Growing food, maintaining legacy: the roots run deep
Hinterland Homesteading with Racheal Pascoe
A late afternoon stroll in the veggie garden is a great way to end the day. I stand and marvel at my crop, growing beautifully. Our winter is the time to grow all the plants in the brassica family.
This includes cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussel’s sprouts, cabbages etc. These big leafy giants of the vegie patch can seem slow to start, but when they get going, you notice cabbages forming hearts left, right and centre. After an inspection, you discover sneaky cauliflower heads that are already the size of your hand. A gardener’s delight. I hope your brassicas are doing well.
I have been busy making coleslaw with some of my cabbages and also sauerkraut. We have been keeping up with eating the broccoli as it is ready, but from now on I will need to blanch and freeze it. The same with the cauliflowers. How terrific to have some to store. Storing food away for a later date gives me such a great feeling. I feel a real sense of purpose and being organised. In stark contrast, my housework isn’t ever complete … but my veggie garden is looking pretty good at present. You can’t seem to win on all fronts. Ha!
Other crops in my garden which we are enjoying are snow peas, carrots and beetroot. We just love our own beetroot. If you ever get the chance to buy golden beetroot, try it. The flavour is delicious, and it is not as messy to work with as regular beetroot.
We have some tomatoes coming along and just yesterday, my hubby Gav and I were munching on some fresh ones, as we wandered through the garden. The flavour is just so proper. They taste and smell like a real tomato should. If you haven’t grown tomatoes before, maybe you could give it a go? They just love our climate and when it starts to warm up, you won’t be buying them from the shop anymore! You will be enjoying your own fresh tomatoes.
We have a bed of brown onions and leeks which are doing super well. My Mum (in the pic) grew some super leeks last year. They were just so large and healthy looking. In the end, after freezing some of the leeks, Mum gifted lots to a local restaurant to use. I am hoping my leeks will be just as great this year. We are a bit competitive in our family.
Thanks goes to my Mum though, for passing on her passion for gardening and healthy food. The gardening gene goes way back in our family. Her father had a terrific vegie patch in Plymouth, England and grew amazing potatoes. He influenced my Mum as a child and in turn, Mum has encouraged me to grow food. Now I am showing my girls how it is done. I wonder who is watching you grow food? I bet you are an influencer at your place, and you don’t even realise it! Keep going, you are making a difference in more ways than one.
Happy homesteading everyone!
My Mum grew some super leeks last year.
