tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18970178223836542732024-02-19T14:40:03.964+11:00Pottering aroundDr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-45832470029354585692019-12-26T09:55:00.000+11:002019-12-26T09:55:31.735+11:00Pavlova quest part VIAnother Christmas, another pavlova... I really feel that I'm getting pretty close to nailing the perfect method for my mixer/oven now. Armed with yet more info from Anneka Manning's <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/food/explainer/make-meringue" target="_blank">how to make the perfect meringue</a>, I hypothesised that I'm getting weeping mainly from OVER beating, plus a bit more cornflour should help to stabilise things even more. There was also an interesting note that the vinegar helps to acidify the mix, producing a more stable foam so it should be added at the beginning, especially for not so fresh eggs... I added it when I moved the mix to the stand mixer, when all the sugar was in, so I'm not sure whether it helped adding it earlier or not.<br />
<br />
So here we go again:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>190g egg whites, 310 g caster sugar</li>
<li>whisk over double boiler until temperature of mix exceeds 60C (a little lower than my previous 70C, but apparently 60 is enough for pasteurisation)</li>
<li>transfer to mixer and beat, slowly increasing speed to medium (speed 6) over the first five to six minutes. </li>
<li>I ended up beating for a total of 10 minutes, which was the same as previously BUT I didn't exceed speed 6. </li>
<li>I may have been imaginging it, but when finished the mixture had a finer texture than previously, which would align with the overbeating hypothesis. Mix was actually very stiff, with peaks not flopping over, which was a little stiffer than I would normally use.</li>
<li>Note that even at the 10 minute mark, the bowl was still slightly warm to the touch, which goes against the standard advice to keep beating until the bowl is cool (room temp).</li>
<li>Add cornflour, 1 tablespoon = 4 teaspoons (Australian measure!) or approximately 1 tspn per egg white (assume 1 large egg white ~40g). This is double what I would normally add for a pav this size.</li>
<li>Add 1 tspn white wine vinegar (1 tspn per 4 egg whites) and a few drops of vanilla</li>
<li>Preheated oven to 120C and turn down to 100C immediately on putting pav into oven</li>
<li>Bake for 75 mins total (1:15)</li>
</ul>
<div>
I used the probe thermometer again, and it hit 80C after about 55 mins, and stayed there until the 1:15 mark. So I think I really do need the slightly higher oven temp of 100C (rather than 90C) to get the marshmallow part of the pav to cook fully.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmgwoSGfZTgwxAkQo3gyrS03FHPzKIy_Ifxt5zE_52tei6HCQm2deRnj0CCE092-PRM0ObnWGWHOUVDLv0v0RpjXDpUbEYTc9BTJD7-uuUgKKFRY2LfuEOC2qvMWgX2FErtks6aut1z4/s1600/20191224_191839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmgwoSGfZTgwxAkQo3gyrS03FHPzKIy_Ifxt5zE_52tei6HCQm2deRnj0CCE092-PRM0ObnWGWHOUVDLv0v0RpjXDpUbEYTc9BTJD7-uuUgKKFRY2LfuEOC2qvMWgX2FErtks6aut1z4/s320/20191224_191839.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And the result?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSwZms_jucrDQDCZR0cCZTXwZ4Nt5FuJGWG8AGvoWbGRfGdVGOly-uRiycQqtwxd2CU1GwU_GIURuNzlagt9Ft44Vj718XdAQ2aIpAJXv9VTrsaGJlNHIgUHho86ZEYuWiKEwGosx5JQ/s1600/20191225_074258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSwZms_jucrDQDCZR0cCZTXwZ4Nt5FuJGWG8AGvoWbGRfGdVGOly-uRiycQqtwxd2CU1GwU_GIURuNzlagt9Ft44Vj718XdAQ2aIpAJXv9VTrsaGJlNHIgUHho86ZEYuWiKEwGosx5JQ/s320/20191225_074258.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div>
Pretty happy with this result. A bit of cracking as you can see but not too much marshmallow shrinkage. I probably could have cooked it 10-15 minutes less, but I was a bit concerned at the 55 minute mark that the outer shell didn't feel really dry. It was even a little soft and springy when I pushed on it. I probably could have turned down the oven for the last half hour just to dry out the shell without shrinking the marshmallow. </div>
<div>
The smallest bit of weeping in the middle of the ring. This pav may have cooked a little quicker becasue of its ring shape, rather than the usual circle, but I think the use of the probe thermometer takes the guesswork out as I now know that once the temp hits 80C, I just need another 20-30 minutes (max) to complete the drying out. Overall pretty good!!!</div>
Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-21832678669427298922019-11-05T17:54:00.000+11:002019-11-05T17:54:49.410+11:00Pavlova quest part V<div dir="ltr">
A long time between pavlova posts, but as I've changed techniques quite a lot in the last year or so, I thought I should make some notes!</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The biggest change is to use the same initial technique as used in swiss buttercream to get the sugar dissolved in the egg white, that is, to use a double boiler to gently heat the egg whites and beat in the sugar by hand until the temperature reaches around 70 degrees Celsius. this is a sure fire way of making sure all the sugar is dissolved, meaning that the mix can be whisked at full speed. I havent done a comparison to really compare if this affects the final volume of the result, but it does give a beautifully stiff mix quite easily. Of course heating the mix has the advantage of basically pasteurising the eggs too! </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The rest of the recipe is unchanged, with the sugar to egg white ratio still being 1:1.65<br />
<br />
I've had pretty good success with this technique, getting well risen pavlovas with none of the possible under cooking problems I had before (oozing syrup) but still some cracking.<br />
<br />
Some sites prefer to use a long slow bake rather than an initial high heat, so that's what this trial is about. Previously I've always had the interior marshmallow part shrink, so there's a gap at the top of the pavlova, indicating that it was cooked for too long (water evaporates, shrinking the marshmallow). Temperatures higher than 100C are likely to make the pav crack, but the exterior doesn't brown. I'd really like to get a snowy white pav, so I'm going to try a long slow cook at 90C for around 2 hours.<br />
<br />
I'm also going to use my probe thermometer - we're aiming for 80C in the middle. As per <a href="https://decalt.com.au/index.php/gluten-free-baking-tips/95-gluten-free-techniques-methods/343-pavlova-tips" target="_blank">this site</a>, I can always give it a quick hot blast again after the initial baking if I really want to brown the exterior.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
So here's the latest trial notes:</div>
<ul>
<li>I used ~240g of egg whites to 390g of caster sugar</li>
<li>After whisking egg whites and all of the sugar over a double boiler, beat on a stand mixer (max speed 8 after slowly increasing speed from 2 over the first 5 mins, for a total of 10 minutes (exactly)</li>
<li>Add vinegar (1 tsp) and cornflour (1tsp/4 eggwhites) as normal</li>
<li>Despite being a big pav (~6-7 extra large egg whites), it was about the same height as I would normally use, but a bit broader at ~23cm diameter</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 90C. I've recently added an oven thermometer which confirms my oven temp is pretty much what it says on the dial, albeit with some hot spots</li>
