vegetable gardening courses and workshops, edible gardening tips and seasonal recipes for home-grown produce..
A thin slice of malt loaf spread with butter makes an excellent coming home treat. It's sweet, moist and malty and I expect will improve with keeping. I froze one loaf for another day. Malt extract comes as a syrup in New Zealand under the 'Maltexo' brand which you'll find in the nutritional section of the supermarket. Makes two 700g … [Read more...]
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. Mrs. Carr was a farmer's wife and friend of my parents. Her lemon cake recipe is a family favourite. A sweet, buttery treat balanced by the tartness of lemon. I favour the Imperial measurements for this as they are far easier to remember. My favourite 22cm square silicone mould gives a cake that cuts … [Read more...]
When you want to fill the tins quickly, a loaf is better than muffins. You can cut it into small pieces to feed a crowd and those who want more can have second or third helping. This loaf doesn't need butter as it's moist and sweet. It tastes like banana cake. Choose the freshest walnuts you can find as they quickly go rancid. New Zealand produces … [Read more...]
Pears and ginger are a wonderful combination of flavours. A kind friend gave me some marvellous dark-chocolate coated ginger and I decided to enliven a couple of windfall pears with the few remaining pieces in a muffin recipe. I thought it would stand a fairly robust texture so used an oat-bran muffin as the base. They freeze well. 150g plain … [Read more...]
It's been a good summer for root vegetables, including beetroot. You may have exhausted your appetite for beetroot salads and beetroot fritters. Carrot and pumpkin are popular in cakes, for some reason beetroots less so, but they bring colour, texture and moisture to baking. Beetroot brownie is one way to use them, or you could try these cup cakes … [Read more...]
A slow-cooked stew can be even better in a pasty. It's easier to take to work for lunch in pasty form too. You could use ready-made puff pastry. I made some rough puff pastry. I made four pasties but they seemed a bit big for my taste and I think six or eight smaller ones would be better. 500g left over stew, chopped up small and with most of … [Read more...]
Having made lemon curd, I was looking for a way to use it in a dessert. Cafe Medici in Martinborough used to serve mini lemon curd tartlets that were worth the trip over the hill from Wellington in themselves. The addition of a meringue topping was satisfying because it increased their visual appeal, it used up the two orphaned egg whites from the … [Read more...]
I made a gluten and dairy-free carrot cake by substituting a gluten-free baking mix for the wheat flour in this recipe. I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. It's a rich, dense, moist cake with the fat coming from oil and coconut instead of butter. 230g plain flour or gluten-free baking mix (I used Healtheries) One teaspoon each … [Read more...]
Recipe reproduced from 'A Treasury of New Zealand Baking' with permission from Tina Duncan. I didn't use it to feed shearers or as a wedding cake but it was welcomed for morning tea by a visiting neighbour, served for dessert with boysenberry ice cream and kept hunger at bay for a squad of clay target shooters on a wet Saturday afternoon. Half the … [Read more...]
This delicious slice is a variation on rhubarb shortcake. Both are good for morning tea or as a dessert. You could substitute berries or other chopped fruit for the rhubarb if you prefer. It freezes well. Makes 25 pieces. 250g self raising flour One teaspoon ground cinnamon 175g butter at room temperature 100g caster sugar 75g ground … [Read more...]
Get your winter fix of Kitchen Garden workshops at HANDMADE 2013
Plan your summer edible garden
Totally Totes
Spring workshops will start in October 2013 and will all be held at The Kitchen Garden in Ohariu Valley Wellington from 6-7.30pm. $29 per person. Get a group of six together and I'll tailor a workshop on a date and topic to suit you.
Planning your summer edible garden develop a plan to make the most of your garden time, space and energy.
Herbalicious growing and enjoying edible herbs for flavour and freshness from your garden to your plate.
Sow your winter edible garden to get your edible garden seeds sown for winter.
Composting for beginners
or for you if your composting isn't working well.
Soil Magic learn techniques to improve your soil and make your gardening easier - mulching, green manure, compost, aeration, double digging, soil testing and much, much more.
