House design is an integral aspect of permaculture with passive solar and other low energy input designs. The conundrum is that we really need different designs for winter and summer. In Japan we have cold dry winters and hot muggy summers so the Japanese approach was that it was better to be cool in summer and freeze in winter. If I paint the west facing wall matt black the concrete will absorb heat during the day and radiate half of it back into the house at night. In summer a white wall…

Water melon and cucumbers have done well in the searing heat by the west facing wall of the house. Everything else seems to struggle. It's all about trial and observation. I want to avoid being dependent on hand watering if possible. I'm considering another grape or peach against this wall as they seem to be able to find water.

The banana roots and taro I chucked in the soak hole to die have revived and are doing well. It's the lowest point of the site so they must be getting water. Should have put them there in the first place. As Jacques Cousteau said 'Life is very persistent.'

Well, now that we are at the end of December, my garden is finally starting to take off :) I started planting Labour weekend, but everything I planted failed to grow and some things were taken out by the thousands of little slugs I have living in my woodchips. After talking to friends, I think the plants failed to grow because the ground was covered with mulch and took longer to warm up. Plus the garden is exposed to the sou-wester winds, soil is a bit compacted etc etc. Next year I will…

Have constructed more terraces for annual veg beds. Big problem germinating seeds this year. Kali's toms have self sown along with lettuces left to go to seed. Now have comfrey and seaweed tea barrels for fert. 99% ground covered with weeds but removed some to make clean terrace beds. Still adding grass clippings and coffee. I miss my chickens.

5 acres and 5 bed house for sale Paremoremo - suitable permaculture with good water catchment, space for zone 1 veg garden zone 2 fruit trees and zone three livestock plus forest. email james.westaway@raywhite.com for details

So, after getting the food forest started, it was time to start on the vege garden. First I layed that old carpet and underfelt all over the ground in the backyard to kill off the grass. I had hoped it would kill off the grass completely by September when I planned to start double digging, but by the end of August the grass was brown and in some places it had decomposed, but…

Another mandarin - Burgess Scarlet, is added to the citrus family.

Then I start digging more…

Well, we have finally moved, and I have a Lot more room to play with. Half an acre, in fact.

While we were still house hunting I started watching videos about permaculture orchards and gardens on Youtube and stumbled across a new idea (well, new to me) called 'Food Forests'. The idea is, instead of planting fruit trees with grass or maybe a herbal ley underneath, you plant all the layers you find in a forest: tall trees, short trees, shrubs, vines, ground cover, root crops. You also…

Smooth variety, thornless and scented. Please contact me if interested sarahyates49@gmail.com

Have dug in the sheet composted coffee grounds and grass clippings. I think it makes a better veggie bed combining the organic matter with the topsoil although no-dig purists may disapprove. Have planted out a lot of self sown corn and lettuce seedlings and mixed the corn with broad beans. Need to add squash for the Mexican triumvirate. The whole site is covered in weeds now and we are finally getting some mandarins, lemons, limes and oranges. 

Junko has researched and perfected a number of gluten free bread and cake recipes to get me off the wheat energy roller coaster. I don't fall asleep in the afternoon now and my bakery bill has dropped. She's using mixtures of spelt, rye, rice, corn and potato flours. Some taro and a couple of bananas have survived where I chucked them in the corner soak hole where the run-off ends up. Comfrey is everywhere. I miss my chickens - if anyone in Akl needs to get rid of a couple of layers please…

I produce a facebook blog posting news articles on global food security issues. Feel free to post any articles you come across that are specific to the topic and properly researched.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Food-Security-News/199771066772925

In order to fund our planned move to a potential permaculture block I am back selling real estate on Auckland's north shore. I did this job back in the 90's in Epsom/Remuera. If you have a question about the market or would like to know what your property might be worth, email me james.westaway@raywhite.com

Sorry for the commercial, but it's for a good cause :-)

Another long dry summer. A mowing contractor is adding regular loads of grass clippings. Kali's heirloom tomatoes have been fantastic - we can't keep up with them. Interestingly they have very thick skins and the birds have left them alone. We peel them by dropping them in boiling water for 10 seconds. Had loads of acid free with basil and various dressings and buckets of the deepest red tomato soup we've ever seen. Thanks Kali! A local I met has saved me a black variety. My corn all dried…

Have you ever thought about how companies make normal, store-bought cream cheese?

Na, I don’t think about it either.

I’d rather make my own awesome, home-made cream cheese!

It is super, super, super easy.

There are just two steps. That’s right, folks. TWO STEPS. Heck, you can either say it’s just one step.

1. STEP ONE

To make home-made cream cheese you just transfer a container (about 1 kg) of PLAIN yogurt into a…

IMG_3124.JPG

Gluten-free.

Gingery.

Muffin-y.

Mmmm. Gluten-free Gingerbread Muffins.

Or are they cupcakes?

There is no difference between muffins and cupcakes sometimes. Just add some frosting to this muffin and you’ll have yourself a Gluten-free Gingerbread Cupcake.

This recipe uses my wonderful sugar substitute …

This amazing creation of peanut-buttery goodness, coconut, oats, and chocolate chips uses my famous Date and Fig Puree. You can use other sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or bananas, but I found that the Date and Fig Puree gives the cookies the best flavor.

These cookies are really fast and easy. I made them after…

 So Thursday morning, I woke early and headed off to a Gardens for Health Meeting.  All of the people who had contacted me and told me to speak to certain people had led to this moment.  I was nervous, excited and hoped the influential and wise minds at the network meeting for Gardens for Health would not laugh my idea of a urban farm concept all the way out of the community garden in Tuakau where said meeting was to be held.

A beautiful, sunny morning, I nervously walked in the front…