Laughing Pūkeko Organics

Laughing Pūkeko Organics Certified organic farmlet growing CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares for the wider Ōtautahi community.

Soil health, ecological balance, and social sustainability form the backbone of my regenerative practices.

3 months in and it’s sinking in that this is ours to nurture 🌱the excitement and resultant energy burst of new-ness has ...
08/02/2025

3 months in and it’s sinking in that this is ours to nurture 🌱

the excitement and resultant energy burst of new-ness has begun to wane ever so slightly. good habits are becoming routine; check the rain gauge, set the pest traps, etc. with our salaried jobs having ramped back up after the holidays and the return to diminishing sunlight hours, the pace of progress is slowing.

Here’s what we’ve been up to:

🌱 december’s unseasonable rains have fed vibrant growth

🍓 first perennial beds (strawberries) have been formed and transplanted

🌼 intercropped flowers are outshining the crops

🫐 raspberries harvest concluded just as fast as it started, and have been replaced with (thornless!) blackberries

🍑 nectarine season nourished our tummy’s and fed the soul, and the few figs we devoured were divine

🔧 seed sowing & potting area built

🍂 our first 2x compost bays are built

🐝 the girls are thriving, partially thanks to our neighbours lucerne fields

🐀🦔🦡 pest control has ramped up. while i don’t particularly like taking the life of these beautiful creatures, they wreck havoc on native flora & fauna

The theme of the last month was relax & enjoy. We did just that while celebrating a birthday at Gore Bay. And no trip to Gore Bay is complete without a quick stop to the veggie shed of a farmer i admire,

The remainder of this month is hectic, in the best way possible! I’ll be attending and showcasing my fave local farmers, growers, and makers at the salad bar. Whanau from the US visits shortly thereafter, and I round out the month with hosting a workshop at Lincoln Library on integrated pest management for the home gardener

life is good 💚

It’s our 2 month-iversary of calling this whenua (land) our home! Progress is happening both rapidly and slowly. I don’t...
28/12/2024

It’s our 2 month-iversary of calling this whenua (land) our home!

Progress is happening both rapidly and slowly. I don’t lament the snail paced speed of some projects, and I have to remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Our goal has been and continues to be investing in long term systems that work for us + te taiao (environment). There’s no substitute for lived experience and the tremendous value of observation; thus, for some projects, plans we had scribbled on paper before we moved here have been scrapped, after our observations have given us insights on how a planned project might (dis)function.

I originally anticipated veggies being ready for market this summer, and now autumn is a more realistic timeframe. I remain enthusiastically optimistic about where we are, 8 weeks in!

Here’s what we’ve achieved:

🚜 mowed & cultivated a bare paddock & formed the first 18 permanent raised beds for the market garden

🌱 sowed the first seeds. hello, potatoes!

🌻 remain committed to a ratio of 1:3, vegetable crop:cover crop or flower

📝 begun writing a wholistic farm plan (FEP) to aid in management decisions across the entire property, and help us prioritise tasks

🐦‍⬛ benchmarked sightings of our feathered friends: 16x avian species identified so far - our favourite sighting has been the kingfisher

🍒 first (huge) harvests of fruit from our Dawson cherry tree and black/red raspberries

🔨 partially erected a hoophouse

🧱 put a roof on the greenhouse

💦 sorted irrigation for the market garden

🐀 trapping programme in place and have so far fed 6 creatures to the birds

🐝 🐓 successfully moved two sets of livestock to this farm

🪵 compost bay supplies are piling up

Amongst all of this action, we’ve also managed a few trips to the to support other local growers & makers; checked out long lunch and beautiful gardens, and enjoyed the ambiance at ; given our legs a workout at Mt Fyffe Hut; hung out w/fellow Te Waipounamu ; and had our first weekend guests/hosted our wonderful & supportive friends for a friendsgiving feast

✨ Matariki Harvest: carrots, beetroot, leeks, cabbage, potatoes, parsley, cavolo nero, celeriac.Harvested on the cusp of...
24/06/2024

✨ Matariki Harvest: carrots, beetroot, leeks, cabbage, potatoes, parsley, cavolo nero, celeriac.

