Wednesday 23 October 2013
Monday 21 May 2012
Vegetable and Flower Gardening In a Small Area
Vegetable & Flower Gardening In a Small Area - By Jimmy Boswell – Gluten Free Chef
You don’t need a large area to grow fresh vegetables, herbs
and fruits. In many respects you don’t even need a garden. Over the years plant
breeders have been developing varieties of plants designed to be grown in a
small area or in containers. They have also focused on taste and high yields
from small plantings.
Positives for
container gardening
- Don’t have to worry about weeds
- Less garden pest problems
- Self-watering planters means you can water less
- Great for porches, decks, patios, and balconies
- Easy to control soil health
The
Small Vegetable Plot – Kids Can Grow
I am a keen advocate of
small container gardens. When there is little or no space for a conventional
garden planting a few pots and containers with some vegetables and herbs can be
very rewarding both in the produce that you grow as well as the fun and
happiness that it offers.
It is also something that
you can get the kids involved with. Being in containers there is very little
weeding required and kids can have their own pots growing things that they like
to eat. They can care for their plants, watch them grow and when they harvest,
the smiles on their faces is priceless.
I had my own little plot
in the main vegetable garden and I remember digging, planting and harvesting,
with a little help from Dad. I loved picking my produce and was always proud of
what I grew.
Always, set space aside in your garden for the kids. Choose plants that are fun and easy to grow. Good plants for kids’ gardens are cherry tomatoes, herbs, sunflowers, and edible plants. Diversify kids gardening plants to include various smells, textures, and tastes (like Mint) to keep them interested.
Container gardening is also great for kids. If worried about the kids getting messy, container gardening is great choice.
Getting
Started
As I have mentioned container gardening does
not take a lot of space but there are a few considerations when starting.
Light/Sun
Vegetables need about 6 or
more hours of sun each day. Without sun, the fruits will not ripen and the
plants will be stressed. In Winter with lower sunshine hours there are a few
crops that can survive in light shade, lettuce and other greens, broccoli, but
if you can’t provide sun, you might want to reconsider having a vegetable container
garden. More so if you are getting kids involved. The last thing you want is to
have a poor result for the children.
Water
Vegetables also require
regular watering. Without regular water vegetables will not fill out and some,
like tomatoes, will crack open if suddenly plumped up with water after
struggling without for awhile.
On my deck I have lots of
containers with a wide variety of plants. I do not have a tap close so when I
need to give them a good watering I have plastic containers that are larger
than the pots with the plants in them. I fill these large pots with water and
place the plants in them and let them soak. I usually mix some liquid
fertilizer in the water and give them a food at the same time.
Soil/Potting Mix
Vegetables need a soil that
is rich in organic matter. The potting mix/soil is important to the growth of
all plants, but more so with vegetables, because even taste is affected by the
quality of the mix you are growing them in.
With a potting mix rich in
organic matter it will not only help plants to grow but will also retains
moisture.
Specialised
Varieties
When you are
looking for plants to grow in containers look for plants labeled with terms or
words such as patio, pixie, tiny, baby or dwarf. These will be varieties that
have been bread for containers. Just because a plant is bred to be small
doesn’t mean the fruits will be small or the yield will be less.
Herb Gardens
Herbs are generally pretty easy to grow and hearty. They need loose, well drained soil. But do not require a lot of attention. You can interplant with vegetables to use herbs for organic pest control. Or plant a separate herb container. It is a good idea to plant perennial herbs like chives, lavender, mints, oregano, rosemary, thyme, tarragon.
Planting herbs is a great way to supplement a small vegetable garden, too. Say you just decide on a few tomato plants. Growing herbs expands what you can cook with those tomatoes. Or just slice them fresh with a few sprigs of basil. Fresh foods are good on their own, too!
Herbs are generally pretty easy to grow and hearty. They need loose, well drained soil. But do not require a lot of attention. You can interplant with vegetables to use herbs for organic pest control. Or plant a separate herb container. It is a good idea to plant perennial herbs like chives, lavender, mints, oregano, rosemary, thyme, tarragon.
Planting herbs is a great way to supplement a small vegetable garden, too. Say you just decide on a few tomato plants. Growing herbs expands what you can cook with those tomatoes. Or just slice them fresh with a few sprigs of basil. Fresh foods are good on their own, too!
Sunday 20 May 2012
A Love of Thyme
Thyme is a herb I use in a lot of my cooking. It features in
a lot of Sicilian, Italian and Greek dishes. It holds up very well when used in
slow cooker or casserole dishes.
Garden thyme is a bush with gray-green leaves on a thin,
woody stem and is a member of the mint family.
It is a herb that can be used both fresh and dried, whole or
ground. It has a strong, sometimes pungent but has a pleasant flavor,
resembling a blend of cloves and sage with mint notes.
Most common variety for cooking is English thyme. Other
varieties include lemon thyme and caraway thyme. It has a subtle pine and lemon
and spice flavor. It is versatile and widely complementary, but can overwhelm
delicate foods. Use liberally but carefully. Thyme also combines well with
rosemary, basil, and garlic.
Thyme is native to the Mediterranean ,
which makes it a popular ingredient in Italian and Greek cooking. In the
Mediterranean basin, it grows wild on the "hot, arid hillsides where it
has infinitely more flavor than it ever achieves in cooler regions.
I always have some dried thyme in my spice rack but at the
end of the day, fresh is best.
Cooking with Thyme is a little different that many others
herbs. The leaves should be taken off their stalks. They can add a woody or
stringy element to a dish that’s un-needed. It should be chopped finely and
added early in the cooking to get rid of the strong bitter flavour of the fresh
leaf that it can develop.
It's wonderful in poultry, fish, and vegetable dishes and in slow cooked stews and soups. Its flavor blends well with many other herbs. Chopped fresh leaves are much more pungent than dried.
It's wonderful in poultry, fish, and vegetable dishes and in slow cooked stews and soups. Its flavor blends well with many other herbs. Chopped fresh leaves are much more pungent than dried.
Thyme can be used with nearly all the meats, including
seafood and shellfish. It can also be used to flavour egg dishes, casseroles and
soups.
If you are lucky enough to be able to grow your own, Keep in mind that thyme leaves are sweetest if picked just as the flowers appear.
If you are lucky enough to be able to grow your own, Keep in mind that thyme leaves are sweetest if picked just as the flowers appear.
When cooking with thyme, be aware that one fresh sprig
equals the flavoring power of one-half teaspoon of dried thyme.
It is preferable to strip the leaves from the stems for your
recipes when using either dry or fresh thyme because sometimes the stems can be
woody. This is easily accomplished by placing the stem between the tines of a
fork and pulling the stem in the opposite direction of the leaf growth. Of
course, you can also use your fingers instead of a fork.
Some Uses
Add whole sprigs or chopped leaves at any stage of cooking.
Thyme is a uniquely adaptable herb for meats, seafood, and summer and winter
vegetables. Use springs in bouquet garni to fully flavor stocks, sauces and
soups.
Add sprigs to slow-roasted tomatoes, braises, and pasta
sauces to add depth. Infuse sprigs in poaching liquids for fruit desserts and
in cream for caramel sauce.
Rub chopped leaves (fresh or dried) into beef, lamb, veal,
or pork before roasting. Sprinkle over eggs, cheese dishes, vegetables, fish,
or poultry. Add to soups, stews, stuffings, and rice. Brew into tea with a
little rosemary and mint.
Lemon thyme can be used in cooking in much the same way as
common thyme. The flavor is less pungent and distinctly lemony. It is
particularly tasty in stuffing for veal and poultry. Mix chopped leaves into
custards, puddings, and whipped-cream toppings. Sprinkle lightly over fresh
strawberries and other acidic fruits.
Whether you grow them yourself or purchase them, herbs are
the best, most healthy way to season your food. Farmers markets are a great
place to get fresh and dried herbs.
Saturday 19 May 2012
Sausage, Bacon and Caramelized Onion Frittata
Sausage, Bacon and Caramelized Onion Frittata
This is a quick and easy dish to put together. I quite often
make this when I have leftover sausages from the night before. Great Sunday
brunch.
If you have some onion marmalade replace the caramelized onions
with two tablespoons of the onion marmalade.
Serves 2-4
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of milk
¾ cup of grated cheese, I useEdam
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 half onion (large), sliced and caramelized
1-1/2 cups of sausage
1/2 cup of milk
¾ cup of grated cheese, I use
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 half onion (large), sliced and caramelized
1-1/2 cups of sausage
2 tbsp chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
¾ cup diced button
mushrooms or peas
salt and pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 165C.
Combine eggs and milk, beat well, add parsley, season with
salt and pepper then fold in grated cheese. Pour into a 20cm by 20cmm (8x8
inch) baking dish or cast-iron skillet.
Add in sausage, mushrooms or peas and caramelized onions. Top
with the parmesan cheese. Bake in a 165C oven for about 30 minutes, or until
the center is set but not hard.
Serve hot or chilled.
Labels:
Brunch Dishes,
Egg Dishes,
Kids Can Cook,
Lunch Box Ideas
Wednesday 16 May 2012
Roasted Pumpkin Garlic Soup
Its chilly, raining and I am in the kitchen cooking. Have
some chicken stock on the simmer. Just about to roast 1/2 pumpkin, about 1kg, 1
whole head of garlic and will make Roasted Pumpkin with Garlic soup.
The mix of spices in this recipe gives it a mellow Indian
taste
1kg pumpkin I use crown
1 head garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
1/2 tsp each ground cumin and cardamom
1 tsp turmeric
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon fresh chilli, crushed (optional) or ¼
ground chilli powder.
First thing to do is cut the
pumpkin into medium wedges, skin on. I don’t cut them to small as I am roasting
them without pealing to get a bit of extra flavour in to the pumpkin while it
roasts. Toss in olive oil, season with salt and pepper in a roasting tin.
Cut the top off a head of garlic
and drizzle a little oil over the cloves and wrap the garlic in tin foil and
add to the pumpkin. Roast at 200C for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
About
5-10 minutes before the pumpkin is cooked coarsely chop the onion, celery and
carrot and fry over a medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add the
ground cumin, cardamom and turmeric and fry briefly. Add the stock, salt and pepper to season
and chili (if you like a bit of heat in your soup). Bring to the boil and then reduce
to simmer for 15 minutes.
Once
this is simmering remove the pumpkin and garlic from the oven and let cool till
its cooled enough to handle. Remove the skin from the cooked pumpkin and then squeeze
out the roasted garlic and add to the soup along with the pumpkin. You may need
to add some water at this stage to just cover the vegetables. Simmer for
another 5 minutes.
Once cooked blend in batches and
adjust the seasoning to taste if needed.
I serve with some sour cream and
chopped chives or parsley.
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