Winter is coming and I am armed with new slippers. Tofu approves.
Category Archives: Tofu Tuesday
Tofu Tuesday: Yet another tiny carrot
Another salad fit for a rabbit. Another tiny carrot from our garden. At this rate, we won’t be eating any of these. I haven’t eaten a single carrot from our garden yet, not even a nibble. They’ve been going to Tofu only who loves the tops as much as the tiny bottoms. They smell very sweet and delicious. Tofu the bunny doesn’t like to share.
Also, dandelion leaves, bright lights silverbeet (rainbow chard), cos lettuce, sage leaves and coriander (cilantro).
Tofu approved.
Tofu Tuesday: Green Salad
Today’s special: Coriander (cilantro), cos lettuce and bok choy flowers served on a bed of dandelion leaves.
Home grown and organic. Happy rabbit.
Tofu Tuesday: Mmmm leaf
Our lawn is lovely and lush after a few weeks of rain. Tofu approves.
Tofu Tuesday: Your Honour…
Do you trust this individual?
Tofu Tuesday: Terraced Pallet Garden
Growing your own food is uniquely satisfying. I don’t know if it’s my age or the times but more and more of our friends are growing their own food. I’ve hinted at our vegetable garden before, but I didn’t want to share it until we started eating from it. That time has come.
If you follow me on Pinterest, you’ll know I have a slight obsession with up-cycled pallets and vegetable gardens. We live in a rented villa so we didn’t want to spend much money on our garden in case we have to move. Both The Koala and I have day jobs that revolve around paper so we have free access to wood pallets. In hindsight, we should have started this garden when we moved in 5 years ago. I could “what if” at my 5 year old vegetable garden all day, but you gotta start somewhere and late is better than never.
The bottom of our garden has a gentle slope so we terraced the space using the pallets. Sloped ground drains water in random ways so terracing flattens sections to work with. We’ve never done anything like this before so it was all a learning curve but we are happy with how it turned out.
Terraced Pallet Garden
You will need:
- Spade/shovel
- Measuring tape
- Enough pallets to border each terrace
- Strong arms and elbow grease
- Trellis (optional)
- Compost (see notes below)
- Seeds or seedlings
Method:
- Lay out pallets end to end to plan the length of the walls.
- Dig a trench half a pallet deep and a little wider than you will need, removing any large rocks along the way. Enlist friends to help if they are willing.
- Insert pallets as straight as you can (a spirit level would have helped) and fill up front and back of each pallet with soil.
- Optional: Cut a trellis into sections to border garden from pets.
- Layer compost on top and start planting.
Compost
How much compost will I need?…is one of the trickier things to work out if you’ve never bought compost before. I can only share what we did and hopefully that will give you an idea for your own garden. Our vegetable garden is approximately 3.5 metres wide by 3 metres deep. We used 8 x 40 litre bags (320 litres) of compost to give a nice layer on top of our existing soil. We bought our compost from Zoodoo.co.nz who make compost from hoof animal manure from our local zoos. They offer competitive prices and free home delivery.
5 tips for a terraced pallet garden:
- Every pallet is slightly different so measure the actual pallets (do not just x5).
- Plywood pallets are better than particle board pallets, but both are usable.
- Insert pallets leaning back every so slightly. Do not lean them forward as this may encourage them to fall forward.
- Plant herbs or strawberries in the pockets made by the pallet walls.
- If you want to paint or stain your pallets, do so before putting them in the ground.
Tofu Tuesday: Mushrooooom!!
It’s hard to practice any sort of self control when you have two art lovers in the house and an entire art festival filled with reasonably priced pieces. We’re not art collectors as such, we just like a lot of cool stuff. Cool being subjective of course. Over the weekend at the Japanese Art Festival, The Koala and I gained five new pieces of art.
Mushrooooom!! by Masmi Sakakibara
This is one of them. The Koala saw it first, fell in love with it and I didn’t need much convincing. The frame is made by the artists husband and I love how it has a really rustic feel.
Titled Mushrooooom!! by Masmi Sakakibara, I thought it would be fitting to introduce the mushroom artwork to the rabbit with the mushroom coloured features.
Tofu Tuesday: Tofu takes a moment
Tofu takes a moment after a busy Easter weekend.
Tofu Tuesday: Lindt
Our house is currently a couple of bunnies richer, but not for long.
Tofu Tuesday: Lax
Like many house bunnies, Tofu can be found kicking back and relaxing after a feast.
Tofu Tuesday: Tofu’s Salads
These boxes are evidence of a well loved bunny.
Each lunch box represents a day of salad and they each contain (in order of favourites):
- Carrot
- Broccoli
- Gai lan
- Celery
Tofu the bunny doesn’t get this royal treatment all the time. Usually he has to share his carrots with the rest of the household.
Tofu Tuesday: Not a toy
In the months after Easter, rescues are inundated with unwanted rabbits. Sadly, people buy rabbits for Easter and when the novelty wears off the rabbit must find a new home.
A rabbit is a 10 year investment. Yes, they can be cuddly and sweet, but they need daily attention and work. If you’re unsure, get a toy rabbit or a chocolate rabbit this Easter.
Tofu Tuesday: Entrance
Tofu has the coolest grotto behind the shed. The green tunnels that he has carved out for himself give him shade in the heat of the day.
Tofu Tuesday: When God Was A Rabbit
When God Was A Rabbit.
Tofu Tuesday: Art
Tofu the bunny takes a moment to admire a painting
Our home is heaving with art. Really.
We have 32 pieces on display in our 1 bedroom home. There’s even 2 paintings in the bathroom.
Though we haven’t bought any paintings lately, last weekend I retrieved three of my paintings from a local cafe before they changed owners. Now we have 5 paintings leaned up against walls awaiting wall space. I need at lease one more room to put them up in.
If anyone knows an Auckland cafe or business that would like to display some paintings, let me know.
p.s. Happy Chinese New Year!