<li>Place probe thermometer in the pav. A bit tricky as the pav isnt really solid enough when raw to hold it above the sheet pan, but I sort of jerry rigged it</li>
<li>
Bake on 2nd lowest shelf (the pav is then in the middle of the oven) for approx 120 mins</li>
</ul>
<div>
And how did it turn out?</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5Si1Acaq6vQDUmBv8L9fnXZNU1a2WsoHZ-ieSFa9X9nesWMW14y8wN_cHfY4LPMmaSdfA20Gep65zuLPus-HglUmPCf03u47w1wNxgjUiv4buzwNFVWUC0un7q47y4rEXjiLcgAK6Og/s1600/20191105_120829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5Si1Acaq6vQDUmBv8L9fnXZNU1a2WsoHZ-ieSFa9X9nesWMW14y8wN_cHfY4LPMmaSdfA20Gep65zuLPus-HglUmPCf03u47w1wNxgjUiv4buzwNFVWUC0un7q47y4rEXjiLcgAK6Og/s320/20191105_120829.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pav as baked, with holes from probe thermometer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQO9kD_3kGHChQ6SCNObjRxi0rRyGKfLJIAdFCkcAyPqfWSvk9Iooy29nkcRxamagEWneqs8JmzwNru9Lc0n2IE5cBWeXc_M_zL8LyPyPKlKBjX9mI8Lmg-p3wqp-YaE8NZu1Mnyq1fmM/s1600/20191105_124027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQO9kD_3kGHChQ6SCNObjRxi0rRyGKfLJIAdFCkcAyPqfWSvk9Iooy29nkcRxamagEWneqs8JmzwNru9Lc0n2IE5cBWeXc_M_zL8LyPyPKlKBjX9mI8Lmg-p3wqp-YaE8NZu1Mnyq1fmM/s320/20191105_124027.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And voila!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some notes:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>nice shape and pale colour, with a little cracking, but not too badly (better than previously)</li>
<li>the marshmallow has shrunk away from the crisp crust quite a bit, indicating the pav was cooked for too long</li>
<li>there is clear/yellowish syrup leaking from the base, which also suggests the pav may have been cooked too long (when the marshmallow shrinks, it squeezes out water)</li>
<li>the temp never really got above 75-77C, and the egg whites should be above 80C to be fully cooked and stable. It reached this temp at about 60-70mins, and then never really got any higher. I suspect this might be because the foam is such a good insulator, its hard to make it rise without a higher oven temp</li>
</ul>
<div>
Next steps...</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>try a marginally higher temp of 100C, but a shorter cook time to try to get the middle to come up to over 80C without resulting in later weeping</li>
</ul>
</div>
Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-69477090575168042002017-02-18T20:37:00.000+11:002017-09-06T17:13:52.241+10:00Pavlova quest part IVHere we are again with another pavlova make. This time for the Potter annual reuinion in Melbourne when patriarch Laurie joins us from the north.<br />
<br />
As I think I'm finally narrowing down the parameters, part IV is not much changed from part III, but as part III still saw significant drying out of the interior, the aim this time was to try to refine my baking time.<br />
<br />
So:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>127g egg whites</li>
<li>210g caster sugar</li>
<li>pinch salt</li>
</ul>
<div>
Beat till soft peaks form (speed 4) and then gradually add sugar (speed 6). Add vanilla, cornflour with last of sugar (4-5 mins total) and then beat another 5 mins on speed 10. Add white wine vinegar and beat in. The mix did not seem as stiff as previous efforts.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Place in preheated oven (130C) on low shelf (No. 4) and immediately turn down to 100C and bottom element only. Bake 70 mins. Just showing first signs of cracking when I turned the oven off but left the pav inside, door closed.<br />
<br />
First impressions are that I haven't gotten the say amount of rise - so need more heat at the start of the bake. So next time either preheat a little hotter or wait 10 mins before turning down the oven. It's a bit hard to say given this mix didn't seem as stiff as usual.</div>
Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-11436815545726373912017-02-18T19:24:00.002+11:002017-02-18T19:24:43.935+11:00Chook updateIn 2016 we added 2 black Araucana bantams to our flock. At least they are both supposed to Araucanas, but only one lays green eggs and has the rose comb of the breed. The other lays white eggs and has a pointy comb, so she must be a mutt. The one with the pointy crown is (Queen) Elsa, and her sister is Anna (naturally)).<br />
<br />
On Cup Day 2016 (1 November, or the first Tues in November, our first hatched chicken joined the flock. We got some fertile eggs so our broody Wyandotte Caramel and Anna could hatch them. Fortunately the one Red Ancona that made it turned out to be a girl. Her name is Bing Bunny chicken.Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-5985283475905057262017-01-10T13:17:00.003+11:002017-01-10T13:17:43.374+11:00Pavlova quest part IIIThe quest continues! Here's the outcome of the Christmas 2016 bake, using the quantities and method described in part II, but tweaking the cook times.<br />
<br />
134g egg whites<br />
X1.65 = 220g caster sugar<br />
<br />
Beat egg whites and pinch sugar to soft peaks<br />
Add sugar gradually on speed 6<br />
3-4 mins<br />
<br />
Increase speed to 10 and beat 5-6 mins<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 130<br />
Shelf = position 4 (second from bottom)<br />
Turn down to 110 and set to bottom element only<br />
After 45 mins turn down to 90<br />
Bake 90 min<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZPRrYAVxp8qN6FbxyFpGg6uh_HcR7GfFn4pxyR0kkomASDMnlwQu0spWj7g88pcoiBBv4s6Npmr5r7cUL237yZ10C_8LjPsC-PsHgGxBwAXkAJBcCOauZaZOVccIHss4E_3cKjjnrDM/s1600/20161225_115720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZPRrYAVxp8qN6FbxyFpGg6uh_HcR7GfFn4pxyR0kkomASDMnlwQu0spWj7g88pcoiBBv4s6Npmr5r7cUL237yZ10C_8LjPsC-PsHgGxBwAXkAJBcCOauZaZOVccIHss4E_3cKjjnrDM/s320/20161225_115720.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Pretty good, cracking minimal, but still large air gap at top so still baked too long<br />
See photo, but this was taken after I pushed the top in to fill it with creamDr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-21781819832152862562016-08-24T20:46:00.001+10:002016-08-24T20:46:32.076+10:00Farewell Henny and PennyLost 2 of our Light Sussex friends this week. Not sure why :( but possibly egg-bound in Henny's case. <div><br></div>Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-54275728516707632882016-02-14T20:38:00.001+11:002016-02-15T19:07:47.679+11:00Pavlova quest part II<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The quest for the perfect pavlova continues. A visit from the in laws coupled with making ice cream resulted in 12 eggs whites going begging. The first attempt followed my previous protocol, but wary of warnings about overheating, I stopped just when I felt no grit in my meringue (i.e. All the sugar was dissolved, about 5-6 minutes beating). This resulted in stiff peaks and a meringue that held its uncooked shape well, but not as stiff as I would usually use. Baked on the second lowest rack, preheated to 180 and then turned down to 150 for 30 mins, followed by 120 for another 45.</span></div><div><br></div><div>And here's the baked result.....</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0olM-6RQiVoEPhiYFbQLNowsPBDxEQsLCbWkwSzP6TbxDvtYwTn1LUmx4OnYi91U_E78LbNVs2Kaa2D-OkPmXnqyGgJDDcxbc1HvjabHczEbRcNBZkgC-tnSW1ivl81gCLQJGrOK_yo/s640/blogger-image-64758805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0olM-6RQiVoEPhiYFbQLNowsPBDxEQsLCbWkwSzP6TbxDvtYwTn1LUmx4OnYi91U_E78LbNVs2Kaa2D-OkPmXnqyGgJDDcxbc1HvjabHczEbRcNBZkgC-tnSW1ivl81gCLQJGrOK_yo/s640/blogger-image-64758805.