Hey everyone, my apologies for having committed the internet’s most terrible sin of not posting any information for quite a few months now.  But my only excuse is that I have been unusually busy with other things that come into your life at different times and you get taken on a different journey for a while. However, have no fear I am now in the throws of getting back into it and still cooking and still gardening mind you, and still exploring the wonders of fresh food and how you can experience and make the most of your fresh produce in the garden.

Now in this post I would like to introduce you to a man by the name of “Bob”.   I have come to know Bob, from him being at our local market on the first Saturday of the month for the past few years.   Now Bob is a unique and very interesting gentleman who just happens to have a hobby where he makes the most beautiful wooden chopping boards I have ever seen.

All of the boards are made out of 100% Australian recycled  timber, and its mostly either Jarrah wood or Hardwood.   This alone makes the boards heavy and strong and wonderful to chop on and work with, but they are also a talking point whenever I have friends over.  They are just so appealing to the eye and really help to give your kitchen class and a professional appeal.  He uses a glue which passes the ANSI type II water resistance test and has FDA approval for his chopping boards.   But the best thing is that they are made locally, with a great deal of love and care and they are 100% Australian made.

I think this alone reflects in the quality of his products.   I have yet to find a commercially made chopping board that meets the same standard as Bob’s ones.   In terms of garden-cooking with chopping boards I believe there really is no comparison than using wood.    One of the main concerns many people have expressed to me surround  germs getting trapped within the grain of the wood.  This is possible as the wood expands and contracts with the moisture in the air and the care of the board, i.e. if you wash the board it will accept more moisture.    Other people have been concerned about splinters chipping off the board and getting into the food.

Bob recommends that you never “wash” your board in the dish water, but rather clean it with a damp sponge and then let it air dry on the bench to ensure you maintain your board for as long as possible.   He also recommends oiling the board every 2-3 days with a “tung” oil.   This oil is absorbed by the wood and helps to maintain the quality of the wood and feel of the wood.   I have to say that I have been using these wooden boards for quite a number of years now and I wouldn’t use anything else for my garden cooking.    I will soon upload some great photos of his work to show you exactly the quality of the boards  that Bob makes and check them out for yourself about how appealing they are.

Also be watching as in Early Jan next year I am planning an interview with Bob, so you’ll be able to meet him, hear about is chopping boards and the car and effort that goes into making them suitable to use in your garden-cooking kitchen.

Technorati Tags: Garden Cooking Equiptment, Wooden chopping boards

Last year when I started my vegetable garden journey, I realized very quickly the amount of water you need to make the whole garden cooking project work.   Quite simply; vegetable gardens wont grow without an abundance of water.   After a few very hot days in late December, it dawned on me that perhaps growing vegetables in your garden in Australia was a dodgy thing to do especially when you need to water them everyday.   But I didn’t let that get the better of me, we had a water tank installed, like most properties in Melbourne.   Very quickly I got into the habit of watering our plants at night, as I believe, they have the greatest chance of absorbing the water before it evaporates by the sun. 
However, upon doing this from a water tank and hose, and although it is quite relaxing, it is difficult to establish just how much water each plant is getting and I think its quite an inefficient way of caring for your garden.   So we purchased a soaker hose and buried it just under the mulch layer in the vegetable garden.   The mistake we made was to then leave the soaker hose on over night, as we thought that the amount of water coming from the soaker hose could not possibly drain the tank over night.   But after a couple of nights in late December we quickly realized that our precious water storage had been reduced to a mere puddle!
For those of you who have a cold climate during these months I just paint a general climate picture for you.  

• November-December:  Normally hot and dry with the occasional shower, but not enough to fill your tank.  Temp range 24-30 degrees.
• January – February:   Very, very hot, windy and dry.   Rare it is that we have rain.  Temp ranges in this time 27-47 degrees.
• March-April:  Remaining hot but now may have some cooler temperatures,  and some showers.  Temp ranges 30-22 degrees.

