Author: fraser

IceTV and Skippa

fraser | October 15, 2015

Well what a saga! I have been a long time user of mythtv as a PVR and Media Centre but we had a little issue with it over

Bush Tucker

Morel #2

fraser | September 9, 2015

We ate them. I’ve only ever eaten wild mushrooms once before and they were accurately identified by someone else. This time we did the identification ourselves. No Morel

Bush Tucker

Morel

fraser | September 7, 2015

The first year we were here a huge amount of morels sprung up in spring (like 100’s of them) – we didn’t know it at the time they

Cheese

Blueee

fraser | August 28, 2015

There is a cheese I really like the look of – Shropshire Blue – The combination of the annatto orange cheese with the blue veins is quite stunning and

Plants

Creamy Candles

fraser | August 21, 2015

Denise spotted a new plant in one of our regular walks today. We have identified them as Stackhousia monogyny or ‘Creamy Candles’ after following the key at PlantNET.

Cheese

Smoked Cheese #1

fraser | August 7, 2015

Of course. This is such an obvious combination I have no idea why I didn’t try it earlier… anyway… As you have guessed by the title today I

Sundew

Pale Sundew #2

fraser | July 31, 2015

We were both very excited to come across a huge patch of these carnivorous plants near a natural spring at the base of our ridge. The area is

Cheese

Cheshire Cheese #3

fraser | July 15, 2015

Denise has made some lovely “Cheshire Cat” stickers for the cheshire cheese. (The model for the painting was ‘Trampy” a semi domesticated feline visitor who can’t decide if

Cheese

Red Leicester Cheese #1

fraser | July 15, 2015

It’s been grey and cold here in the Mudgee district for the last few days as the Antarctic Vortex crashed its way across Australia, so what better way

Smoker

Ham #2

fraser | July 2, 2015

The ham was smoked for 9 hours (apple smoke). It now weighs 1.8kg

Cheese

Cheshire Cheese #2

fraser | June 28, 2015

Following on from Cheshire Cheese #1. The cheese has progressed nicely. it has been pressed for two days then allowed to dry. Now it’s time to wax it.

Cheese

Cheshire Cheese #1

fraser | June 23, 2015

Todays cheese is Cheshire cheese. I have never made it before so this is a bit of a trial. It has a very long ‘cooking’ time after the

Smoker

Ham #1

fraser | June 22, 2015

Going to make some ham. Picked up half a leg (~3kg) (the ‘butt-half’ as the Americans would call it) from one of our friendly butchers. It was deboned

Cheese

Pepato

fraser | June 21, 2015

I was recently reading a “the Little Green Cheesemakers” post in which they had opened up a Pepato cheese after aging it for 17 months. This was pretty relevant to

Cheese

Milk for Cheese Making in Mudgee #3

fraser | June 19, 2015

For one reason or another getting fresh milk has been a bit troubled lately, hence the cheese making slowdown. Buts it’s all sorted now and we are back

Smoker

Bacon #3

fraser | June 17, 2015

Well the bacon worked out just fine. I think next time I’ll try a “Canadian” bacon -which is just the loin without any fat or skin.

Smoker

Bacon #2

fraser | June 15, 2015

Update on the bacon: After two weeks of curing the loin has now cured all the way through and looks a lot like bacon! Interestingly the cure has

Orchid

Inland Mosquito Orchid

fraser | June 13, 2015

We found a great little patch of Inland Mosquito Orchids (Acianthus Collinus) on one of our walks today. These tiny orchids flower in winter and grow in a

Smoker

Smoked Salmon

fraser | June 10, 2015

We went into ALDI yesterday and found sides of salmon (Tassie farmed) for a good price, so we got some so we could smoke them up and store

Smoker

Bacon #1

fraser | June 3, 2015

I’m having a go at making bacon. This is a bit trickier than the other smoked goods I have been making as bacon is cold smoked (and therefore