TIME TO SHINE

Longer days mean party planning.

t the Good from Scratch farm, we are starting to prepare for our busiest month: December. We're getting ready for the festive season, and the gardens will be providing a large amount of the produce.

It means November is an exciting time. The days are getting longer, giving us more time to spend in the gardens and on the farm. Even now, there's already an abundance of vegetables ready to eat.

We've also saved a lot. We harvested our Queensland blue pumpkins in March and have stored them ready to use when visitor numbers go up. We've pulled up over 200kg of different potatoes – Jersey Benne, Agria, Kowiniwini – and kumara. We also have a packed tunnel house with salad greens, including rocket, baby gems, watercress, and microgreens.

But guests aren't just coming for the food – they'll also be drinking, and we're ready for that too. In August, we harvested our large orchard of all its lemons and oranges, turned them into sweet syrups and froze them in one litre pails. We defrost a pail as needed and mix it with sparkling water to make a really tasty soft drink, with a mint leaf or two for some freshness.

Michael’s tips for a safe summer

Most people celebrate summer in classic Kiwi fashion, sparking up the outdoor fire or barbecue. To prepare for the summer months:

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clean out any old ash;

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remove and throw away the contents of the drip;

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light the fire or crank up the barbecue to burn off the old oil and any cobwebs;

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once cool enough, give the grill plate a brush down with a wire brush;

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rub the grill with half a lemon;

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put a little oil onto a paper towel and wipe down;

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add new tinfoil to the drip tray.