Gardening, Foxton Style

Garden advice from Simon Broad

With the warmer weather comes my second most favourite time of the planting calender year, after spring. The days are longer, and the soil is good to work with. A lot of you will do some traveling at some stage of your life, either overseas or around New Zealand.

My idea of traveling is to hop on my mobility scooter to roam the streets of Foxton looking at other people’s gardens, and getting a cutting or three.

I have heard that some people treat travel as a kind of therapy. I would rather be out in my gardens, but everyone to their own, as long as it works for you.

Why not incorporate your travels and go around your town or city looking at gardens? If you find one of particular interest, call in and ask the occupants if you can have a guided tour. Most gardeners would be more than happy to show you around their own piece of paradise. I have had people, mainly from out of town holidaying at Foxton Beach, ring me or call in and ask if they can have a look around my ‘ranch’, and I am always happy to oblige. Then they generally buy some plants for their own Bach at the Beach. A win/win situation.

PLAN FOR THE SEASONS

When you think of summer, what comes to mind? Fruit, hot weather, and longer days, and salads? It is a very busy time of year for me, planting and weeding wise. By using my glasshouse my workload has increased significantly.

But without my gardening I would just lounge around inside feeling sorry for myself.

It’s not in my DNA to be idle for a long period. I’ve seen too many people with a moaning outlook on life, forever using the ‘can’t’ word.

ONE OF THE MANY JOYS OF GARDENING IS BEING ABLE TO PICK WHATEVER IS IN SEASON FOR THAT NIGHT’S DINNER, KNOWING IT’S SPRAY FREE AND FRESHLY GROWN BY YOU. IT’S A FEELING THAT ONLY A GARDENER CAN APPRECIATE.

We didn’t ask to be disabled or elderly, but we are, so get over it. I know this sounds harsh, but it is my opinion, and mine only.

If I get one person out into their garden, I have achieved my objective of getting people into the fresh air instead of sitting around staring aimlessly at their phones or playing games on the computer.

One of the many joys of gardening is enjoying the outdoors in your special space where you can pick anything that you like for that night’s dinner, knowing that you grew it. It is a joy that only a gardener can appreciate.

GLASSHOUSE UPDATE

I like to plant beefsteak, moneymaker, and Italian tomatoes in the ground, and capsicums in large pots in my glasshouse.

When the glasshouse was first put up, Mike and I had a cauliflower growing challenge.

One day I checked mine and saw a cauliflower about the size of a 20 cent coin. I was so excited! So off Sasha the cat and I went down to Mike and Jackie’s to have a skite, only to find out that Mike’s were the size of golf balls.

But then my cauliflowers started to get bigger, and looked like a win for me at last. Then they were ready to be picked, albeit a couple of weeks after Mike had picked his and Jackie had them in their freezer.

I froze some of mine, and they tasted divine. But the challenge had already been won by Mike.

HARVESTING

When I have tomatoes, capsicums, celery and other vegetables ready to harvest I bring them inside, prepare them, and into the freezer they go.

RECIPES

But the best part is the making of the vegetables into soups, relishes, minced garlic, and seeing them either in the freezer or on the shelf. My beetroot gets bottled too. All of these garden goodies are popular with my regular customers, and I generally run out. Of course family and neighbours get a good feed of any excess.

I use the tomatoes for soup, relishes, and tomato sauce. The celery and capsicums are used for salads, keeping four green capsicums and some celery for the tomato soup. Most other vegetables such as new potatoes are eaten the day they are dug up. It is an exciting time for me to have a daily harvest.

I make up my own version of minced garlic that you may buy in your local supermarket, and it would have to be one of my bestsellers. So much so that the more I make, the more I sell. But I can only grow so much garlic.

Last year I planted 250 cloves. I’m sharing my suggestions for making minced garlic and some of my most popular pickle and chutney recipes to try for yourself.

All of my recipes are made from the produce out of my own gardens and glasshouse, and have no additives at all.

I also enjoy making biscuits and cakes using recipes supplied to me by Jackie, all tried, tested and enjoyed first by me! I’ll share those another time.

MIKE AND JACKIE

I mention Mike and Jackie a lot in my articles, and for good reason, as they would have to be two of the most genuine, nicest people I have ever met.