So essentially what I had done was to completely empty our tank before I had even got my vegetables through the extremely hot and dry temperatures.   Consequently, with the hot days that followed last year, most of my garden failed because I just couldn’t protect it and I didnt‘ have the water to water it with. 
This year, however, its a slightly different story;  I have a full water tank, the soaker hose is primed, ready and buried underground but I yet to use the tank water.   I am saving it for those hotter months.  At the moment the vegetables are being watered in two ways:

1. To save the cold water out of the shower, into a bucket before it heats up;
2. Saving cold tea/coffee from my teapot & coffee percolator.  I keep a bucket in my kitchen that collects all of this wonderful organic matter as well as the cold water that would otherwise be wasted down the drain before heating up to do the dishes.

On average I have two extra buckets of water that get emptied on my garden at the end of the day.   And its not rocket science, just takes a little bit of commonsense and concern for our water storage and environment.   Would love to hear how you save water for your garden cooking in your home. 
Ny.

Technorati Tags: cooking, gardening, reduce water, Water saving

At our house we have a song, its called “my dad is eating all the mushrooms”  and although I can’t really tell you the melody of the song as I may have to record it and upload it at some other time,  I can tell you that the words describe exactly what is happening.    Snacking on Mushrooms is an easy and extremely healthy way for the whole family to have those essential vitamins and minerals available to the body to use.     And as mushrooms can be picked directly from your garden cooking mushroom box, its no wonder more people aren’t doing this.   

Now I know the flavor of the mushroom is quite and intense one and that its one that not alot of people like, however, raw mushies as opposed to cooked mushrooms,  I think tend to have a less concentrated flavor.   And they are just great for parties etc as a biscuit substitute.  After removing the stalk you can then fill the mushroom with a mixture of cream cheese and spring onions, even add in some lemon thyme and salt n’ pepper to taste, load a half a cherry tomato on top and WOW what a sensational  snack.     There are many variations on this method,  mixing up your mushies, has some other fantastic ideas for using mushrooms with other ingredients for entertaining. 

Grab a handful of raw mushies  (5 in a bunch) to eat and you are taking in a low fat, low cholesterol snack.  But  in addition to that mushies contain some of the  highest levels of antioxidants.  As well as this they contain selenium and copper which also aid the immune system, the thyroid systm, assist in cancer prevention and the male reproductive system.  So this means they are great for boosting the immune system.. They are an excellent source of fiber which helps you to feel full and keeps you regular.  They are rich in vitamins like D, phosphorus, and vitamin K and B vitamins such as Riboflavin, Niacin and Biotin.  Riboflavin assist to promote healthy skin, good vision and keeps the digestive and nervous system in tack.  

It is good to remember however, that mushrooms just like any vegetable tend to loose their vitamin content once cooked.  So if you can entice your kids to eat them raw, all the better for them.   Still I prefer to eat the mushrooms any way I can

But possibly the best advantage to growing mushies is that you can virtually grow them all year, you can involve your children in the process and they will LOVE watching them and seeing them grow.   All you need to do is buy a mushroom growing kit and you’re off.   The instructions are easy to follow and really the only real issue I had was ensuring the box is kept in a dark warm cupboard, and watering them.   But once one or two “babies” start appearing its not long before you will have loads of fresh available mushrooms to enjoy.

I would love to hear how you go with this, looking forward to your mushroom feedback!

Ny.

Technorati Tags: mushroom, Vitamins

Garden Cooking Ingredients:

250gms-300gms of precooked marinated mushrooms(G)
110gms of cream cheese
2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
Pepper & salt to taste
100gms of creamy feta cheese (the better quality, the better the dip will be.  I prefer goats milk feta myself for these things).
1/2 a chopped spring onion (G)
handful of garden cooking flat leaf parsley(G)


Garden Cooking Method

Place all ingredients in the food processor and whiz until smooth (P&K).   Taste on crunchy ciabatta bread or bread stick, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a thin slice of prosciutto .   Fantastic dip for any occasion or the base for any good pasta or risotto.

Gluten free & Suitable for vegetarians.

Key:

P = Parent reccommended technique.

K= Kids can help out here;

G= grown directly from your garden, harvest on the day of use if possible.

