Sometimes the weather isn’t right for outside gardening. Sometimes you don’t have access to a garden. Sometimes you want to try something new to get your kids interested in growing things. Here are three things you can grow without leaving your house.
You could get your kids to help you make lemon curd too. They’ll certainly help you eat it.
Have you planted your garlic yet? Is there room in your life for a Rhode Island Red rooster?
sprout your own
Grow your own sprouts from seed. In about a week you’ll have something interesting to add to your salad. I’ve tried lentil, radish, mustard and now brocolli. Fenugreek is growing as I write. Rinse and drain them twice a day. Kings Seeds sells both the mesh jar-lids and seeds or Commonsense Organics in Wellington has a range of sprouters and seeds. A jam jar with a piece of muslin tied over the top will do just fine.
windowsill herbs
Dig up some herbs and plant them in pots on your windowsill or buy some from the supermarket and pot them up in bigger pots to give them a longer life. I’ve got chives, parsley and marjoram.
homegrown mushrooms
Grow your own mushrooms. If you’re in the Wairarapa, Parkvale sells a bucket for $15 or in Hawke’s Bay you can find them from Mytopia at the Hastings Farmers’ market. Mushroom Gourmet has a variety of mushroom kits for sale by mail order. I noticed Palmers Garden centre in Plimmerton stocks their oyster mushroom kit.
salsa verde
A wonderful, pungent accompaniment to lamb or beef. Don’t worry too much about the quantities in this. Taste it and adjust the flavour at the end. It should be thick and spoonable like a good pesto. It’s best made just before serving to retain it’s ultra-green vibrancy but you can keep it, covered, in the fridge for a couple of days. Or you can freeze it to keep the taste of summer for later in the year.
quick mid-week supper for two.
150g fillet of hoki topped with lemon zest, some dill leaves and and wrapped in a couple of strips of proscuitto. Drizzled with sesame oil and lemon juice and baked for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C. Rested for five minutes and then served with new potatoes and salad.
Pesto is usually made from basil and pinenuts but in spring when there’s coriander and lemons about, I make this version. Mix it through mashed potato, spread it on a lamb steak before you wrap it in proscuitto and roast for about 20 minutes, use a tablespoon of it as a topping for a piece of fish. I spread it on sandwiches and wraps too.
A handful of fresh coriander (probably about 100g), tough stalks removed
2 heaped tablespoons cashews or pinenuts
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
freshly ground salt and black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
50g fresh parmesan, grated
half a lemon, cut into chunks
Put all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. Scrape down the sides to ensure everything is incorporated. Seal in small tubs. I keep it in the fridge for up to a week and freeze the rest.
Herbs are some of the most rewarding plants to grow in your garden. You transform a steaming bowl of tomato soup with a snip or two of chives. You enliven a take-away curry with a scattering of coriander. You don’t need to stuff a chicken if you can roast it with half a lemon and some sprigs of thyme inside. Although many herbs tolerate some neglect, they’ll reward you if you tend them at this time of year. Most people have space for a few herbs and some do very well in pots. If you have them close to your kitchen door, you’re more likely to dash out to pick them fresh to add to your meal. If you want to learn more about growing herbs, register for ‘the fresh food garden‘.
