How to plait garlic

As promised this is how I plait my garlic. I have photographed the technique without flowers because it's easier to see but if you want flowers just plait them in with the bulbs, or substitute a bulb for a bunch of flowers.
It's like doing hair in a french plait.
Tie three large bulbs together and lay them in front of you as pictured. I find it easier when the stalks are still green but they must have been dried in the sun for at least 3 or 4 days so the plait doesn't rot.Next find a bulb which sort of snugly fits in the middle, lay it's stalk on the middle stalk.Snuggle the next bulb in on the left, you will plait it's stalk and the left stalk over the middle ones. They then become the left stalks and the previous left ones are now in the middle.Snuggle one in on the right and cross the two right stalks over the middle ones as before.Find another one to snuggle in the middle and repeat the process to make the plait as long as you like. I use smaller and smaller bulbs as I move up.
When you have added as many garlic as you want plait the stalks and tie the top. It is now ready to hang and use. Many people plait their garlic, feel free to link to this post. I would hope that any learning or perfecting their technique from me would respect that I sell my original garlic plaits locally (motueka and surrounds) to help provide for my family.

Janurary slipping away

I have taken the photos for my garlic plait tutorial, problem is the teenager has gone and decided to get a social life and the technology has gone and done something unexpected so I can't upload my photos. What were we thinking when we bought him a scooter?
It's alright really, he's with his cousins and one of my" fabulous Aunts". She has her granddaughter staying and her own later in life baby is around the (terrible/fabulous) teens age. They play tennis and go off to the beach all day while eating copious amounts of corn chips and junk. Extended families are so awesome, make sure you utilise them if you have them. We've also done our fair share of overnight stays during the holidays, not much family but friends bringing the total of kids on some nights up to 7. Dinner is made in a soup pot or roasting pan on those occasions and I'm getting quite good at massive bacon and egg pies with herbs and zucchini. L is home on annual leave for a month, so at least I'm getting some reprieve.
I'm celebrating a whole year as a part time solo Mum of four and am doing a wicked job if I do say so myself. Goodness knows how four kids survived infancy actually as last year I killed two Kefir bugs, a passion fruit vine, a tree tomato and two old rabbits. Thankfully for me the wonderful wet coast Sandra has sent me some more Kefir which is thriving and I am on the "Gillybean lazy diet" consisting of Kefir/blueberry/raspberry/banana smoothies,no coffee, less red meat and cheese, more sushi and no exercise (yet), diet.

The Pokororo fair was great! A chance to catch up on many of my old valley friends while selling a bit of garlic and sewing, I also came home with some lovely culinary lavender, 6lb of blueberries and some award winning essential oil. The cover has been on my sewing machine since then while I do my annual school holiday declutter and painting which I LOATHE! This year it's the bathroom and it's just going to be WHITE. As long as it gets rid of the peeling paint and mould I'll be happy.
L is off on holiday to his family next week with two of the kids so I hope I can get it finished, a bit of a summer social life in the evenings to top off the painting would be nice too.

I've updated my "Self sufficiency project" list and would like to introduce my good friend Melissa who is joining the awesome list of Kiwi bloggers.

Teen will be home soon to help with computer and babysitting.

Scraping horrible paint tomorrow!!

Come visiting and give me an excuse to stop work and make coffee!!!

garden notes Jan

Quick word before the fair. This week has been all about garlic!! I'm sick of it. Yesterday my attention span was about 20 minutes before I had to get up and do something else. The big plait is seed for planting in winter it's very heavy but I probably haven't saved quite enough yet.All going well this week I will show how I plait garlic. Here they are waiting for me to put tags on. The Pokororo Fair is on tomorrow I'm cringing at the thought of windy weather as there is nothing worse at the fairs than holding onto a gazebo all day. Hopefully the fore casted rain will hold off even though I want it for my garden. As you can imagine there are big gaps in the garden that need to be filled now the garlic is out. Better get the winter brassicas, beans and lettuces in quick!