By MEREDITH KIRTON

Asian cuisine is becoming more and more mainstream, with many of the greens appearing on our supermarket shelves and even more to choose from the markets.  For those in the know, they offer great flavour and interesting texture, and in the garden, can be an easy to grow alternative to more traditional crops.

Many Asian greens belong to the family Brassicaceae, which includes Chinese Cabbage (Wong-bok), Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan), Chinese Chard (Pak Choi), Chinese Flowering Cabbage (Choi Sum) and Mustard Greens (daai gaai choi).  These grow quickly from seed, reaching maturity after about 6-8 weeks depending on the season and can be picked whole or leaf by leaf in the case of all but the Wong-bok.  Many are more heat tolerant too, so are great for warmer climates and don’t need the longer season to form a heart that your traditional Savoy Cabbage does, for example.

For best results, add some lime or gypsum to the soil prior to planting, and be vigilant in the look out for white cabbage moths as their larvae can eat up all the greens before you get a chance!  Regular liquid fertilising with liquid blood and bone or seaweed solution will keep your leaves growing rapidly and make them sweeter as a result.

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By MANDY SINCLAIR

Storage:

The most common varieties under the umbrella of Asian Greens are pak choy, choy sum, gai larn and baby bok choy. Due to the naturally high water content of Asian greens they generally don’t store well, and are best picked at the time of using. If storing is absolutely necessary, pack in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate for 1-2 days.

What to do with glut

• Wilt, chop, freeze
  

Place greens in a large strainer and pour over a kettle over boiling water. Refresh under cold water and drain well. Transfer to a clean tea towel and pat dry. Pack into airtight containers or clip lock bags and freeze for up to 2 months.

• To Preserve

Pickled greens

 Using your choice of greens, separate any leaves and cut leaves and stems into 4cm lengths. Place into an airtight container. Heat 1 cup rice wine vinegar, ½ cup white sugar and 1 tbsp shredded ginger in a pan on low, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour over vegetables. Toss to combine. Seal and refrigerate overnight before using. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

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By MANDY SINCLAIR

Sticky ginger greens

1/3 cup honey
¼ cup water
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger
½ tsp sesame oil
1 bunch gai lan, trimmed
1 bunch baby bok choy, quartered >? halved lengthways
4 green onions (shallots), sliced diagonally
¼ cup coriander leaves
Steamed rice, to serve

1. Heat honey, water, oyster sauce and ginger in a wok or large frying pan on high. Add greens and cook for 1 min, until wilted and well coated. Remove from heat.
2. Top with onion and coriander. Serve sticky greens with steamed rice.

Serves 6

Tip…
Add 200g cubed firm tofu with greens.

Try This…
Poached chicken & pak choy broth
Heat 4 cups chicken stock in a large pan on high until boiling. Reduce heat to low. Add 2 chicken breast fillets and simmer, covered, for 12 mins. Using a slotted spoon, remove from stock. Set aside. Add ¼ cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tbsp shredded ginger to stock and 1 chopped long red chilli to stock and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat. Add 1 bunch chopped pak choy and 4 chopped green onions. Thinly slice chicken and return to stock. Ladle into bowls and top with coriander sprigs.

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By MEREDITH KIRTON

Grapes have been cultivated for over 8000 years and evidence of them has even been found dating back before the last ice age and the Ancient Egyptians had realised how great they tasted and worked out that fermented, they turned into wine. The term viticulture is the science of growing grapes, and is a study many  horticulturists and wine makers have devoted their lives to.  Home grown table grapes need not take a lifetime of study, but a few tips will help.

Grapes need great drainage, full sun, and are deciduous vines.  Protection from birds during their ripening season, which is late summer and autumn, is also important if you want to eat any grapes yourself!  The most important thing to realise is that grapes are grown on vines and therefore need some support to grow them effectively.  A pergola or trellis is fine, but if you are going to get serious about grapes, and start your own mini vineyard, you are best to set up posts with about 4 wires strung between the two so that you can train them along these guides and get lots of fruit.  This idea allows maximum sunshine to get at all the branching, thus increasing your yield and also allowing easier picking and management of your vines. Pruning is the other crucial factor. Vines need to be kept cut back to a main framework each winter so that they don’t become unmanageable tangles.

When choosing a grape, decide whether you want a low acid (table) or high acid (wine) grape, and if you want a red or white skin. Also, get advise about grapes for your area, and make sure you specify whether or not you live in a humid or inland, hot or cold area as there are some that are more prone to mildew and others that need longer ripening periods than others. Lastly, when picking fruit, taste first to see if the grape is in fact ripe as grapes colour up before they become sweet, and as the saying goes, there is nothing worse than sour grapes!

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By MANDY SINCLAIR

Storage:

Generally speaking the longer grapes stay on the vine the sweeter they will be. Harvest bunches of grapes and store unwashed in a plastic bag refrigerated for up to 1 week. When ready to serve, wash and pat dry.

Grape leaves should be picked whole, without any holes and must not have been sprayed with pesticides. Choose the pale green supple leaves just below the new growth but above the bunches of grapes.

What to do with glut

• Freeze
  

Pick, wash and pat dry grapes. Pack into small clip lock bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Ideal for lunchboxes, to use in punch or cocktails.

