I have been wanting to make this vegetarian “pulled pork” for a while now and of course, I had to put my own Holly’s Kitchen experiment twist on it and make the dough pink! I was sent some of Vinofoods delicious Merlot BBQ sauce to try for the #vinofoodchallenge and it was AMAZING! This sauce is hand-made at the Lake House Denmark in Western Australia. They have a beautiful range of small-batch, handcrafted Sauces and Condiments.
This recipe is easy and such a fun meal to make if you are entertaining or even cooking with kids. The “vegetarian pulled pork” is so quick and easy to make with ONLY 3 ingredients and could be used on many other dishes such as burgers, wraps or tacos!
Pizza Dough Ingredients (makes 4)
1 1/2 cups Beetroot Juice (approx 4 Beetroots) – or replace with water for plain dough
4 cups Plain Flour
2 tsp Dry Active Yeast
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 TBS Olive Oil
Vegetarian Pulled Pork Ingredients
1 Onion ( i used half red and half white)
1/2 Bottle Vinofood Merlot Barbecue Sauce 280g – HERE
1 can Organic Young Jackfruit (CeresOrganics)
Pizza Toppings
Tomato paste
Fresh herbs (pizza thyme, oregano)
Cheese
Tomato
Mushroom
Method
Juice the Beetroot. I used 4 medium-sized Beetroot and it worked out nearly the perfect amount. If you don’t quite have enough you could add water, it may just mute the colour a little. Set the juice aside. I also put the pulp in an airtight container and use throughout the week in smoothies, curry or anything really! #zerowaste
Place the beetroot juice in a saucepan and heat slightly so that it lukewarm. Measure into a mixing bowl to ensure you have 1 1/2 cups (add water if you are short).
Add the yeast and sugar to the beetroot juice and stir well. Cover and set aside for 10mins. This will start to froth so make sure your bowl or jug has plenty of room spare.
In a mixing bowl sift flour, add olive oil, salt and slowly mix in the beetroot juice to form a dough.
On a floured bench form the dough into a ball and sprinkle with more flour as needed until it is combined and no longer sticky. Place dough in a clean floured bowl, cover and place in a warm spot to rise for 1-2 hours.
While you wait for the dough you can prepare your vegetarian pulled pork. I used this amount to make 2 pizzas but it could stretch to 4 just depends how much topping you like. I rolled out my two extra bases and froze them for future use.
Cut the onions and brown in a pan with a little olive oil.
Rinse and drain the can of jackfruit and add to the pan once the onions have browned. Stir and cook through for a few minutes then simply add the Merlot BBQ sauce. I also added about 1/2 cup water. Stir and start to break up the jackfruit by mashing down with a spoon or spatular. It should start to break apart similar to pulled pork.
Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes until the chunks of jackfruit are separated. Turn off, cover and set aside.
Once the dough has risen. Place on a floured bench and cut into 4 even size pieces. Roll out each base using flour as needed to stop it sticking.
Preheat oven to 200degrees Celcius.
Place your pizzas on an oven tray (lightly dust with flour) and add your toppings. Start with a few teaspoons of Tomato paste, herbs then add BBQ jackfruit, tomato, mushroom and top with cheese.
Place in the oven and cook until dough is crispy – approx 10-15mins
To serve I added some edible flowers…I would also suggest an extra drizzle of BBQ sauce because it is so good!
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
DISCLAIMER: Links included on this page might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week.
Hello everyone! Crazy that we are now already into February! I set a goal this year to start recording the amount of food I am growing from the garden and just keep a visual record for fun! I will do a monthly round-up and let you know how much I have grown and share some of the food I have made with those harvests. Keep reading to see just how much I harvested in January!
Front Garden
Another one of my goals is to grow a years supply of pumpkin which I estimate to be about 1 large or 2 small pumpkins a month. I created a new garden bed out the front in a car space beside the carport. Pumpkins need a lot of space and I just had so much unused space out the front so it was a great solution.
I started off strong with my Lakota pumpkins in the ground around October. I harvested these in January and the vines have pretty much died off now. I have trimmed them back and I’m hoping they will go another round. I also had some Butternut start growing from the compost I put in the bed so that was a welcomed bonus! In some of the empty spaces, I have now planted more pumpkin such as the Kent which I’m hoping to get some decent sized pumpkins in the coming months.
The Lakota Pumpkin is apparently kind of like squash and you can eat the skin.
Backyard Garden
Out the back, we built two new Pallet Planters bringing the total to x4 large and 1 small. The larger ones are roughly about 1.2m x 1.2m square and the smaller one 0.5m x 0.5m. I created a video of the process as i often get questions on how we make them.
