Sunday, January 21, 2018

Week 3 2018 - The Shearing Shed Yards, Cherries and Basil

This week has been hot and humid, with some amazing thunderstorms and lightning shows. Some days when it was too hot to venture away from the shade and some early mornings to avoid the heat.

Our main task this week has been to build a yard at the back of the shearing shed and to complete the chute. The whole project of building the shed has been going for nearly three years but this week has seen it reach usable status.


The Red Box posts were cut on our other property and while not exactly straight are almost termite proof and so will stay strong in the ground for a very long time.

The next job was to dig holes and put the posts in. The timelapse film below was taken by our Wwoofer on her GoPro and makes us look like fast workers!


Once the posts were in then stays could be fitted with one end notched into the post and one end stopped with a large stone block. When the fence wire is tightened the stay prevents the top of the post being pulled over. Then star pickets were spaced between the posts positioned by a single taut wire. The ringlock fencing wire is ready to be rolled out.


Once the wire was attached then two sides of the shed needed to be slatted to keep the sheep from escaping underneath. The trick was to attach wooden uprights to the side of the concrete stumps and then nail the slats to them. 


This time of year is harvesting and processing. Our neighbour has a cherry tree that was laden and despite nets the birds were being keen. So six of us turned up and picked 13kg in less than an hour.


So we pummeled some with a potato masher and boiled it up to extract the juice for cherry jelly.


We pitted hundreds for dehydrating.


Dried cherries are great to add to muesli, so I am told and now I can find this out!
Something for the kids to do on a hot summer afternoon - pit cherries for cherry chafoutis and cherry pudding with pink custard! Yum.



14 jars of cherry jelly for the pantry.


Separating the basil leaves from the stalks.


1/3 cup of pine nuts, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and lots of basil leaves makes pesto.


Frozen in ice cube trays they make a taste bomb!

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