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Tag: Drinks

harvest of lemons and tangelos

Homemade Lemon Cordial

Debbie,

November 10, 2022November 10, 2022

It’s harvest time for a lot of juicy good citrus fruit, and it’s also starting…

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Welcome to Merchant Homestead

This is me, Debbie, in my natural habitat. Messy hair, natural face, wearing Dan’s borrowed jersey. This is the happy face of a girl in the sunshine, snacking on peas and picking spinach. It’s a good time and I’m glad you can enjoy it too. Thanks for following along my garden journey.

We've had a big window taken out as part of our re

We've had a big window taken out as part of our renovations and it's been leaning up beside the house for a few weeks. Turns out it's spring behind that window and the bulbs are up to enjoy it. 😆🌼

There hasn't been a lot of planting and tending th

There hasn't been a lot of planting and tending the garden happening lately with these short, wet wintery days, but fortunately, the garden takes care of itself one way or another. We've got little self seeded lettuces popping up in various places. Not the places I would have chosen, but I suppose the places they've come to be most comfortable.

It's always a reassurance of sorts that nature can find its own way, and the garden always grows. ❤️🥬

My future self is going to have so many gorgeous f

My future self is going to have so many gorgeous feverfew daisies in the garden. Because I'm scrunching up their seed heads and sprinkling them everywhere. Why not! Nothing better then free flowers 😆🌼

#merchanthomestead #thegoodlife #urbanhomestead #mybackyard #gardening #growingflowers #nature

It might be freezing outside, but the chillies are

It might be freezing outside, but the chillies are still feeling hot! Made the most of a sunny Saturday filling my pockets with these little beauties. 😁🌶🌶🌶

It's just about citrus season! The lemons are star

It's just about citrus season! The lemons are starting to get hints of yellow here and there, and soon we'll be back to a tangy abundance 😊🍋

The flowers that are left after the flower are all

The flowers that are left after the flower are all gone. Somehow still beautiful in their own way. 🤍

Just a lil basket of homegrown bananas 😊🍌

Just a lil basket of homegrown bananas 😊🍌

White flowers in a fresh breeze. Cool autumn air.

White flowers in a fresh breeze. Cool autumn air. Pockets of sunshine peeking through the clouds. Great music. A gentle pace. Dreams of the future.

What are you grateful for today?

#merchanthomestead #thegoodlife #mindfulness #gratitude #peace

Stumbled across this on the weekend while I was ti

Stumbled across this on the weekend while I was tidying up a little in the gardens. Not 100%, but I have a suspicion it's a brussel sprout I planted last year that never came to anything. That or a cabbage gone rouge. We'll have to wait n see! 😅🥬

One of the most satisfying parts of a little garde

One of the most satisfying parts of a little garden tidy up is coming across all of the old plants left to seed. These are spinach seeds, and before I tear back the old dead branches, I rub them off and drop them into the soil. Some won't grow, but some probably will, and next season I'll have spinach all over again and it's completely free. 😊🌱

#merchanthomestead #thegoodlife #urbanhomestead #mybackyard #natureisbeautiful #gardening #fromseed

Happy banana harvest day!!! Finally!!! 🍌🍌🍌

We have waited such a long time for this. After a sad situation with our first bunch via a neighbours early harvest, finally we have our second bunch of bananas. Properly fleshed out, plump, sweet, and delicious. I am a happy camper!! Homegrown bananas FTW! 🍌 🤩

Tabouleh is my current fav salad, and there is not

Tabouleh is my current fav salad, and there is nothing better in a tabouleh than fistfuls of fresh mint! I recklessly planted mint in my garden against all advice and sensibility, and I'm nowhere near regretting it yet! 😅🌱

If your chickens are running to the same schedule

If your chickens are running to the same schedule as mine, it's time to settle in for a winters rest and hit pause on the frittata. We still have the odd egg laid here and there, enough for a weekend brunch, but the girls are due a rest, and they are taking it. Good on you ladies, thanks for your service ❤️🐔

A few sunny autumn days and the capsicum are flowe

A few sunny autumn days and the capsicum are flowering again.... get outside and bloom y'all! ☀️🫑

I forgot I planted peas 🤣 my brain has been dec

I forgot I planted peas 🤣 my brain has been decidedly custard these last few weeks and so imagine my delight stumbling across a pea blossom! Hopefully this weekend we'll get a gap in the rain and I can give this lil lady the support she deserves!

