Cape Gooseberries

I have never heard of Cape gooseberries before, let alone picked and eaten them, but they are currently my favourite thing to forage for and find in the PEACE Farm mandala gardens.  Perhaps its because the mandala gardens are looking pretty sparse these days, or perhaps its the way the golden fruit is hiding with a paperthin leafy shell, and when its really ripe this turns transparent revealing the gold fruit inside.

There is something lovely about removing it from this leafy shell and popping it into my mouth.  The taste is different, not too sweet, not too tart if ripe enough.  It tastes like what I think a Vitamin C tablet should taste like - vibrant and alive.

Today the little kids of the farm helped me harvest them. Many had fallen off the vine prematurely from the wind.  Hopefully they might ripen if I bring them inside.

 I just checked online and they are also known as Inca berries, Aztec berries, Golden berries, and ground berries.  They contain Vitamins A, C & B and are high in protein and iron. Yeah!   If I stop eating them I may even have enough to make a gooseberry jam, but the temptation to just pop them in is too great.

Celebrating Winter at PEACE Farm

So Winter has definitely arrived.  We have had some very wild, windy and rainy weather over the last few weeks so I was very happy for a bit of sunshine today.  I managed to get two loads of washing on the line, harvested some yummies from the garden, and gave the children some much needed outdoor play.

Thanks to everyone who braved the cold the weekend before last to come down to PEACE Farm for the Winter Solstice.  We were blessed with a respite from the rain and although it was cold, we actually had a starry sky.  The fire was blazing all night to keep us warm. When we first lit the fire as the sun went down we sang some solstice songs and the children circled the fire with their candle lanterns.  Then it was time for a warming soup, followed by chai and cakes.

None of us dared sit in the 'hot seat' but it was marvellous to watch the chair burn

We celebrated the longest night with a letting go ritual. We took it in turns to throw gum leaves into the fire.  I enjoyed this simple act of release and letting go, watching it burning away to ash.  We then joined with another to talk about and share what we wanted to grow with the coming of the light.

Em and Vicky serving the cakes which were delicious. 

Winter Solstice is one of the things I love about winter.  When I lived in the Northern Territory I missed this time of spiralling in towards the darkness. A time for inner reflection, sometimes a time of struggle, but ultimately a time of letting go and rebirth.   In winter time we, like the plants and trees, are mostly dormant, but its a perfect time to let go of our leaves and tend to our roots.  The solstice is like the new year.  Ideas can begin to be formed and germinated. And as the days start to get longer again and the sun returns bit by bit,  new buds can start to grow. By the time the Spring Equinox arrives, we can begin to see the blossoming of these ideas.  So Happy Solstice everyone, and I hope you are all tending your roots and growing wonderful new ideas to blossom in the Spring.

Ollie in the snow - first snow of the year at Mt Donna Buang

SO what else is there to celebrate about Winter...
The other things I love about winter are hot mulled wine, open fires, hot chocolate, and my possum-fur gloves and scarf.    But probably the best thing about winter around here is the snow.  We had a couple of days of snow last week so took the opportunity to take the kids up the mountain for a play.  There was just enough snow to go down the toboggan run.

 I think now its all melted.... until next time it snows.  Maybe see you up the mountain?

Marlowe and his snowman