I am very fond of local produce and when I heard about a market in Ruislip, I had to visit it! This is the Foodies Market that takes place on the first Sunday of every month at Manor Farm. I had the opportunity to visit this market on the first Sunday of June and was I in […]
Author: Hema
Fresh Spinach Falafel
Spinach this month is certainly doing its thing in my raised bed and with the rain and warmer spells, it is becoming so lush. Oh the joy of harvesting vibrant green leaves from your own kitchen garden! Of course having such lovely greens can only mean its necessary introduction to one of my favourites … the […]
Training My Tomato Plants
Now that all my tomato plants are well settled in their new patio planters and a few in the raised bed, they are really lush with beautiful growth! All that glorious sunshine and certainly the bouts of rain have helped my tomato plants enormously in putting on a great growth spurt. The varieties I have […]
Growing So Beautifully
After a very reluctant start to spring, we are enjoying warm sunny days and the plants in the garden certainly seem to have sensed this change! My kitchen garden is thriving and the little seedlings of yesterday have taken off brilliantly, let me show you around. This is the first time I have sown pak […]
Rescue and Recycle
I must tell you all about this because it does not happen everyday! I was visiting my garden centre for some compost and a few other bits when I stumbled upon a whole heap of empty flower pots that had just been discarded! I could not believe that these were being thrown away so I asked […]
Tomatoes and Chillies Settled Outdoors
It was only the other day I wondered whether the spindly tomato seedlings were ever going to make it outdoors and now arrives the day when the weather is so welcoming to these sturdy green plants all ready for their stay in the garden! They have all been hardened with their day visits outside for the […]
Homemade Hummus and Radishes
When you have a beautiful vegetable freshly picked from your garden, it takes very little to make it into a tasty meal! Radishes are flourishing this spring and they add a great crunch to not only salads but also to sandwiches. Particularly so when you have the creaminess from homemade hummus. Now you may think […]
Radishes, Pak Choi and Potatoes
Isn’t spring exciting when you never know what you will find in the garden next? Alright, I do know what I planted but things don’t always go the way you planned and you never know what to expect when you take a peep. So when I looked at the raised bed filled with lush growth […]
New Plants in My Raised Beds
I am so excited to show you all the new green beings in my garden this season! Let’s start off with the broad beans and the peas both of which I have planted for the first time. The seeds were planted straight into the raised beds and they are growing magnificently. I did cover them […]
My Own Microgreens
It’s that time of the year to plant seeds outdoors! My first two candidates this year are radishes and pak choi. I have planted radishes before with my children as they are quick croppers and a joy to harvest! The seeds were planted a week ago and the seedlings have all popped through, which now […]
Growing Potatoes
Potato growing is especially fun when you have little children as I found out when mine were younger! We used to take one that showed a little sprouting, plant it in a tub and watch it grow. A few months later we would empty the tub and there would be all these little potatoes that […]
Saying Goodbye
Perhaps the hardest part of this season is bidding farewell to my kale and purple sprouting broccoli that have given so generously. This has been the first time I have tried these winter hardy vegetables and they definitely will be featuring again soon! The kale has gone on produce some beautiful yellow flowers which have […]
Rosemary and Chives
I love rosemary and it comes as no surprise for my friends and family to see a large shrub living happily on one side of my garden! It requires very little care with just an autumn trim which does it the world of good. Well, last autumn I decided to take a few pruned sprigs […]
Chives and Sweetcorn Fritters
Chives are flourishing this spring in my garden! They have a wonderful sweet onion flavour without being too sharp and therefore so easy to add to salads, soups and tasty concoctions like these gluten free sweetcorn and red pepper fritters which hold a lovely promise of summer! Easy and quick to make, filling the kitchen […]
Days Out …
Seedlings have all seemed to have sensed spring as they have shown a great growth spurt! Suddenly it seems that we are surrounded by all the green and the family is having to negotiate their way as they go in and out of the back door. The seedlings are taking over a lot of space […]
Peanut Butter from Scratch
One of my daughter’s favourite snacks is apple slices dipped in peanut butter. This is a combination that needs to be tried to be appreciated … I did not realise how well crisp apple slices pair up with creamy peanut butter and one that is home-made is out of this world! It is quick and […]
My City of Raised Beds
My seedlings are nearly ready for the outdoors and we have been busy preparing for this exciting transition! I started my kitchen garden last year with two little squares of raised beds and could not have anticipated the joy of harvesting so much in the summer months! It all started with the book by Dorling Kindersley, […]
Almost Ready for the Outdoors
It only seems yesterday when I planted my first seeds of the year and my seedlings are nearly grown up to move to the outdoors! Spring is a wonderful season of hope and my young seedlings are proof enough. So let me show you round … Courgette seedlings have done very well and are now […]
Baby Leeks for My Chickpeas
There is no better way to flavour a dish of chickpeas than a bunch of leeks …baby leeks! It is such a proud moment when you harvest your first leeks. Yes, I know they don’t look anywhere near the size that are seen in the shops but I’m calling mine baby leeks. I’m sure they’ll taste […]
All In A Queue Now
The days are becoming brighter and warmer and the queue of young seedlings is getting longer if not crowded! It feels like just the other day when I spotted the first peek of green after having planted my seeds for a variety of vegetables. Little did I realise that this was going to cause an […]
Beautiful Spring Harvest
Spring has brought a lovely lush to my raised bed where my purple sprouting broccoli and kale have been living over the cold winter months! Just a couple of weeks ago, I was so excited to see the first flowering of the sprouting broccoli. In the same raised bed, my green and purple kale has […]
Seedlings, seedlings everywhere!
