Midwinter festing

Hot spiced cider. Pulled pork buns. Mulled pinot. Flammkuchen Bavarian style: a hot flatbread with potato, sauerkraut, garlic and fresh herbs. A sugared doughnut stuffed with chocolate and rhubarb. Delicious chocolates from Cygneture. Music and storytelling. And the burning of 'Willie', a.k.a. midwinter man. We didn't make it to the Huon Valley Mid-winter Fest last year, so glad we did this year. It was an all-round terrific way to spend a frosty Friday night.

The Market @ Franklin turns two

There are plenty of good weekend markets around here, but there's nothing quite like having one in your own town. I love being able to pop down the road, pick up some fresh produce or a birthday gift and catch up with friends. Today we took the dogs with us and took it in turns to wait outside with them as they collected pats and cuddles from locals and visitors to Tasmania. We bought some rye sourdough bread, a free trade coffee, potatoes, a cute purse for a young relative and a delicious warm jam doughnut from the colourful little van out front. Stopped for a chat with friends and favourite stallholders like Kellie from The Forgotten Tree with her buttons and jewellery made from salvaged Tasmanian timbers and Marie from Wakky Taz Creations with her handcrafted glass jewellery - all great gifts when we need them. There were fresh mussels, cakes, scarves, second hand goods, cushion covers and a local musician singing.

When we first moved here, there was a market only in the summer months, but two years ago, local business owner Natalie of Simply Spellbound skin care products took the initiative to take it over and run a monthly market all year round. Stallholders vary so there is always something new and different. The Market @ Franklin is on the last Sunday each month. See you there next time?

The Kettering Incident

It's quintessentially Tasmanian. Stunningly beautiful and dark at the same time. After seeing the first two episodes of The Kettering Incident at last night's world premiere that kicked off the Dark Mofo festival, I'm hooked and can't wait to see the rest.

Image source: Foxtel

Mysterious signs bearing the letters TKI started appearing around the Huon Valley and the Channel during filming last year, directing cast and crew to the day's location. The eight-part series was filmed entirely in Tasmania, and it shows. A snow-capped Sleeping Beauty looms outside the windows. The light is soft. Plovers screech in the distance at night. The grey besser bricks of Mountain River Hall. Wet dirt roads. Bright green moss and man ferns. Spectacular views. Forestry loggers versus the greenies. The Bruny Island Ferry. Utes. Lots of utes.

The full series will air on Foxtel later this year, and while we don't get Foxtel at home, I'll find a way to see it all one day. Most of all, I'd love to get my hands on one of the snow globes on sale in the local Kettering store... if you missed last night's screening, you'll have to wait to find out what's inside them.

Native pepperberry shortage

Last year, the many mountain pepperberry (Tasmannia lanceolata) bushes on our property produced very few berries. The few I saw were hardly worth picking. This year hasn't been much better. I was hoping for a bucket full of plump, tasty berries to flavour a science experiment we have underway in the dining room (pictured below). While there are more than last year, I've ended up with less than half a jar of dried pepperberries so far. Some of the pepperberry bushes on our property are very large and twice my height, and they are all growing strongly. There are male and female bushes, and they all look healthy. So I am not sure why the plants have produced so few berries. A few years ago there were so many, we couldn't pick them all. I am wondering if the chill factor has something to do with it. Last year's winter was very mild, but this year we've had three lots of snow already, and it's only the 2nd of June.  I will be interested to see what next year's crop will be like. Pepperberries are especially good for flavouring roasts and beef, and I've used them to replace pepper in other dishes too. I would describe them as peppercorns with a beautiful pink colour and more complex flavour.

Making the most of meat

Hidden in my collection of cookbooks is one called 'Making the most of meat'. Most of the recipes feature heavy use of lard. Another gem in my collection is a Woman's Day publication called 'The Meat Lover's Cookbook'. Many of the recipes involve using fruit in meat dishes, a pet hate of mine. Especially apricot chicken, urgh. However, the book also contains useful diagrams of animals showing where the different cuts of pork, beef and lamb come from, along with suggestions for how to cook them and how to carve them. I used it last week when slicing up some magnificent pieces of beef for the freezer.

Cradoc Hill Abattoir is open for retail sales on Friday afternoons from 2-5pm. There you can buy good quality, locally grown and butchered meat, in bulk, at good prices. I had been meaning to go for ages, and finally made the trip during a week off work earlier this month. We can see the large white abattoir building from our house, so it's quite close as the crow flies, but about a 25 minute drive to reach the other side of the river. On our recent visit, we bought a huge rump, some scotch and about 6 kilos of fresh silverside (not corned, as most Australians know it) which I wanted to marinate and turn into a lovely German roast called Sauerbraten. It all needed another couple of weeks aging in the fridge before I divided it up for the freezer and cooking.

Then we had the offer of a 'quarter of beef' from friends in our village. The offal from the beast is already in the freezer and the dogs have been happily eating hearts and tongues and things for their dinner. Then this week, we took delivery of many kilos of beautiful aged beef. There are several things I love about this. The animal was on pasture just down the road from us, we drove past them most days. They had a good life. No chemicals or added hormones in sight. It's well-aged and lovely quality meat. But most of all, having a variety of cuts that I might not normally cook with means we try yummy new things. Generally, we eat less meat these days, but when we do, why not make it special. And local.

A good dusting

Yesterday morning we woke to a good dusting of snow - for the second time in a week - and it isn't even mid-May yet. David drove (carefully) down the hill towards Grove for a business breakfast meeting. I played with the dogs in the snow (fun), then butchered two roosters destined for the pot (much less fun) before hitting the desk for work by 8.30am. Not exactly a typical morning, it must be said. By midday, the rain was back and the snow was gone. It's so wet here, we had a temporary creek running past the vegetable garden.

Five years in Tassie

Five years ago today we moved into our new home in Tasmania. Every day I am grateful we did. I am grateful for the clean air, the beautiful landscapes, the wildlife, the great food, the opportunities we have had and the many, many wonderful people we have met, who have made us welcome and added so much to our lives. We thought we would be getting the 'quiet life'. Instead, we found a welcoming community and so much to do, it's far from quiet. And then there is the view that I never tire of. Rain, sun, snow or all three at once, I love Tasmania.