Harvested on the cusp of the return of increasingly longer days. Grateful to have the knowledge, space, and time to grow my own.

to my lovely supporters: I’ve recently been nominated for the OrganicNZ Emerging Leader of the Year Award, for which I’m...
28/04/2024

to my lovely supporters:

I’ve recently been nominated for the OrganicNZ Emerging Leader of the Year Award, for which I’m deeply honoured.

The OrganicNZ Awards showcase and celebrate the very best of Aotearoa’s organic farmers, leaders, and products. Its a sector I’m very proud to be part of, on the grounds that it holds demonstrable solutions to the current wave of environmental, climate, and societal challenges.

The cool thing about the award I was nominated for, is that its a People’s Choice award. That means YOU can participate by voting! If you feel like supporting me (or any of the other amazing nominees!), copy paste this link and cast your vote:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYxbe1zTjQKAxYE8svBnGPAh_s7x-03BtzeRwXLyLEEk3SKA/viewform

14 Apr: honeynut squash, acorn squash, shallots, fingerling potatoes, rainbow chard, cherry tomatoes, carrots, basil, cu...
14/04/2024

14 Apr: honeynut squash, acorn squash, shallots, fingerling potatoes, rainbow chard, cherry tomatoes, carrots, basil, cucumber

on the menu:
- herby stuffed acorn squash
- honeynut laksa
- zaatar tomato polenta pizza
- roast carrot salad

via SEEKING LAND - Ōtautahi, Christchurch. Jamie and Craig describe themselves as young(ish), energetic whanau looking ...
03/04/2024

via

SEEKING LAND - Ōtautahi, Christchurch. Jamie and Craig describe themselves as young(ish), energetic whanau looking to set down roots and steward a small piece of land. This is not a quick project, but rather a grand dream of building healthy soils, enhancing biodiversity, and contributing to the local community. They currently grow veggies, raise chickens for eggs, and nurture a couple honeybee hives.

You might be familiar with Jamie, who has operated Laughing Pūkeko Organics out at the BHU for a few years. Now they are looking for a more permanent location!

Jamie says, “Realistically, we don’t have the budget for a million dollar lifestyle block, so we are looking for home ownership options, outside of the box. Perhaps you want to leave a legacy of helping the next generation of farmers, or maybe its time to downsize but you want your land to stay in the hands of ecologically minded people...lets chat!”

Link below for full land listing

https://www.villageagrarians.org/land-listings/seeking-land-in-greater-otautahi-christchurch

a feast for the eyes, a feast for the belly, a feast for the soul 🌶️🌈🫑random musing: my social media-ing has been almost...
01/04/2024

a feast for the eyes, a feast for the belly, a feast for the soul 🌶️🌈🫑

random musing: my social media-ing has been almost non-existent over past 6 weeks, as i settle in to a new position and simultaneously look for a house/secure land for future growing. bc i use this account in part to document farming for my own records, today I updated with heaps of posts. i hope you find something to appreciate about them as much as i do 💚

i celebrated another annual monumental moment: pumpkin harvest 🎃after receiving a frost a few weeks ago, the plants were...
01/04/2024

i celebrated another annual monumental moment: pumpkin harvest 🎃

after receiving a frost a few weeks ago, the plants were looking worse for wear, while the fruits have shown some signs of frost damage. then this past week, in a panic due to forecasted heavy frost, i made the call to bring ‘em all in.

cool weather & pumpkins/squash go together like peas in pod. it’s going to be a delicious autumn and winter.

cherry tomatoes are one of my farming loves 🍅
01/04/2024

cherry tomatoes are one of my farming loves 🍅

10/17 Mar: cauliflower, fennel, parsley, coriander, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, jalapeños, basil, gree...
01/04/2024

10/17 Mar: cauliflower, fennel, parsley, coriander, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, jalapeños, basil, green beans, onion

what we ate:
- bruschetta
- melon prosciutto
- braised fennel pasta
- tomato risotto

i more than doubled the number of onion varieties I grew this year. that was driven by a couple reasons: variability in ...
01/04/2024

i more than doubled the number of onion varieties I grew this year. that was driven by a couple reasons: variability in finding red onions to purchase last year, overwintering trials, and general curiosity for determining the best tasting onions for growing in Waitaha Canterbury.

