The Edible Garden

By Emma Sousa

I don’t know about you but one of my greatest pleasures in life is food! I’m guessing if you’re reading this wonderful foodie magazine you love food as well, right? I’m also guessing quite a few of you like cooking too. Most of my dishes consist of fresh, whole foods. I rarely eat processed foods because I know that in order to maximise health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, my body needs to be nourished from the inside out! It’s not just about the way you look, it’s also about the way you feel and eating good food is probably one of the most important ways to take care of yourself.

Admittedly, it’s not always easy… if you’re a busy working Mum like me having to think of new and exciting dishes every single day of the week can be tough, trying to keep everyone in your household happy. Since becoming fully plant based over three years ago (I was a vegetarian before that), I have experimented with flavours and seasonings to enhance the wonderful array of foods that I cook with. People often say to me ‘but what do you eat?’. Just think about it: there are literally thousands of foods to choose from - from fruits and vegetables, to pulses and grains, to tofu and seiten to dozens of varieties of mushrooms from the almost meaty Oyster mushroom to the weird and wonderful Enoki mushroom. There is such a wonderful variety of good and tasty, wholesome foods out there.

One thing that has improved since our change in cooking style at home is our herb and spices cupboard. Staples for me include garlic powder, smoked paprika, turmeric, chilli flakes and we also have our fresh herb stores. Fresh herbs are a wonderful way to add flavour to any cuisine, whatever it is you choose to eat. A lot of base foods, including meat, can be pretty bland until you add some sort of seasoning. I’m not talking just salt and pepper, although sometimes that’s all you need, I’m talking fresh basil, rosemary, bay, thyme, parsley, coriander… the list goes on. A lot of these herbs are easy to grow either in the

garden or on the kitchen window ledge. They lift your cooking to the next level, they’re often packed with nutrients, and by growing them they are about as fresh as you can get, without any nasties sprayed on them, ready to use as and when you need them: there’s no need to store them in the fridge and let’s face it, they also look so lovely planted up in pretty pots.

Take rosemary for example - this is an evergreen shrub that is a total bee magnet: it happily lives in your garden for years and years, it has the prettiest little blue flowers during the spring and summer months, and it adds great flavour to so many dishes. My favourite way to use it is in home-made breads - a fresh homemade ciabatta with black olives and rosemary is to die for - or in a Tuscan bean stew to add that extra authentic favour. Fresh coriander is also a staple in my household - sprinkled over a salad, in a hummus and red pepper sandwich, chopped and sprinkled over curry, pan Asian… it’s one of my all-time favourites. The more modest parsley provides a subtler flavour but can really enhance a dish, not just taste wise but aesthetically too. Torn fresh basil leaves on a fresh tomato salad or in an Italian pasta sauce… come on, I bet your taste buds are going wild! So here are my top five herbs to grow right now. Rosemary - grow it in the garden and once it’s established you will have it for life: it makes a beautiful addition to the garden, it’s bee friendly and can be dried and stored for later use. The key to growing rosemary is to cut it back hard every year to just above the woody part of the stem and it will grow into a thick and lush, glorious shrub that keeps on giving.

Coriander - this tender annual is best grown in the greenhouse but during the summer can be grown outside in a container in a sunny, sheltered position. You will need to grow from seed each year but it’s easy and quick to grow and is probably my most used herb at home!

Basil - a great one to grow in the kitchen or in the greenhouse but it can also be planted outside during the summer months. Bring basil plants indoors during the cooler months for all yearround flavour at your fingertips. Mint - I love mint, it makes a great and refreshing cup of tea, and it’s delicious added freshly chopped to salads. Think Greek salads, watermelon salad (and this one is to die for!), Middle Eastern inspired salads… not to mention a great addition to yoghurt-based dressings or on a Sunday roast (plant based in my household of course). It can get a bit out of control in the garden so I tend to grow it in containers so it can’t spread too far.

Chives - again a lovely addition to the garden, this is a perennial herb that comes back year after year. During the summer it has gorgeous flowers that the bees love, and it is a great companion plant to ward off those pesky bugs! A great one to use in front borders, especially in your veggie patch. I also grow garlic chives which have a deliciously subtle garlic flavour. These guys are a super healthy addition to your cooking. If you get a glut then cut, chop and freeze until ready to use.

Other great herbs you can grow are dill, parsley, sage, thyme, bay… there are so many to choose from, so just pick your favourites and enjoy!

WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN IN APRIL

April can be a funny month - the weather can be very unpredictable, hot and sunny one day, frosts or rain the next. This is the month when people usually get caught out by a late frost after enthusiastically planting out the seedlings that they have grown on the window ledge or in the greenhouse. I never plant out tender plants until the second week of May (I’m in the South of England) when I know that the last frosts are definitely over, but there are some things that you can plant out and even some seeds you can sow directly during this month. You will need to keep an eye on the weather report and fleece or cloche them if a hard frost is predicted.

What can you plant out in April? Broad beans, beetroot, kohlrabi, lettuce, radish, turnips, spring peas, perpetual spinach and carrots can all be planted out now, as well as early potatoes (towards the end of the month plant main crop potatoes after chitting earlier in the month). If space is limited potatoes can be planted in pots. More tender plants such as courgettes, squash, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and aubergine will need to be kept inside the greenhouse until May. You can start sowing the next batch of seeds under cover and also sow some direct directly (carrots, onions, garlic, broad beans and purple sprouting broccoli) to ensure a constant supply of veg throughout the season. I like to sow mixed lettuce / rocket leaves in the greenhouse in trays and cut them when they are very young and tender for salads - you can literally do this throughout the season to have a constant supply on the go, as well as keeping a few pots of micro greens (I like these on my kitchen ledge as they are easy to access and look pretty growing in aged terracotta pots).

If your lawn is looking a bit patchy, now’s a good time to sow some grass seeds in time for early summer BBQs and to get it looking tip top. If you have a spare patch of garden or an allotment, then a small patch of wildflowers is a delightful addition for the summer garden to attract pollinators.

Don’t forget to check the compost heap and make good (or make one if you don’t already have one). Nothing goes to waste in our household as it is either fed to the chickens or goes on to the compost heaps which provide the compost that ends up going back on to the raised beds once it’s rotted down. The only thing that goes into our green bin collection is hardwood cuttings from such plants as roses, buddleia and the tough shrubs that don’t easily break down. Everything else goes into the compost bins / heaps (we now have four!) including grass cuttings, leaves, chicken waste etc.

Now is the time to get to grips with your garden tasks as everything (including the weeds) starts to go crazy and it can soon start to feel overwhelming if you don’t keep on top of things. The secret is little and often… a few minutes a day will keep you on track!