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Disappointing to say the least.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So of course I had to try again. After much googling, I discovered this wonderful site:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.decalt.com.au/gluten-free-recipes/45-gluten-free-recipes/gluten-free-desserts/316-gluten-free-pavlova-tips">http://www.decalt.com.au/gluten-free-recipes/45-gluten-free-recipes/gluten-free-desserts/316-gluten-free-pavlova-tips</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Which is really what I have been looking for - a comparison of different techniques (the scientific method at work!). As it happened I was also concerned with exactly how much egg white there is in a "large egg"' so as to convert my bantam egg whites to "large" as used in most recipes. Turns out it's about 58% of the egg weight! but of course what really matters is the ratio of egg white to sugar. And this great site discusses this at length, finally coming up with a ratio of 1:1.65. This happens to be pretty much what Stephanie Alexander uses (1:1.8, assuming a standard "large egg" is about 60g, even though in the supermarket these are actually sold as "extra large".... You can see why my obsessive compulsiveness really appreciated someone else's thorough examination of this topic!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So coupled with my own intuition that my previous meringue just wasn't stiff enough, this website, as well as a continuing niggling feeling my meringues were too brown, I have concluded my major problem (aside from the insufficient beating) was that my oven is just too hot (Ilve do promote how good their ovens are at retaining heat) and didn't respond quickly enough to turning the temp down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So here's what I changed:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1. Weigh the egg whites - I had 110g from 6 bantam egg whites, so used about 180g caster sugar (I followed the Stephanie Alexander recipe for attempt 1 and used 6 whites to 250g sugar). Cornflour and white vinegar as usual, although I left out the vanilla to try to keep the meringue white - more on this later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2. Follow the beating protocol in Pavlova quest part I by beating to soft peaks, then adding sugar gradually on speed 6, then upping the speed to 10. I added the sugar much more slowly, taking around 4-5 mins, then when beating on speed 10 I stopped maybe every minute or so to check the stiffness. I was looking for stiff peaks that stood upright when lifting the beaters out, but still curled over when I inverted the beaters (pointing skywards). So pretty stiff, but not yet over beaten. Whole process took about 10 minutes. Apparently, according to Phillipa Sibley, if there's a meringue shaped hole when you lift the beaters, that's way too far.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3. Piled the pav higher and a smaller circle than before, to allow for some spreading.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">4. Preheat to 150C only, then turn down to 110C immediately, and bake for two hours. Leave in oven overnight.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And here's the result:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5oZMtkaABHQbx1O1DXfmxv_aNxAw8Az0Zy94yryFTYyg5VJq4o2rrPp_s_dLs7Dkrx7py5DNncbK2Il-ZLgjRQ6GI2E_jKnmRywcYBF91u0gjYGu1CxtGfkcmmrw2vCiIbXx6V1bdlg/s640/blogger-image--1827317408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5oZMtkaABHQbx1O1DXfmxv_aNxAw8Az0Zy94yryFTYyg5VJq4o2rrPp_s_dLs7Dkrx7py5DNncbK2Il-ZLgjRQ6GI2E_jKnmRywcYBF91u0gjYGu1CxtGfkcmmrw2vCiIbXx6V1bdlg/s640/blogger-image--1827317408.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Yep, great height, kept shape beautifully, cracking not too bad (at least compared to previous one!), colour ok. And another photo just to see the height:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvgb1w-OZdl4Q1uyrG8Sc4DJXdspZtSOydlKKNIlwIFy0dW55N4EJj3M6sZKlDGSZxvBSU5w6xjNQ0JxjdKcrxL5PtiVcQ0R2_oLWHSMuoc5vCGQlv7uRf6FDnvW_NVLdrSWU_tu3IlE/s640/blogger-image-700211822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvgb1w-OZdl4Q1uyrG8Sc4DJXdspZtSOydlKKNIlwIFy0dW55N4EJj3M6sZKlDGSZxvBSU5w6xjNQ0JxjdKcrxL5PtiVcQ0R2_oLWHSMuoc5vCGQlv7uRf6FDnvW_NVLdrSWU_tu3IlE/s640/blogger-image-700211822.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">RESULT!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So what have I learnt?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I think my oven is still a little too hot as the cracking indicates the meringue was still expanding after the shell had mostly set, but I'm wary about going less than 100C due to issues with weeping that I've had before (100C is a critical temp for cracking, as above this steam is still being generated by the marshmallow part during the drying out of the entire meringue). I'm not sure whether the weeping previously was due to under or over cooking..... Both seem to be possibilities! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I left out the vanilla as I read it makes the pav look browner, rather than snowy white, but as the second attempt was also pinky brown, albeit much lighter, I think this is more due to the temp being too hot (which also explains cracking) so next experiment is either to preheat a little lower and/or cook at a lower temp.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I also had quite an airspace between the marshmallow and top part of the shell. This doesn't really worry me normally, as I just fill it with cream and fruit, but this time the cracking was slight enough that I didn't really notice until we cut the pav and there was a small collapse! The great website above seems to imply that this is due to an overly long cooking time (as the marshmallow is now shrinking as it loses moisture), so this just points to the need for lower temps (or shorter cook times). Overlooking also causes weeping supposedly, as sugar leaves the mix in solution (excess moisture?). So given my oven retains heat so well maybe I need to also leave the door ajar on cooling, or reduce the temp after say 1 hour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So many parameters to test, so many pavs to make!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Stay tuned for part 3.....</div><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; clear: both;"><br></div></div><br></div>Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-67100246920654425492015-04-03T14:30:00.000+11:002015-04-03T14:31:15.093+11:00G is for Garlic<div dir="ltr">
Well it's been quite a while since my last post. I've had endless colds or so it seems, and last weekend was Rose's 2nd birthday party, so that has kept me fairly busy baking a giant Peppa Pig cake. </div>
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Now that summer is officially over and indeed, the weather is cooling quite a lot, it's time to plant garlic. The last 2 years' garlic crops have been very disappointing, with either the plants being decimated by aphids, or the garlic bulbs being very small on harvest. Perhaps with last year's lot, it was harvested a bit too early hence was a bit small.</div>
