It’s a boiled pig’s head, meat removed and diced, then set in a terrine mould with jelly made from the cooking broth. What’s not to like?!

We’re getting towards the end of the pigs we raised for meat – literally! I’ve never cooked trotters before, so this was an interesting meal.

Whenever we have potatoes sprout in the cupboard, we plant them out in a spare garden bed. It costs nothing, and you typically get back about 5-10 times as many potatoes as you plant!

Potatoes are also amazing for establishing new garden beds. They break up the ground, attract lots of worms, and leave a lovely rich soil behind.

I use the standard potato-growing technique – dig a fairly deep trench (up to a foot deep), put the seed potatoes in the bottom, and cover them with an inch or so of …

FreeCycle is a great way to give a new life to stuff you no longer want, and to divert still-useful waste from landfill tips. Here are some of the useful things I’ve picked up…

With proper storage and a little care, many varieties of pumpkins can be kept for 6-12 months without refrigeration. In fact, they get sweeter and tastier the longer you store them!

Why would you bother to grow your own pumpkins when they’re so cheap from the supermarket?

We had 9 cubic metres (4.6 tons) of mulch delivered – and I have to move it all by wheelbarrow!

It sounds really fancy, but it’s actually just a practical way to use up duck egg yolks after making lots of meringues with the whites! Home made pesto is quick and delicious accompaniment that does the pasta justice.

We welcomed two new residents to the homestead this week – a pair of 4-month-old white muscovy ducks named Sir Francis and Louie.

One of our favourite meals on a rainy Sunday is pumpkin soup. It’s dead easy to make from scratch!