grow | rocket

By MEREDITH KIRTON

For many people the dream of having salad greens ready to pick is an everyday reality, and one of the easiest of all to grow is rocket, known botanically as Eruca sativa but also known commonly as Arugula and Italian Cress, as it is naturally from the Mediterranean.

This fast growing, nutty flavoured leaf has a little peppery overtone, making it a delicious addition to your salad.  To grow rocket, you can either so seeds direct into place or buy ready sprouted seedlings, but be careful not to over cover them; 2mm of earth is enough. Seed successive batches every 2 weeks so you have continual supply and feed regularly liquid fertiliser so they grow vigorously and are not bitter. They need at least 4 hours sun to develop full flavour, and will tolerate full sun.  In the heat of summer they are prone to bolting, or going to seed quickly themselves, but they readily self seed, ensuring that new rocket plants will quickly fill up any holes. If you don’t want this to happen, cut them back hard and they will reshoot with a fresh batch of edible leaves.

There is also another similar tasting plant called wild rocket, or Duplotaxis tenufolia, which has more deeply indented leaves and a more complex flavour.  Growing conditions and treatments are the same.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | carrots

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Carrots (Daucus carota) may seem to be the most ordinary of vegetables; the stock standard for meat and three veg, but, what most people don’t realize is just how wrong that assumption is.  In fact, carrots come in many shapes and sizes, from round, radish-like shapes to white, purple, yellow and red colours.  They were, in fact, selectively bred to be orange, by the Dutch, in honour of their Royal family, whose colours are such. If one digs a little deeper, and looks at the heirloom or old fashioned types, you can still get seed stock of these fascinating relics
from yesteryear.

Carrots can basically be sown all year round, and the trick is to sow them directly into the ground or in pots where they will be grown, as they don’t transplant at all well.  The seed is only fine, so you can mix it with dry sand if you wish to make spacing the seeds a little easier. Cover them very finely with about 1cm more of sand or fine soil, form them down and keep them moist whilst they germinate.  As you pick, harvest them evenly along the row to allow the remaining carrots to fatten.  It takes carrots about 12 weeks from sowing to be ready.  Staggering your planting, waiting a month between rows will allow for more even production.

Another trick with carrots is to make sure that your soil is well prepared, as rocks and clods will force you carrots to stop their taper and fork.  Another problem can be over fertilising, as too rich a soil can have the same effect.  Generally carrots grown where a high yielding crop like tomatoes have been will be ideal, as these will have stripped some of the excess elements out already and make it perfect for a carrots.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

harvest | carrots

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Storage:
When freshly picked, the small leaves from carrots can be used in salads. They have a mild spicy flavor and are best the day of picking. Carrots should be rinsed of any dirt, packed in a vegetable storage bag and refrigerated for up to 1 week before using.

What to do with glut

• Preserve

Carrot & ginger relish

Serve with burgers, chicken schnitzel and roast pork

1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp grated ginger
7 carrots, peeled, finely diced
2 long red chillies, chopped
¼ cup sultanas
1¼ cups apple cider vinegar
¾ cup caster sugar

1. Heat oil in a saucepan on medium. Cook onion for 5 mins, until softened. Add ginger and cook for 1 min, until fragrant. Add carrot, chilli and sultanas and cook for 5 mins, until well coated.
2. Add vinegar and sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45-50 mins, until carrots are tender and relish is thick.
3. Spoon into sterilised jars and seal. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

• To Freeze

Chop, blanch, freeze.
Carrots freeze well. Simply peel, chop and blanch in boiling water for 5 mins. Drain and refresh under cold water. Store in clip lock bags and freeze for up to 2 months.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | carrots

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Honey lamb cutlets with carrot salad

8 lamb cutlets
½ cup honey soy marinade
4 carrots, peeled, shredded
¼ wombok, finely shredded
3 green onions (shallots), shredded
¾ cup coriander leaves
lime dressing
finely grated rind and juice of 1 limes
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp fish sauce