Technorati Tags: cooking, Mushrooms

Garden Cooking: Ingredients

400gms of fresh Ricotta
Handful of freshly picked Lemon Thyme, roughly torn; (G)
Handful of freshly picked Parsley (G)
Salt & Pepper to season;
100gms of Danish (creamy) Feta Cheese
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 serve of Marinated Mushrooms (garlic juices & all, make sure you remember to remove the husks from the garlic) (G)

3-4 sheets of pre prepared frozen puff pastry

Garden Cooking Method

1. Heat oven to 180-200 degrees Celcius.   In this recipe I find the hotter the oven the better, and it works terrifically well if you have a fan forced oven.
2. Place all ingredients accept for the pastry in a food processor and process until just combined. 
3. Slightly thaw out some puff pastry sheets and divide them in half with a sharp knife.  Its best to do this while the pastry is still frozen hard as it is easier I find to cut.  
4. Scoop out some of the mixture from the food processor with a spoon and place a 2cm strip of mixture down one side of the divided puff pastry.   (P & K)
5. When the pastry has just defrosted, you will know this as it wont break, gently roll over the mixture, into a roll.  (P)
6. Use a little bit of egg wash on the sealing side of the pastry to “glue” it together.   (K) *
7. Place on a lined baking paper tray, egg wash the top and decorate with sesame seeds.   (P & K)

        * NB:  If you are preparing these for a party or entertaining guests, the best time to freeze these is NOW, before cooking.   That way when it comes to your party, all you have to do is heat your oven, remove the rolls from the freezer, thaw slightly, place on an oven tray and cook.   They may take a little longer as they have been frozen first.  Puff Rolls can be easily stored between freezer paper, or the puff pastry separating sheets, in a sealed freezer safe,  Tupperware container.

    8.  Cook in your oven for about 20-30 minutes or  until all of the pastry has “puffed” and is a golden brown color.   The mixture inside should be soft, but not runny or dry.  (P)
    9.  Remove from the oven and cut on the diagonal, to serve.  Serve hot. (P)

NB:  Not all ovens work the same.  Not all ovens have a fan forced option.  So I find its best when attempting this recipe, to have a good understanding of your oven and how it cooks your food.   In one of my friends ovens, I had to turn the puff rolls over, so that they cooked on the under side.  The mixture itself is quite moist, so when cooking just be sure that ALL of the pastry is cooked around the roll.   With a fan forced oven, you shouldn’t have to turn the puff rolls at all.

There are just STACKS of variations to the filling on this recipe.   Ones that I have tried and that have been a hit in my kitchen have been:

• Spinach & Pine Nut
• Sweet Potato & Raisins
• Roast Pumpkin, Sage, & Ricotta
  
• Chicky Rolls ( so easy and an absolute HIT for kids parties)
  
• Pork with Honey & Chinese 5 spice
  

Suitable for vegetarians.

Key:
G:   Fresh produce from your garden
P:    Parent technique recommended
K:    Kids can help out here

Technorati Tags: cooking method, fresh lemon thyme, Garden cooking, garden garlic, Mushrooms

Garden Cooking Ingredients:

400gms of fresh Ricotta
Handful of freshly picked Sage, roughly torn; (G)
Handful of freshly picked Parsley (G)
Salt & Pepper to season;
100gms of danish (creamy) feta cheese
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 serve of Roast Pumpkin (juices & all) NB: make sure you remove the husks off the onion & garlic before placing it in the food processor.

3-4 sheets of pre prepared frozen puff pastry

Garden Cooking Method

1. Heat oven to 180-200 degrees Celcius.   In this recipe I find the hotter the oven the better, and it works terrifically well if you have a fan forced oven.
2. Place all ingredients accept for the pastry in a food processor and process until just combined. 
3. Slightly thaw out some puff pastry sheets and divide them in half with a sharp knife.  Its best to do this while the pastry is still frozen hard as it is easier I find to cut.  
4. Scoop out some of the mixture from the food processor with a spoon and place a 2cm strip of mixture down one side of the divided puff pastry.   (P & K)
5. When the pastry has just defrosted, you will know this as it wont break, gently roll over the mixture, into a roll.  (P)
6. Use a little bit of egg wash on the sealing side of the pastry to “glue” it together.   (K) *
7. Place on a lined baking paper tray, egg wash the top and decorate with sesame seeds.   (P & K)

        * NB:  If you are preparing these for a party or entertaining guests, the best time to freeze these is NOW, before cooking.   That way when it comes to your party, all you have to do is heat your oven, remove the rolls from the freezer, thaw slightly, place on an oven tray and cook.   They may take a little longer as they have been frozen first.  Puff Rolls can be easily stored between freezer paper, or the puff pastry separating sheets, in a sealed freezer safe,  Tupperware container.

