{recipe} 3pickles Bruschetta topping

Yum, I LOVE Bruschetta! But I've been cutting back on the carbs (more about that soon), so I've just been making the tomato topping.

It's a simple salad and not really a recipe, but I just wanted to share it anyway. 

A few months ago we planted tomatoes (my first time with starting tomatoes from seed too!) We planted Santorini (I got the seeds from the cover of Burkes Backyard magazine), Tom Thumbs, Grosse Lisse and a cherry tomato variety. They grew really well, but Mr3P and I have learnt to pick them while they are still green and let them sun ripen on the window sill or the possums tend to eat them all. Our window sill is still overflowing...here's a few pics and the "recipe". 

The really wrinkly looking tomatoes are the Santorini's, they grow really well and have a mild flavour, not as sweet as a Grosse Lisse or cherry tomato. I'll be saving the seeds from these tomatoes. I can do a post if anyone wants to see how to do it. Let me know..K?

 If you're about to plant tomatoes, try planting basil next to the tomato plants...they love each other in the garden (and in this salad). They make great companion plants.

 For the salad (or bruschetta topping)

chop up your tomatoes (room temperature tastes best)

add some finely chopped, fresh basil

grated garlic

salt & freshly cracked pepper

drizzle with a really good, extra virgin olive oil

mix together (let stand for a bit to let the flavours get to know each other)

enjoy on toast or as a salad

Buon appetito!!

Australian Wildflowers & other things that grow

It's the most beautiful day here in Melbourne. We haven't seen this weather for a while (my eyes hurt from that big yellow thing in the sky). Our garden is a bit hit and miss at the moment. The silverbeet (swiss chard) is doing really well and my tomatoes are getting stronger everyday, especially since most of the frosty mornings have gone (fingers crossed).  I haven't really grown many things very successfully from seed before, so I thought it was time to give it a go. Burke's backyard magazine had some free Santorini tomato seeds on the cover of a recent issue that are supposed to be very hardy and hopefully Mrs3P proof....hmmm we'll see. I started them off in the cold frame, along with a few different types of lettuce and some cherry tomatoes too. The lettuce was planted out last week, but they're ALL gone!! I think it might be those darstedly possums. Will have to come up with a new plan.

 Can you see the drinking straw "cast" on the burpless cucumber? Mr3P being very sweet in an attempt to save this guy who was ready to been thrown out by the Bunnings man. There's some basil ready to be planted out next to the tomatoes soon too...they make great companion plants...and taste yummy together in bruschetta......mmmm
 Will keep you posted on their progress if you're interested.

 I don't know what this plant is called (I know it's an Australian native), but we've waited for a long, long time for flowers. Very pretty....no smell

 Speaking of smells........lol  We popped down to the local arboretum after school so the pickles could spend some more time with their cousin (who flew home today). My BIL who is an electrician has been visiting from QLD and helping us with the extension (more update pics due soon)

   I'm pretty sure this is called a kangaroo paw. It looks like it's made from velvet.

    There are stacks of ducks that hang out at the arboretum, this guy was not shy at all.

The pickles and I love walking around this little lake. I have been here a gazillion times, but every time I come, I ALWAYS comment how beautiful the view is. That's the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in the BG.

                   Another Aussie wildflower...and yep, I don't know what this is called either, but it's              pretty.... right?

When Mr3P buys me flowers, (which is usually only when I give birth) which BTW "the shop is closed" on that one. Anyway, when he does, he always gets me Australian Wildflowers...he knows how much I love them.

Now, I DO know what this is!! It's a type of Eucalyptus (gum) tree. I believe it could be a ghost gum, due to the whitish colouring. It looks like there is a big, fat ant on one of the branches...but it's a duck.

There is a "secret garden" here (not much of a secret if you ask me as there is a huge sign that tells you where it is?????????? The garden gate has these beautiful fairies carved all over it.

            I don't think I would have the patience to do this kind of work. 

I can't help wonder what the artist was thinking about while they worked patiently on this piece. If it was me, it would be the grocery list, how much washing needs to be folded tonight...I must call Vanessa...what should I make for dinner??....I wish this stupid song from that ridiculous commercial would stop repeating itself in my head

...............um, sorry...where was I?

Linking to

Beckoning Spring

It's officially Spring here in Australia tomorrow. I still have the heater on most nights, but the days are beautiful. The plum trees are blossoming, so I hope we'll get a good harvest this year. Can't wait to make jam. When I was naming these photos to save them I was calling them cherry blossoms, but they really are plums.

How is your garden going? Would love to hear what's been planted up in your garden at the moment, I need some inspiration. 

linking to

Garden in Winter

I've spent a fair bit of time around home these past few weeks, tending to sick kids (big and small). The Melbourne weather has kept us indoors a lot too. So just this week I ventured out into the wild jungle which is also known as my garden...to get close to nature. Thought I'd share a few pics with you.

This seed pod was sitting on my kitchen window sill and I've been starring at it for a week.

I've been googling lemon recipes left, right and centre. Got any good ones?

Would you like some lemons? This tree is bursting with lemons and it's hard to keep up. I've made so much lemonade lately (recipe here), but now I need to start freezing the juice as the lemons are just dropping off the tree.

My first little strawberry plant. It's a Nellie Kelly. I haven't planted it out yet, poor little thing is just patiently waiting in the cold frame for me to get to it.

We planted spring onions years ago and they just keep on a comin'. I love when they start to go to seed and you can see all the little seeds beneath the surface.

I'm not the only one who loves these little guys.

These camellias are my neighbours, they hang over our fence. We had to remove our beautiful camellia tree so we could start the extension. You can read about that here.

When I use my Macro filters, the rocks look a bit like Uluru. well, kinda, sorta, if you squint a little....OK squint a lot.

These are those little Mexican doll flowers that have also gone into hibernation.

My parents gave us this garden bench about a million years ago. We've stained it a few times, but it is very exposed to the elements. I like it's patina...what do you think?

I know the Dandelion is considered a weed, but I've always been a fan of the underdog.......

The wattle just keeps kickin' on

These little flowers grow on a hedge in the front yard. They're about the size of a M&M.

The smell great too!

The bark from this Eucalyptus tree is like soft, thick, paper. It freaks me out to touch it...it's a childhood spider experience I once had.

I don't know what kind of berries these are, but I'm pretty sure they're not edible. Did you ever see the movie "Blue Lagoon"? , whenever I see these berries I think of that movie where they refer to them as "Never wake up berries". Funny the little things that stay in our heads.

We've been getting a little more work done on the extension. I'll blog about it tomorrow.
See ya.

linking to

Kirsty Girl