World Kitchen Garden Day 2011 at Glandore Community Garden

Last Sunday we all gathered at the beautiful Glandore Community Garden for an enjoyable World Kitchen Garden Day afternoon.

When we arrived plot holders were busy working in their plots.

Harry was busy working on the wood fired pizza oven which will be is going to have a mosaic added soon.

Everyone chatted about what excess produce they had bought along as well as something they had cooked from their country of origin.

Produce to share included Lebanese cress, bunches of coriander, Jerusalem artichokes, lima bean seeds, plum jams, chilli jams, lemons, fennel, chillies and a lot of different potted up plants.

There were lots of seeds to share and a favourite seed we saved this year was chervil which is a lovely herb we are picking at the moment.

We had an apple amaranth cake from Argentina, Indian Spinach and onion fritters, Irish pumpkin dip, German lemon cake, Middle eastern Humus, French Cheese and Biscuits, German raspberry muffins, Spicy Orange Muffins and an Aussie multicultural creation of brightly coloured Nasturtium flowers filled with humus and topped with sweet chilli jam.

Daniel (from Gardening Australia fame) told us all about an Orchid show he had just entered in and his Mum said he was being very modest and had won 2nd prize in his Category.

Thank you everyone who came and shared their knowledge, kitchen garden food and kitchen garden produce with us.

We look forward to World Kitchen Garden Day 2011.

Spring workshops at Nirvana

INTRODUCTION TO BIODYNAMIC METHODS

Sunday, September 18th 8.30am – 4.30pm $120

One day course to introduce the practical concepts of the biodynamic methods to farmers & gardeners. The biodynamic method is a modern organic approach that creates a holistic approach to building healthy soil, plants, animals & humans. Includes notes, biodynamic preparations, lunch & teas.

 

 

 

 

VEGETABLES FOR YOUR TABLE.

Sunday, October 2nd 9.00 -12.30 $50

Practical guide to establishing & maintaining a productive & healthy vegetable garden. Our climate offers many opportunities to grow food for your table all year round. Discover what plants to grow, and when. Practical tips & ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

COMPOSTING & MULCHING

Sunday,  October 9^th 9.00 -12.30 $50

Reduce water use by learning the principles of composting & mulching, techniques & materials used & how they can be used most effectively on your garden or farm.

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION TO MOON PLANTING AND USING THE PLANTING CALENDAR

Sunday, October 16^th 9.00 -12.30 $50

Working with the rhythms of nature can develop your skills in fine tuning your garden and can add a new dimension to your gardening experience.

 

 

 

 

 

.

ORGANIC FRUIT, NUTS & BERRIES

Sunday, October 23^rd 9.00 -12.30 pm. $50

Practical guide to growing fruits, nuts & berries. Establishing, maintenance, ground covers, soils.

 

 

 

 

POULTRY KEEPING

Sunday October 30^th 9.00 – 12 30 $50

All you need to know about getting started with poultry. Includes breed selection, housing, feeding, breeding, pests.

 

 

 

WEAVING A BIT OF MAGIC

Sunday, November 6^th 9am 4pm $120

The ideal way to recycle your garden prunings .A introduction to natural fibre weaving. Includes techniques, suitable plants & other materials to make baskets, fences & trellises. Includes all materials, lunch & teas.

 

 

 

All courses are held at NIRVANA ORGANIC FARM

184 LONGWOOD ROAD, HEATHFIELD

UBD 157:G7. Exit from SE Freeway at Stirling, turn right at roundabout & travel 3.5 km.

The courses are practical, ‘hands on’ conducted by experienced biodynamic/organic farmers, Deb & Quentin. Their successful small holding has been run under BIO-DYNAMIC principles since 1983.

The 4.5 ha property provides the ideal classroom filled with practical examples of how goals can be achieved & gives inspiration into this GARDEN QUALITY FARMING to both gardeners & farmers alike.

FOR BOOKINGS & FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

DEB OR QUENTIN PHONE/ (08) 8339 2519 nirvanafarm@gmail.com

Middle Eastern Spicy Chickpea Salad

 

Today we had lunch with some friends so I made this delicious salad.