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For this year I've decided to reinvest with new varieties. I've got 3 different ones from the Digger's Club: Korean red, early white, and glamour. And I'll put in a few bulbs from last year's miniature harvest. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV11j2YWVDWxlGUu0lJ-dMhbyPoe9zKU8Jip3HPsq2Mo3_4gT9RNEku3D8woXM1_ixQpMufwK8OAQkpf7o_XEBvsCM_gunJbFPLExu2Nxuf4izrzm7KXPZnmoLM9Hal4ZauMB1-N4pzfY/s1600/20150331_152602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV11j2YWVDWxlGUu0lJ-dMhbyPoe9zKU8Jip3HPsq2Mo3_4gT9RNEku3D8woXM1_ixQpMufwK8OAQkpf7o_XEBvsCM_gunJbFPLExu2Nxuf4izrzm7KXPZnmoLM9Hal4ZauMB1-N4pzfY/s1600/20150331_152602.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've prepared the bed with mushroom compost and cow manure, and as usual I'll be cramming in more than is probably recommended. But we'll see how it goes come the December solstice and the next harvest.<br />
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p.s. it turns out that whilst the bulbs from last year's harvest were small, the actual cloves were a reasonable size. So hopefully some good will come of those.Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-2210081417391371472015-02-21T13:46:00.002+11:002015-02-21T13:46:38.182+11:00F is for Flock BlockThere are lots of recipes for these around the web - the Flock Block, otherwise known as a bird seed cone. I decided to adapt recipes I found online to suit what I had to hand. You can use anything really, the only required ingredients being some eggs and an oil of some sort to act as a binder. This is a baked flock block, hence the inclusion of eggs. I did see quite a few recipes that used an animal fat (such as lard or other fat that's solid at room temperature) but whilst these might suit a climate with cold winters below zero, that would just fall apart in our much milder Australian weather, particularly when it gets over 40C here in summer!<br />
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So here is what I used, mainly as this is what I had to hand:</div>
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-J9pAvr1xdPvXGU-00qyqnfLbphUmMMJUWvRB1oysDEUFEqlrlBhGzPh6ZrkTVudcvlSqmPEHKxbK18-9UBo-LG2otDX57UaSZZ8eUrksURqS7qyG1Ew2luL2DBuf22jDgDtrWhXxy4/s1600/20150213_181445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-J9pAvr1xdPvXGU-00qyqnfLbphUmMMJUWvRB1oysDEUFEqlrlBhGzPh6ZrkTVudcvlSqmPEHKxbK18-9UBo-LG2otDX57UaSZZ8eUrksURqS7qyG1Ew2luL2DBuf22jDgDtrWhXxy4/s1600/20150213_181445.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>
<li>2 cups mixed grain</li>
<li>1 cup crushed egg shells (I like to recycle, but shell grit would do just as well)</li>
<li>1 cup pellets</li>
<li>1 cup rolled oats</li>
<li>1/2 cup barley</li>
<li>5-6 bantam eggs (or 4 standard eggs), lightly beaten</li>
<li>1/2 cup treacle (or molasses, honey or similar)</li>
<li>1/2 - 1 cup vegetable oil</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4ROExFY-IShpOtneXajW6h9fJtTukJDU8xRgJWY8glemlyxvr-Ml21hE710X56RfoR47B794ZufnqL8fs2VMFnir5786rcKWk6ojdmMjYpHrTYvwuKNbWxhxR6xWQfEdf4KLrQeuM0I/s1600/20150213_182602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4ROExFY-IShpOtneXajW6h9fJtTukJDU8xRgJWY8glemlyxvr-Ml21hE710X56RfoR47B794ZufnqL8fs2VMFnir5786rcKWk6ojdmMjYpHrTYvwuKNbWxhxR6xWQfEdf4KLrQeuM0I/s1600/20150213_182602.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>Mix together all the the dry ingredients in <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">a bowl. Mix together all the wet ingredients except for the vegetable oil. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing well, and then gradually add in the vegetable oil until you get a mix that's wet enough to stick together well when a handful in squeezed into a ball. The amount of vegetable oil you need will obviously depend on the dryness of your mix ingredients.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Put into a lined tin - I used two loaf tins, and this produced blocks about 2-3 cm deep. Use a chopstick or similar to poke a hole in the mix to use for hanging it later. Bake at 200C for about 20 minutes until starting to brown. Cool, attach string, and hang for your chickens to enjoy! </span><br />
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Other suggestions to add:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Meal worms</li>
<li>Peanut butter</li>
<li>Wheat germ</li>
<li>Any other seeds you have</li>
</ul>
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Our chooks took a day or two to figure out what to do with it, but once they got the idea, the entire thing was demolished within about 2 days!</div>
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Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-34578308863835710772015-02-15T20:11:00.000+11:002015-02-15T20:11:25.274+11:00E is for egg tracking: Eggspense reviewUsually I just get a pen and put a few marks on my wall calendar to track how many eggs the girls lay each day, but I've long had it in the back of my mind to look into writing an app to do it. Of course it's been done already!<br />
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I was after something that would record how many eggs we got each day so I could look at totals and patterns over the year, and maybe put in extra things that it would be nice to track, such as when I worm them (and be able to set reminders).<br />
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I'm notoriously cheap when it comes to buying software but I thought it would be nice to have something on my phone, so after a little bit of searching backyard chicken and egg forums, I decided to give <a href="http://weekendhomestead.net/eggspense/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eggspense</a> a try, as it works on Android. I think it only cost me a couple of dollars. It doesn't allow me to put in reminders, but it does record the expenses of keeping chickens so you can work out how much it costs per egg! This is a constant refrain of Mr Potter, who insists that the chickens aren't earning their keep. Well of course not, they're pets as well as egg producers - the whippets certainly aren't a cost neutral exercise either! But seriously, I've been a bit concerned about the egg quota lately - it seems to me that with 5 young chickens we should be getting more than 2 eggs per day on average in the laying season. It's been a bit hot lately, and they do tend to lay a bit less when things are scorching, but overall its's been a mild summer and not unbearable like the summer before Rose was born.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3L7wwcLfjoQ-s4_kh6G1Wum8Cn4fHn6zvU0kCbjApOKmJ2d1FlvDOwmNr5BYY6AS-RAlXF6OYiph4nmofMAytpYil80eUx8ylmBLNLIBDMGHs7q2Qt3PnyFpcfAIF-HEIZQ9QwMdQouk/s1600/20150215eggspense.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3L7wwcLfjoQ-s4_kh6G1Wum8Cn4fHn6zvU0kCbjApOKmJ2d1FlvDOwmNr5BYY6AS-RAlXF6OYiph4nmofMAytpYil80eUx8ylmBLNLIBDMGHs7q2Qt3PnyFpcfAIF-HEIZQ9QwMdQouk/s1600/20150215eggspense.jpg" height="320" width="203" /></a>So here's the first two weeks of egg tallying. I haven't bought any feed lately, so there's nothing under expenses as yet. <br />
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The plot that I've shown here I've actually recoloured in <a href="http://www.irfanview.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Irfanview</a> (best freebie imaging editor around for quick and dirty fixes and ease of use!). So here's my first bit of feedback for the developers: what's with the dark blue dots on black background for your charts? And the tiny tiny font on the chart?<br />
