Love a Good Freebie

There's nothing like getting something for nothing and the garden is great for this.
I felt a bit guilty about not using some of the Chinese greens that I had planted - I just wasn't familiar enough with them and they went to seed before I got to them, but the flowers have been covered in bees, and I will dry these seed pods and try again.

Driftwood edges, cabbage tree leaves as mulch...

Ornamental bananas...The first one we bought was meant to be a miniature - but it grew to twice the size it was supposed to be, covering a window and hiding a view. After it flowered we chopped it out and really I thought, what is the point, I would rather have fruiting bananas. But the seeds have started sprouting, and the spent palm has made great compost. We have plenty of room and are hankering after the tropical look, so I plan to plant them in the soakage field to hopefully crowd out a field of kikuyu grass.

banana seed

Sweet Peas...

Not entirely free because I planted the seeds. I want to leave them on the plant as they look so pretty, but I know that if I pick them, the plant produces more. These are a special sweetpea for containers

And when picked, if placed in front of the bathroom mirror it looks like twice as much. Such a lovely fragrance.

Rum and Raisin Truffles

These are great to take to a potluck as they can be made well in advance, and they are gluten free, depending on the chocolate you use.

They look better when rolled in coconut, but I had just run out, so they are dusted with icing sugar and cocoa sifted together.

Using a double boiler combine

500 grams of dark chocolate melts

1 cup of cream

2 tablespoons of rum

Stir over a low heat until melted and combined.

Stir through 1/2 cup each of chopped hazelnuts and raisins (although I used more of each, almost twice as much in fact)

Refrigerate until firm. Roll teaspoonfuls (approx 30 - 40) into balls, then in chocolate hail or coconut or cocoa/ icing sugar.

Refrigerate or freeze as required until ready to serve.