Son Of Steptoe

Son # 5 the Landscaper is doing a quick paving job for me this week. It's on a scungy bit of back deck where the clothesline is. He is a chip off the old block as all the materials excluding the sand are second hand. Or couched in more genteel terms, 'We are currently engaged in a project utilizing repurposed materials which have been sourced from a conflict-free, environmentally neutral source.' Which is probably gildling the lily a bit as the Landscaper scabbed the large sandstone pavers from a client who's new girlfriend didn't approve of them 'cos his ex-wife had chosen them & she wanted the lot ripped out & replaced to her specifications.....go figure.

Anyhoo, they have ended up here & I couldn't be happier. The Landscaper reckons once he's finished he'll give them a quick once over with the high pressure cleaner & they'll be gorgeous. And then I've been told I need to slap some black gloss paint over the hideous green railing.....just like that!

As a gesture of familial solidarity, the Landscaper reckons he'll give any lovely Hedgie in the Adelaide metro area & Adelaide Hills who books in a landscaping job between now & the end of April 2012 25% off the total cost of quotation. Irrigation, new lawns, topiary, paving, decking, garden lighting, ornamental pruning, water features - anything you want, he can do. If you're interested just drop me an email at thelaurelhedge@gmail.com for his contact details. He's got a stack of photos of his work up on his Facebook page too, so I can direct you to that if you're interested. Now we are just about even I reckon!!

Defying The Odds

For some reason, as we were moving up here to Stirling from the Adelaide Plains we forgot to ask about the rainfall. In the ensuing 6 years we have discovered the bleeding obvious - it RAINS & RAINS & RAINS!

In fact Stirling is the wettest place in South Australia, receiving an average of 1200mm. (47 inches) of rain per year - more than twice the average of Adelaide. The mean Summer temperatures are about 5C. (9F.) lower than in Adelaide, attested by the plummeting thermoter in my car as I climb the Freeway home from the city in the late arvo.

It also explains why Stirling is often recommended as a good place to lob for new arrived Pommie migrants, again attested by a recent conversation overhead at the Stirling Chicken Shop between the owners Zack, Luke & Jim & a couple of newly transplanted Pommie locals. 'For the 50th time we don't have cod & chips on the menu, & just because it's called butterfish doesn't mean it's deep fried in butter!!!' Our Winters too are decidedly chilly, with average maximum temp. across June/July/August & often beyond, of a nippy 11C. (52F.)

So I reckon these pics of our Kaffir lime tree & red hot chillies are a minor miracle, seeing as we have just had another rubbish Summer, following on from last year, where I wore a cardie right through January! The kaffir was brought up from our old house at Unley & has amazed us with it's vigorous growth up here in Chillsville. It's now over 7' tall & continues to provide the entire neighbourhood & most of my clients with their regular supply of leaves for Thai cooking.

The recipe below is one of my favourite ways to use up the chillies & lime leaves & although it's very fiddly, is well worth the effort. It's a Saturday arvo job & after a good simmer in the sauce, the meat from the short ribs just falls from the bones.

Thanks to you all for your excellent messages of sympathy & support re the dodgy knee. I'm feeling a lot better today & managed to drive to Foodland & shuffle around with the trolley. Back to work tomorrow for a very big day, more of that to come. Suffice to say, that metaphorical train I've been on is just about to pull into the Station big time!

Red curry of beef with green peppercorns, wild ginger and holy basil (from the gorgeous
Martin Boetz of Longrain)
Serves 6
Prep time: 45 mins. Cook time: 3 hrs 30 mins (plus cooling)

Ingredients
150gm. coconut oil
1kg. meaty beef short ribs, (Martin uses boneless but I prefer them with the bones) cut into 4cm. pieces (my butcher Chris is always happy to do this for me, bless him!)
500ml. (2 cups) chicken stock, brought to the simmer
300ml. coconut cream, brought to the simmer
50ml. fish sauce, or to taste
1 tablespoon palm sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon wild ginger (which is labelled as krachai in and is available in jars from the Asian grocer)
3-4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
1 long red chilli, deseeded & thinly sliced
1 stalk fresh green peppercorns (generally hard to find so I substitute a dessertspoon of the preserved ones from the jar, sorry Martin)
1 cup each (firmly packed) holy basil leaves (Stirling Fruit Shop is now stocking them - yay!)