    8.  Cook in your oven for about 20-30 minutes or  until all of the pastry has “puffed” and is a golden brown color.   The mixture inside should be soft, but not runny or dry.  (P)
    9.  Remove from the oven and cut on the diagonal, to serve.  Serve hot. (P)

NB:  Not all ovens work the same.  Not all ovens have a fan forced option.  So I find its best when attempting this recipe, to have a good understanding of your oven and how it cooks your food.   In one of my friends ovens, I had to turn the puff rolls over, so that they cooked on the under side.  The mixture itself is quite moist, so when cooking just be sure that ALL of the pastry is cooked around the roll.   With a fan forced oven, you shouldn’t have to turn the puff rolls at all.

There are just STACKS of variations to the filling on this recipe.   Ones that I have tried and that have been a hit in my kitchen have been:

• Spinach & Pine Nut
• Sweet potato & Raisins
• Marinated Mushrooms with Lemon Thyme
• Chicky rolls ( so easy and an absolute HIT for kids parties)
• Pork with Honey & Chinese 5 spice

Suitable for vegetarians.

Key:
G:    Fresh produce from your garden
P:    Parent technique recommended
K:    Kids can help out here

Technorati Tags: Garlic, Onion, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Recipe, Sage

Garden Cooking Ingredients:

400gms of fresh Ricotta
Handful of freshly picked Parsley (G)
Salt & Pepper to season;
100gms of Danish (creamy) feta cheese
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
100gms of Pine Nuts, lightly toasted.  NB  These will toast VERY quickly so keep an eye on them if toasting in the oven.
2 handfuls of fresh spinach or silver beet (G)

3-4 sheets of pre prepared frozen puff pastry

Garden Cooking Method

1. Heat oven to 180-200 degrees Celcius.   In this recipe I find the hotter the oven the better, and it works terrifically well if you have a fan forced oven.
2. Place all ingredients accept for the pastry in a food processor and process until just combined. 
3. Slightly thaw out some puff pastry sheets and divide them in half with a sharp knife.  Its best to do this while the pastry is still frozen hard as it is easier I find to cut.  
4. Scoop out some of the mixture from the food processor with a spoon and place a 2cm strip of mixture down one side of the divided puff pastry.   (P & K)
5. When the pastry has just defrosted, you will know this as it wont break, gently roll over the mixture, into a roll.  (P)
6. Use a little bit of egg wash on the sealing side of the pastry to “glue” it together.   (K) *
7. Place on a lined baking paper tray, egg wash the top and decorate with sesame seeds.   (P & K)

        * NB:  If you are preparing these for a party or entertaining guests, the best time to freeze these is NOW, before cooking.   That way when it comes to your party, all you have to do is heat your oven, remove the rolls from the freezer, thaw slightly, place on an oven tray and cook.   They may take a little             longer as they have been frozen first.  Puff Rolls can be easily stored between freezer paper, or the puff pastry separating sheets, in a sealed freezer safe,  Tupperware container.

    8.  Cook in your oven for about 20-30 minutes or  until all of the pastry has “puffed” and is a golden brown color.   The mixture inside should be soft, but not runny or dry.  (P)
    9.  Remove from the oven and cut on the diagonal, to serve.  Serve hot. (P)

NB:  Not all ovens work the same.  Not all ovens have a fan forced option.  So I find its best when attempting this recipe, to have a good understanding of your oven and how it cooks your food.   In one of my friends ovens, I had to turn the puff rolls over, so that they cooked on the under side.  The mixture itself is quite moist, so when cooking just be sure that ALL of the pastry is cooked around the roll.   With a fan forced oven, you shouldn’t have to turn the puff rolls at all.