They are on my contact list for my medical alarm response, don’t judge me, and understand and support my disability.

Sasha has adopted them as her Nana and Granddad.

I just say to her, ‘let’s go down and see Nana and Grandad’ and her ears prick up.

When we visit their place, she will explore Mike’s gardens, sometimes leaving a calling card. Embarrassing, but they never complain.

Mike and Jackie have two daughters, Pam and Brenda. When Pam comes to visit from Aussie, she uses my computer to catch up on her games.

I don’t let many people use my computer, but Pam is allowed, such is the regard I hold for the whole family.

Happy planting and enjoy these beautiful seasons in your garden!

Preparing garden beds

Forward planning for the next season is a secret of gardening success. The soil still needs to be ‘worked’, composted and fertilised even during colder weather. I always do this when I completely empty a bed. I generally give it a good forking over and a layer of grass clippings, sprinkled with a fine layer of garden lime, blood and bone, and a good homemade compost. I then let it all rest for a month or so, allowing the elements to do what Mother Nature does best. Then out comes the fork to aerate the soil and allow the worms to do their thing. I will then leave it until it’s ready to fork over and plant again. This approach has worked for me in the past, so why change a winning formula?

As for the plants in my glasshouse, the principle is nearly the same when I pull out any spent plants, except that I will remove some of the top soil and replace it with lime, blood and bone, and compost, giving it a good regular weekly forking over. It’s then ready to plant some seasonal vegetables depending on room or personal choice!

Pantry Staples

Simon’s gifts from the garden

BOTTLED BEETROOT

1 cup malt vinegar ½ cup sugar 2 cups of the cooked beetroot liquid 1 level tbsp salt

Bring the ingredients to the boil and cool. Cook, peel and slice beetroot. Pack sliced beetroot into hot, sterilised jars. Fill with the liquid and use the overflow method. Screw on lids and allow to cool. Label, with the date of making.

MINCED GARLIC

Remove enough of the outer, large cloves to save for next year’s planting. Remove all other cloves and peel away the outer skin. Cut larger cloves in half lengthways. Put into a food processor and whizz until you reach the desired consistency. Add a teaspoon or two of salt to taste. Then add a tablespoon of oil, and a small amount of lemon juice to stop oxidation. Give it another whizz to combine all the ingredients and spoon into small jars, then seal, label, date, and store in a cool place until needed. Will keep for six months or longer in the right conditions. I keep mine in the garage fridge.

CUCUMBER PICKLE

2 kilos onions 2 kilos cucumber 1.5 litres vinegar 1 kilo sugar Brine 125g salt 2 litres water

Peel and dice cucumbers and onions, put into a large container, then cover with brine and refrigerate overnight.

Drain and wash the veges in the morning and put them into a large pot. Boil for 15 minutes and remove from heat.

Add vinegar and sugar and simmer for one hour.

Mix together 25g mustard, 25g curry powder and 25g turmeric. Add 4 tbsp cornflour mixed with vinegar to thicken. Boil for 10 minutes, then bottle in sterilised jars, seal and label.

GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

600g green tomatoes 1 large onion 250g sultanas 250g brown sugar 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp nutmeg 500ml malt vinegar

Chop the tomatoes and onions, sprinkle with salt and leave overnight. Drain, then add all other ingredients. Bring to the boil, then simmer for an hour until a smooth pulp consistency. Let cool and transfer into sterilised jars.

TOMATO SAUCE

6kg tomatoes 3 diced large apples 6 diced onions 1 tbsp cloves 1 tbsp chilli flakes 1 tbsp allspice ¼ cup black pepper ½ cup salt 4 cups sugar 1 quart malt vinegar

Put all ingredients except vinegar into a large pot. Boil for 3-4 hours. Add vinegar at the last hour. Keep boiling. Strain into colander. Pour into sterilised bottles. Thicken with cornflour to the desired thickness. I used 6 heaped tbsp mixed with water.

CRUMBLE TOPPING

Use whatever fruit you have on hand. Apple and peach go well together.

2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 cup flour 1 tsp baking powder 50g butter ¼ cup sugar

Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the fruit. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar. Spoon over the fruit. Bake until a light golden brown.