Full results coming soon…

and that’s a wrap on spuds for the season 🥔🙌🏻red fantasy, one of my absolute favourite for eating, harvested 2 march and...
01/04/2024

and that’s a wrap on spuds for the season 🥔🙌🏻

red fantasy, one of my absolute favourite for eating, harvested 2 march and now tucked away in fridge for long term storage. this crate should feed my whanau (& some friends) for the next 6 months at least.

it wasn’t my most successful spud crop. maybe the way i implemented no-till spuds this year didn’t make sense? whatever the reason, the actual harvest was the easiest and quickest potato harvest I’ve ever experienced.

3 Mar: sweetcorn, eggplant, dill, strawberries, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, beefsteak tomatoes, dry beans (borlotti an...
01/04/2024

3 Mar: sweetcorn, eggplant, dill, strawberries, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, beefsteak tomatoes, dry beans (borlotti and adzuki)

what we ate:
- tomato & borlotti puree with cherry toms & basil
- beetroot & salmon by .modern.mess
- Canterbury salad

18 Feb: dill, eggplant, shallot, basil, broccoli, spinach, zucchini, peppers, cherry tomatoeswhat we ate:- best ever bro...
01/04/2024

18 Feb: dill, eggplant, shallot, basil, broccoli, spinach, zucchini, peppers, cherry tomatoes

what we ate:
- best ever broccoli salad with salmon
- roast veggie wraps
- herby broccoli rice salad
- smokey eggplant pasta by ottolenghi. holy s**t. one of best meals i’ve ever eaten at home.

FINALLY. i did it! (she says with the enthusiasm of a young child who learned how to tie their shoes!)i haven’t yet crac...
01/04/2024

FINALLY. i did it! (she says with the enthusiasm of a young child who learned how to tie their shoes!)

i haven’t yet cracked the code, and while the plants themselves took a nosedive towards the end of the season, i’m proud to admit we’ve enjoyed homegrown eggplant for the first time since I started farming 🍆

p.s. if there is an appropriate time to use the eggplant emoji, that time is now! 🍆🍆🍆

4 Feb: cherry tomatoes, fennel, chives, carrots, cabbage, fingerling potatoes, jalapeños, parsley, cucumbers, red onionw...
01/04/2024

4 Feb: cherry tomatoes, fennel, chives, carrots, cabbage, fingerling potatoes, jalapeños, parsley, cucumbers, red onion

what we ate:
- fennel, tomato, chickpea bake
- panzanella
- smokey corn chowder

with every new season, aided by the knowledge of years past, farmers have the opportunity to tweak/change/transform farm...
01/04/2024

with every new season, aided by the knowledge of years past, farmers have the opportunity to tweak/change/transform farm management.

last year, intern Fergus interwove a trial of 3 sisters in our sweetcorn patch. the sunflowers and beans were a success; the pumpkins not so much.

now armed with first hand experience, and impressed by the inclusion of sunflowers in the corn, this year i repeated the intercropping of sunflowers. i tweaked it slightly, by increasing the numbers of sunflowers by x4. with the exception of the unpredictable height, i was over the moon with the results, and will continue to implement in future plantings.

21 Jan: rainbow chard, cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, sweetcorn, broccolini, cherry tomatoes, chives, beetroot, peppers, b...
01/04/2024

21 Jan: rainbow chard, cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, sweetcorn, broccolini, cherry tomatoes, chives, beetroot, peppers, basil, red onion, beefsteak tomatoes

what we ate:
- savoury tomatoes & beans w/toast
- thai inspired cabbage salad
- steak (a treat!), buttery corn, rainbow chard salad
- roast veggie pasta

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BHU @ Lincoln University
Lincoln
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