I always use organic dried chick peas, soak them overnight, drain them and then simmer them in fresh water until tender then drain them.

When cooked I sprinkle the chickpeas with salt, cracked black pepper and a little paprika and olive oil.

For this recipe I heated a couple of Tablespoons of Middle Eastern spice mix in a little oil to infuse the flavours.

I added this to the chick peas with some finely sliced red onions, the juice of 2 lemons, some chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber, a dollop of tahini, a handful each of chopped mint and parsley, more black pepper, paprika and crushed garlic.

I served it on a bed of wild rocket.

It is great to have all these lovely herbs in the garden to flavour your food.

Most folks brought summer produce from their gardens including eggplant dip, zucchini fritters, tomato and basil salad and cold rolls filled with home grown veggies and herbs.

All these dishes make delicious, healthy, summer salads or vegetarian mains.

I was going to say I love summer garden produce, but then I love winter produce just as much. Whatever season it is there is always something to make flavourful meals with when you grow lots of vegetables & herbs in your garden.

Red Capsicums, Stuffed with Tomato and Basil Rice

Summer in Adelaide brings fresh tomatoes, peppers, basil, spring onions and other herbs.

So when unexpected vegetarian guests arrive, stuffed capsicums make a delicious quick meal.

I served these peppers with a creamy mushroom sauce, roast potatoes and rosemary roasted potatoes and a green garden salad with fresh snow peas and more basil, DELICIOUS!!!

Summer veggies at last, I can hardly wait for more tomatoes and cucumbers to ripen to make a summer fresh Gazpacho.

Plant it, Grow it, Eat it --- Italian Style Spinach & Onion Triangles

Many months have passed since we sowed Erbette spinach seeds in our well composted garden beds (home made compost).

We waited for them to germinate, then thinned out, divided and replanted where necessary.

More waiting for the seedlings to grow and the leaves to be large enough to harvest.

Some leaves have been used in dahls, curries, Greek spanakopita, spinach soup, veggie cakes and frittatas and some bunches given away.

But as the sun heats up and the plants start to go to seed dreams of more spinach triangles flash through my mind.

So we leave some of the healthiest plants to go to seed.

Next step harvest an enormous amount of leaves to wash and blanch.

Old leaves are saved to give to the gnomes for their chickens.

Many of the plants must go so as to make room for the summer seedlings which are almost ready to plant out.

Chillies, capsicums and aubergines will be looking for space in our small garden.

 

Next step is to decide what else to add to the spinach for flavour and to add more nutrition.

Companions to cooking from the garden today were some freshly picked onions, heaps of chopped parsley and oregano (last week it was chervil, but I could have used bronze fennel or Russian tarragon, dill would have been great if we had it) and some chopped chives.

 

Mix all together with some fresh ricotta, fresh eggs, some rice crumbs, salt and pepper and a little grated pecorino cheese and use as a filling with filo pastry to bake delicious spinach and onion triangles.

 

Now all this takes a lot of time and energy to produce such wonderful fresh, healthy organic veggies.

BUT nowhere on this planet could you find a more delicious tasty treat.

The spinach and onions made a sweet silky, creamy spinach pate with a hint of oregano.

The left over filling had more eggs, seasonings, some milk and cream added.

This was spooned into a grease baking dish, sprinkled with paprika, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds, a little pecorino cheese and then  baked at a lower oven temperature until set and golden. Yummy!

This is one of many of my own stories of PLANT IT, GROW IT, EAT IT.

Happy gardening everyone.

K is for Kale, F is for Fenugreek and C is for Coriander and Chilli.

Picked straight from our Adelaide winter garden, sautéed with some garlic chives and local olive oil and then added to freshly made organic chicken broth.

A real good bowl of healthy fast food.

Fenugreek, Methi

Every winter I plant a small patch of organic fenugreek sprouting seeds in the garden. They germinate quite quickly and you soon have a great harvest of beautiful nutritious leaves. You can use the young sprouts in salads, and the leaves (not the stems) in cooking.

