Planting now in January 2018 for the Australia - temperate zone

Planting now in January 2018 for the Australia - temperate zone
Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Beans - dwarf (also French beans, Bush beans)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Beetroot (also Beets)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Burdock (also Gobo (Japanese Burdock))	Sow seed	Harvest from June
Carrot	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Chives (also Garden chives)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Cucumber	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Eggplant (also Aubergine)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Kohlrabi	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Lettuce	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Marrow	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Mustard greens (also gai choy)	Sow seed	Harvest from March
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Oregano (also Pot Marjoram)	Sow seed	Harvest from March
Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Radish	Sow seed	Harvest from March
Rosella (also Queensland Jam Plant, Roselle)	Sow seed	Harvest from July
Rutabaga (also Swedes)	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Salsify (also Vegetable oyster)	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Sunflower	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Sweet corn (also maize)	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Turnip	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash)	Sow seed	Harvest from March
Planting in February
Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Beans - dwarf (also French beans, Bush beans)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Beetroot (also Beets)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Broccoli	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks	Harvest from April
Brussels sprouts	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks	Harvest from May
Burdock (also Gobo (Japanese Burdock))	Sow seed	Harvest from June
Carrot	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Cauliflower	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks	Harvest from June
Chives (also Garden chives)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Collards (also Collard greens, Borekale)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks	Harvest from April
Cucumber	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Endive	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Florence Fennel (also Finocchio)	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Kohlrabi	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Leeks	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks	Harvest from May
Lettuce	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Mustard greens (also gai choy)	Sow seed	Harvest from March
Onion	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks	Harvest from August
Oregano (also Pot Marjoram)	Sow seed	Harvest from March
Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Radish	Sow seed	Harvest from March
Rosella (also Queensland Jam Plant, Roselle)	Sow seed	Harvest from July
Rutabaga (also Swedes)	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Salsify (also Vegetable oyster)	Sow seed	Harvest from May
Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Sow seed	Harvest from April
Turnip	Sow seed	Harvest from April

Planting In January 2017 for the Australia - temperate zone

Planting In January 2017 for the Australia - temperate zone

Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Beans - dwarf (also French beans, Bush beans)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Beetroot (also Beets)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Burdock (also Gobo (Japanese Burdock))	Plant in garden.	Harvest from May.
Carrot	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Chives (also Garden chives)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Cucumber	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Eggplant (also Aubergine)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
Kohlrabi	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Lettuce	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Marrow	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Mustard greens (also gai choy)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from February.
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
Oregano (also Pot Marjoram)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from February.
Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Radish	Plant in garden.	Harvest from February.
Rosella (also Queensland Jam Plant, Roselle)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Rutabaga (also Swedes)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Salsify (also Vegetable oyster)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Sunflower	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Sweet corn (also maize)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Turnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from February.

Planting now in December 2016 for the Australia - temperate zone

Planting now in December 2016 for the Australia - temperate zone Photo Credit Eden Project - Cornwell England
Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Basil	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from February.
Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Beans - dwarf (also French beans, Bush beans)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Beetroot (also Beets)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Borage (also Burrage, Bugloss)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Burdock (also Gobo (Japanese Burdock))	Plant in garden.	Harvest from May.
Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry )	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
Carrot	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Celeriac	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from April.
Celery	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from April.
Chilli peppers (also Hot peppers)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Chives (also Garden chives)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Choko/Chayote (also Chayote squash, christophene, chouchou, mirliton)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Cowpeas (also Black eye peas, Southern peas)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Cucumber	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Eggplant (also Aubergine)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
French tarragon	Plant in garden.	Harvest from February.
Kohlrabi	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Leeks	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from April.
Lettuce	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
Marrow	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from April.
Mustard greens (also gai choy)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from February.
NZ Spinach (also Warrigal greens)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from February.
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
Oregano (also Pot Marjoram)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from February.
Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Pumpkin	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Radish	Plant in garden.	Harvest from February.
Rockmelon (also Canteloupe)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
Rosella (also Queensland Jam Plant, Roselle)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Sage (also Common Sage)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from 18 months.
Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from February.
Sunflower	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Sweet corn (also maize)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from April.
Sweet Marjoram (also Knotted marjoram)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from February.
Tomatillo	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
Tomato	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from February.
Turnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Watermelon	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from March.
Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from February.

The Art of Butchering

The Art of Butchering

Living in the brush you learn to do things in the best order to do them.

You don't butcher any large animals in the warmer seasons, it is difficult to deal 

with all the meat before spoilage, and blow flies ruin everything, so the spring 

and summer is best used for hunting birds, rabbit and small game. Besides it is 

also the best time of the year to go fishing too! (Remember without a fishing 

pole, you are just another fool standing on the bank.) Small game is easy to take 

care of and use it up before it has a chance to go bad on you. 

I choose to soak my game in a mild salt brine, what soaks in the flesh kills surface 

bacteria, and fly eggs will not grow in salted meat.

I suppose I could have tried my hand at gardening, but that is too much like 

playing in the dirt, I was never so poor as I couldn't barter with the folks in the 

low lands for enough veggies for to can and get me through winter alright.

