organic vegetable gardening courses, growing tips and homegrown recipes.
Basil Brush, a handsome fox if ever there was one, came to mind as I was spreading Agrissentientials ROK solid fertiliser on my garden beds. You only need to sprinkle it in Basil's 'woofle dust' quantities - 50g per square meter. I think of it as a multi-vitamin for soil. It enhances a decent diet of compost and mulch, but doesn't replace them. … [Read more...]
Cheese and potato has always been a winning combination for me. The addition of some sweet, young leeks makes it even more so. In spring you can substitute asparagus for the leeks. This recipe made a couple of flans - one for now and one for the freezer. It would be a welcome addition to a winter lunch box. I served it for lunch with pumpkin and … [Read more...]
Hare backstraps are the equivalent of a fillet steak - the muscle that runs down each side of the hare's spine and make the perfect meal for two people. I could have used 250g beef or venison fillet or lamb backstraps in this recipe, instead of the hare. Cooking the meat like this keeps it moist and tender. I prefer them to remain slightly pink in … [Read more...]
Wild rabbit is lean, delicious and about as far from factory farmed meat as you can get. I've cooked these meatballs in the slow cooker very successfully without any pre-cooking. Surprisingly they didn't end up as rabbit bolognese sauce. Chicken thigh meat would also work well in this recipe. I've used other wild meat for these meatballs but … [Read more...]
It's time to plant garlic in Wellington. If you fancy a change, try planting some elephant garlic at the same time. It's larger and milder than ordinary garlic. It's said not to keep as well, but this is a recent photo of both types I dug earlier in the year and neither has deteriorated yet. Chinese garlic is fumigated with methyl bromide by law, … [Read more...]
If you see some fresh sweet chestnuts in the shops or on a road-side stall, now's the time to buy them. Once you've roasted and eaten as many as you can manage, you can process the rest. Pierce the skins with the point of a knife and simmer them in a pan of water for 30 minutes. Drain, cool, cut in half and scoop out the flesh with a teaspoon. The … [Read more...]
Despite the success of this pumpkin cake, I'm not convinced that cooking cakes in the slow cooker has that much to recommend it. You essentially steam rather than bake it so it could easily be served as dessert. It's probably more energy efficient if you're baking just a cake in the oven. I'd lined the bowl with baking paper I didn't have to wash … [Read more...]
The day of the Wellington food show was cold, windy and wet. Tess would have gone for a muddy walk anyway but I went to the show with a clear conscience, knowing I would not have ventured into the garden for any more winter preparations. I love the celebrity chef demonstrations and saw three this year: Sophie Gray with her Destitute Gourmet: … [Read more...]
This wonderful untreated macrocarpa raised bed was raffled at Old St Paul's market day on Saturday. It's full of some of my favourite winter crops based on 'square foot gardening' methods. We also gave away a place on the fresh food garden course. … [Read more...]