Fenugreek leaves can be added to just about anything you cook. Traditionally they are used in Indian cooking. So can be found added to dhal, fried pakoras, curries, saag, Indian roti bread,  sambars and sambals.

Fenugreek leaves are the herb and have a lovely earthy flavour. Once picked from the stem they can be frozen.

Fenugreek seeds are the spice and once again appear in many Indian recipes or curry powders.

Fenugreek seeds can also be spouted in the kitchen and would be a great for folks who cannot garden outside in winter.

CHILLIES - a rainbow of colour in the garden

 

After many hot and warm days here on the Adelaide Plains our chilli patch is laden with lots of multi coloured, multi shaped chillies. A real rainbow of colour and anticipated heat for cold winter days.

Most of these chillies will be frozen for use in soups, pesto's, curries, casseroles, veggie burgers, meat koftas, spice rubs, sauces, salsa’s, salad dressings, marinades, chilli jam, pickles and chutneys. Maybe even chilli brownies or chilli chocolate cake.

Purple Tiger is a great chilli to grow. Not only are the leaves beautiful and colourful but it produces masses of purple and red chillies. One purple tiger chilli will give enough heat for a really hot curry.

I think the hotness of chillies is dependant on many factors, like soil, water applied, heat from the sun, length of time on the bush and age of the chilli. More mature chillies are definitely sweeter.

I have picked chillies from the same bush and have found the heat content can vary. The membrane of chilli is the hottest part so if the seeds and membrane are removed, the chilli will not be so hot.

Have you experienced differing heat content and flavour in the same variety of chillies you have grown?

Today’s harvest of aubergines and green chilli has already been made into a spicy pasta sauce and the red chillies are all in the freezer.

I notice most food gardening bloggers are not blogging much lately. I imagine they, like us, are busy processing the last fruits and veggies of a warm autumn and pruning, composting and planting out seedlings grown for winter vegetable gardens.

BORAGE the Herb of Gladness, Joy and Courage returns to the garden

 

We love our speckled borage scattered through our winter garden so we always let some go to seed and then reappear where ever it chooses.

Those of you have grow borage before know that it will reappear everywhere. But is is easily removed to pots or the compost. Some people do not like growing borage because it would take over your whole garden if you let it.

We love borage in the garden because the neighbourhood bees love borage and appear in mass once the beautiful blue flowers appear in spring. We love the local honey it is dark and flavourful and makes delicious honey mead. We also use that honey in any thing we bake or sweeten.

Some people eat small quantities of the leaves in baked goods, we add them to the compost.

But the flowers we add to drinks, salads, fresh fruit and cordials.

Here on the Adelaide Plains it is starting to get colder at night. We have had sufficient rain for the garden and the seeds we have planted are germinating and need thinning out or moving.

We call our winter garden our green garden because with limited space available we mainly grow green leafy vegetables and lots of herbs.

So the menu here changes from zucchini fritters to spinach fritters. The soups have lots of Asian greens, chillies and chives added to them. We shall be having mustard greens, fenugreek and coriander added to curries. Spinach pies will reappear filled with all sorts of green vegetables, parsley and herbs.

As the delicious flavour of fresh tomatoes fades to a memory, citrus trees are ripening ready to be added to salads, muffins, fritters, drinks or just eaten fresh.

We are so lucky here in Adelaide to be able to grow  and enjoy fresh vegetables and fruits all year.

But the herb of the week here is beautiful borage.

Dorothy Hall in her 1975 copy of The Book Of Herbs suggests a variety of uses for borage.  She says borage is the “Herb of Gladness” and is a great tonic which gives courage and joy to warriors! It is used in teas, salads, salad dressings and as the ideal companion plant for strawberries.

How do you use borage?

Turmeric flowers and leaves

One of the loveliest surprises this year in our summer garden was the beautiful flowers on the turmeric plant.

Dried and fresh turmeric root has amazing health properties so we look forward one day to harvesting some delicious turmeric root to add to our curries, soups, veggie burgers and vegetable pates.

Now if you want to read more about home harvesting of turmeric and ginger please check out Julie’s blog Towards Sustainability.

