Peel and finely slice garlic. Add to a pan on medium heat with butter. Cook for 2 mins.
Roughly slice Rainbow chard stalks (1cm chunks) and add them to the pan. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
Chop leaves and keep to the side.
In another pan fry the eggs to your liking.
Add chard leaves to the garlic and stalks and cook for 1-2 mins until wilted. Stir through Lemon zest and season with salt.
Turn the oven grill on to 180 degrees. Drizzle Sage with olive oil or butter and place on an oven tray along with Pepitas. Toast under the grill until slightly golden watching carefully as this will take less than 1 minute. Alternatively, this can be done in the pan along side eggs.
Toast sourdough and butter.
Place two pieces of toast on each plate and evenly distribute rainbow chard mix, crumble on feta, top with eggs, sprinkle on toasted pepitas, and top with Red Pickled Onions.
Add edible flowers for colour - I used Cornflowers and pea shoots.
Notes
The pickled onions are best to make at least the day before so they have time to infuse and pickle.
Simple Pickled Red Onions
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Quick and easy pickled red onions add flavour to any meal. Add your seasonal garden herbs such as Fennel, Dill or Chilli to boost the flavours.
Ingredients
3 Red Onions
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1 1/2 TBSP Raw Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Water
Instructions
Finely slice the red onions - using a mandoline is the easiest option.
Cram as many red Onions into a clean sterilised jar.
In a saucepan add the vinegar, sugar, and salt and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mix starts to simmer.
Add any extra flavours to the jar such as chilli, fennel flowers, fennel fronds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, or peppercorns ( 1tsp per jar).
Pour over the liquid and secure the lid.
Allow cooling for one hour and place in the fridge.
Notes
To sterlise the jars place in a hot dishwasher run or wash and heat in the over for 10-15 at 110 degrees celcius.
You can swap and use just one type of vinegar if you prefer.
Feijoas or pineapple guavas come in thick in fast over the Autumn month. Their sweet, perfumey flavour is delicious and eaten fresh but once the trees are established you will have a hard time keeping up with them! This Feijoa crumble is delicious and not too sweet. Serve with ice cream yogurt or custard. Feijoas can be frozen to make this throughout the year or switch out the feijoas with other fruit such as apples, apricot, or plum.
Feijoa Crumble Slice
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Feijoa crumble slice is delicious served warm with icecream, yoghurt, or a sweet treat for packed lunches.
Ingredients
Crumble
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded or desiccated coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup yoghurt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
80g Butter
Filling
3 cups Feijoa flesh (scooped out of the skin)
1 TBSP Raw sugar (or honey)
1 TBSP Flour
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Scoop out the flesh of the Feijoa (or thaw out previously frozen ones).
Add Crumble ingredients to a bowl and lightly mix into a crumble.
Grease or line a 20cm baking dish and press 2/3rds of the mixture in to form a base.
Bake for 15 minutes or until edges turn golden.
Mix filling ingredients together and pour over the base.
Evenly spread the remaining crumble on top and bake for a further 20-30 minutes until golden.
Enjoy!
Notes
Feijoas can be mixed with finely sliced apple if you do not have enough.
Swap out the Feijoas for whatever fruit you have in season such as Strawberry, Plum, Apricot
If you are growing Strawberry Guava you will almost certainly experience huge bowls of fruit after a few years. They ripen quickly and new fruits are ready each day during summer or autumn. These can be eaten fresh or extras frozen to collect a bulk amount to preserve. This fruit leather is sweet and delicious and a great way to preserve and enjoy your guava harvests without the hard seeds.
Naturally sweet and delicious garden-to-plate snacks.
Strawberry Guava and Apple Fruit Leather
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours20 minutes
Sweet and tangy this fruit leather is a great way to enjoy your bumper crops without the hard seeds.
Ingredients
3 Cups (or large hand fulls) of Strawberry Guava (fresh or frozen)
2 Apples
1 tsp fresh lemon Juice
1 TBSP Honey or raw sugar (optional)
Instructions
Wash and cut the ends of the guavas (the pronged part). Place the guava in a blender and the ends in a jar to make a scraps vinegar (see below recipe) or add to the compost.
Wash, peel, and core apples (peels can go in the scraps jar too). Slice the apples and cook in a saucepan with a splash of water until soft.
Blend the guava, apple, lemon juice, and honey until you get a smooth consistency with no chunks - there will still be seeds.
Using a mesh strainer pass the mixture through a sieve to separate out the seeds. This is best done in small batches. Push down and mix around until the mixture comes out the bottom and the seeds are left behind. It seems hard at first but only takes about 10 minutes to complete. Remove the seeds (add to scraps jar or compost).
Taste and add more sweetener or lemon juice (if too sweet).
Using the fruit leather plastic tray of your dehydrator (or wax-free baking paper and tray) spread the mixture out to form one flat layer. Try to get it as even as possible.
Dehydrate until dry and only slightly sticky approx 6 hours at 60 degrees Celsius. Can take up to 10 or 12 with high moisture or thicker trays.