There are just STACKS of variations to the filling on this recipe.   Ones that I have tried and that have been a hit in my kitchen have been:

• Roast Pumpkin, Sage & Ricotta
• Sweet Potato & Raisins
• Marinated Mushrooms with Lemon Thyme
• Chicky rolls ( so easy and an absolute HIT for kids parties)
  
• Pork with honey, Chinese 5 spice powder & Spring Onions
  

Suitable for vegetarians.

Key:
G:    Fresh produce from your garden
P:    Parent technique recommended
K:    Kids can help out here

Technorati Tags: Parsley, silver beet, Spinach

Garden Cooking Ingredients:

500grams of Pork Mince
1/2 brown onion roughly chopped (G)
Handful of freshly picked Parsley (G)
Salt & Pepper to season;
Zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of Honey
1 tablespoons of Chinese BBQ sauce
1 teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice powder
2 Spring Onions finely chopped (G)

3-4 sheets of pre prepared frozen puff pastry

Garden Cooking Method

1. Heat oven to 180-200 degrees Celcius.   In this recipe I find the hotter the oven the better, and it works terrifically well if you have a fan forced oven.
2. Place all ingredients accept for the pastry in a food processor and process until just combined. 
3. Slightly thaw out some puff pastry sheets and divide them in half with a sharp knife.  Its best to do this while the pastry is still frozen hard as it is easier I find to cut.  
4. Scoop out some of the mixture from the food processor with a spoon and place a 2cm strip of mixture down one side of the divided puff pastry.   (P & K)
5. When the pastry has just defrosted, you will know this as it wont break, gently roll over the mixture, into a roll.  (P)
6. Use a little bit of egg wash on the sealing side of the pastry to “glue” it together.   (K) *
7. Place on a lined baking paper tray, egg wash the top and decorate with sesame seeds.   (P & K)

        * NB:  If you are preparing these for a party or entertaining guests, the best time to freeze these is NOW, before cooking.   That way when it comes to your party, all you have to do is heat your oven, remove the rolls from the freezer, thaw slightly, place on an oven tray and cook.   They may take a little longer as they have been frozen first.  Puff Rolls can be easily stored between freezer paper, or the puff pastry separating sheets, in a sealed freezer safe,  Tupperware container.

    8.  Cook in your oven for about 20-30 minutes or  until all of the pastry has “puffed” and is a golden brown color.   The mixture inside should be soft, but not runny or dry.  (P)
    9.  Remove from the oven and cut on the diagonal, to serve.  Serve hot. (P)

NB:  Not all ovens work the same.  Not all ovens have a fan forced option.  So I find its best when attempting this recipe, to have a good understanding of your oven and how it cooks your food.   In one of my friends ovens, I had to turn the puff rolls over, so that they cooked on the under side.  The mixture itself is quite moist, so when cooking just be sure that ALL of the pastry is cooked around the roll.   With a fan forced oven, you shouldn’t have to turn the puff rolls at all.

There are just STACKS of variations to the filling on this recipe.   Ones that I have tried and that have been a hit in my kitchen have been:

• Roast Pumpkin, Sage & Ricotta
• Sweet Potato & Raisins
• Marinated Mushrooms with Lemon Thyme
• Spinach & Pine Nut
• Chicky Rolls, (great for kids parties, and a FANTASTIC way to get some extra vegetables into the childrens’ diets)

Key:
G:    Fresh produce from your garden
P:    Parent technique recommended
K:    Kids can help out here

Technorati Tags: Honey, Pork, Spring Onions

Ingredients:

500gms of chicken breast or chicken thigh fillets, roughly chopped
1/2 brown onion roughly chopped (G)
Handful of freshly picked Parsley (G)
Salt & Pepper to season;
100gms of Danish (creamy) feta cheese
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 handfuls of fresh spinach or silver beet (G)
1/4 cup freshly grated carrot (G)
2-3 Sundried Tomatoes finely chopped (G) You can make these in your oven when in season.
2 Spring Onions finely chopped (G)