Julie lives in Newcastle New South Wales and if you check out her blog entries for Ginger harvest Saturday July 4 2009 and her entry for her Turmeric harvest Thursday July 2 2009 you will be amazed at her harvest for last year.

I reckon Julie is a garden hero!

Indian Curry Leaf Tree - Seeds, Berries and Leaves

Do you know what this tree is?  Well it is the Indian Curry Leaf tree (Murraya koenigii syn.).

A favourite cooking ingredient in Sri Lankan and South Indian Cuisines.

Check out Wikipedia information on the Curry Tree or Isobell Shipard's description of the Tree

I love this tree, I use the leaves in South Indian recipes.

Nothing can compare to the flavour the leaves impart to curries, Indian rice dishes and baked goods.

I freeze some curry leaf leaves in summer when they are green and flavour full and then use them in winter when the leaves turn brownish in the cold weather.

I love the way the leaves fall on the branches and the fragrance as you brush past this tree in the garden.

To grow a curry leaf tree, simply eat the outside of the berry and then plant the seed in a pot, keep it moist sheltered from extreme temperature. Do not eat the seeds, they are poisonous.

Summer Garden in Adelaide December 2009

Welcome to our garden, we took these photos a couple of days ago, before the temperature rose to 40 degrees Celsius.

Today the whole yard is covered in shade cloth, which will come down tonight as the weather cools down.

The left top is turmeric, right top is a large female Romanesco zucchini flower, centre left is a curry leaf tree, centre right is some produce from the garden (pepino, salad onion, tomato & chilli), bottom left is society garlic flowers & bottom right is our Bari cucumbers.

We are picking zucchini, a few little tomatoes, pepinos, chillies, parsley,  lots of herbs,  lots of mint, chives, salad onions, lemon verbena and lemon myrtle for tea, sorrel, red shiso, basil, land cress, a little errbet spinach, purslane, parsley seeds, wild rocket and a few lemons.

So brown rice Tabouli with mint, tomatoes, parsley and salad onion; Persian zucchini, mint, spring onions fritters; chimichurri sauce; potato and curry leaf samosas; yoghurt and herb dip; salads of herbs, flowers and garlic; hummus with parsley, garlic and chilli; spinach and onion pakoras; gazpacho with fresh basil, garlic, cucumbers and tomatoes; onion tops frittata; eggplant chutney; zucchini slice; salads with garlic and herbs; pasta with parsley, anchovies, garlic and capers; pizzas with tomatoes, basil, onion and garlic; sliced pepinos with mint and yogurt; zucchinis stuffed with rice, tomatoes and herbs; potato bake with herbs, chives and cream; chickpea and pepino salad with parsley and mint; wild rocket pesto; polenta with butter, herbs and chives; rice noodles with chopped onions and basil; sushi with cucumber, spring onion and shiso; blackeyed beans with coriander, parsley, onions and tomatoes; Peruvian casserole with winter pumpkin, potatoes, cumin, tomatoes, garlic, coriander and lima beans are all on the menu at our home this summer.

When you have a kitchen garden your world expands, you have a lovely setting to relax in. Somewhere to enjoy the beauty and magic of the seasons, bird and insect life and all the things growing in your garden.

You are able to experience joy and beauty when you gaze at a chicory plant and a lettuce plant going to seed, leaning on each other and showing the world the exquisite beauty of their flowers.

 

I watched neighbour’s pack up their very large boat and SUV vehicle, ready to head off some where. Then I wandered through the garden, looked at all our baby tomatoes, eggplants, tiny cucumbers and figs, parsley plants going to seed everywhere and masses of bees on every flower and I thought of simple things.

Simple things are often disrespected, not noticed or ignored but simple things are life, they are the essence of being a human on this planet.

I hope 2010 is a great year for you all, a year when you can accept life as it is, enjoy your friends, neighbours and family, enjoy your garden as it keeps you healthy and gives you good exercise.  Next year let’s continue to reach out to others who have never even tasted how great home grown organic food is.

Have a Happy, Healthy, Go Organic New Year. We shall gather soon and check out someone's garden, share food and enjoy each others company.

Happy New Year

Maggie

Nourishing our Bodies

Nourishing our Bodies - Food Matters -You are what you eat.