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And I couldn't manage to share this chart directly with blogger, but it was easy enough to download and save, which I need to do so I could edit the colours!<br />
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On the plus side, the app's pretty easy to use, and I generally remember to put the egg numbers in straightaway as I'm rarely without my phone, which couldn't be said for the old method of writing it down on the calendar in my study. It would be great to also be able to set reminders of things such as worming though, or just log other things of note, such as when they moult or when a <a href="http://potteringaroundthegarden.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/b-is-for-broody-hens.html" target="_blank">broody hen</a> might affect the egg numbers.<br />
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After six months or so, when I've averaged out the expenses over a decent length of time, I'll post an update on how much it really is costing me to produce eggs!<br />
<br />Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-31687967392061786292015-02-08T11:38:00.002+11:002015-02-08T11:39:14.743+11:00D is for Dried apricotsAfter our recent apricot harvest, we got a bit sick of eating them. By we, I mean Rose (who didn't seem to like them much) and me, since Dad doesn't eat fruit. Plus some of them were a bit overripe and squishy for my taste. So I decided to dehydrate them in the oven.<br />
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First, halve the apricots and remove the stones, plus any squished or bruised bits. You can treat them with ascorbic acid supposedly to stop them going brown when they dry - I had ok results, but didn't really try to improve things. I found a <a href="http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN-2004-Harvest-02.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">great article online</a> which covered all the detail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOr_1RGINbNjTeeCeUMItXEDGUUrhkO5l-QHf_muWDycDKGc1aVFecDsubb_51bEwPVYy5TyIb49ycJkA9a2iXR4mLCAE88xnLzf_di7jm_HhKKc3-25sd5Ph6RpK2vYU-movILBmidMQ/s1600/20150122_070936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOr_1RGINbNjTeeCeUMItXEDGUUrhkO5l-QHf_muWDycDKGc1aVFecDsubb_51bEwPVYy5TyIb49ycJkA9a2iXR4mLCAE88xnLzf_di7jm_HhKKc3-25sd5Ph6RpK2vYU-movILBmidMQ/s1600/20150122_070936.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></div>
Anyway, I crushed 500mg of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) tablets using a mortar and pestle, and dissolved the powder in 1 litre of water. Soak your prepared apricots for 5 minutes or so and then drain and dry well.<br />
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Spread out to dry - I used a pizza tray as it had holes on the bottom to help with the drying. Leave the oven on the lowest setting possible (mine goes down to 50C) for as long as it takes. I left mine in for 24 hours, but they probably could have done with a bit longer. I used the fan forced option on my oven, as I think that ideally the temperature should be as uniform as possible. I didn't leave the door ajar, but did crack it open fairly frequently to let the steam escape.<br />
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You can see the results in the photo - they do taste good! As they don't have any preservatives, the article above recommends freezing or vacuum packing to prevent mould growth.Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-63315242550672373612015-02-01T08:57:00.000+11:002015-02-01T08:57:24.687+11:00C is for cucumbers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4xi4L6SECoSlqnUqiV7Oh1GO7rbmxIHDxQmwB9N0pIA3mMuOTIoJ1Qdb6MqUjXYYgLfWMzW6hOHW_sABAXfYymNpKOh1dE1rFKQHHqEYLcfa_jKZnaUJyvWDUCcoeRmLrOYjxQBouMI/s1600/20150124_102517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4xi4L6SECoSlqnUqiV7Oh1GO7rbmxIHDxQmwB9N0pIA3mMuOTIoJ1Qdb6MqUjXYYgLfWMzW6hOHW_sABAXfYymNpKOh1dE1rFKQHHqEYLcfa_jKZnaUJyvWDUCcoeRmLrOYjxQBouMI/s1600/20150124_102517.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>Cucumbers are one of the few vegetables (along with peas and possibly cauliflower) that Rose will actually eat. So this year I planted 3 <a href="http://www.diggers.com.au/shop/product/S104/CUCUMBER%20LEBANESE%20MINI%20MUNCHER.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lebanese mini munchers</a>, from Diggers' Club. I chose these ones as the actual cucumbers are quite small, to suit my small plots, and I've trained them over the wire that encloses each plot. As my plots aren't that big, I'm always looking for ways to increase how much I can cram into them, so training them seemed like a good idea. They have tendrils to climb with, but don't seem to climb without some help, being happier to sprawl over the ground. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI-UNJIv5jmnn8h-LcQtlUZNpwX85M3dJgLg2xNvD-zYdFxFjhjTSlfcKbUmOteJSn_V70vT89AdnBVnmP5r2BFRN2aeMWdyycgHltCIzvZOpyNUVfauTuHg2K5iGzI22sG32DEun-yk/s1600/20150124_102557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI-UNJIv5jmnn8h-LcQtlUZNpwX85M3dJgLg2xNvD-zYdFxFjhjTSlfcKbUmOteJSn_V70vT89AdnBVnmP5r2BFRN2aeMWdyycgHltCIzvZOpyNUVfauTuHg2K5iGzI22sG32DEun-yk/s1600/20150124_102557.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>After a slow start, they're cropping really well. I get maybe a half dozen each week now, with plenty on the way. They're lovely and crunchy. But it looks like the natives (mice?) have found them too. Fortunately, I think there's enough to go around, although I have been picking them a bit earlier than I would ideally like to make sure we don't lose too many.<br />
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While I'm here, seems like a good time for a panorama update. We've just done a top up of all the mulch in the backyard (six cubic metres of pine bark) as it was wearing very thin with the whippets doing laps down the bottom and then up over the lawn. I'm forever trying to repair the lawn, although summer is probably not the best time for it. Amazing how much greener everything looks with a dark base to set it off.<br />
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<br />Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-62888958148044736592015-01-26T10:02:00.000+11:002015-02-01T08:57:37.078+11:00B is for Broody hensOf our 5 chooks, we have two culprits that seem to recurrently go broody - Henny (Light Sussex) and Caramel (Wyandotte). It's only those two usually, but when they hog the nesting boxes, no-one else seems to feel like laying either and egg production goes right down! This may have something to do with the fact that Caramel in particular gets rather nasty and pecks and fluffs up her feathers when anyone comes near. After all, she's just protecting her eggs, and she's not to know that they'll never hatch! Henny is much more complacent, but then the Light Sussexes seem calmer all round anyway.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKypujn5UgEf4sf-HUb77HH9CNZnKcEXVkDgMmDwh1x0JZfP-Db6iE1aWA9udfD7dKRjbW_V6dvKR7DaiVi_If_fQrpTx0DESKjminNDxv2BU6HKTy7qiK5xWTMNaNBcb2cRlg-HxmME/s1600/20150122_084511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKypujn5UgEf4sf-HUb77HH9CNZnKcEXVkDgMmDwh1x0JZfP-Db6iE1aWA9udfD7dKRjbW_V6dvKR7DaiVi_If_fQrpTx0DESKjminNDxv2BU6HKTy7qiK5xWTMNaNBcb2cRlg-HxmME/s1600/20150122_084511.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henny and Caramel share the chicken prison under the coop.<br />
