Kitchen Garden Guides

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Winter food from my frosty garden....

Even when the morning air is white with the cold of -3C, even when the grass is frozen and crisp under-foot, even when rusty old propellers are turned into art by frost, even when the firewood wears its white, winter coat, food flourishes in my garden..... image

By lunchtime leaves return to brilliant green and are sweetened beyond belief, from the experience....

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I have never tasted sweeter, crisper, more delicious Asian greens than these which are growing by my front door, nightly frozen and laden with frost by morning.

What is this winter meal worth? image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If a cafe near your cold, winter home offered a warm, sunny verandah setting, looking out to a pretty garden and served a simple toasted sandwich of 100% home made ingredients: organic sourdough bread, chutney and Gavin's cheese, with a salad picked no longer than 10 minutes before serving to you, of lettuces, shaved fennel, sorrel, chervil, carrots and some home-pickled Tasmanian olives how much would you pay?

The salad contains no chemicals, transport, storage or refrigeration....just a few seeds sown some time ago by me and some olives sourced locally....Australian, organic flour for the bread, my green tomato chutney and Emmental  cheese from Gavin (check out his new cheese blog!), for the sandwich. Now tell me.... would you get as much satisfaction from this lunch if you'd bought the ingredients from a supermarket?

Winter in Tasmania.... no need for plastic poly tunnels.... just sow what grows.

Life is good.... if you sowed your seeds long enough ago!

4 comments:

africanaussie said...

amazing - you would have thought those kinds of veggies would only survive in warmer climates! That looks delicious Kate.

littlekarstar said...

That looks great! Frosty isn't it...looking forward to spring

Anonymous said...

What - no possums eating everything in sight, including rhubarb, is my Tasmanian gardening experience.

Matron said...

I always enjoy reading Australian blogs in the middle of our Winter, now we are overflowing with Summer produce we can return the favour! You have reminded me though, that I need to start now and sow some Winter hardy crops for the dark days. Leeks and swiss chard are my stalwarts.