Sowing some ...forage oats..

As previously reported Craig and I sowed 70 acres of forage oats in mid April 25 acres on the sloping land at the northern boundary next to the Tarlo River and 45 on the eastern side around the contours of the hills. Using Craig’s direct seed drill was easy enough but it still took two full days on the tractor in between fencing repairs and general maintenance.

We sowed Graza 50 about 80mm deep in 20 cm rows at a rate of 40kg seed/acre and used 3mt of MoSuper fertilizer across the two paddocks. All up that works out at about $10 per ewe which is well worth it as the oats will be grazed from August on and will help finish the sheep prior to shearing in September. The seedlings had shot by early May and so far it looks great with the recent rain.

Graza 50 is a later maturing variety that has broad leaves with good vigour and dry matter yields. It is also tolerant of moisture stress and recovers well after grazing so the sheep can be put through the crop several times. It was released by Pioneer, a division of Du Pont, in 1994 and followed by Graza 68 in 1998 and Graza 51 in 2005.



We would not ordinarily be supporters of large (American) multinational agriculture companies. However, with a degree in Agricultural Botany majoring in (crop) plant breeding, I am not a Luddite either. We will never plant GM seed and are committed to sustainable (perm)agriculture with minimal usage of pest- and herbicides and as organic farming practices as possible. We are making our living from the land though so if Graza is best we will plant it until we can save our own seed with all the patent and copyright issues that raises.

But here is a cautionary observation – humans have eaten 80,000 plant species in our history. By the year 2000 three-quarters of the food eaten in the world will come from just 8 species and it is predicted that by 2025 that will be down to only three (corn soybean and canola). That is really frightening!! We will continue to be loca-vores and eat a rich diversity of home-grown or local, seasonal food.

As Miss Piggy said, “Never eat more than you can lift”.

Autumn wild harvest

Gathering wild food is always good and making something delicious to eat from the harvest is even better. We have several types of mushroom on the farm but as yet have not been able to identify anything as edible with absolute certainty. We know we have poisonous fly agarics and Death caps but there are possibly some field mushrooms that could be eaten. Will have to get a wild food guide before any taste testing though! We also have nettles around the place and they make a great pesto, a different filling for ravioli and passable soup. Hardest thing is not getting stung when picking them. We use BBQ tongs and wear gloves.




There was truly an abundance of rose hips and haw(thorn) berries this autumn and we picked several kilos of each. Making jelly from wild berries is actually very easy. The fruit has to be washed well and any bruised or rotten ones discarded. Then boil the fruit in some water until pulpy and soft. Strain the juice from the pulp through a muslin bag overnight being careful not to squeeze the pulp otherwise the jelly will be cloudy. For every 500ml of juice add 500g of caster sugar and boil until setting point reached (add pectin if required). Pot into sterile jars and should last up to 12 months.

The rose hip jelly has a beautiful and distinctive taste and the haw jelly an amazing colour. Both great with home baked scones. Next autumn we will pick more fruit, particularly the rosehips, and give away pots to friends and family.



We also made Hawthorn schnapps from an old Danish recipe. Fill a preserving jar two-thirds with haws and then fill with vodka. Store in a dark place for 6-8 weeks, shaking jars every few days. When haws are bleached of colour (and flavour) strain into bowl and taste. If needed add a little sugar syrup and rebottle. Ready in another 6 weeks. Much cheaper and more interesting than any shop bought Absolut or clone.

One day we will use the wild foods with our pine nuts, olives and produce from the vegetable garden to make up meals for the freezer so we can enjoy the autumn bounty throughout winter. Might even bag the occasional (if only!!) rabbit and wild duck (there is a great River Cottage recipe for wild Peking duck with haw sauce).

Buon appetit!!

First quarter 2009 round up

No entries since January but we certainly have not been idle! The 470 first cross (Border Leicester x Merino) ewes arrived late December with 226 other ewes (on sold) and 4 wethers (into freezer…) and all had to be crutched and drenched with Cydectin for worms. They have settled well and putting on weight in muscle and wool so fingers crossed for shearing in late September. We have lost six, hopefully in the German’s Pinch scrub forest and not to human predators stealing them for their freezer.

We have also put in a new small dam in the western paddock to allow us to keep the sheep there and rotate their grazing. Before we would have had to open up almost 45 acres in three paddocks so a big improvement. The dam will take time to fill from rainfall and fortunately we have had more than usual.

We sowed 70 acres of Graza forage oats in mid April and the seeds shot well with the rain. We’ll put the sheep through in late August to finish them off before shearing and subsequent sale as breeding ewes. This year we will hold the best back and put with a ram to produce some lamb in May next year.



We made and erected the new sign for the farm in mid April and finally, we did some hunting and gathering…well gathering mainly. The hedgerows were laden with rosehips and hawthorn berries plus an escaped Pink Lady apple tree. We have made rose hip jelly, hawthorn jelly and an apple, tarragon and thyme jelly. Add to that some grapefruit and lime marmalade and it has been a pectin paradise in the kitchen! Perhaps best of all though was this year’s quince paste – a delicious tasting amber accompaniment to cheese and, if I do so myself, a triumph! Eat your heart out Maggie Beer…



Next time some more photos and a collection of sightings, some good and some not so appealing.

Ciao!!