Jenny is in the main run area.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's a plethora of advice and cures for broodiness out there, but the only one that works for me is to put them into "chicken prison". The basic idea is that by getting them off the nest and putting somewhere they can (literally) cool down, they hormonal drive to nest eventually settles down. This takes anywhere from a few days (for Caramel) to up to a week (for Henny). I've tried cooling them using the oft talked about cures like putting ice cubes in the nesting boxes, but all that seems to happen is that I get wet shredded paper in the boxes. Similarly, returning them to the run just results in a temporary break (when they might have a bit of a forage for some food and a drink) and then a rapid return to the nesting boxes.<br />
<br />
So I invested in the "chicken prison" which is just a dog crate (bought off ebay for $26) which conveniently sits underneath the coop in the run, and has two doors on the front and side for easy access. Although the crate came with a solid, removable plastic tray for the bottom, I took it out and just put in some finer aviary wire for a base (the crate wires are too far apart for the chooks to stand comfortably), so the droppings go through into the run. I prop it up on a few big blocks of wood to help with this, and also to aid the cooling effect. I put water and a little feeder inside, plus 1-2 broody chickens and leave them to it. They stay in there, day and night. As the prison is undercover, being underneath our elevated coop, they're protected from the direct sun and rain.<br />
<br />
After a few days, the chickens have usually been "punished" enough and I'll let them out. Usually, they go straight back to the flock, relieved to not have to watch the others enjoy the kitchen scraps while they miss out. Occasionally, Henny in particular will go back on the nest, in which case it's back in prison for another few days! More often than not though, they seem to be "cured". At least for a few weeks, when the cycle starts all over again.....Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-80251582131191257692015-01-20T12:50:00.000+11:002015-01-20T12:50:26.492+11:00Pottering alphabet - A is for Automatic watering systemInspired by this blog's <a href="http://hencam.com/thevintagehen/2014/12/poultry-tobacco-cards/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">alphabet of poulty tobacco cards</a>, I've decided to do an alphabet of what's happening in the Potter garden. <br />
<br />
Naturally enough, we'll start with A - for Automatic Watering System.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbaBspK2lh4Zaq9bB6Q_U-0vN1MlroRR8Td6c-NkqmI3FAppZoElO9vjzyvgbHz6BRX_AxGVgbdYl1NZ7uowX-E00nTs1QYFuxmqypFTLhzOZueh2oPYBa-8erSWtMtgjMpaGb9jwYm4/s1600/20150120_121517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbaBspK2lh4Zaq9bB6Q_U-0vN1MlroRR8Td6c-NkqmI3FAppZoElO9vjzyvgbHz6BRX_AxGVgbdYl1NZ7uowX-E00nTs1QYFuxmqypFTLhzOZueh2oPYBa-8erSWtMtgjMpaGb9jwYm4/s1600/20150120_121517.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Timer setup for <br />watering system</td></tr>
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A bit prosaic, I know, but that's what I happened to be doing this week. At the bottom of the back garden (and top of the front garden, as it happens) we have a very old oak tree - at least around the same age as the house I think, or perhaps when the second owners bought the house (we are the third) which still puts the trees at somewhere between 70 and 100 years old. They're impressively big, and provide lots of shade, but they also shade everything underneath from getting any water. The soil underneath is like concrete. <br />
<br />
Consequently everything underneath the tree, which was supposed to screen us from the neighbors behind (and vice versa) is very stunted compared to the exact same species of plants on the other boundaries. I've been adding soil conditioner and handwatering, but progress is slow. So I finally got around to putting dripline under the oak tree and also around the fruit trees. The water supply is our rain water tank, and there's a timer so they all get a regular drink once a week, at least during the hotter months. We'll see in a couple of months if that helps the plants under to oak catch up a bit.Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-22618433169875007642015-01-15T15:22:00.001+11:002015-01-16T11:27:44.444+11:00Van Gogh sunflowers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8RKlGUuzfHMnP0UGRmELbbOb4tLHSSHkIPie5kK7Nx8uFbbu4Eo_N1gb02xGSrMLhXYGI47aUGxrTrWL3b3j9T35EvTfb3Ici98ZWHrim5MesaVUDa8u4OSAeJu6as91NOGmbI84ug4/s640/20150115_150528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8RKlGUuzfHMnP0UGRmELbbOb4tLHSSHkIPie5kK7Nx8uFbbu4Eo_N1gb02xGSrMLhXYGI47aUGxrTrWL3b3j9T35EvTfb3Ici98ZWHrim5MesaVUDa8u4OSAeJu6as91NOGmbI84ug4/s640/20150115_150528.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb676Kt1cfcvUMsrldTxnCGlFoh9nrwr7yAd0wm8eLAhLekpVU0bZ8Zpf9j3qpP1_MFyXp4DtclLtAyOVVF7jPd_iWPKtaHD7r2vIxxtv0pp4zlhIRL7K2vNIwPoS4majRlsYB4FJgMS4/s640/20150115_150522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb676Kt1cfcvUMsrldTxnCGlFoh9nrwr7yAd0wm8eLAhLekpVU0bZ8Zpf9j3qpP1_MFyXp4DtclLtAyOVVF7jPd_iWPKtaHD7r2vIxxtv0pp4zlhIRL7K2vNIwPoS4majRlsYB4FJgMS4/s640/20150115_150522.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a>Our first sunflowers are flowering! They're about 1.1m tall, which is a bit shorter than I was expecting as the packets said 1.5m but they're in a spot with pretty poor soil, right next to the chicken coop. I'm growing these partly to bring some bright colour to the garden (with a bit of fun for Rose) and also for seeds for the chooks to eat. I've just bought some exclusion bags from Green Harvest to hopefully stop the possums and mice getting all the seeds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2SFH2iBcX0COTucYqrbFcTFJclcKJIbmLmyFRnHJmYunWBWPQ2Quiyofbzb_aL4IaYdbHP3qk4Ny5RGbm2457LjhWFdkMy-O5nNAOBQHsoMwC3R4sCrYmUGAMVTx8vaQk_90xzq_bdo/s640/20150106_194256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2SFH2iBcX0COTucYqrbFcTFJclcKJIbmLmyFRnHJmYunWBWPQ2Quiyofbzb_aL4IaYdbHP3qk4Ny5RGbm2457LjhWFdkMy-O5nNAOBQHsoMwC3R4sCrYmUGAMVTx8vaQk_90xzq_bdo/s640/20150106_194256.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></div>
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Ok, I officially surrender! After taking perhaps half a dozen apricots each night for a few nights, the possums invited all their friends over for a party and decimated the crop. Tying the net up around the trunk only put them off for a night and then the little buggers managed to get back in by chewing holes in the net. The moth balls didn't seem much of a deterrent, and I was trying blood and bone until I saw just how many they'd chewed and gave up. But somehow I doubt it would have made much difference. I was just contemplating shelling out some big bucks to get an ultrasonic repeller, but it doesn't seem that clear that they work either. This weekend I'll be building wire cages for the strawberries. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtV8sJXcr5WrrBZ_msWmHnV1dQQTkquVpstD68vvrVGIKxp1J3aSQKqAVKJ13xR2ybCuKZqCe1-IG3D-76jknOYU8CATYE0JpUVnGqJ0LP__59tFMTutOaIaSI6su2nLUW5_rNExkMIEA/s640/20150106_201559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtV8sJXcr5WrrBZ_msWmHnV1dQQTkquVpstD68vvrVGIKxp1J3aSQKqAVKJ13xR2ybCuKZqCe1-IG3D-76jknOYU8CATYE0JpUVnGqJ0LP__59tFMTutOaIaSI6su2nLUW5_rNExkMIEA/s640/20150106_201559.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>So I decided to harvest the lot while there were still some left. Most are close to fully ripe anyway. I estimate it at 45% to the possums, 45% to the humans and maybe 10% to worms or caterpillars. We got just under 70 apricots unscathed. A taste test and final weigh in will be done later. </div>