This week we have eaten out 3 times with friends, some things I ate were not too bad but mostly what I ate did not taste like food at all.

I need to get back in the kitchen and make some nourishing soups, casseroles and salads.

When we cook we add handfuls of fresh herbs from our garden, we buy organic flavourful meat and eggs.

We cook with spices and good oils, we add fresh veggies from the garden.

Our meals are full of colour, flavour and nutrition.

We always eat heaps of salad from the garden because we love the flavour of bitter, sweet, spicy greens and the fresh enzymes these fresh veggies add to our diet.

We want to grow everything, I want to process and save everything.

We will know doubt have a hot summer ahead of us.

How much food do we really need?

Can we save some water and energy by just making do with seasonal produce or is freezing excess food a viable option?

Can we maintain good nutrition from our herbs, sprouted seeds and tougher veggie plants?

We can probably maintain good nutrition with far less food than we normally consume.

So to move away from the thought of chemical filled processed food, I have made a collage of our Spring Garden to share with you.

It is a beautiful SPRING Sunday in Adelaide today, Happy Gardening.

HALLOWEEN TRICK OR FRESH LOCAL TREATS

I had planned to make Tara a Rose Tiara and Niki a geranium crown but you know how hard it is to get young gals organized. So with all that has to be done I thought it easier just to show last years hats, but if I get heaps of comments I shall get the girls organised for a photo shoot. For now we wish you a scary Halloween and get stuck into the roasted pumpkin.

And I did roast a great organic pumpkin today. Bob and I ate loads with roasted onions, leeks, cauliflower, potatoes and fennel, YUM.

I took a platter of roast veggies around to my sweetie pie grandson and his parents and I have leftovers for my parents and other son who will visit tomorrow.

We have planted lots of pumpkins this year, we may need cheap, healthy food.

This is what I wrote last Halloween.

Tara and Niki are all dressed up for Halloween tonight.
This is the best way ever to cook pumpkin, I just slice it across the middle, scoop out the seeds for drying and seedsaving, put the top back on, rub with olive oil and bake it in a moderate oven for about an hour. Peel off the top skin. The flesh tastes delicious, just scoop out some and serve it with garlic toast, a real treat.
Nasturtium flowers and leaves are great to eat put them in salads they also are great for stopping hay fever. Niki loves to eat them, her special treat.

It is also HERB DAY this Sunday.

If you need any unusual plants or herbs it is Herb Day presented by the Herb Society of South Australia this Sunday the 2nd of November. It is held at the Fullarton Park Community Centre, 411 Fullarton Road, Fullarton. 10am to 4pm. Free Admission.
It is always a great day with heaps of herbs and great wholesome food available all day.
Bring a friend or two and enjoy all the pleasure of growing and using herbs and spices.
Nicholas usually has Ayuvedic herbs, Hillside Herbs will have many varieties of Chillies,
Heather will have drought tolerant herbs and there will be heaps of other plants and veggies for sale.

Urrbrae High will have their BARN MARKET this Saturday, if you want to get local olive oil, wine, meat, eggs, veggies and heaps of cheap plants they open from 9 to 12 the 1st Saturday of the month.

Oh and don't forget BOO at the ZOO, I have no one to go with but I reckon there are a whole lot of kids who will have the time of their lives with the animals and sunset and scary things at the zoo.

Agastache foeniculum, my new best friend!

One of the best things about growing different vegetables and herbs for the first time are the surprises that await you as these tiny seeds or seedlings are placed in soil and tended occasionally and just left to grow and become what they are.

Our greatest surprise last summer was a herb we bought at the herb society last year.

The label said Agastache foeniculum, Tea Herb and Bee and bird attracting. I have not yet investigated the culinary uses but this one glorious plant has attracted lots of bees and obviously the bees have done there work in pollinating lots of other herbs and veggies in the garden.

I love this plant so let me introduce you to it if you have not already met.

The common name is Anise hyssop, a hardy perennial, grows to 2-3 ft (6ocm-1m), long spikes of purple- blue flowers. Grows in rich moist soil in a sunny position flowers in summer. Propagate in spring by seed or divide creeping root. Use dried leaves as a seasoning or infuse as a tea.