1. Place cutlets in a shallow dish. Pour over marinade and turn to coat. Set aside for 10 mins, to marinate.
2. Meanwhile, combine carrot, wombok, onion and coriander in a large bowl. Mix together all dressing ingredients. Add to carrot salad and toss to combine.
3. Preheat a barbecue or chargrill on high. Cook lamb cutlets for 2 mins each side for medium rare or until cooked to your liking. Serve cutlets with carrot salad.
Serves 4

try this … Carrot tart
Mix together 2 finely grated carrots, ¼ cup ground almonds, 2 eggs, ½ cup cream and ¼ cup chopped walnuts. Pour into a 22cm, par-baked pie shell and bake for 20 mins at 180C or 160C fan, until filling is set and golden.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | asparagus

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Asparagus is a fern-like plant to about 2m tall that grows easily in well drained, sheltered positions and is actually quite a handsome perennial to include in your garden.  Growing asparagus is an investment, as the plants themselves take a few years to be of bearing age. Like all investments, proper preparation will ensure that you have good returns.  This means careful clearing of all weeds, loads of manure dug through prior to planting, and regular watering so that the emerging shoots don’t dry out.

Planting is usually done from root rhizomes, bought in late autumn and winter, then planted out, but you can also buy seedlings which are ready for planting in spring, but do take another season to be old enough to crop.  Once “of age”, you will be able to crop tender young shoots as they emerge from their winter sleep for many weeks, but remember to leave some to unfurl, as the plant still needs foliage to grow into a descent sized bush.

There are purple sprouted forms (called Mary Washington) and the white shoots are a result of blanching the new growth by excluding the sunlight, by means of piling on straw mulches or similar, to extend the shoots and block the development of chlorophyll.  This makes a sweeter delicacy.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | peas

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Peas (Pisum sativum) are perhaps the most commonly eaten green vegetable, but mostly from the frozen food section of your supermarket.  The shame of this is not only how delicious fresh peas are, but also because growing peas is one of the kindest things you can do for your garden’s soil.  And that doesn’t even touch on the socially enriching time that shelling peas together around the kitchen table can be!

Peas seem to celebrate spring.  They are fast growing, very pretty with either white or purple flowers, nutritious and can be eaten fresh or cooked in a wide range of cuisines from salads to stir fries or with the Sunday roast.  Even the new growth is edible and peas can even be sown on a windowsill for pea sprouts fresh year round.

Peas are normally sown in autumn or winter, but can be sown into early spring in cold areas like Tasmania and even into summer in areas where it doesn’t get too hot.  You plant they seeds directly where they grow every 5cm or so and then gently firm them down into the soil.  Dwarf peas don’t need any support so are ideal for pots and hanging baskets, but taller growing peas will generally need 1.5m tall stakes to help support them, and if possible run this north to south so they get the most sun possible.

Peas take about 8-10 weeks to start cropping, and the more you pick the more you get, so pick regularly.  At the end of your pea season, dig your pea stalks back into the ground and you’ll enrich your soil with not only organic matter, but also nitrogen, as peas have a magical way of using special nodules on their roots to take nitrogen from the air and turn it into a plant useable form.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

harvest | peas

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Storage:
When peas are ready for harvest the pods should be shiny and plump with the seam almost bulging. If purchasing peas, avoid pods that are dull or have yellowish speckles.
Peas deteriorate rapidly once picked, so use within 2-3 days of picking. Store in a clip-lock bag in the refrigerator.

What to do with glut

• Blanch & freeze

Blanch freshly shelled peas in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 3 mins. Drain and refresh under cold water. Transfer to clip-lock plastic bags and freeze for up to 2 months. Use as you would fresh peas.

Pea, almond & mint pesto

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a small saucepan on medium. Cook 1 crushed garlic clove for 1 min, until fragrant. Add 1 ½ cups shelled peas and ¾ cup of chicken stock and simmer for 4-5 mins, until tender. Cool.
2. Place pea mixture, 1 1/2 cups of mint leaves, ¾ cup of grated parmesan and ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Season well, add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and process until smooth. Transfer to sterilized jars, cover the surface with a little extra oil and seal. Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
3. Use as a spread on bruschetta or as a sauce for pasta or gnocchi.

Makes about 2 cups

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS