Harvesting and podding delicious broad beans

The last few weeks, I have been happily twisting large pods off the broad bean plants. Some pods have decided to go wonky but most are surprisingly straight. Despite what everyone says about picking them teeny tiny, I do leave some of the pods until they are medium sized as I like a mix of the 'meatier' beans and the smaller sweeter ones.  

I'm featured in Kitchen Garden Magazine

I'm really pleased to be featured in this month's Kitchen Garden Magazine (KG) - July edition.

Every month, KG features a grow guide and I was approached to write this article on growing oriental vegetables for their July edition.

It is titled 'Oriental Vegetables at a glance' and covers sowing, planting through to harvesting.

There are also a few recipe ideas for Chinese green vegetables like Kai Lan, Choy Sum and Pak Choi.

Asparagus 'Pacific Purple' emerges

It's always a joy to catch the first asparagus spears emerging from the ground. We have two 'Pacific Purple' crowns which we put in three years ago.

Admittedly, we have not paid enough attention to them as we should have. We have simply let them be.

Ideally, we should have mulched with straw and added some organic fertiliser early spring. At least, we did cut back the foliage last year!

Nevertheless, there are a few nice, juicy spears that can now be picked which we will enjoy immensely. One day, I hope to have a huge bed of asparagus with ten or so crowns, to harvest enough spears for an asparagus dinner. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Sadly, our 'Connover's Colossal' asparagus which produced green spears has died. When we moved house, we dug it up and brought it with us but it never quite thrived.

Primula Balerina 'Nectarine' & 'Valentine'

We bought these flowers from the Suttons stand on the last day of the Edible Garden show last year (when they were selling off their displays).

I've not had much success in the past growimg primroses so I am very pleased that these have returned with lots of blooms this year.

So far, they seem to be reliable, grown as a perennial.

Seen here are Primula Balerina 'Nectarine' & 'Valentine'.

Ours are in a partial shady spot grown directly in the ground, but I think they would look gorgeous grown in pots.

Autumn sown broad beans

These broad bean plants were sown from seed last October. They've finally started to flower - lovely white petals with dark centres.

The variety is 'Aquadulce Claudia', which is suitable for sowing in Autumn for an earlier harvest in May/ June. These have been overwintered under a cloche (which I have taken off in recent weeks).

I'll soon be sowing more broad beans ('Stereo') in April.

The plants have all been staked with bamboo canes and twine to provide them with some support. 

Also pinch out the tops of the plants once the first beans form, to deter blackfly.

I also remove any side shoots that emerge from the base.

You can buy:

'Aquadulce Claudia' broad beans from Thompson & Morgan 

The broad beans were picked and were delicious. 

• Harvesting and podding broad beans

Sowing Tomato seeds - Fenda & Corazon

This year, I'm growing two new varieties of tomato: 'Fenda' and 'Corazon'. After all the excitement of The Big Allotment Challenge, it was nice to receive these seed packets from Marshall's seeds inviting me to do a seed trial.

Tomato 'Fenda' is a rose pink 'Rose de Berne' type tomato. It is fleshy and almost seedless, which will be interesting. Hopefully, they will be brilliant for making sauces and jams. 

Tomato 'Corazon' is an oxheart 'Albenga' type tomato. The fruits are large with few seeds and has a "superbly tasty, meaty flesh".  

Growing Potatoes for the show bench on Big Allotment Challenge

"Best in Show" Potatoes - Big Allotment Challenge "Grow" challenge (Photo courtesy of BBC) 

In The Big Allotment Challenge, we were tasked with growing new potatoes for the show bench for our first Grow challenge.

Five chilli peppers to grow and eat...

(L-R) A plate of harvested chillies; "Basket of Fire" chillies growing in container  

This time of year, there is no shortage of homegrown chillies, and this year, my chilli line-up includes Apache, Cheyenne, Hungarian Hot Wax, Basket of Fire and Scotch Bonnet.

Easy way to Grow Watercress - Part 1: Propagate

Watercress is one of the herbs/ vegetables that I have been wanting to grow for a while now, but never knew how.  Recently, I read that you can propagate watercress from cuttings, and decided to try it out.  Here is what I did.

Growing Chinese vegetables: Kai Lan / Chinese Broccoli...

Kai Lan/ Chinese Broccoli growing in our vegetable garden

I am really excited about the Chinese Broccoli (also known as Gai Lan, Kai Lan, Chinese Kale) that I am growing in the garden right now.  Chinese kale is so different compared to other kinds of kale - the stems are very tender and the texture of the leaves much more delicate.  And the taste!  Kai Lan has got to top the list when it comes to "most flavoursome" Chinese vegetable.

Colourful Chilli Harvest - Apache, Cheyenne and Gusto!