There is good information about herbal teas at this site The Herbal Tea Garden

If you want an adventure check out all you can do with garden herbs at Alchemy Works

I shall be saving these seeds to share with you. It is a delightful herb to have in your summer garden.

Garlic Scapes

Do you know about garlic scapes?
We were looking at our garlic today and noticing the long curly tops.
I have just been reading on Theresa's blog, Pondering the Myriad Things... all about garlic scapes.

If you check all the comments and one by Amber and follow the links she suggests you could be making yummy pesto or sauce with your garlic trimmings. Apparently you get much bigger bulbs with some varieties of garlic if you trim.

Tumbeela Native Bushfoods

Lot 47 Beaumont Road,
Verdun
South Australia, 5245, Australia

Walk among the fields of lemon myrtle trees and taste and smell Australian native bush food at its best. Come and pick your own, it's a sensory experience like no other. Taste our mountain pepper berries or freshly picked riberries. A wide range of bush food products and gifts are on sale including our exquisite, nationally acclaimed lemon myrtle. A choice selection of bush food plants is available for sale.

Full tours are available for 6-20 people and small picking parties are welcome. The Tumbeela setting, featured in ABC's Gardening Australia, is idyllic, nestled quietly in the Adelaide Hills south of Mount Lofty and five minutes from Hahndorf.

Bush Tucker, Fruit Picking, Shopping.

I took these photos in December 2006 at the lovely Stirling Markets, 4th Sunday of each month.
There are a few more if you click on the photos link or click here.

Saffron Crocus

Does anyone know of a local supplier of Saffron crocus bulbs or does anyone have a few spare to share?

Brett's Hydroponic's Update

Howdy All,
As promised ages ago here is a little pictorial update on my hydroponic venture. I'm still to automate the systems in regards to self watering, however considering the heat we have been having in the last few weeks I have hardly had to add and water to the containers apart from the occasional top up of only a litre here and there. Also the plants are surviving extremely well without any sheltering in full sun. The only obvious side effects being some burnt leaves especially on the celery and greening of the perlite from too much sunlight exposure to the nutrient rich water - this is more aesthetic than a worry and can easily be resolved with a rinse - similar to grey hair so I've been advised.

I'll add more photos in the coming weeks especially of how I've put things together. See you at Deb's on Sunday
Cheers
Brett



Carrot seedlings about 3 weeks old in a 5 to 1 mixture of perlite and vermiculite. About 90% germination and no dead un's since the heat wave.











I have 2 raft projects happening. This is where no medium is used and the plants sit in containers where their roots dangle in nutrient rich water and are also exposed to air. This one made from an old styrofoam box has tomatoes, celery and Asian veges














My other raft in an old esky with Asian veges in rockwool transplanted last Sunday 9/3 - only one has failed from 18. You can see how much water has been used - about 3 cm, not bad considering the heat and wind.















Basil is going great guns in this perlite mix. The lovely purple and pink crates were rescued in the last hard rubbish collection. The chillies, capsicum and continental parsley are suffering more so from the wind than the heat but are still hanging in there.















In the front crate is sheep sorrel seedlings and the back one contains Persicaria odorata aka Laksa Leaf, Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese coriander, Laska plant, Knotweed, Rau ram, etc, etc















Chard seedlings in rockwool that will be transplanted without any root shock straight into the rafts or purple crates or into a pipe system I'm finishing when the temperature is a little bit kinder.

Relishes or chutneys

I have been given a few kilograms of tart small blood plums. I have cooked some just to have for breakfast, I shall save some to eat fresh.
One year I made plum sauce but you usually do not eat much plum sauce.
So I am thinking plum chutney, something to serve with cheese and crackers or something to serve with a curry or to give as gifts.
So I invite you to post any good chutney recipes you have .
I have lots of leeks and chillies and I always adapt recipes adding my favorite spices but I would like a chutney recipe with good shelf life.
The photo above comes from a site called Musings from a Stonehead. Click on Musings from a Stonehead to view the site.