Don’t bother with green zucchinis next year. Yellow ones fruit earlier and are much easier to spot amongst the leaves so you won’t end up with unexpected marrows. Scallopinis are a more interesting flying-saucer shape and can be yellow or green.
If you’re being buried under a mountain of zucchinis then try some zucchini recipes. Chocolate zucchini cake was particularly good. I’ve successfully trialled growing zucchini plants in tyres. If you want to see the results or want to be buried in a mountain of zucchinis next year, come on the last fresh food garden course of the season on Saturday 6 March 2010.
The weekly draw for a box of vegetables continues for everyone signed up to receive this email.
When you’ve got chooks you wouldn’t think you’d need a vegan cake, but if you run out of eggs this is the ideal solution. I didn’t expect it to rise but it did and is moist and delicious. I use a bundt tin so that it cooks more quickly and is easier to slice into small portions. The slices freeze well for quick defrosting for unexpected guests. If you’re considering eliminating meat from your diet then Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats and Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability are worth a read. If you are looking for other uses for zucchinis, try some zucchini and feta pies, zucchini fritters or zucchini meatloaf.
two and a half cups of plain flour
two teaspoons baking soda
two thirds of a cup of cocoa
one teaspoon salt
one teaspoon ground cinnamon
300g grated zucchini
two cups of raw sugar
two thirds of a cup light olive oil
two teaspoons cider vinegar
one cup warm water
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa, salt and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Add the zucchini and sugar and mix together thoroughly. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the oil, vinegar and water. Mix well and pour into a large greased tin. Bake for about 40 minutes – until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Quick, vegan, store-cupboard supper for one or double up for a starter for four.
One zucchini, cut in half lengthways. Check whether the halves sit flat on their backs and if not, shave off a slither until they do.
Two tablespoons couscous, just covered in boiling water.
Olive oil.
One clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped.
Three sundried tomatoes finely chopped.
One tablespoon sunflower seeds.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Leave the couscous to soften for a few minutes. Scoop out the zucchini flesh carefully with a teaspoon to leave two half-zucchini shells about 5mm thick. Chop the zucchini flesh finely. Heat a little olive oil in a small frying pan and fry the garlic and zucchini flesh for a few minutes until soft but not browned. Add the couscous, tomato and sunflower seeds. Mix and season well with salt amd pepper. Pile the mixture into the zucchini halves, place in an oiled, shallow baking dish and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped herbs.
It’s time to buy seeds for your winter crops – a sowing before the end of February and another one before the end of March will make your garden more resilient to the variability of weather. Some might be ready before winter, others during and some not harvested until spring. I use a grid of 30x30cm squares made of bamboo stakes tied together with string. When you’re sowing the second grid, you can move the original bamboo grid to a new location. If you spread a layer of potting mix over the soil before you sow it will supress many of the weeds and give your seeds a good start in life. Keep the seeds moist – water gently each day if necessary. You’ll need to protect your seeds and seedlings from birds, cats and other invaders. If you’d like to see a demonstration of this, there are just a few places left on the fresh food garden course on Saturday 6 March 2010.
If you need some help with some heavy work in your Wellington garden, such as double digging, I know of an enthusiastic sports team looking to raise funds for an overseas trip. You’ll need to feed them well of course. Please email me if you would like me to give them you details.
I’m not selling vegetables this year but will be running a ‘weekly’* draw during the summer for a box of seasonal produce. Everyone who gets this email will automatically enter the draw so if you’ve got friends who’d enjoy some fresh produce, forward this to them so they can sign up for updates. If you win the draw and you’re not in Wellington or don’t want the vegetables I’ll send you a small consolation gift.
Time to start watering your garden regularly if you have not had to already. Scratch under the surface of the soil to see if it is dry. Water thoroughly once a week rather than a quick sprinkle every day. Use some seaweed tea to give your plants a boost too. Some things will need watering more often – particularly seeds, seedlings and greenhouses but if you’ve used mulch and planted things close together you may be surprised how rarely they need it. The more organic matter you incorporate into your soil via mulch, compost and green manure the less you’ll need to water too. Early morning and late evening are good times to commune with your plants and unwind with a tour round, picking and weeding as you go. There are a few places left on the fresh food garden course on Saturday 6 March 2010 if you want to find out more.
If you’ve got a zucchini glut you might want to try some zucchini meatloaf, lusaka, zucchini fritters or zucchini and feta pies.
Mabel and her chicks are progressing well.
‘Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives‘ proved a fascinating read and a sad indictment of human nature illuminating the influence of a child’s name on his success, how to write a successful personal ad and what’s the best way to tell if someone is lying.
* ‘weekly’ refers to a pretty flexible schedule in this instance. Sometimes more often, sometimes less.
I’ll be running the final fresh food garden course of the season on Saturday 6 March 2010 12 noon to 5.30pm. Just nine places so please book early. The next courses will be in early October 2010.
Although it’s very suitable for beginners, some of the people who’ve enjoyed the course the most have been experienced gardeners. There’s a mixture of talking, demonstrations, practical, discussion, questions and answers. You can see most of the things we cover working here at The Kitchen Garden. Don’t be deceived by the short timeframe. We cover a great deal and you’ll get comprehensive notes to take away.
It’s proved a very successful gift to people for whom it can be difficult to buy. I provide a gift card which is transferrable to any date within 12 months.
You can book on line and pay by credit card or direct credit. Please email me if you have any questions or have a look at this information.
I view meatloaf as an easy way of making burgers. You could use the same mixture to make patties or divide it into muffin tins to make a more portable version. I used a silicone loaf mould which makes it easy to release but I think you get a better browned look if you use a metal tin. Or you could slow cook it – form it into a round or oval loaf to fit your slow cooker, lightly coat the inside of the slow cooker with oil and lower the loaf into the slow cooker on a sling of aluminium foil. Takes about six hours on low. If you leave the lid open a crack for the last thirty minutes you’ll get it to brown a little or you can paint it with dark soy sauce. Leave the sling in place while it cooks or you’ll struggle to get the loaf out in one piece. You can then either slice it or serve it in wedges, like a cake.
750g mince (I used venison mince which was delicious but a bit coarse in texture. Finely minced beef or lamb would be good too)
300g grated zucchini
One large egg
One onion, peeled and finely chopped
One clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and pepper
One teaspoon fennel seeds
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Scoop into a large, greased loaf tin. Bake at 190 degrees C uncovered for 50 minutes. Allow to rest in a warm place for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
