September-October 2010

Munching and crunching
At this time of year life in the gourmet garden is less frenetic and paced by the shortening of days. I feel I can kick back and consider what has worked well and what we’ve enjoyed munching and crunching; thoughts then follow on to planning the possible crops of the year ahead. I also try to soak up any last bit of sunshine before the darkness and chill close in.

Squash and pumpkin
I always associate this time of year with pumpkin and squash. Those of you with plants can watch the fruits expand and ripen. If you want larger fruit remove some of the smaller ones, leaving only two or three to blossom. For those who like smaller and probably tastier veg, leave lots of smaller fruit to ripen. I always aim for a few large pumpkins that can be made into decorative lanterns, and also have different winter squash varieties that are left small. The latter can be used throughout the winter months in soups and stews, roasted, as additions to Thai curries, and they would make a lovely accompaniment to Christmas dinner.

Ready to pick
You’ll know when they’re ready to pick as the skin colour becomes richer and the texture firmer. Cut the stalk cleanly with a knife. In order to prepare your fruit for storage they need to be “cured” by being left in a dry sunny position for two weeks - a windowsill or a greenhouse shelf are ideal. Some varieties then will keep for up to six months in a well ventilated space.

Preparing for next year
For those of you that haven’t grown squashes or pumpkins this year don’t despair; buy some seeds now for next year and plant as per instructions next spring. Usually the seeds are large and so are a great way of introducing kids to growing fruit and vegetables. Some seed packets will contain several varieties of plants so these can provide a good introduction to seeing which you like best. Most of these multi packs will contain up to six seeds, so why not seed-or plant-share?

Happy loitering!
GG

July-August 2010

right here, right now
The garden is in full swing and the pickings are great - salad leaves, beetroot, courgettes, garlic, onions, herbs, beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries and currants.
Concentrate on tending the plants and harvest the pickings at optimal intervals, then dust off old cookbooks and get creative with preparing and preserving. Now’s the time to celebrate the good life with barbecues, summer gatherings, picnics, cycle treks and walks with friends – especially with hampers full of home-grown delights.

perennial pickers
One way to add another dimension to home cooking and to save money is to grow your own herbs. Some, such as bay, rosemary, thyme, fennel, chives, lavender and mint, are perennials and so last for many years. Readily available from the garden centre, it makes sense to plant them in the garden (with the exception of mint which is best grown in a pot to contain its spread) as near to the house as feasible. After that very little effort is required, simply harvest small amounts when needed.

coriander and basil
Two other herbs which are defi nitely worth growing but which need a little extra tender loving care are coriander and basil. They are both annuals and can be easily grown in a pot on a warm windowsill. The basil plants need slightly greater spacing than the coriander. Keep the pots slightly moist and pick when the leaves are small for the maximum punchy flavour as a garnish or an addition to salads. The bigger leaves are good in
pasta dishes, or on pizza.
The coriander will come in useful for curries and
chutneys – you can use the whole plant, including
the roots, once washed. Leave some to go over
and fl ower and then await production of seeds.
Harvest and use the dry seeds to re-sow or grind
up and make a powder to cook with.
Both basil and coriander are best serially sown so
that you have a perpetual supply of these tender,
fragrant herbs throughout the summer months.

Happy herb growing!
GG


May-June 2010

Three good reasons
There are many good reasons to start composting but the main ones are:
1. Plant food for free
2. To reduce what’s thrown away
3. To create a local ecosystem

Exterminate! Exterminate!
The most simple way to get started with compost is to make your own in some sort of container. The dalek-shaped variety are easy to get hold of and effective. They are best sited on a soil base and you simply need to add materials from two different groups.

The first is the carbon rich-group: torn egg boxes, loo roll tubes, dry plant material, stems and twigs, sawdust, wood chippings, leaves and hoover dust. The other group is the nitrogen-rich group: plants, raw fruit and vegetables, manure and grass.

Speeding up the process
The whole composting process will be quicker under certain conditions which include: hotter weather; having the mound slightly moist (but not sopping); and being aerated (scrunched paper and turning the mound over).

Generally the smaller the items added, the quicker the compost formation too. You can also use accelerators such as urine or seaweed, or you can buy liquids to add. With this sort of cold composting you don’t need to add any of the organisms required to decompose the material as they will find their own way in and multiply.