Pallet 1 – I have Lebanese cucumbers growing and I have been picking them daily in January! This is my first successful attempt at cucumbers because they usually don’t last through a 40degree day. This time I think I had more success because they were in the pallet planter so had a decent amount of healthy soil and I could bring them undercover on hot days.
Pallet 2 – Tomatoes and Basil. Classic companion planting and the bees are loving the basil flowers. I also had a few compost volunteers (rockmelon, watermelon, pumpkin) which i am leaving now that the Tomatoes have pretty much finished.
Pallet 3 – Small pallet has a white apple cucumber growing. I haven’t got anything from it yet but hopefully, this will continue my cucumber harvests through Feb/March.
Pallet 4 – Newly planted with x4 chilli plants, Armenian Cucumbers and some rainbow radishes.
Pallet 5 – I planted some corn seeds in this new planter but our dog kept sleeping in it so I had very little strike rate. I ended up getting some corn seedling on sale at the farmers markets for 50c so I have now planted those and he has luckily stopped using it a bed haha.
Back fence garden – Things are chugging along in the back fence garden. The hot days and sandy soil mean the smaller plants slow down considerably. The fruit trees are all doing ok though and I have a few feijoas on the way!!!! These are my pride and joy and are in their 4th year. Last year I got two baby fruit so I’m hoping for some decent harvests in the coming years. Pretty much a currency over here among the Kiwis 😂
My new carport garden has well outperformed the back but that was all the pumpkins. x8 Pumpkins so far. January I also launched my YouTube channel! I have experienced a lot of technical difficulties being a complete novice when it comes to video and editing but I will get the content rolling in shortly so make sure you subscribe!
Holly 🌱
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
When I first started gardening here I remember googling ” how to keep plants alive in a heatwave?” 😅 Welcome to Perth summer gardening! I have always struggled with how hot it gets here in Perth in summer. After 7 years here, the 40degree days don’t get any easier! We have a large amount of thermal mass at our house with concrete and paved areas so it can get so hot in my garden! One of the main reasons I decided to make pallet planters on wheels was to be able to grow more food during the hot summer months by being able to have them undercover on hot days. Watch how we made them here.
How to keep plants alive in a heatwave
If you are experiencing a heatwave or have days of hot weather ahead of you, here are a few tips I use to try and get my plants through!
🌱 WATER | Give a good deep water early in the morning. This will allow time for the moisture to reach the roots before it evaporates.
🌱 SHADE | If your plants are in containers move them undercover or to a shady area of your garden. Otherwise, try and rig up some temporary shade using shade cloth or even umbrellas to keep the direct sun off your plants during the hottest part of the day.
🌱 PROTECT THE SOIL | Ensure you have a good layer of mulch or ground cover over your entire garden. This will protect the soil from being exposed to direct sun and reduce the amount of water loss through evaporation.
🌱 BUILD SOIL | This is something that should be continually worked on by composting and adding more fibre and leaf matter to your soil. Sandy soils like we have here in Perth allow all the water to drain away and can become severely water-resistant. But by consistently mulching, composting and adding green matter, you will not only grow strong, healthy plants but also protect your plants from future dry spells. Healthy soil is key!
🌱 REPLENISH | As the sun goes down and the temperatures start to drop again, give your plants another well-earnt drink. This should help their leaves perk back up again.
🌱 SAVE SEEDS | If you notice a certain plant seems to survive better than others in hot weather, make sure you save the seeds at the end of the season. That way you can futureproof your garden by growing strong plants that you know will grow well in your exact climate.
My favourite watering tools are:
Retractable Hose with 7 spray nozzle and water flow adjuster: Control exactly how much flow you want to each plant with an easy retractable hose system. CLICK HERE for more info.
Deep root waterer and soil breaker: Helps get water directly to the roots without any runoff or loss of water from evaporation. CLICK HERE for more info.
Weeper hose works great for drip-feeding water and allowing the plants to absorb more. CLICK HERE for more info.
Happy Gardening!
Holly 🌱
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
Zucchini season is in full swing and I am trying to make as many different recipes as I can to learn how to get the most out of harvests. These White Chocolate and Raspberry Zucchini Brownies are my new favourite sweet treats!! You can’t even taste the Zucchini.
My sister-in-law sent me a bunch of Caramilk blocks and I have been saving them in the freezer. I decided to use some to test out a batch of white chocolate brownies using my Golden Zucchini. WOW. They turned out way better than I could ever have imagined! Even have a slight banana bread vibe to them. I did try to film the recipe but my memory card ran out halfway through which was a total fail! I will get there!
Anyway, these are super easy and definitely a sweet treat! The raspberry is perfect to help balance out the sweetness.
