Pecans and guavas are in season in Sydney and we are blessed with a bumper crop of each this year. This cake combines these two fruits into a dense nutty torte with a crumble topping, perfect with a good dollop of double cream and cup of coffee or tea. Guava, Pecan and Crumble Torte Ingredients: 120g pecan nuts, finely ground 450g ripe pink guavas 125 g … Continue reading Guava, Pecan and Crumble Torte
Every year our garden is visited by the amazing Titan Stick Insect (Acrophylla Titan) and its usually found in the guava tree doing its best at really looking like a branch of the tree. It is about 25 cm long and takes quite an observant eye to spot. They usually feed on the eucalyptus tree, a large specimen of which is nearby, but they … Continue reading Fascinating Garden Visitors -Stick Insects
Peas are delicious and the combination of dill with peas is magic. This recipe is a tasty mix of well caramelised onion and garlic along with the dill and peas. This dish can accompany your favourite meat or be paired with fried rice as vegetarian lunch. Peas with Dill Ingredients: 2 cups peas 1 large onion,finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup finely chopped dill … Continue reading Peas with Dill
Brussels Sprouts are in season and this is a quick tasty way to cook them is a great accompaniment to roasted meat. Prosciutto oven crisped, garlic and balsamic vinegar add flavour and texture to this dish. Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts Ingredients: 500 g Brussels sprouts 150 g Prosciutto di Parma or Pancetta, chopped 3-4 cloves of garlic sliced, minced or whole as you wish Salt … Continue reading Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Growth habits and planting needs The site chosen for planting should be protected from winds but get at least 6 hours of sunlight. Prepare the bed at least two weeks before planting. To successfully grow Brussels sprouts make sure the soil is rich, friable and well drained with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Brussels sprouts need lots of nitrogen to grow strong stems and … Continue reading Growing Brussels Sprouts
Bottle Gourd, long marrow, calabash, the many names for this interesting vegetable. It contains many vitamins and minerals, such as, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin A, C and folate. So why not buy it when you see it at your green grocer or better still try growing some yourself. Our neighbours Peter and Amy grew this large vegetable and our friend Ann kindly shared her recipe for … Continue reading Ann’s Bottle Gourd with Coconut
The Guava trees are laden with fruit and the fragrance permeating the house from the harvested pink guavas is amazing. This is a simple way to enjoy the flavour and freshness of guavas and reap the benefit of their high vitamin C content. In fact, the vitamin C of one guava is equivalent to that of 5 oranges. Fresh Guava with Lime and Sugar Ingredients: … Continue reading Fresh Guava with Lime and Sugar
Growth habits and planting needs Kale is a hardy and especially nutritious vegetable that is easy to grow in sunny spot in the home garden. It is rich in antioxidants, iron, vitamins A,C, K and Folate and rich in calcium. Prepare the soil by digging it over well and enriching it by working in aged manure and well rotted compost. The soil should be rich … Continue reading Growing Kale
The pecan trees in the garden are full of nuts that are giving the cockatoos a great feast. We have collected the fallen pecans and are storing them to dry in the shell. The climate in Western Sydney seems favourable to the growth of pecans and the heat this summer has provided perfect weather for them. What better time to bake some wonderful biscuits using … Continue reading Pecan, Oat and Maple Syrup Biscuits
Koshari is the national dish of Egypt that mixes lentil, rice, small macaroni noodles, a spicy tomato sauce, topped with fried onions and chick peas. This is another dish for the International Year of Pulses. The tomato sauce is made with a spice blend called Baharat and this gives the dish its amazing flavour. Egyptian Koshari Ingredients: Rice: 1 cup of medium grain rice 1tblsp … Continue reading Egyptian Koshari and Home Made Baharat
The Grantham Gardener 