By invite only
Some of the attracted wildlife such as fruit flies may be less welcome, but you can reduce the liklihood of these by burying the fruit, wrapping it in newspaper or leaving the lid slightly off so that predators such as beetles can move in too. Those worried by larger unwanted visitors can buy compost bins that are off the ground and that have a “tumbling mechanism”. Some dalek-type bins also have a wire cage on the bottom.

Wiggly worms
A worm bin is a way to produce smaller amounts of extremely rich worm-cast compost and liquid plant food - and kids are fascinated by them. As a family of four we have used this as an adjunct to the dalek bins, as we found the wormery couldn’t deal with all of our compostable material.

Composting indoors
Bokashi composters are good news for those who have no outside space or don’t want to trek outside. They are small internal bins that are apparently not smelly. They work by regularly adding small amounts of microorganisms, which decompose the material without air. Another benefit is that nearly all food substances can be added, including cooked waste.

Plant it
Beans, fennel, salad, Swiss chard, beetroot, cucumber, coriander, winter squash.

Eat it
Potatoes, asparagus, salads, elderflower, peas.

Bean feast
Now’s the time to plant beans - from broad beans to French beans or the more ubiquitous runner bean. Here’s what to do:

1. You’ll need some support canes or sticks but they don’t need to be huge for dwarf varieties.
2. Sow the beans shallowly and plant just inside supports so that you can hoe weeds away from the outside.
3. In as little as seven weeks they’ll be ready to pick young, which is when most beans taste best. I like picking broad beans when the whole pod is no longer than the size of a small finger, steaming, and eating with simple seasoning.

Happy composting!
GG


March-April 2010

Know your onions
Now spring is upon us, it’s time to revel in the gourmet garden, and I’d highly recommend planting shallot and onion sets as a rewarding gardening experience. They’ll yield bunches of shallots or large onions for your kitchen table, with the onions being very useful, and the shallots well worth pickling and keeping for the less abundant months of the year.

Home-pickled shallots are so much tastier than most shop-bought varieties, and look splendid in a Kilner jar with an attached hand-written label. Try adding a homegrown chilli or other herbs or spices for an additional kick. Just the thing for a ploughman’s lunch or Boxing Day dinner with left-over Christmas dinner tidbits. And if you get a pest-free glut then give some away as presents.

The growing bit is easy
Plant in well-drained soil 6-8 inches apart with a foot space between rows, so that the tip of the bulb is just touching the surface of the soil.
If you want a bigger crop, feed every now and again with a well-balanced fertiliser, hoeing out the weeds, and keeping moist - but be careful not to drench with water. Remove any stalks containing seeds (a swelling at the end of a shoot) and harvest when the outer leaves are dying back and have gone papery and yellowy-brown. Gently lift and leave in a well-ventilated space to dry before hanging up to store - or just get on with the pickling process.

If you’re planting out vegetables right now, how about trying an alternative root veggie such as salsify or scorzonera? It’ll provide a delicious addition to a winter stew or roast dinner later in the year.

Alpine challenge
I always think it’s good to try growing something new and interesting in the gourmet garden and my suggestion for this season is alpine strawberries. Sow them from seed now and you’ll end up with a low-growing plant which will provide excellent ground cover. It’ll produce beautiful white flowers with a yellow centre that will go on to provide a strawberry with a deliciously concentrated flavour. They make a delightful addition to an iced cupcake and add a luxurious touch to a glass of Pimms and lemonade.

Happy meanderings.
GG


January-February 2010

This is a fantastic time to think about planting fruit trees. There are so many different and exciting varieties - like cherries, apples, pears, plums, damsons, gages, figs, mazzards, apricots and mulberries.

Small is beautiful
It’s now possible to buy most varieties on dwarf rootstocks which limits the final size of the tree. Therefore they can be grown closer together and in much smaller spaces - and the fruit is more easily picked. Some, such as certain fig varieties, can even be grown in pots on patios, and those with less space but still hankering after some home-grown fruit could consider planting soft fruit types such as blackberries, loganberries, tayberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, whitecurrants, gooseberries, and blueberries, which will generally need less space.

What to plant?
Think carefully about what fruit you like to eat and cook with and consider whether you are interested in juicing or cider making before making any final decisions. Something else worth remembering when choosing varieties is that local varieties have historically survived the local weather conditions and so are worth considering, along with heritage types.

