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Tuesday 28 September 2010

The Kitchengarden part two;

Fennel is a winter staple; this vegetable lends itself to create healthy, tasty dishes. It is good cooked or raw. As I use it mainly in winter, most of the time I cook gratins, soups, sauces with tomatoes or as a side vegetable.

Lettuce is grown through autumn, winter and spring.


The vegetable garden is on the third and sunniest level of our terraced garden. A Eureka Lemon tree grows near the veg. garden. Lemons are available all year round.

The old kitchen sink lends itself to wash and prepare the vegetables.There are always some lemons ready to use.

The hanging Geranium has a very strong smell and it attracts the small Mediterranean fruit fly which is a terrible pest. We only spray this plant with a insecticide and the fly feeds on it and dies. Since we have this plant,Tomatoes, Capsicums and Eggplants are not affected anymore. We do grow everything without pesticides.

Chinese snow peas are very tender and eaten pod and all. I cook them in a ceramic pot which is suitable for the stove top. It only needs a little butter or olive oil and a diced onion, no water, to make a very tasty dish.


We also grow beans; red onions, rockmelons, watermelons, corn and also different berries. Cucumbers, capsicums, aubergines and chillies.
Homegrown Beetroot is very very sweet and tender for salads or gratins or just as a vegetable.

Beetroot Nutrition
The dark red colour of beetroot is thought to be a combination of the naturally occurring yellow betacyanin and purple betaxanthin pigments. These strong pigments are potent phytochemicals and antioxidants that work to protect damage to body cells from free radicals. It is known that the more vibrant the colours of our fruit and vegetables, the more they have to offer in terms of nutrients to help protect our bodies from damaging free radicals.
Beetroot contains the all important nutrient called betaine. This nutrient is known as a mehyl donor which in effect helps make chemical processes in the body work effectively such as proper liver function and cellular reproduction. Betaine also helps the body make carnitine. Carnitine is a nutrient that helps the body turn fat into energy.


Coriander; flowers are very pretty and set seed for the next crop.

The fruit of the white Mulberry tree is very sweet and delicious. Spring is the time to grow its fruit.

Believe it or not:

A person who sows seed of kindness enjoys a perpetual harvest.
Anonymous

14 comments:

  1. Geranium is a good plant? This is good to know ;-) Fennel... I see this vege in the supermarket here. One day I'll get one to try. Those Chinese snow peas... I love to stir fry them with cauliflowers... yum yum...

    Btw, I believe that quote ;-) Have a pleasant evening!

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  2. Yes a good hint about the geranium. You have a wonderful veggie patch. You must spend hours in the garden. We have just prepared the soil for another attempt to grow something we can eat. What is good to plant now?

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  3. What an idea to use the old kitchen sink?!! You do have the handiest things in your garden! And the geranium idea is very useful as well.

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  4. Trudi, it's a pleasure to see such bounty in your garden. Really, there's nothing tastier than cooking home-grown veggies. Love the placement of the old sink. As for your crop, everything looks so delicious!

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  5. I love seeing your garden, it is wonderful that you can grow so much. I think our next place needs a smaller house and a bigger garden! Am really interested in your geranium and it makes so much sense, i think we will have to give that a try.

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  6. Stephanie; Fennel has Anis flavour, some like it some do not.
    Diane; now is the time to plant beans, melons, cucumbers, capsicums but you do not like them as I remember! Eggplants, tomatoes, spring onions.
    Diane last time your vegetable garden was great, the plants looked so good! I must say I do not work that much in the veg department, I harvest and cook, it is mainly the "Vegetable gardeners" domain!
    Floridagirl thank you, yes an old sink comes handy in the garden.

    Kanak thank you for your visit.

    Marilyn, the Geranium belongs to the Pelargonium fragrans group. Unfortunately I could not locate its name. It is a spreading plant nice looking in a hanging pot as it has these small flowers on long floating stems. I have a few plants hanging around and since then I have much less trouble with fruit fly.

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  7. This is what I like about gardening in other parts of the world. While mine is ready to go to sleep, someone else's is thriving (and giving me lots of eye candy while the days get shorter!). Beautiful!

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  8. Hi Titania, What wonderful crops you have - such healthy eating. Next life when I start gardening again I will definitely grow veggies. Like the saying of anon. gardening is used for so many metaphors about life. cheers, catmint

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  9. I have just realised you have a new blog. That's what comes of missing posts for a while.
    Lovely to see summer in your part of the world.

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  10. Finally,
    I have enough time to visit your new blog.
    Our vegetable harvest is almost over, fall has arrived. Looking at your wonderful red beets and I am thinking about a delicious Matjes herring salad:)
    Enjoy all your great vegetables,
    Gisea

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  11. I'm not sure where I've been the past several months! I completely missed you starting this new blog, so I'm a little late in following this one...oops! I'm off to get caught up on your posts, missed reading them...

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  12. Mmmmh mir läuft das Wasser im Mund zusammen bei all den Köstlichkeiten, ich liebe Randen und bin ein Gemüsefan, Salat eine Delikatesse. Da wäre Dein Garten direkt ein Paradies für mich.
    Liebe Grüsse und ein schönes Wochende wünsche ich Dir
    Elfe

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  13. I have never eaten fennel. Once, when I was a student, therre were some wild fennels, and people came to harvest them. I can't get over how big your fennel is.

    Do you watch Masterchef. i watch when I can. We just reached the top 10.

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  14. I bought one last weekend and added it into my tomato and carrot soup... I am fine with the flavour but will not be crazy for it he he...

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