My goodness! Winter veg time is already knocking on my mind. And it’s not even Autumn yet! Each time I go out to check on my Summer crop I am almost overwhelmed by the amazing growth out there in my containers.
Going through what is out there I suddenly wondered if Basil could be dried as mine was definitely past it’s harves date, and the answer was a resounding yes. So before the end of the week, I will taking the branches off and hanging it under the shade of the deck open roof. And on checking on the Coriander, I will be pulling that up and hanging yje plant to finish off ripening the seeds. Then in the not too distant future Voila! new herbs for the kitchen that I haven’t had to buy. A definite plus while I’m saving to replace my poor written off car. 🙂
Once I’ve done that and sold my beloved Toyota MR2 after a most enjoyable 16 years of driving, I will be looking for a tunnel house, about 3×2 to use for veggies and finally, my hydroponic bed. This will be a step toward recovering from losing my long time companion vehicle.
As planting time here in NZ is June, I will aim for that this year as I use it a lot in my cooking. My Beetroot was only partially successful, so I will work harder with it this year to come. I should have thinned the seedlings out, which is probably why. Being a little more confident now, I can see the times I could have done better and so will work on improving those aspects of my gardening.
A favourite for me are Brussel Sprouts for which I had some success last (my first) time, so I will definitely plant some of those. I will have to wait till September to plant Potatoes, but I already have big growing sacks for them. I found also that I enjoyed the flavour of the Kale I planted so that will definitely be on my list. Broccoli, Cauliflower, even Carrots for my winter dishes. Think I’ll try Leeks this year too, as I found a couple of very tasty recipes for them that I am looking forward to cooking – and eating. On checking, I see that I will need to plant them 6 inches deep and about the same width apart. I can do that! and will remember it too.
Below is one of the recipes I found and can’t wait to cook and eat. Yum.
How can I resist such a gorgeous combination of ingredients??
Well, I don’t have to, next time I go shopping these ingredients will be at the top of my shapping list. I will report on my opinion of it in my next gardening article. I can’t continue without telling you all that this recipe came from the BBC Good Food website.
Leek, Potato and Bacon Bake
Ingredients
- 600ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 1kg potato, thinly sliced
- 6 leeks, thinly sliced into rounds
- 25g butter
- 3-4 rashers streaky bacon, snipped
- 3 tbsp double cream (optional)
Method
- STEP 1
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the stock in a large pan, bring to the boil, then add the potatoes and the leeks. Bring back to the boil for 5 mins, then drain well, reserving the stock in a jug.
- STEP 2
Meanwhile, butter a large baking dish. Layer up the potatoes and leeks higgledypiggledy, seasoning as you go, then scatter the bacon over the top. Season well, pour over 200ml of the reserved stock, then spoon over the cream (if using) and cover with foil. Can be made up to 1 day ahead and chilled. Bake for 40 mins, uncovering halfway through so that the bacon crisps.
Today I noticed that my solitary Sunflower is already turning its beautiful baby flower to the sunshine. My small Capsicum is growing and I expect to harves seeds to add to my selection for next season. And to my delight, one of my Courgettes is virtually large enough to be a marrow, which with the yummy recipe I found the other day and cooked will give me even more dinners to freeze for later, to go with the two left over from last week’s dish. With Autumn moving in soon, I am really looking forward to a season using my own harvested seeds and plants for. next year. I now believe that I can be as selffufficient as possible, even without my hydroponic section. Which is VERY satisfying.
Let me know what you think of this recipe? Or any other comment you want to make about today’s offering. Just email me on hilary@affordablehydrogreens.com or gosportgal@gmail.com I usually answer my emails within 48 hours, even when I’m away as I check them every morning.