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<br />
Seems a good time to do a garden update, which I've not been keeping up with at all. Lots happening in the vegie beds, from left to right now filled with:<br />
<ul>
<li>tomatoes and zucchini</li>
<li>onions and carrots (plus nasturtiums). Chilli seedlings squeezed in.</li>
<li>beans and cucumbers, pumpkins seeds just germinated.</li>
</ul>
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First harvest of zucchinis, beans and cucumbers already done and eaten, tomatoes just flowering.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmJupS5yJnBtAp5LBIivyoVzvPOSu4pBsFpHWhQoX7b60oxFhzKVl_wl4j4M83Ig9mM0cIHX71CfWrVLj3PtuuseNTW4VZJwoezXxWqmtf3EEgrQ-1DgAXVYWdySpqADKt-yNxmgI-Ug/s1600/20150102_113219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmJupS5yJnBtAp5LBIivyoVzvPOSu4pBsFpHWhQoX7b60oxFhzKVl_wl4j4M83Ig9mM0cIHX71CfWrVLj3PtuuseNTW4VZJwoezXxWqmtf3EEgrQ-1DgAXVYWdySpqADKt-yNxmgI-Ug/s1600/20150102_113219.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a>The apricot tree is also doing well, with lots of fruit shaping up well, but the possums have been getting into the net. Can't work out for the life of me how they got in last night - previously there was a hole chewed in the bottom, but I blocked that up, so they must be sneaking in underneath where it's a bit loose perhaps? It was just touching the ground and weighted down with some bits of wood around the edges. I heard that hanging mothballs around was supposed to deter them so I scattered a few around, but can't saw it slowed them down at all. Next step is to tie the net more firmly around the trunk of the tree above the ground. If all else fails, I'm going to pick them early and let them ripen on the windowsill. Last year they decimated the tomatoes, this year the apricots..... fat lot of good the guarddogs (ha ha ha) are doing.</div>
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Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-11465061033546661442015-01-02T11:44:00.002+11:002015-01-02T11:44:31.930+11:00Pavlova questI'm constantly trying to make the perfect pavlova, and maybe I'm getting closer. No matter how many times I try though it's never absolutely right - I'm still trying to get it snowy white without too many cracks. There's a plethora of advice out there - but maybe it's just practice makes perfect. And forget chocolate and other variations, I just can't get seem to get both the extras plus a good rise in mine.<br />
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Today's Xmas effort is actually my second attempt - I tried to do a raspberry one first and it ended up a flat meringue pancake with dessicated raspberry jam on top (see previous paragraph). It tasted just fine but looked terrible.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKpZ07AYtri7suUwwY6B4dqUqj-uKSJSSbOcJEXreAvv8wwePL5O3PYCuvv9B7m3h3NRPBLDT5yAfYVjTCv-ELHE6DJ1culC8xMDRJq1_mzWVQe-3ps3ib_0fCF1biAzcsQkMuhI2ZmI/s640/blogger-image-1770555608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKpZ07AYtri7suUwwY6B4dqUqj-uKSJSSbOcJEXreAvv8wwePL5O3PYCuvv9B7m3h3NRPBLDT5yAfYVjTCv-ELHE6DJ1culC8xMDRJq1_mzWVQe-3ps3ib_0fCF1biAzcsQkMuhI2ZmI/s320/blogger-image-1770555608.jpg" width="239" /></a>Not too bad. But still too browned. And its fallen quite a lot (more so than previous efforts) - I think this time I might have had the oven a little low but I was trying to avoid it browning. Do they just photoshop the ones in mags so they all look snowy white???</div>
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So here's my recipe, which is a combination of lots of others and adjusted for my particular hardware (Ilve 90cm oven and kitchenaid mixer).</div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
6 egg whites or 9 bantam egg whites, at room temperature </div>
<div>
Pinch salt</div>
<div>
200g caster sugar</div>
<div>
1 tsp cream of tartar or white vinegar</div>
<div>
1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
<div>
1 tsp cornflour</div>
<div>
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Preheat oven to 180C, NOT fan forced. Prepare a tray with a 20cm circle marked on the underside of some baking paper.</div>
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The cornflour and salt are supposed to help stabilise the meringue. I've tried it with and without the cornflour and not sure I notice much difference, but I've not experimented with leaving the salt out.</div>
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Beat eggs whites and salt with wire whisk on speed 4 (low-medium) until soft peaks form. This takes a while but does seem to make for better aeration (a kitchenaid tip).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Add sugar in 3rds beating at speed 6 and scraping down bowl each time. With the last third add the vanilla, cornflour and cream of tartar. A lot of recipes say to fold these in these (or white vinegar instead of cream of tartar) right at the end of all beating, but I find the folding deflates the meringue too much.</div>
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Turn speed up to high (10) and beat for 6 minutes. The whole beating process takes me about 8 minutes. The sugar should be well and truly dissolved - test by rubbing between your fingers and there should be not gritty feeling.</div>
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<div>
The meringue is now quite stiff and is really quite resistant when you try to make a mound with it. If you over eat it, it becomes (relatively) floppy again. I don't find the description of "glossy stiff peaks" very helpful as it's pretty glossy from about 2 minutes in as far as I can tell, and I have never noticed it losing its shine and going dull, which is supposed to be a sign of overbeating. I used to beat it for more like 10 minutes, just by setting the timer and letting the mixer go for it, and it was only by accident that I discovered the meringue was actually a lot stiffer if I stopped earlier than that.</div>
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<div>
Mound onto your baking tray in a circle, trying to mess with it as little as possible. I pull up the sides to make vertical ridges as that's supposed to help it keep its shape better. <br />
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Put in oven on low shelf and turn down immediately to 125C. Bake for 90 minutes. Leave to cool in oven for as long as possible. I leave the door shut.<br />
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I think next time I'll revert to the temps that Stephanie Alexander uses (150 for 30 mins and then turn down to 120 for the rest) or try preheating to 150 and then turning down to 100 for baking (last time I tried this I got sugar syrup weeping, which is supposed to be a sign of undercooking). And I need to keep experimenting with the shelf height.</div>
<br />Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-3545882013409360482014-11-04T12:26:00.002+11:002015-01-02T12:12:56.611+11:00Best broad beans everA great season for the broad beans this year:<br />
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Note sure if it was the extra compost, lots of seaweed solution or actually remembering to top them when the flowers had set this year... but we got about 800g of beans, and I reckon there's still about the same amount yet to be picked. Rose loves eating them raw, so probably there was more like 850g originally! Not sure what's going on with the second planting of peas this season - nothing seems to be germinating which is a pity as Rose loves eating them too. Sugar snap peas are doing well, although a bit of blight is discolouring the leaves although it doesn't seem to affect the peas themselves so I've not done anything about it. Beans are up but looking a bit chewed around the edges. Again, unless it affects the beans themselves I probably won't bother doing anything about it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVfZHYjJClg6l5iSaWh8X1ZkONC44w8id9GIFiSI0Sfph6EArCWCrFaXy2UiDmtUzVyiTqq2NXH4bLtdtjis-Nt3VLTq-8RnwfDV6ruJPVgRWH-H7brIQPvSJOaxEfwemkqqmxPCt0PE/s1600/20141104_095916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVfZHYjJClg6l5iSaWh8X1ZkONC44w8id9GIFiSI0Sfph6EArCWCrFaXy2UiDmtUzVyiTqq2NXH4bLtdtjis-Nt3VLTq-8RnwfDV6ruJPVgRWH-H7brIQPvSJOaxEfwemkqqmxPCt0PE/s1600/20141104_095916.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2oiRFbfg-XsaqXQnPhe78BQJRzgf5vBdPd8pQ6lkiwGlrkvN63HIycesu7_4-52-dkOYAw2qEycGyHpI9vC5qmkxe35-O671ZC30mvmmSUJ_xUSege7Qg7Wd9dN_63lvjuv0wLzsc6o/s1600/20141104_095928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2oiRFbfg-XsaqXQnPhe78BQJRzgf5vBdPd8pQ6lkiwGlrkvN63HIycesu7_4-52-dkOYAw2qEycGyHpI9vC5qmkxe35-O671ZC30mvmmSUJ_xUSege7Qg7Wd9dN_63lvjuv0wLzsc6o/s1600/20141104_095928.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRwmRJpiv1nL9_fd8I2YTM7USxT7RjUMqbmnEORM1SwQ4QXkrbeHg_kSqXySkBatkFjQWxRsQU1zSa-oNxd1QoJU3YeEiQs53jOoV6GNVFKSYcWXdyculH4-ZnAHLTHPj1bK6hyphenhyphen-cTk4/s1600/20141104_095908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRwmRJpiv1nL9_fd8I2YTM7USxT7RjUMqbmnEORM1SwQ4QXkrbeHg_kSqXySkBatkFjQWxRsQU1zSa-oNxd1QoJU3YeEiQs53jOoV6GNVFKSYcWXdyculH4-ZnAHLTHPj1bK6hyphenhyphen-cTk4/s1600/20141104_095908.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>Here's an update on all the beds. Broadbeans as above plus a few cucumbers in the front part, onion and carrots bed doing quite well after a late start. This year I accidentally killed off most of my onion seedlings after they got waterlogged, so I bought some shallots and red onion seedlings, well past their prime in a punnet. They seem to be settling in ok though. Tomatoes and zucchini partially in as still waiting to harvest the garlic - also have eggplant seedlins to cram into this bed. The garlic looks pretty sad and thin, although a lot better than the pathetic crop from last year. Not sure what the problem is - maybe they didn't get enough food to start them off. Chillies and capsicum seedlings are looking ok and will get planted out soon too into the root vegie bed, so everything will be really crowded. I'd like to rest beds between seasons but never seem to get the chance! I built a mini greenhouse for my seedlings and cuttings, after one I saw on Gardening Australia, and it seems to working really well. At least my correa and prosthanthera cuttings haven't died yet - not sure why I have such trouble with them as I thought being tough plants they should strike reasonably easily. I'll try to post something about that sometime.</div>
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The chickens are a happy little flock now that Caramel has been cured of being broody - a week in chicken prison (aka dog cage) seemed to do the trick.</div>
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<br />Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-66319941999445146402014-09-30T21:45:00.001+10:002014-09-30T21:48:22.261+10:00Egg skelterHere's my latest egg toy: the egg skelter. No more stacking cartons in the fridge as the oldest eggs are always at the bottom, to be used next, while new ones go straight in at the top! Brilliant! (Had to buy this straight from the manufacturer in Devon, England but still worth it in my opinion).<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLynJjiGUVLuMIOuc8gdH_HTf3X_eGKLx31GCMKBUSqQ22UpCU_lyAwftcaQwimZ5eaHqhlbNIO9vuLW-N-cL9dSACJz9RKpSD1rlCIKhmL2087MRApDHXd0zABG_t4YRHmhibb7wkHc/s1600/20140930_213636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLynJjiGUVLuMIOuc8gdH_HTf3X_eGKLx31GCMKBUSqQ22UpCU_lyAwftcaQwimZ5eaHqhlbNIO9vuLW-N-cL9dSACJz9RKpSD1rlCIKhmL2087MRApDHXd0zABG_t4YRHmhibb7wkHc/s640/20140930_213636.jpg"> </a> </div>Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-14467850759563876552014-09-20T21:51:00.000+10:002014-09-20T21:51:30.408+10:00The Cosy Coupe Makeover, part IIOk, started this ages ago, took quite a while to finish due to travel, lots of layers of paint, weather, toddler being much more active....<br />
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Step 3: Sand and paint (after constructing painting bay) - took 2 cans of pain to do 3(ish) coats<br />
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Step 4: Re-assemble<br />
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Step 5: Mask and spray on racing stripes (had to touch up the red again after doing the stripes due some spots of not very good masking)<br />
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Step 6: Re-assemble steering wheel, add new key and petrol cap (bought from Little Tikes supplier in Oz)</div>
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DONE!</div>
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<br />Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-19926782961430908172014-09-18T18:31:00.001+10:002015-01-02T12:02:33.304+11:00Chocolate and caramel eggsNot Easter yet, just the first egg from the new chooks. Guess which one is from the young 'un?<br />
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Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-14548190768750208252014-09-14T13:47:00.000+10:002015-01-02T12:12:45.819+11:00Chocolate and CaramelMeet the newest members of the family:<br />
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Chocolate and Carmel are gold laced Wyandotte bantams - so pretty! About 7 months old.<br />
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Had to reinstate the old coop and fence off half the new run as a quarantine area. Lots of concerned clucking from Henny, Penny and Jenny. I'm sure they'll all get used to one another eventually.<br />
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<br />Dr Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496235943527188752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1897017822383654273.post-65379682597792565022014-09-13T15:43:00.001+10:002015-01-02T12:12:56.614+11:00Garden update<div dir="ltr">
Spring has sprung! </div>
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Here are some shots of the palace, now with nice big back door for easy cleaning, private nesting box (no more dirty eggs, yay!), and berry garden in the western side. </div>
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