On herbs and the Central Markets

Ah holidays. Today sees me lazing inside, slow cooking up a spaghetti bolognaise sauce for my parents whilte trying to get some RA work done. The sauce takes from 4 to 6 hours but is so rich and tomatoey it is worth the wait. Mum and I popped to the central markets in Adelaide (rival the Vic markets for sure, and in a moment of weakness I even declared them better than the vic markets!!!) this morning and bought some yummy tomatoes (the mortgage lifters Mum grows are way too good for this sauce.) We also bought some premium mince. I also wandered by the mushroom shop looking wistfully at the black french winter truffles on sale (reasonably priced too I might add, though Mum disagreed.) Usually I put mushrooms in my spag bol, but mon pere isn't too fond of the old fungus so I left it out.

However, what does go into the mix is a tonne of herbs from mum's garden. I pulled two fistfulls of basil leaves off the bush and you can barely tell. It is just so huge. I also picked some rosemary from this amazing bush, and some thyme from the one behind it (hidden in this photo.)

While lemongrass isn't the thing for bolognaise, I just had to show you a picture of it - simply huge.

Mum also grows a huge sage bush. Back at our old home she couldn't get it to grow, and nor can I on the balcony garden, but here it grows life a triffid!

Same with the chives, there are loads of them!

Also, whenever you wander around this garden a shadow seems to follow. I managed to capture the shadow the other day.

After a quick pat I sent him on his way. Seriously, any time I enter the garden he follows! He just loves it, and it is almost like it is his garden, not Mum's, though he is yet to be spotted actually helping with the gardening. Other favourite hobbies of his include sleeping on the couch cuddled up close (and snoring) and barking at the ants that congregate on his bones (chewy treat bones, not the ones in his body) in an attempt to get rid of them!!!