White Chocolate and Raspberry Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients:
2 cups grated Zucchini – mine worked out about 2 medium-sized Zucchini
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups organic plain flour
3/4 cup raspberries
1 block/180g White Chocolate (replace with which ever chocolate you like)
1 teaspoon salt
Method
Preheat oven to bake at 180degrees Celcius. Grease baking pan (roughly 28cm x20cm).
In a bowl mix sugar, flour and oil until combined.
Grate Zucchini and add to the bowl along with baking soda and vanilla extract.
Sprinkle salt over and stir until it becomes a moist batter. The mix will start off quite dry but keep mixing and the Zucchini will release its moisture to form a batter.
Once it has started to become a sticky batter. Chop up your chocolate into small chunks and mix through the batter.
Add half the raspberries and stir through gently.
Pour the mix into the greased pan and press in the remaining Raspberries.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Try quizzing your friends to see if they can pick the core ingredient.
Enjoy!
Holly 🌱
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
Yay, its summertime and Zucchini Fritters served with homemade chutney and a fresh garden salad is the perfect summer meal. My Zucchini harvests are in full swing and I will be making the most of the abundance by trialling out as many new Zucchini recipes as I can. When I first started growing Zucchini the only way I knew how to cook with them was to throw them in a stirfry, but I have since learnt there are so many easy and delicious ways to use them. I look forward to sharing them all with you! These were quick and easy to make and taste so good! That is pretty much the main criteria for anything I cook!
For these fritters, I used Golden Zucchini as that is what I had just picked but you can use any variety. I have found the Golden Zucchini much like the regular black variety but you do have to harvest them earlier as the seeds inside start to develop quickly.
Ingredients
3 small-medium zucchini
1/2 cup flour
1 Egg (sometimes I leave this out)
1/4 finely sliced red onion (could use shallots or spring onion)
1/2 cup chopped parsley and chives
Salt and Pepper
1 small fresh chilli finely sliced
Note: you could add 1/2 cup of cheese to really up the flavour such as parmesan, cheddar or fetta.
How to Make them:
Rinse your zucchini and grate them into a bowl. Grind with a good amount of rock salt (roughly 5-6 grinds) to allow the moisture to extract. Stir through, cover and set aside for 10minutes.
Finely chop your herbs, onion and chilli.
After 10 minutes or so place your grated zucchini in a sieve and squeeze out all the extra moisture.
Then in a clean bowl mix all your ingredients together and season well with salt and pepper.
Heat a pan on medium-high heat with oil and spoon your mixture in and flatten it down a bit. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until crispy brown.
Makes 10-12 Zucchini Fritters
Serving suggestions:
You could serve your Zucchini Fritters with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or sour cream, your favourite chutney and a fresh green garden salad.
What are your favourite ways to use Zucchini?
Holly 🌱
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
Are you growing Zucchini but the fruit seems to shrivel and die before being ready? If so, you may have a pollination issue. Hand-pollinating Zucchini is super easy to do once you know how. Today I will share 4 east steps with images so you can maximize your Zucchini harvests! This also works with Pumpkins, Melons, and Cucumbers.
Step 1: Identify a Male and Female Flower
Firstly, to hand pollinate Zucchini you need to know how to identify the male and female flowers. The best time to do this is early in the morning when the flowers are open.
Female Flower
The female zucchini flower has a small fruit at the base.The centre stigma of the female flower has multiple parts to form a circular shape.
Male Flower
The male flower has just a plain stem and flower with the centre stamen a single point covered in pollen.
Generally, the plant will produce a bunch of male flowers first which is nature’s way of attracting pollinators to the garden. Then it will alternate between male and female. I like to plant a few of the same variety as sometimes you can have female fruit but no male flowers open. Early mornings are best because the flowers will be open and then they will close up to capture the pollen.
You can either use a paintbrush to simply transfer the pollen from the male stamen to the female stigma but I find it easier to remove the male flower and use that to transfer the pollen.
Step 2: Pick a male flower
Pick the male flower and remove the petals.
Step 3: Dab pollen onto female Stigma
Then you are left with a pollen-covered stamen to transfer onto the female flowers.Transfer the pollen onto the female flowers to hand pollinate Zucchini.
This will make sure your zucchini are getting pollinated so you can enjoy the abundant crop!
This method can be used for other fruiting vegetables such as pumpkins, melons, cucumbers. I tend to use a small paintbrush for the melons and cucumbers though as the flowers are much smaller and delicate.
It is also important to try and attract wildlife to your garden for natural pollination, to find out what flowers to plant, click below.
Do you hand pollinate in your garden? Leave me a comment below.
Holly 🌱
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