• To Preserve

Grape juice

Pick 1kg of grapes from stems and place in a large bowl of water. Rinse well, discarding any overripe or wrinkled grapes.
Drain and place in a large saucepan. Using a potato masher, mash well, until grapes are squashed and juicy. Heat on low, until simmering. Simmer for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Mash again, squashing any remaining grapes that are whole.
Pour grape mixture into a fine sieve set over a large bowl. Set aside overnight in the refrigerator, to strain.
There will be a little sediment in the juice, if you prefer a clearer juice, strain again. Serve as is or dilute a little with sparkling mineral water.

Brining vine leaves

Wash vine leaves under running water and cut away stems. Blanch in a pan of boiling water for 1-2 mins, until wilted. Drain and refresh under cold water. Drain and pat dry.
Heat 6 cups of water and 250g of salt, stirring, until salt dissolves. Set aside to cool. Lay leaves in a sterilised jar, stacking on top of each other. Cover with brine and a square of baking paper, ensuring leaves are submersed in brine. Seal and set aside for 2 months.
To use the leaves, remove from brine and rinse under water. Use for dolmades.

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By MANDY SINCLAIR

Grape, cinnamon & almond crostata

50g butter, at room temperature
¾ cup caster sugar
¼ cup ground almonds
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup flaked almonds
250g grapes, picked, washed
apricot jam, for glazing
thick cream, to serve
Pastry
1½ cups flour
125g butter, cut into cubes

1. To make Pastry, put the flour and butter into a food processor. Pulse, until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. With motor running, add ¼ cup iced water and process until dough comes together to form a ball. Place on a lightly floured board and, using hands, bring dough together. Flatten to form a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 50 mins.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C or 180°C fan. Line a large baking tray or pizza tray with baking paper. Roll pastry between two sheets of baking paper to a 30cm round. Place on prepared tray. Combine butter, ½ cup of sugar, ground almonds and cinnamon and sprinkle over pastry, leaving a 5 cm border. Top with flaked almonds.
3. Arrange grapes over almonds and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Fold pastry edges over grapes, pinching edges as you go. Bake for 30 mins, remove from oven and brush grapes and pastry edges with a little warmed jam. Bake for another 5-10 mins, until pastry is golden. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of cream.

Serves 10

Tip…
Due to the high fat content of this pastry it will roll and handle much better if well chilled.

Try This…
Chicken with grapes & tarragon.
Mix together 50g softened butter and 2 tbsp chopped tarragon. Push under the skin of 4 chicken breast fillets. Season chicken well. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan on high. Cook chicken, skin side down for 2-3 mins, until skin is golden. Turn and cook for 1 min. Transfer pan to a moderate oven and cook for 8-10 mins, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and rest for 5 mins. Reheat pan juices on medium, add 100g picked and peeled grapes and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Cook, swirling pan, for 1-2 mins, until grapes soften slightly. Serve chicken topped with grapes and pan juices.

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By MEREDITH KIRTON

Nectarines and Peaches (Prunus persica) are one of the quintessential summer fruits, with the season running from late October right through to April, and a real glut coming onto the market around December/January.  What many people don’t realise is just how easy peaches are to grow, or how beautiful they can be… They can be grown in many areas of Australia, as the varieties available range from tropical selections (that cope with the heat) right through to cooler temperate varieties. They also can be bought in dwarf varieties, suitable for small gardens and pots, sold as Trixzie® grow about 1.5m x 1.5m. Their fruit is full sized, despite their diminutive statue.  They can also be espaliered to be able to grown along walls and in narrow spaces, or kept as a beautiful small tree. Another idea is to plant more than one type in the same hole, known as duo and trio planting, or grow multi grafted plants to allow for a few different types, and on the one plant. Known as fruit salad trees with these multi-grafts it is possible nowadays to have the one tree bear a white fleshed peach, yellow fleshed peach and a nectarine all on the same bush!

Nectarines and peaches also have the added bonus of being self fertile, which means that they don’t need another variety to still be able to cross pollinate and set fruit, which can be a problem in the back yard situation for some other fruit tree.  The biggest problem you will face is likely to be the birds, who, just like you, love the juicy sweet flesh but will also eat them greener, ruining the crop.  Nets are essential for keeping them out of reach.

Peaches also get fruit fly in some areas of Australia, so you will need to be vigilant for this as the fruit ripens. Normally planted in winter when they can be purchased bare rooted and the range is widest and cheapest.  They can be bought year round though if potted, and like a full sun position and are quite hardy, but don’t like being water logged so you will need to ensure that the soil drains will.  Dig a hole, fill it empty with water and check that it drains away completely in 10 minutes.  If it’s acting like a bucket, build up your planting level to above the ground in either a mound or raised bed, to ensure drainage is adequate. They will take about 3 years before they bear reliably, and need particular training to keep the bearing.  To do this, each winter remove any branches that grow inwards, and shorten the remaining branches, all the time creating an open vase like shape, just like you do with rose bushes but on a much bigger scale.  Also watch that you remove suckers, or the shoots that appear below the bud union, as they appear as these can overbear your plant and have no guarantee of being a tasty fruit…they are just chosen for their disease resistance and vigour as an understock. Each winter, check your plant for scale insects and spray with a suitable copper spray at bud swell to stop the disease peach leaf curl attacking
your plants.

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