Apache, Cheyenne and Gusto Chillies

We are growing three varieties of chillies in our garden, Apache, Cheyenne and Gusto.  The fruits are a variety of sizes and are different colours upon maturing - creating a lovely composition of greens, oranges, reds and purple.

The Apache chillies are small and red but hot and fiery and by far, the hottest of the three. The Cheyenne chillies are a milder tasting chilli of medium heat that ripen into a bright orange.  And the Gusto chillies, we have picked green or purple-green but they are really meant to be a lovely deep purple. 

Growing Lemongrass in the UK (and cold climates)

Lemongrass growing in a container

So, can you grow lemongrass in colder climates like the UK?  The answer is yes, you can!  A couple of years ago, we embarked upon an experiment to try to grow lemongrass in the UK.  This is the result.

Should I Grow Bitter Melon?

The strong, bitter flavour of the Bitter Melon or Bitter Gourd (Ku Gua, Fu Gua) is almost certainly an acquired taste.  As a child growing up in Malaysia, I can remember avoiding it at all costs, thinking that it was the most horrid vegetable on the planet and one best left for the grown-ups.  And then, a few years ago, I returned to Malaysia as one of those "grown-ups" and whilst at a restaurant, observed with much curiosity how popular bitter gourd dishes were with diners all around me.  I decided to give it another go, and to my surprise, actually really enjoyed the bitter edge that this vegetable had to offer.  Perhaps my taste buds had finally grown up?

Pretty in Pink Rhubarb for crumbles in the winter...

Of all the plants that are growing in the garden, our rhubarb is the one that requires the least effort.  For the amount of attention we give to it (which is virtually none at all), it certainly does give a lot in return. 

About two and a half years ago, we bought a "Timperley Early" variety rhubarb and put it into the ground.  Its more than tripled in size since then and has been most productive.  The only drawback is that it does need quite a large bit of space to grow in.  But since it is a perennial plant, it will come back year after year producing lots of delightful (and pretty!) stalks, so we think its a sacrifice worth making.

Harvesting Raspberries and what that hole in the middle is...

At the end of our garden, there lies a cage filled with raspberry canes, and each year in July, we are treated to the most delightful harvest of fuschia coloured berries of the sweetest kind.  My husband Johnonymous has been growing raspberries for the past eight years and now there are countless of these fruit canes which have self-sowed over the years.

Asparagus shoots emerge from the crown...

 
Every March for the past two years,
we have watched as these cute little asparagus shoots emerge from the soil and grow into tall, long spears.  Both years, we have had to resist the temptation to harvest any, as it is said that you should not harvest from the asparagus crown for the first two to three years since this weakens it. 

So we sit tight and wait.  But this year, we will harvest asparagus for the first time and I can't wait to taste these tender shoots!

Grow Snake Beans (Yard Long Beans) for a tasty fried bean dish!



If there was ever a bean that I could associate with Asia, it would have to be the Snake Bean.  It reminds of walking through markets in Malaysia where bundles of these incredibly long beans, each secured by a rubber band, are piled up onto market stall stands.  These beans are thought to have originated from South China and are also known as Yard Long beans, Chinese Long Beans or Asparagus Beans.

My parents grow these delightfully long beans in their backyard in Sydney, Australia and mid February we had our first harvest, which I turned into a tasty dish of "Deep fried snake beans with garlic".

Grow Your Own Aromatic Lemongrass for Thai & Malaysian cooking!

Freshly harvested lemongrass and chillis from our garden

A lemongrass plant on first impression looks like wild grass, the kind you might see in an abandoned field that has been overrun by weeds.  But upon closer inspection, each blade of grass is actually attached to a thick bulbous stalk with an aroma that becomes apparent as you attempt to twist it away from its base.  A mellow lemony fragrance subtly infuses the air leaving you with little doubt why those who first discovered this herb of South East Asian origins decided to cultivate and use it so extensively in their cuisine.

Walking through the supermarket the other day, I was astounded at how expensive lemongrass was.  I balked at the prospect of having to pay up to three dollars (that's Australian dollars) per stalk, but luckily I am one of the fortunate few who do not have to, as we have several large clumps of this aromatic grass growing in our garden.

Easy way to propagate Lemongrass so it grows roots!

If you have always wanted to grow lemongrass, then you are going to love this simple method to get your plant started!  It took me just two weeks to get a lemongrass stalk to develop roots like this!

Growing Society Garlic or Chinese Garlic Chives?

Growing in my parents' garden at the moment is an edible plant with garlicky foliage that is pretty tasty when stir-fried.  They were given a clump of the plant a few years ago, and it has been growing in the garden ever since.  For the longest time, we assumed these were Garlic Chives, also called Chinese Chives (or "Gow Choi" in Chinese).