vegetable gardening courses and workshops, edible gardening tips and seasonal recipes for home-grown produce..
Some of my corn is past its best so ideal to use in soup. Roasting brings out a sweet and nutty taste in most vegetables. Use the best stock you can as this makes a material difference to the finished product. Garnish with some freshly chopped herbs. Four cobs of corn, husks and silks removed One medium potato, peeled and chopped into a few … [Read more...]
There was an intriguing beetroot soup, served hot, on the menu at Nikau Cafe in Wellington this week. I consulted Ray McVinnie's view on the classic Russian beetroot and red cabbage soup, bortsch, but was inspired to make my own soup with roasted tomatoes and beets, cooked at the same time as I had the oven on for something else. It was beautiful … [Read more...]
This soup is a beautiful, serene green and can be made very quickly if you have some left over potatoes. I've still got a few cucumbers in the garden, together with plenty of cos lettuce and it seems appropriate to prolong the summer by serving them in a warming autumn soup, rather than the traditional chilled cucumber soup. I left out any garlic … [Read more...]
If you've got pumpkins, you'll want to make some pumpkin soup. This one has an intriguing flavour and a smooth, creamy texture. I stole some peanut butter from the jar I use to bait the mouse traps. I prefer to base it on a good rooster stock but if you want a vegetarian or vegan version, a good vegetable stock would suffice. Makes 4-6 portions. … [Read more...]
Watercress soup is a vibrant shade of green if you don't overcook the watercress. I think it benefits from a rich, meaty stock-base. I simmered left-over bones and gravy of a shoulder of hogget for a few hours just covered in water in the slow cooker. I used half the strained liquid as a stock and froze the other half for later. This also gave the … [Read more...]
I make my leek and potato soup heavy on the potatoes. You could chill it in summer and call it 'vichyssoise'. The leeks have grown all through the summer - planting them close together makes them slim, sweet and tender. They'll keep through the winter in the garden before going to seed once it warms up in the spring. If you've got enough leeks you … [Read more...]
The secret of good soup is good stock. I make stock in a slow cooker by simmering bones and vegetables left over from roast dinners just covered with boiling water for a few hours. I strain it and freeze it until I need it. There are lots of pumpkins around at the moment so you might want to try mini pumpkin soup too. If you want to get more from … [Read more...]
I started off eating this as a soup, but discovered the skin was tender enough to eat the whole thing with a knife and fork. Perfect for a one-person dinner with nearly nicoise salad Cut the lid off a mini-pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Fill with grated gruyere cheese (Moore Wilson stocks an excellent unpasturised one). I could … [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.