Oh I did do some canning in the summer, a few jars of sauerkraut, corned critter 

and such. I did some smoking too, mostly just what I was going to get around to 

cooking soon (smoke is a preservative,) and all the excess fish (salmon, steelhead, 

and trout,) I caught. These I strung together and hung from the rafters near the 

peak of my roof.

Come winter it was another story be it an elk or a deer, I would knock it down and 

butcher it on the spot. Oh thanks to the guy who invented the block and tackle when 

it comes to butchering a large elk. gutted, and set to the side tongue, heart, liver, and 

kidneys set in a pot of salt water to suck excess blood and gall from them, and the 

intestines pressed clear of their contents, turned inside out and pressed under a stone 

in the creek to rinse while I busied myself to skinning and boning the meat.

Getting to the meat was the easy part, packing it to the cabin was another story, It 

generally took the best part of 2 1/2 days to pack everything back to camp, and in 

between each trip there was packing jars with bits and pieces of meat, some measured 

salt and spice, and set in the canner and off I would go for yet another load of meat.

Super large hunks of meat were rolled in salt and cure, wrapped in brown paper and 

tied up in string, these were hug to cure.

Trim meat mixed with spice and pork fat was ground and stuffed into the cleaned 

salted intestines as sausages.

As much meat as could be done so was packed into jars and canned, some would be 

plain meat, some spiced up fancy, some with salsa, some with spaghetti sauce, some 

with chili, oh well you get the picture.

In the fire pit the cauldron was filled with bashed long bones and water to render the 

marrow out to make some miners butter. somewhere along the line the head would be 

rolled through the live coals to burn and singe the hair from it, I cut the head down the 

center removing the brain, and rinsed the interior cavities of the head, so when the 

bones had been done in and the marrow was collected, the head went into the cauldron 

to cook down. (Head Cheese)

All my empty jars filled, the casings packed with sausage, hunks of meat hung to cure, 

there is still a lot of meat left to deal with.

It is so nice to lay next to the fire pit looking at one side of ribs across from me 

propped up taking on refracted heat slow cooking them till they are near falling 

apart tender. Good eating!

The smoke house packed full with bits and pieces of trimmed meat, taking on a light 

coating of smoke without getting cooked, once the surface is colored and dry it is 

removed and by the time to go to bed taken and stacked in the cache where the 

remaining bugs can't get through the smoke induced scab on the meat.

Come morning liver would be the main item on the menu as it does not last long at 

all on it's own.

All in all this would be enough to survive on over winter, and not much at all would 

go to waste.

I one even dug a hole in the ground, and stretched the elk hide over and staked it 

down to it, using pickling spice, garlic, bay leaves cloves and lot's of salt I made a 

brine and soaked chunks of meat in this solution over winter, the meat kept very well, 

but tended to be a bit on the rich side.

Those days are long gone to me today for sure, it was good living like that, now I have 

many fond memories. 

Rusty 

July 19 2007

Brining Poultry

Very shortly now I am going to be pickling, or corning a mess of chicken drumsticks I had

 to buy because of the price.

I can, can the meat fresh with only a hint of salt, I can freeze the meat for being too lazy to 

deal with it right now or I can get on the phone and tell my friends to bring over the wet stuff 

to slurp on, and the side dishes to accompany grilled chicken, maybe some cooked up in a 

Buffalo sauce, maybe some done up proud with a perky BBQ sauce, (just gotta get those 

finger's sticky!) just about anything with the exception of boiled bird.

No, today I am going to brine some the bird, then I am going to cook it down for that rich red, 

highly spiced melt in your mouth corned chicken.

Doesn't roll off the tongue like corned beef, does it?

Mind you now, corned chicken taste's as good as corned beef with the improvement chicken

flesh is oh so much tenderer than that tough ole beef brisket the corned beef comes from!

The brine is simple, pickling spices, garlic, salt and cure. I use a Morton product called "Tender 

Quick," as the cure and the salt are already mixed.

Mix the cure and spice with water and let all boil for maybe 5-10 min. to get the flavors opened 

up and leached into the water. once the brine has cooled I just toss the meat in and make 

sure it is pressed below the surface of the brine for about a week, and then the meat is cured. 

Rinse the meat under fresh water, and cook as you wish. Beware this meat is rich!

Some of the chicken is going to be canned, it is a bit of a bother to bone the meat, but it 

produces a superior product, and besides bones take up space where meat should be!

I pack my jar's to maybe 1/2-3/4" of the top of the jar (no larger than pint jar's!) with the meat. 

I prefer to cold pack my jars (raw meat,) as when the meat is cooking in the canning process 

the meat makes it's own broth inside the jar during the canning process.

I add maybe 1 tsp pickling spice, and 1 tsp Tender Quick per (pint,) jar just before I set the 

lid and ring. Each batch is pressure canned at 10lb's for 60-70 min.

Done this way the meat will come out pink, and not as rich as the brined meat, but it will be 

excellent made into a sandwich spread, spread on cracker's as a snack, or even tossed into 

a pot of boiled spuds and veggies.

Oh,oh! My pickling spice is calling to me, I gotta run.

Rusty.

Aug 2nd 2010