Need more information??
Speak to a fruit tree specialist - preferably one as local to you as possible - as they can give essential advice about which trees to choose for your situation. Some varieties will need another suitable tree to enable pollination to occur so ask for advice on this, consult an RHS Garden Encyclopedia, or look on the internet.

Rhubarb, rhubarb?
A little gem for the gourmet garden is rhubarb. It’s incredibly easy to grow from seed if you can be patient and not pick the stalks until the plant is well established. If you can’t wait, buy two or three plants of different varieties. This perennial should last 20 years or more, so it’s a good investment. I find it grows well almost anywhere but prefers a well-drained and rich soil. For that extra early crop of tender pink stems, force the plant by covering with a large container that excludes the light.

Happy 2010!
GG


November-December 2009

‘With the festive season drawing near, I’ve some present ideas to please gourmet gardeners,’ says Helena Murch.

Sneeboer tools
For those who like quality tools, they make digging a garden feel slightly glamourous.

RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening
The most useful gardening book I’ve ever bought.

Lovely soap or hand cream
For using when trying to remove dirt and repair hands.

Alpaca gardening socks
To house your feet comfortably on a winter's day.

A dinner invitiation
To sample some gourmet garden delights.

A jar of homemade preserves
Lovely, homemade and rustic - this is a present with a loved and unique feel.

Ps. At some point secrete yourself away and plan next year's gourmet garden.

September/October 2009

"The evenings are drawing in and the summer bounty waning fast, so savour any possible moments in the gourmet garden and out in the countryside.

Those who enjoy the combination of walking and foraging should scour the hedgerows for blackberries and nuts such as hazel, cobnut and filberts. Nature’s genius comes into play by chronologically coinciding the beautiful purple fruit of the bramble with the (hopefully) heaving apple tree of the orchard – a simple but brilliant combination that signals the start of autumn. Pick as many blackberries as possible and freeze some in bags or containers to use during the winter months.

Autumn is obviously a time of rich-pickings in the orchard. Plums, figs and apples should be reaching their prime so get juicing and preserving, and rather than letting fruit fall to the ground invite friends and neighbours to enjoy the excess.

Anyone with a glasshouse should sow a variety of salad crops and herbs including flat-leaved parsley and coriander now. With a bit of luck this will over-winter and provide an astonishingly good and tasty home grown salad meal each week if you just pick a few leaves from each plant, leaving the rest to grow on and finally flourish the following spring.

Harvest any squash that are ready and leave to dry until the skins have hardened; store in a dry and cool place and use over the forthcoming months in soups, Thai curries and stews, or simply roast with their skins on.

Happy meandering and munching."

July/August 2009

"These months should be full of hazy days pottering in the gourmet garden, and peppered with tending, picking and preparing your produce, and then joyously munching al fresco.

Lift and dry spring-planted garlic when the neck of the plants loses its vigour and starts to turn golden brown. Let the bulbs dry thoroughly, and then hang up in bunches in a damp-free environment and over the following months eat and enjoy.

Sweetcorn is the jewel of the gourmet garden - harvest when milk trickles from a kernel when gently prodded. Steam lightly and serve simply with a knob of butter and seasoning.

Hopefully home-grown tomatoes are in abundance. Pick and eat straight from the plant of cherry varieties such as sungold or eat larger ones with mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of truffle oil. Freeze any spare tomatoes – put in bags and use later in the year in soups or stews.

Soft fruits such as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and currants (red, black and white) should be picked when ripe and can be enjoyed in so many ways – at the plant side, with cream and vanilla sugar, as toppings for meringues, additions to yoghurt, or as the base for fruit compotes and fools, or in summer puddings. Don’t forget to freeze some too – put straight into freezer bags or containers. Enjoy later on in the year when life seems slightly less promising.

For those who’d like to get started with blueberries, if you have an acid soil the plants can go straight into the ground. If you’ve a smaller garden or alkaline soil then simply plant in pots with ericaceous compost; they are attractive plants that have fabulous autumn foliage. With pot-grown plants it is easier to net them whilst fruiting so that you can save the edible treats primarily for yourself!

Happy pottering."

May/June 2009

The produce patch and hedgerow start to bloom and bulge during May and June. The hard work from earlier months and previous years can be reaped, although don’t forget to keep sowing!

