23 September 2026

This past year has been eventful.

November 2025 we had the first storm and it took the roof off one half of the tunnel house, left a trail of broken branches, battered the chillies, tomatoes, etc in the garden and stripped about a third of the fruit off the trees trees.

We cleaned up the mess and things were recovereing then between Christmas & New Year we got the next storm 48 hours of average wind speed 195km/hr with gust up to 264 km/hr. This storm decimated the place, no plastic left on the tunnel house, 0ver 150 car tralier loads of broken branches mulched and the bigger trunks etc cut for firewood, virtually no fruit or leaves left on any of the trees plus wreckage from about 2 km up the road blown down to our place and all through the paddocks. We have finished cleaning up the mess in July and are now building new storage sheds, potting sheds etc. While the frame for the tunnel house is still there it would cost at least $20,000.00 to reclad it in plastic - that is whole heap of sauce to sell to cover costs so the frame is wrapped in windbreak now and we can still use the beds established inside it. (If we win Lotto it might get reclad.)

It is just as well I had a good supply of chilli powder and some frozen chillies because I got vitrually no super hot chillies last Summer.

So looking forward to a better season this time round. Chilli babies, tomato, tomatillo, are growning strong and nearly ready to plant out under cloches. Onion, potato onions and garlic are looking good. Fruit trees (apricot, plum, apple, pear, peach crabapple, blueberries) are covered in flowers, citrus are heavy with fruit, berry fruit canes are budding up and the nut trees are flowering.

I did try putting a few things through the cold smoker and then dehydrating them - smoked onion powder, smoked chocolate capsicum powder, smoked sweet paprika powder are on the do again list. Hopefully this year will get enough chillies to put through a lot for a few new sauces. Cold smoked Hot Honey and Garlic Drizzle was amazing will have to do more than three jars next time.