Remove and slice into long strips while still warm then roll up in wax-free baking paper to form roll-ups.
Store in an air-tight jar for 1-2 weeks or store in the fridge for 1 month.
Notes
Any fruit can be used for this. If they are firm fruit like apple or stonefruit, cook down first until soft or try Mango raw, so yum!
Extra crunchy chips using the Queensland Arrowroot or Canna Edulis. This is a beautiful tropical plant that can be used as a perennial substitute for potatoes. It creates a fantastic middle layer in a food forest-style garden and has lush green leaves and grows rhizomes under the ground. Both the young shoots and the rhizomes are edible.
Crispy Queensland Arrowroot Chips
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Crunchy and delicious snacks made using the perennial Queensland Arrowroot. Quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
2 young Queensland Arrowroot Rhizomes*
1 Sprig Rosemary
Sea Salt
1 TBSP Olive Oil
Instructions
Wash and peel the Queensland arrowroot and quickly submerge it in water. Using a mandoline (or hand cut) evenly slice into thin slices then quickly submerge in cold water.
Allow to sit in cold water for 5 minutes then change the water and sit again for a further 5 minutes repeat if necessary until the water remains clear (it will be murky brownish the first time).
Preheat oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
Remove the chips from the water and pat dry. Drizzle over olive oil and season with salt and chopped rosemary.
Oil a baking tray and add chips.
Bake for 5 minutes then turn over and bake until slightly golden and crispy. Remove and place on a tray to cool (they will get a little crispier as they cool).
Enjoy!
Notes
Choose young Rhizomes that only have small shoots starting. Older ones will be more bitter. Gently pull and separate from the main older rhizome.
The Queensland arrowroot oxidizes quickly and goes brown. Keeping it in water helps reduce this.
For extra flavour try soaking in a mix of vinegar and sugar for salt and vinegar chips!
This coconut and lemon verbena loaf is so easy to make. Whip up a loaf or two for a Sunday Afternoon tea and sit back and enjoy your garden. Crunchy and chewy on the outside and soft in the middle. Lemon Verbena has a fragrant lemony flavour and pairs deliciously well with coconut and passionfruit.
Coconut and Lemon Verbena Loaf with Passionfruit
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
This is the perfect loaf to spend Sunday afternoon in the garden.
Ingredients
1 cup desicated coconut
1.5 cups self raising flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup raw Sugar
2 TBSP Honey
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 TBSP chopped fresh Lemon Verbena leaves
Icing
1 cup icing sugar
2 TBSP Passionfruit pulp
1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven. to 180 degrees Celsius.
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until just combined (as little as possible).
Add mix to a greased loaf tin.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool.
Mix icing ingredients and drizzle over. Or serve by itself with butter.
For a low-sugar option, skip the icing and serve with fresh passionfruit and greek yogurt.
Making your own green curry paste is so easy! You will never want to buy it again after you get the perfect blend. It will need adjusting to your heat tolerance but mine is quite low so you can always build on it from there. Using fresh herbs and ingredients from your garden takes this green curry paste to the next level! Extra curry paste can be frozen for a future quick and easy garden-to-plate meal.
See the bottom of the page for how to turn this green curry paste into a delicious meal.
Green Curry Paste
Yield: 1-2
Fresh and vibrant green curry paste to make a delicious garden-to-plate meal from scratch!
Ingredients
6 Green Chillies (long cayenne) - see notes
1 Spring onion
3 Garlic cloves
10 cm piece of fresh ginger
1 lime
1/2 cup lemon balm (or 1 stalk lemon grass)
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 tsp Raw sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
Cut the ends of the green chillies and remove the seeds (this is optional. Keep to the side if you want to add extra heat) and slice and add to a blender or mortar and pestle.
Peel the ginger using the back of a spoon and slice it into small pieces.
Zest the lime and add the zest and juice to the mix.
Dice and chop all other ingredients and add everything to the mix.
Blitz or pound until a paste-like consistency. You may need to add a splash of water if it is not mixing.
Use immediately or freeze for future use.
Notes
Green Cayenne are on the mild side. If you are using hotter chillies use less or more to your heat preference. I also remove the seeds because I like it mild. Keep the seeds to the side and add extra during the cook if you want to increase the heat.
Other herbs and greens can be added such as parsley or corriander
How to make a Green Curry
To turn your green curry paste into a delicious garden-to-plate meal follow these steps.
In a deep pan or Wok, brown onions in 1TSBP Olive Oil.
Add your protein of choice and brown off.
Add the green curry paste and stir to combine for 1 minute
Add 400ml of Coconut cream.
Stir and taste. Add extra sugar or salt if needed. Salt helps bring out more flavor. Sugar can ease some of the spice.
Add chopped greens and veggies such as Zucchini, Capsicum, Carrot, Snow Peas, Beans, and Chard.
Cook until protein is cooked through and veggies are softened but still have a bit of crunch.
Roasted Sweet Potato rounds are also delicious on top of a green curry!