One of my favourite crops this season is home-grown asparagus. The prehistoric looking spears poke through the earth and need to be cut just beneath the soil from strong plants when they are 12-15cm long. They should only be harvested for 6-8 weeks and the remaining spears then allowed to develop into magnificently tall and elegant fern-like plants that are eventually cut down later on in the year. Harvest the spears just before required, wash, and steam briefly until tender, adding a touch of butter and seasoning. For the uninitiated grower who has a bit of spare room, don’t be afraid to try growing asparagus; it's quite a simple crop to maintain and harvest. Start by planting crowns next spring and once the asparagus bed has got going it should provide a wonderful delicacy for up to 20 years.

Keep sowing beetroot seeds; small finger-sized leaves add a lovely hue to any salad and seeds can be sown in yoghurt pots on a windowsill for this purpose. For those with more space, serially sow this crop and harvest some for salad and leave others to produce ball-shaped swollen roots that turn your hands a beautiful shade of mauve if you’re not wearing gloves when handling them. They are delightfully versatile and can be pickled, roasted whole with their skins on, used in salads, or as a main ingredient in spiced purées.

Nature is also very generous during this time so don’t miss out on a bit of foraging, especially for fragrant elderflowers. These can be harvested and easily transformed into cordial or champagne with the addition of a few other ingredients. There are loads of recipes on the web and in cookbooks. Make a glut of cordial, freeze and serve at Christmas with sparkling water.

Happy days in the garden."

March/April 2009
"It’s just as well the days are lengthening, as there’s a lot to do in the garden. I feel it’s worth investing time now, and the rewards can then be reaped through the year and into the next, depending on what you decide to grow. Three crops I would recommend are: salads, peas and first early potatoes, and all of these you can plant now.

In order to be self-sufficient in potatoes you’d need a huge area, so I always compromise by mainly growing one or two first early varieties - these are the first to be harvested and I think are the loveliest to eat. What’s better than new salad potatoes with a sprinkling of mint? There’s a variety of salad potato called pink fir apple which I’d recommend. It’s rather strangely shaped but beautifully coloured and absolutely delicious to eat. Do avoid planting whilst there is still a risk of heavy frost though, and harvest just as the first flowers are opening.

We also love having our own peas; shelling and eating them al fresco is a gourmet gardening pleasure that’s hard to beat. The smaller ones are definitely tastier than the larger, firmer peas so don’t let them get too big. If any make it into the kitchen, instead of being eaten straight off the plant, add them to salads rather than cooking them; that way the full flavour and freshness is appreciated.

Growing salads is great value for money and you can produce leaves that are far tastier than those you could buy, and you’ll know there are no chemicals used too. If you grow several varieties and serially sow the seeds, you can have months of bountiful supplies. Rather than picking a whole plant I take a few of the most tender leaves from each one, leaving the rest to carry on growing. Pick it just before you want to eat it, or wash them and leave them in the fridge. I’ve particularly enjoyed using a range of seeds called Franchi. For those with no outside space you can grow a gourmet garnish in yoghurt pots on a bright windowsill – just sow 4-6 seeds in compost and keep moist.

Raymond Blanc would be proud. Happy munching!"

January/February 2009
"These bleak winter months can be revitalised by spending time considering the potential bounties of the year ahead and tucking into the fruits of the year past.

I start my planning by looking at what space I will have for growing produce, how much time I'm likely to have available to tend it, and what produce we’d like to eat. I also try to plan my crop rotation for the next few years. Each year I try out a different variety of a crop we'll eat a lot of, such tomatoes, potatoes or beans, and also try something completely new, which keeps me interested through the season. After coming up with a basic plan it’s time to peruse the seed catalogues or visit the local garden centres and start purchasing. I try to have some self-restraint at this point and be realistic about how much I can plant and tend - it’s also worth remembering that some seed packets will contain hundreds of seeds, which can be shared with friends. Arranging seed packs by sowing times, is a useful way of forming a plan of action for the year ahead.

Those with greenhouses or propagators can get ahead with some varieties of tomatoes and peppers, and those who want to start outside can sow parsnips, broad beans and carrots - check seed packs for information - plus it’s still not too late to plant garlic.

During these months we are still picking and eating our over-wintered salads and parsley from the greenhouse, and pulling up leeks, cabbages and brussel sprouts from the raised beds. We also make the most of stored foods; frozen summer fruits which are defrosted to eat with pannacotta or breakfast cereals; stews or soups made with a glut of tomatoes, and we get through an inordinate amount of garlic and squash. All in all not a bad feast for a dreary time of year - and the food miles are pretty good too."