The last loaf of bread baked in our old faithful s

The last loaf of bread baked in our old faithful shacklock oven. Only baked one because all our bread tins are already in storage. This beauty shall help to feed us while our kitchen is ripped out and replaced! 🍞

#merchanthomestead #urbanhomestead #fromscratch #homemadefood #sourdough #bakingbread #sourdoughbread

The luffa grows! In amongst all the wintering and

The luffa grows! In amongst all the wintering and waning, the luffa still grows. Will this one day be big enough to harvest? Only time will tell.

Mixing up a little sourdough for my Saturday, and

Mixing up a little sourdough for my Saturday, and filling the house with fresh bread smells. What a joy ❤️🍞😊

#merchanthomestead #thegoodlife #urbanhomestead #fromscratch #homemadefood #sourdough #sourdoughbread #bakingbread #dough #mindfulness

A fistful of spice coming in from the greenhouse t

A fistful of spice coming in from the greenhouse today 🤩🌶

We spent the weekend with friends away on Waiheke,

We spent the weekend with friends away on Waiheke, lounging at the beach, baking bread, hunting Easter eggs and having a jolly old time. Meanwhile storm clouds had skirted around our edges and dumped a tropical cyclone on our little homestead. High winds, big rain, my little garden was left to fend for itself.

I got out this morning to see how she fared and I will say, better than expected! A few pots blown over and vertical plants now sideways. The chicken fence barely standing but chickens still happily contained. And my beautiful bunch of bananas still happily dangling in the tree 😍🍌

Good job little homestead ❤️

Baking bread and sharing skills with beautiful fri

Baking bread and sharing skills with beautiful friends... what better way to spend a long weekend! 🥰🍞

#thegoodlife #fromscratch #homemadefood #sourdough #focaccia #homesteading #qualitytime

It's that time of year where rain drops hang heavy

It's that time of year where rain drops hang heavy in the asparagus ferns. We are braced for a storm this evening and while I wish all of you a safe and secure night, I'd also like to admire the beauty of our changing seasons, and the untamed world in which we still somehow live so comfortably. ❤️

Well, even though my luffa plant is very late to t

Well, even though my luffa plant is very late to the party, it seems to be giving this fruiting thing a crack! I don't have high hopes but nothing's impossible 😆🥒

Shout out to the serrano! This plant has received

Shout out to the serrano! This plant has received a number of shout outs this summer, I think, due to its ongoing tolerance, resilience, and understanding. I've been less than attentive, and by consequence, this plant, tucked in the shelter of the greenhouse, has been living in significant manmade drought conditions. Regardless, she continues to support my harvesting needs with these beautiful, spicy, sweet red numbers. Thank you for your commitment to the cause! 😍🌶🌶🌶

You know how some plants love to climb? They wrap

You know how some plants love to climb? They wrap their little tendrils around and grip on as they work their way up. You wonder how they know to grab on. It is because of these teeny tiny little hairs, often hard to see, but in this moment, catching the light just perfectly. 🌱

Hello sweet friends! Some of you know with baby on

Hello sweet friends! Some of you know with baby on the way, we're heading into renovations at our place, and so the time has come to sell our gorgeous antique stove. We've thrown it up on trademe and would love it to go to a loving home.

If you know someone who loves antiques, European vintage, or just the most charming offgrid appliance you've ever seen - please pass this on to them. ❤️

Find it here https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/antiques-collectables/appliances/listing/5253962517
or search 1920s Belgian Leuven oven stove

#antique #offgrid #homesteading #vintage #Belgian

The rain has come! Hope you're snugged up cosy ins

The rain has come! Hope you're snugged up cosy inside while your garden gets a nice watering 😊🌱🌧

Anyone else been fossicking around their feijoa tr

Anyone else been fossicking around their feijoa trees today?! These beauts smell divine 😍

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