organic vegetable gardening courses, growing tips and homegrown recipes.
Too many zucchinis? Put one in a cake. If the zucchini is small it works better, as it will be less watery. Unfortunately this is not usually the stage they're at when you've got too many of them. This cake used only one zucchini weighing 180g before I took off its top and tail. The cake turned out moist and crumbly with a delicious meringue-like … [Read more...]
I made this dip to have for lunch with some carrot and apple slices. Tess enjoyed the apple core and ends of the carrot so it was a lunch we could share. It's surprisingly sweet and goes rather well with raw vegetables. I didn't add any salt as it seemed seasoned enough from the salt in the cheese. If you don't like broad beans you may still like … [Read more...]
I love carrots, beetroot, radishes and turnips from the garden. I never seem to grow enough of them. You could sow some this weekend. 1 cultivate the soil - the root is going to have to push its way down through the soil so give it a head start by lifting the soil with a fork or digging it over, particularly in heavy clay soil. They are … [Read more...]
Rocket is growing well at the moment so I used a rather liberal interpretation of the traditional ingredients of pesto for my home-made version. Sometimes I make coriander pesto too. The name comes from the Italian verb pestare to pound or crush. You too could become a rocket scientist in your own garden. Pesto is great spread on steaks wrapped … [Read more...]
I realised it was about time used the bags of broad beans that have been rattling around the freezer since last spring. Things are a bit sparse in the vegetable garden so it's an ideal opportunity to take advantage of things I've squirrelled away. I'd blanched the broad beans before I froze them so it was easy to slip off their skins once they … [Read more...]
Zucchini fritters are getting so many outings that I decided to try a variation. I had some grated beetroot and carrot left over from a beetroot salad so this made an excellent breakfast for one with some spinach leaves and baby tomatoes. I could have very easily packed it for my lunchbox if I had to take a lunch out. If you haven't got capers, … [Read more...]
This dairy free variation of a quiche is a good way to use up all sorts of things. You could substitute silverbeet, onions, peppers, mushrooms, chicken or cheese in any combination and change the herbs to suit. I try to stick to just three main fillings - in this case bacon, leek and tomato. You could add it to a lunch box or take it on a picnic. I … [Read more...]
Loosely based on saag aloo, a quick side dish this uses two current staples - perpetual spinach and store-cupboard potatoes. Left over potatoes from a Sunday roast are even better, but we never seem to have any. I've also done this as a 'aloo gobi' with a spinach/cauliflower combo - steamed cauliflower florets replacing the potato. We serve it with … [Read more...]
I don't bother layering the filo pastry with melted butter - just paint some olive oil on the top with a pastry brush before baking. If you find your pastry has got too crumbly to make parcels (which can happen when you've defrosted it), you can make these in muffin tins - use the scraps to line the tin and top with a few more pieces of pastry. … [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...]
