December 2013 Issue #100

Hello,

What fun that we both love gardening. Thanks for joining me.

1) Gift ideas
2) Eco gardening tips
3) Mango Coconut Custard

"Wherever you are and whatever you believe in, may your holidays sparkle with moments of love, laughter and goodwill."

Raring to grow

The FAQ section is the place where the beautiful people hang out... earthy, beautiful and raring to grow.

Whilst you're there, you can ask a nagging question or answer another gardener's head-scratcher. Thanks to all those who contribute, and if YOU know something useful, I bet we'd like to know it too!

Eco gardening tips

• First gardening gift idea:
  An inexpensive shredder. This can be used to shred anything from scrap paper and wrappings to advertising and election material. Put it to good use as mulch… around the strawberries, worm farms, compost, and packaging. Will stop weeds, and then breaks down and feeds the soil.
• Second gardening gift idea:
  Write out a nice gift voucher offering an hour or more of your time to help someone in their garden.
  
  

  Children can be encouraged with this idea and can use their imagination to make the voucher, or vouchers, and even write what they would like to do, depending on their age. Eg: water the garden every morning for a week; empty the kitchen scrap bucket into the compost bin for a month; make bird scaring streamers with foil; or feed the birds and change the water in birdbath, and so on.

• Fresh 'n sweet:
  I have a friend who has one year of weekly articles written, edited and lined up ready for publication for his city's newspaper. Wish I could do that for this newsletter! I just sit down, delve around my files and write.
  
  

  Likewise with veggies. You can't have a year's worth stored up, not even a week's worth. The fresher picked, the more delicious and nutritious they are. Once harvested, the nutrients in vegetables start degrading immediately and the sweet plant sugars turn into starches.

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  If you'd like to simplify your gardening by knowing when, what and how to plant, I'm willing to bet this GrowVeg.com garden planner will be a hit with you,
  like it is with me.

  "The free trial for a month won me over and now I definitely can see the usefulness of this planner. Thank you Megan for recommending this, getting excited looking at all the possibilities I have for my veg patch now."
  Eileen R.

  
  
  
  

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  Mango Coconut Custard

  This oh so easy alternative to custard is delicious. Serve it chilled alongside your Christmas pud, or with some fruit cake, or just about any dessert.
  
  

  Ingredients
  

  • 1 mango
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • Juice of ½ orange

  Method
  

  • Put all ingredients in blender and whizz until smooth.

  Preparation: 10 minutes

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  Happy holiday gardening and much...
  
      Megan
  
  

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