaki-salmon-poke-bowl-lunch.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 2: Chilli sauce: https://rumble.com/v4c4u76-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-2-chilli-sauce.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 3: Picking our first pineapple: https://rumble.com/v4c4wmx-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-3-picking-our-first-pineapple.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 4: Carne Asada Fajitas: https://rumble.com/v4c4xli-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-4-carne-asada-fajitas-dinner.html Recipe: Some chillies - weight? amount? similar to what I had in the video, sorry, didn't weigh it 1 1/2 cups white vinegar, or feel free to mix other type of vinegar, i.e. apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup of water 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika (I didn't have any smoked or would have used that) 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum (I used 1/2 teaspoon, which was just too much) Remove seeds and stalks of chillies. Place everything into a saucepan, and cook on high heat for 5-10 mins, or until the chillies have softened and changed colour. Use a stick blender to blend everything well. Sterilize your bottles or jars with boiling water. (Not shown in video) Strain sauce through a sieve to remove any skins or seeds that didn't get blended. Strain into another saucepan to keep the sauce hot while you strain the sauce. Remove from heat. Whisk through the xanthan gum, then transfer to your sterilised bottles or jars.

Crazy Cooking Sunday didn't happen intentionally. We needed to make and use up a number of things we had bought or grown, and it just happened that we ended up with a ridiculous day of cooking (and filming). - Breakfast: Pancakes with sliced banana, scoop of vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup (didn't do a video for this one - next time maybe) - Lunch: Teriyaki salmon poke bowl (this video!) - Dinner: Carne Asada Fajitas (video link below) We also: - Made a home-made chilli sauce (video link below) - Picked our very first pineapple to have with the fajitas This was indeed an epic day and I'm glad it happened. Video links: Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 1: Teriyaki salmon poke bowl: https://rumble.com/v4bx0cx-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-1-teriyaki-salmon-poke-bowl-lunch.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 2: Chilli sauce: https://rumble.com/v4c4u76-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-2-chilli-sauce.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 3: Picking our first pineapple: https://rumble.com/v4c4wmx-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-3-picking-our-first-pineapple.html Crazy Cooking Sunday - Part 4: Carne Asada Fajitas: https://rumble.com/v4c4xli-crazy-cooking-sunday-part-4-carne-asada-fajitas-dinner.html Recipe: (Coming soon)

Picking the ripe Bishop's Crown chillies before a solid few days of rain sets in. These chillies are destined for a chilli sauce. I also needed to feed the chickens and give them some water in the light rain, so that I don't have to do it when it's pouring.

Time to reset one of the raised garden beds by pulling out anything unproductive or nearing end of life, choosing some seeds and chucking them in.

Going out to pick the remainder of the Shepard and Pinkerton avocados for this season. We lost a few of the Shepard to something (fruit bat, rats maybe - not sure), but the ones we got were great and better than many of the later season Hass avocados available at the shops. Flowers are starting to form on the Hass, Shepard and Pinkerton now, so hopefully we should start seeing a good crop of new fruit setting once the flowering is done.

A very quick growing and tasty bean. 8-9 weeks from seed to harvest. We cooked a good lot of these up with a Greek style lamb shoulder.

A beautiful scene of the Blue Mountains from Blackheath, Australia where I recently stayed with my friends for our annual weekend away.

I set this up on my front verandah, but I think next time the sky looks like it will put on this kind of display, I'll get the ladder out and set the tripod up on the roof.

This video shows harvesting the sweet potatoes from the vines I planted in one of my raised beds last year. This is the second harvest of sweet potatoes from that bed. Not quite as impressive as the first one, but still some reasonable sweet potatoes in there. I needed to fill the bed up again as the soil settles, so I emptied one of the compost bins and filled the bed up with that. I also showed how to replant sweet potato runners.