3-4 sheets of pre prepared frozen puff pastry

Method

1. Heat oven to 180-200 degrees Celcius.   In this recipe I find the hotter the oven the better, and it works terrifically well if you have a fan forced oven.
2. Place all ingredients accept for the pastry in a food processor and process until just combined. 
3. Slightly thaw out some puff pastry sheets and divide them in half with a sharp knife.  Its best to do this while the pastry is still frozen hard as it is easier I find to cut.  
4. Scoop out some of the mixture from the food processor with a spoon and place a 2cm strip of mixture down one side of the divided puff pastry.   (P & K)
5. When the pastry has just defrosted, you will know this as it wont break, gently roll over the mixture, into a roll.  (P)
6. Use a little bit of egg wash on the sealing side of the pastry to “glue” it together.   (K) *
7. Place on a lined baking paper tray, egg wash the top and decorate with sesame seeds.   (P & K)

        * NB:  If you are preparing these for a party or entertaining guests, the best time to freeze these is NOW, before cooking.   That way when it comes to your party, all you have to do is heat your oven, remove the rolls from the freezer, thaw slightly, place on an oven tray and cook.   They may take a little longer as they have been frozen first.  Puff Rolls can be easily stored between freezer paper, or the puff pastry separating sheets, in a sealed freezer safe,  Tupperware container.

    8.  Cook in your oven for about 20-30 minutes or  until all of the pastry has “puffed” and is a golden brown color.   The mixture inside should be soft, but not runny or dry.  (P)
    9.  Remove from the oven and cut on the diagonal, to serve.  Serve hot. (P)

NB:  Not all ovens work the same.  Not all ovens have a fan forced option.  So I find its best when attempting this recipe, to have a good understanding of your oven and how it cooks your food.   In one of my friends ovens, I had to turn the puff rolls over, so that they cooked on the under side.  The mixture itself is quite moist, so when cooking just be sure that ALL of the pastry is cooked around the roll.   With a fan forced oven, you shouldn’t have to turn the puff rolls at all.


There are just STACKS of variations to the filling on this recipe.   Ones that I have tried and that have been a hit in my kitchen have been:

• Roast Pumpkin, Sage & Ricotta
• Sweet Potato & Raisins
• Marinated Mushrooms with Lemon Thyme
• Spinach & Pine Nut
• Pork with Honey, Chinese 5 Spice Powder & Spring Onions

Key:
G:    Fresh produce from your garden
P:    Parent technique recommended
K:    Kids can help out here

Technorati Tags: carrots, Chicken Rolls, Onions, Parsley, silver beet, Spinach

Garden Cooking Ingredients:

1/4 – 1/2 of a large Jap pumpkin.  Peeled and cut into 3cm chunks (G)
1 -2 whole brown onions keep unpeeled; (G)
2-3 Cloves of fresh garlic,  crush under a knife, but keep whole in the husk; (G)
Good lug of good quality olive oil;
Salt & Pepper to taste

Garden Cooking Method

1. Pre heat your oven to 180-200 degrees Celsius;(P)
2. Line a tray with baking paper, (this prevents your pumpkin from losing all of the delicious roasting juices); (K)
   
3. Arrange all the ingredients haphazardly on a tray and toss gently to coat in the olive oil and seasoning; (P & K)
   
4. Bake for 30-40 mins or until the onions are soft & you can easily pierce a piece of pumpkin with a knife;
5. Remove from the oven and stand to cool before serving.
   

Quite regularly I will freeze this dish, as an ingredient to then use in other dishes.  The best way to freeze this is to remove the baking paper with the pumpkin and onions all still on them and place it into a container with a lid.   I place it at the back the freezer, and I find when I am defrosting it in the fridge,  the baking paper, retains all of the beautiful oven juices to then add flavor to the next dish.

This dish is gluten free and suitable for vegetarians.

Commonly use this dish in:

Roast Pumpkin, Sage, & Ricotta Rolls, Roast Pumpkin Dip, & Roast Pumpkin & Chickpea Burgers YUMMMO.

Key:
G:    Fresh produce from your garden
P:    Parent technique recommended
K:    Kids can help out here

Technorati Tags: Garden Cooking Recipe, Garlic, Jap pumpkin, Onion, Pumpkin, Roast pumpkin