Little bits of green peeking through the otherwise bare surface of the soil ..no better excitement than this I can assure you! Whether they are the tiny shoots of basil or the larger ones belonging to the mighty beans, it is always a joy to welcome seedlings into this world. Gone is the sunshine which […]
Tomatoes and Chillies
Having planted tomato and chilli seeds for the first time, I was not sure what to expect. Especially as they both required a warm germinating environment and a cover to keep the warmth and moisture in. Well, keeping both trays with old plastic propagator covers on them in the cosy corner where the boiler in […]
Kale Falafel
With lots of purple and green kale from the garden, I thought they might make a great addition to my falafels. Chives are also flourishing in this warmer weather and they will certainly give a fresh herb flavour. Now that’s all my greens sorted! For the base, I am using raw chickpeas which I have soaked overnight in […]
More Sunshine, More Seeds
With March becoming warmer, it beckons for more spring planting indoors and with the sun shining this week I cannot resist starting more of my seeds off! I have Chard, Perpetual Spinach and Dwarf Beans that I planted last year and have had such success that I am looking forward to some more harvests this summer. […]
Greens in Spring
The warmer touch to the weather this March is certainly doing its magic on the green and purple kale that I planted in late summer last year. I had always felt that not much could be grown in the winter months, especially without a greenhouse. So I bought kale, purple sprouting broccoli and leek seedlings from a […]
Seeds to a start
I have never planted chillies from seed before so this spring I am going to try for the very first time to grow my own chilli seedlings. I ordered three different varieties from South Devon Chilli Farm, who posted them promptly and they were here in two days! Along with the seeds came some great […]
Chives in an Omelette
The beautiful green from the chives in my garden this month is very inspiring when it comes to my cooking. After the cold dull days of winter, March brings in the welcome warmth and sunshine to not only the garden but also to my kitchen! Chives have a light onion flavour which is very fresh […]
Spring is almost here
The hard frosts have hit this January and storm Doris has done its deeds in February … but the purple sprouting broccoli stands proud and has surprised us with its flower this week in the first few bouts of sunshine! These were planted in late September and they grew in height in autumn, putting on […]
Seed Organiser
When you are surrounded by seed packets it is very easy to lose track of when each variety has to be sown ..this is how I felt last year when I was starting out my kitchen garden for the first time. I have had such success from organising the dry fruits and nuts in the […]
Homemade Fruit Yoghurt
If you have dreamed of your own fruit yoghurt with no sugar added to it then look no further than your own kitchen! Yes it is that easy to prepare and best of all to eat the flavours you enjoy. I have been making these for a few years now and find that they also […]
How to Peel Butternut Squash
A question I have been asked by friends and family, including my brother-in-law Balubhai is how do you peel a butternut squash and dice it? Well, if your butternut squash is young then the skin is likely to be quite thin and therefore much easier to peel. However, a mature squash needs a little more attention! My […]
Freeze with Ease
This January has seen a very successful organisation of all the dry fruits and nuts in my kitchen which has led to much smoother family breakfasts as I described in my earlier post. Mari Kondo’s books ‘Life Changing Magic of Tidying’ and ‘Spark Joy’ have been a real inspiration in this venture. It’s February and I […]
Quinoa for Lunch
Ever wondered if you could pack a light, vibrant and delicious meal where you looked forward to your lunch time? This was exactly the request my niece Manisha gave me, saying she had bought quinoa but wasn’t quite sure how to use it for her lunch. Well, Manisha this is for you and every one […]
Hardy in January Frost
I had thought that the frosty spells over Christmas were bad, but this January has seen some very hard hitting frost and fog. In a small kitchen garden where not much is florishing over winter, it gives me a lot of hope when I see the kale and sprouting broccoli soldiering on as the frost […]
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Easy Granola
I love making my own granola! Why, you may ask when there are so many varieties which you can easily pick up from the shops …because it is so easy to make your own and you can choose exactly what you’d like in it. And so cost-effective you’ll wonder what tempted you to buy the […]
Planning for Spring
So exciting to plan this year’s spring planting! Last year I tried kitchen gardening using raised beds and I was so pleased with my harvests and the whole experience that I can’t wait to start again. This year I have picked up The City Grower by Matt Franks as my guide to developing my kitchen […]
Less is so much more!
January brings you just the opportunity to begin again and set your resolutions! As the weather is too cold for any work in the garden, I have more time to work indoors. I’m not sure about you but I find myself so surrounded by ‘stuff’ that this month I have decided my focus is going to be […]
Spinach in January!
So impressed with my perpetual spinach as well as my chard that I planted last spring … the plants have survived the hard frosts of Christmas without cover! These varieties are certainly hardy and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys fresh young green spinach and chard leaves for a salad, particularly for the colder […]
Grilled Tomatoes for New Year
For a tasty start to the New Year, I decided to slice and grill some ripe red tomatoes for breakfast. I could have had them just as they were, but grilling them seems to bring out a certain sweetness with the added opportunity to add flavours such as herbs, chillies and seasoning. So here I […]