Red curry paste
1 red onion, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 coriander roots, scraped and cleaned
(4cm piece) fresh galangal, thinly sliced (easy to find these days, hooray!)
50gm. smoked trout, coarsely flaked (MOTH scoffs off the remainder in a flash on a cracker bikkie with a slurp of horseradish cream!)
10 long dried red chillies, seeds removed, soaked in warm water for 15 mins, drained
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon dried shrimp paste, roasted in a piece of aluminium foil in the oven for a few minutes until 'fragrant' (I keep ours stored in an old Moccona coffee jar which MOTH has stuck a label on that reads OO PONG Shrimp Paste!)
1 tablespoon white or black peppercorns, coarsely ground in the little mortar & pestle (no need to bring the Big Daddy job out for this!)

Cucumber relish
200ml rice wine vinegar
150gm caster sugar
2 coriander roots, scraped and cleaned
1 pickled garlic head (again picked up in a jar from the Asian grocer)
1 Lebanese cucumber, diced
5cm piece of fresh ginger, cut into julienne
1 red shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 long red chilli, deseeded & julienned
1/2 cup loosely packed coriander leaves

Method
1. For red curry paste, pound onion, garlic, coriander roots and galangal in a large mortar and pestle to a coarse paste, then transfer to a food processor. Pound remaining ingredients (except peppercorns) with 1 tbsp sea salt to a coarse paste, then add to processor or blender and process to a smooth paste, stir through pepper. Makes 250ml. (stores in the fridge for 5-6 days & freezes really well in a little glass jar clearly labelled)

2. For cucumber relish, combine vinegar, sugar, coriander root and garlic in a small saucepan, bring to the boil, remove from heat, strain and cool to room temperature. Combine cucumber, ginger, shallot, chilli and coriander leaves in a bowl, add vinegar mixture and set aside. Makes about 300ml.

3. Melt coconut oil in a large saucepan over low-medium heat, add curry paste and 1 teaspoon sea salt, stir until fragrant and roasted (10-15 mins). Add beef, cook until sealed (2-3 mins). Add stock and coconut cream, cook until fragrant (2-3 mins). Season to taste with a slurp of fish sauce and palm sugar, cook over low heat until meat is tender (2½-3 hrs), adding more stock if necessary. Add ginger, lime leaves, chilli and peppercorns and season to taste – it should be hot, salty and sweet. Add basil, simmer for 5 mins, then serve scattered with kaffir lime and chilli, with steamed rice and cucumber relish to the side.

Image & recipe: Gourmet Traveller

Down The Garden Path

MOTH told me I had to wander down to the Tennis Court early this morning as there was a surprise for me. His girls the Christmas & Oriental Lillies are starting to bloom, with the yellow Orientals beating their Christmas sisters by at least 3 weeks.

They are so strong & vigorous this year & are taller than me (but that's not saying much!). Whatever secret MOTH concoction he's put on them has worked I reckon.

I was surprised to see these beauties as well. MOTH had a client who didn't want them any more in her garden, so MOTH's dug them out & adopted them. I did suggest that in this early phase of his crook back recovery & return to a few hours work a day he remain vigilant about any heavy lifting. I can see that suggestion was taken on board - NOT. I thought that a freezing cold Adelaide Hills Winter wouldn't be the best for the Dracenas, but then I looked at the Oriental Lillies & figured they do OK.

His spud patch is coming along well. It's full of his favourite Tasmanian Pink Eyes. If you've never tasted them do yourself a favour & hunt them down, they truly are the King of Spuds. Thanks to everyone who left kind comments on yesterday's post. I really have run out of emotional steam & am so looking forward to restoking my coals tomorrow & Sunday. Its the weekend my friends, go enjoy!

Getting My Drift

MOTH 's crook back is giving him less grief at the moment, so yesterday he spent all day in the garden. He continued on with the huge task of laying all the big stepping stones into the terrace he's made as a path down onto the small meadow. I was very excited as I peeped out the window at one stage & saw him mixing up concrete to set the stones. Believe me that is progress!

We've been talking a lot about what we are going to do next in that space. It's lovely & sheltered as it's surrounded by the laurel hedge & has a number of wonderful old shady trees, so I have gardens on my mind big time. I don't want any structured plantings, just drifts of flowers with a gravel path meandering through. In my research yesterday, I stumbled across the work of UK-based Kiwi ex-pat Anthony Paull. This garden he completed in Provence won him 1st prize for the 'best private garden' in the 2009 Torsanlorenzo International design competition. I can understand why. I love your drifts Anthony babe.

