The onion plant has been cultivated for 7,000 years. It is a biennial plant that is usually grown as an annual and the flower emerges in the second year. Growth habits and planting needs Select your onion type according to your needs from the many varieties available. Onions Australia has a guide to the different varieties that you can access at this link. Select a … Continue reading Growing Onions
Lasagne is one of those dishes that is always a favourite. Lean beef mince, cooked in a thick tomato sauce and then layered with a rich bechamel sauce, lasagne sheets and abundant parmesan cheese is transformed into a satisfying and delicious meal. The meat sauce can be prepared ahead and so the time needed to prepare the lasagne can be made shorter. With all the … Continue reading Classic Lasagne
These days bone broth is the new superfood of the moment for its health benefits. Yet, only a couple of generations ago, our grandmothers made their broth this way and the delicious broth was a basis for soups, stews and other dishes for its depth of flavour. This recipe uses marrow bones that are baked and browned and then added to vegetables and slow cooked … Continue reading Make a Healthy Bone Broth
This cake is a classic drizzle cake using citrus we had in the garden. On orange, two limes and a lemon all just picked from the tree. The orange was used combined with coconut to flavour the cake and the lemon and limes made a tangy syrup to drizzle over it. The result is a delicious cake with the fresh flavour of citrus and the … Continue reading Three Citrus Drizzle and Coconut Cake
We still have lots of pecans from this autumn’s harvest and the choko vine is giving us a bountiful crop of its fruits. The humble choko, also called chayote in the US, is a much maligned fruit that can be bland when not prepared well but it has its uses. It takes the flavour of any ingredient that it is cooked with and so makes … Continue reading Choko and Apple Pie with Streusel Topping
Italian pork sausages taste wonderful when cooked in a good homemade tomato sauce and served over a bed pasta or even just on their own with mashed potato or polenta. A salad, some crusty bread and pasta with sausages and tomato sauce make a perfect lunch. Italian Sausages in Tomato Sauce Ingredients: 6 good quality Italian pork sausages 2 tins chopped tomatoes 1 Tblsp extra … Continue reading Italian Sausages in Tomato Sauce
This pie is a variation on the classic egg and bacon pie with the addition of oven roasted vegetables – potatoes, two kinds of cabbage, leeks, caramelised onions, bacon and roasted capsicum. Half of the baked vegetables will make this delicious pie and the rest of the vegetables can be eaten alongside the pie or later, for a tasty accompaniment for meat. Roasted Potato, Cabbage, … Continue reading Roasted Potato, Cabbage, Leek and Bacon Pie
Our friend Ann makes the best pikelets and these were lemony delicious. Though simple they are always a hit with a nice cup of tea, served with lashings of your favourite jam and a dollop of double cream. Ann’s Lemon Pikelets Ingredients: 1 cup Self Raising flour 1/4 cup caster sugar 1 egg Pinch of salt Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated 1/2 tsp vanilla … Continue reading Ann’s Lemon Pikelets
In early February this year Anjali planted pigeon peas and has shared the pictures of their development with us. The pigeon pea is a short lived perennial legume that can be grown for food and as a green manure crop to to improve soil structure. The cultivation of the pigeon pea goes back at least 3,500 years and is thought to origininate in peninsular India. … Continue reading Anjali’s Pigeon peas
The warm summer this year extending through to now has meant that we are still picking the last of summer’s cherry tomatoes on the first day of winter. We have used these delightfully sweet cherry tomatoes with a scattering of oregano, and nigella seeds to make this focaccia. Focaccia with Cherry Tomatoes Ingredients: For the focaccia: 1 medium potato 500 g plain flour (or 00 … Continue reading Focaccia with Cherry Tomatoes
The Grantham Gardener 