KITCHEN GARDENS with Norina Jane

I went to the supermarket today and corn was $1 per cob.  I bought eight of them!

Yes me!  Why…… because I’ve picked all my corn.  I’ve planted my next crop (yes you can plant corn this time of year too) but not in succession – my bad.

If you do not value “organically grown” or knowing where your food comes from, or knowing what it’s been sprayed with nor do you value your input into a healthier environment and sharing your produce with neighbours and friends.

If picking vegies from your garden to prepare your evening meal does not appeal to you nor do you have an appreciation for the growing process – watering each morning to nurture plants and enjoy time out and having a sense of achievement when picking the fruits of your labour, then why bother growing your own when you can buy a corn from the supermarket for $1?

My answer is – Don’t.

Growing your own food is about getting in touch with nature, understanding the importance of every aspect of your environment including the soil you grow in, the sun, the value of water and the benefits to our wildlife and beneficial insects.  

It’s about composting, worms and microorganisms in the earth and getting up each day to nurture your plants and in turn yourself.  It’s more than having food available at your beck-and-call and more than saving money when lettuce prices get to $10 each, but that certainly helps!

So, what can you start growing in your gardens right now in the Whitsundays?

The most prolific months for growing from seed / seedlings here are between April and August but there are still herbs and vegies that you can plant now.

Try Sweet Corn, this grows all year round and it’s an impressive crop to grow, Sweet Potatoes and Ginger are also happy in those 30-degree temperatures.

Basil and Lemon Basil does very well this time of year too.  

I also have lots of Parsley growing at the moment and I still like to plant salad greens, but this time of year they require a bit of care as they don’t like it when the temperature gets over 27 degrees.

With temperatures on the rise as we come into summer, on those beautiful Whitsunday blue sky days, you are going to need to protect your leafy greens.

Shade cloth or “vegetable netting” becomes essential, 25-30% shade is ideal and doubles up as protection from those pesky bugs that love your greens as much as you do.

Remember that your herbs and salad greens will go to seed quickly (known as bolting) in summer months if you don’t give them shade, keep them well watered or forget to liquid feed them.  

Stress signals a plant to go to seed, so take extra care in these coming months with these three very important growing needs.

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RECIPE – GINGER & CARROT DRESSING

I hear a lot of people describe salads as boring!

A great dressing will transform ANY salad, so I’m sharing a dressing I’ve come across that you can use on your kitchen garden pickings.  It’s quick and easy and can be kept in the fridge for up to three days.

Ingredients

3 Carrots – peeled and chopped into small pieces

30g Fresh ginger – Peel and chop into small pieces

15ml Honey

10ml Soy Sauce

30ml Rice Vinegar

1 Tablespoon White Miso

70ml Olive oil

30ml Lime Juice

50ml water

Salt & Pepper to taste

Simply place all the ingredients in a food processor or use a stick blender and blend until its completely smooth.

Pour over combined – Spinach leaves, sliced avocado and Lebanese cucumber, cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, red onions and roasted seeds of your choice.   Or add anything you want!

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