MOTH wandered out early this morning to check on his work & came back inside to report that there will be a couple of koalas in the neighbourhood not too happy this morning. The wet concrete was covered in koala foot prints. Yes, it's that time of the year dear Hedgies, so stay turned for this year's amorous koala report. I reckon the boy koalas are loading new Barry White songs into the koala stereo as quick as their little concrete-covered paws will let them!

Images: Anthony Paull

Arborus Innominatus

....or in my lingo the 'No Idea Tree'! Now that our camelias & rhodies are on their last legs, there's not much in the garden to grab to chuck inside for some colour. So a few branchs of spring blossom from one of the trees down on our small meadow had to suffice. Every year when this tree emerges from the depths of a miserable, cold Adelaide Hills winter to put on a truly glorious show, I ask MOTH what kind of tree it is. And each year I get the same response from Mr. Know It All, ' It's an Arborus Innominatus Mills'. So today when I brought this arm full inside, I did my best Pauline imitation & asked MOTH to please explain. 'Well Millie if you must know it translates to the 'No Bloody Idea' tree. Yep, ask a silly question & all that.

A Second Chance

I posted about James Doyle back in 2008 here, suggesting that he might find the gardens at The Hedge a worthy project to undertake on a pro-bono basis. Strangely I received no reply from him.

Anyhoo, being the forgiving, hold-no-grudges type of gal that I am, I'm still willing to give JD a bit of free publicity again.

Pretty good huh.

MOTH knows about my penchant for herringbone pattern bricks. I forced asked him to repave the driveway like this 4 years ago. He said it was the most horrendous satisfying paving project he'd ever done.

I'll let you all know if I receive a reply this time. If I get my wish & The Hedge receives a garden makeover courtesy of Mr. Doyle, I reckon it would make the cover of Veranda in a heartbeat. And then I'd really have something to post about!!!

All images: James Doyle Design Associates

Birch/Laurel Loop

Another quiet couple of weeks at The Hedge the blog, but behind The Hedge it's been pandemonium! A nightmare week at work with everything that could have gone wrong doing just that & MOTH's crook back still giving him heaps. We've just got back from our Sunday walk & I thought you'd like to see where we've been.

A couple of years ago I took you with me on my regular walking route on a hot Summer day. The foliage on the trees obstructed the view of most of the gorgeous houses, but today Winter's last hurrah means that the houses can be seen in all their glory! St. Vigean's is the jewel in the crown & the first house on the Birch Road/Laurel Road loop.

Love that verandah & the decorative wrought iron to bits!

Yep, it's MOTH & Lulu out enjoying the Hills air.

There are still lots of Winter creeks running on properties.

Here's Dunfuin in all it's Edwardian glory.

It's probably still too cold for sitting out on the verandah with a late afternoon G&T.

I'm always captivated by the terracotta tile work on Dunfuin's roof.

Oak Tree House is quite a different style for the area.

But still very pretty in it's unique way.

My favourite style of Hills gate.

As MOTH would say 'There's a heap of Angry Pantha's happening there Mills!'

This incline always gets the heart racing.

Copperfield & the resident guard cat.

What's got MOTH's attention?

The enclosed deck on this house that's just been completed. MOTH's been watching the Builder's do their thing & taking notes for months.

And here's my very favourite house Redwalls.

Complete with quite the most amazing clipped Ivy bank I've ever seen.

And matching detached garage.

Round the bend into a part of the loop where the houses are of a much older vintage.

I don't know the name of this house, but it's on a huge piece of land & a massive amount of restoration has been conducted over the past few years. If it's yours, do let us know!

Byethorne Lodge sits next to it.

It must have been the Gate House for the previous house & I've always thought what a wonderful little Hills retreat it would make.

Love Stirling's tall trees & the other 2 in this pic as well!

Another Winter creek on the way home.

Our neighbour's sweet little cottage.

Home again - & yes, it's camelia time here at The Hedge & one of my faves by the front door. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that it's goat curry for dinner here tonight. I'll tweet later & let you know how it tasted. I've only cooked with goat once before, so I had to wing it a bit with this one, but as I opened the door, the aroma drifting up from the slow cooker certainly indicates it will be OK! Have a wonderful week dear Hedgies.