This Radish and Apple Relish is a delicious addition to any garden platter. Served with crackers and a slice of cheese this relish is sure to impress! Radish are easy to grow and you can plant them in between your other vegetables.
Radish and Apple Relish
Yield: 2 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour40 minutes
Vibrant and delicious radish relish to add flavour to a platter or BBQ meal.
Ingredients
1 Apple (1 cup diced)
1 Red Onion (1 cup diced)
8 Radish (2 cups diced)
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar*
1/2 Cup White Vinegar*
1/4 Cup raw Sugar
1TBS Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 pinch dried Chilli Flakes
1 crushed Clove Garlic
1 1/2 TBSP Mustard Seeds
Instructions
Wash Radish and remove the greens
Place the radish, apple, and onion into a food processor to cut into small pieces or finely dice using a knife.
Add the cut vegetables to a saucepan with the vinegar, salt, sugar, chill flakes, and crushed garlic.
Simmer until cooked and liquid has reduced (1.5 hours).
Sterilize a jar using boiling water or in an oven at 120 degrees for 15 minutes. place the hot relish mix into the hot jar. Secure the lid and allow to come to room temperature before placing it in the fridge.
Notes
*Use 5% vinegar for the correct level of acidity. You can use both White and Apple Cider as per the recipe or swap to just use the one type if you prefer.
Delicious Roast Radish and Carrot Salad with Radish Top Chimichurri dressing for a low waste recipe to get the most your of your harvest. Roast Radish is just something else! They are sweet, juicy, and delicious additions to a roast veggie salad. Radish are a quick crop to grow and can fill up gaps in your garden beds to get maximum production out of each space. There are so many delicious ways to use Radish and this salad is a wholesome and easy way to eat Garden to Plate.
Roast Radish and Carrot Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Wholesome and delicious roast veggie salad using root to tip.
Ingredients
8-10 Radish
6-8 Fresh Baby Carrots
3 cups chopped Greens (combination of what is available) Spinach, Kale, Sweet Potato Leaves, Chard
Olive oil to drizzle
Salt Flakes or Seas Salt
Chilli Flakes or fresh Red Chilli
Chimichurri Dressing - See Recipe card below
Instructions
Wash the radish and carrots and remove the tops. Set aside for the Chimichurri Sauce.
Cut the larger carrots in half-length ways. The small or thinner ones can remain whole. So that all the carrots are of a similar thickness.
Cut the larger Radish in half and leave any small ones whole so that they are all roughly the same thickness. Optional - add scores with a knife 1/3 the way through the radish. This allows for the dressing to soak in later.
Add the Carrots and Radish to a roasting dish, drizzle in olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and cook for 35mins or until slightly brown. I like my roast veggies a little crisp still. Cook for 45 minutes if you want softer roast veggies.
Whilst the veggies are roasting prepare the Chimichurri Green Sauce - Recipe card below. Use the Radish and carrot tops in place of parsley.
Remove the roast veggies from the oven whilst you prepare the rest of the salad.
In a large saucepan add 1/4 cup water and 3 cups of chopped greens. You can also use any leftover radish and carrot tops not needed in the dressing as part of your greens. Toss and allow to wilt then remove from the heat. Drain and add to a serving bowl. Drizzle over 2-3 TBSP of the green sauce liquid and toss to mix through the greens.
Add the Radish and carrots on top of the greens. Spoon and drizzle over the remainder of the green sauce.
Add fresh red chilli or chilli flakes, salt and edible flowers to garnish and serve.
Notes
Edible flowers I used - Sweet violets, fennel flowers, dried purple and blue cornflowers.
Chimichurri Dressing using Radish Tops
This recipe below can be adapted to make using the leftover radish and carrot tops. Swap out the parsley and fennel fronds or use a mix of both.
Chimichurri Dressing
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This vibrant green dressing is packed full of flavour and is a delicious way to add a fresh zing to your meals.
Ingredients
1 cup Parsley*
1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Fennel Fronds*
1 tsp Sugar
2-3 Garlic Cloves
Sea salt flakes to season
Fresh Red Chilli or 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
Instructions
Add Parsley, Lemon juice, Vinegar, Sugar, Fennel Fronts, and Garlic to a mixer or mortar and pestle. I prefer a mortar and pestle as I like it chunky and not to blended. Blitz or crush to combine and make a green sauce.
Then gradually add oil to combine. Add Chilli flakes and a pinch of Sea Salt Flakes. Taste and balance with more salt if needed.
Drizzle over the green sauce. Garnish with sliced red chilli, fennel fronts, and edible flowers.
Notes
* Swap Parsley or Fennel fronds for Radish tops, Carrot tops, Corriander, or a mix.
There may be a little extra sauce than needed so you can keep it in the refrigerator to use within a few days or freeze it in ice cubes to use in cooking.
Chimichurri dressing is a delicious and fresh condiment to serve on so many of your homegrown meals. I adapt this sauce regularly using different herbs or greens such as Radish or Carrot tops! Drizzle this dressing over your roasted Radish or veggies for a zero-waste meal. See notes for some of the swaps I often use. This sauce is so fresh and zingy which is great to serve over foods that are rich or creamy to give them a fresh kick!
Chimichurri Dressing
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This vibrant green dressing is packed full of flavour and is a delicious way to add a fresh zing to your meals.
Ingredients
1 cup Parsley*
1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Fennel Fronds*
1 tsp Sugar
2-3 Garlic Cloves
Sea salt flakes to season
Fresh Red Chilli or 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
Instructions
Add Parsley, Lemon juice, Vinegar, Sugar, Fennel Fronts, and Garlic to a mixer or mortar and pestle. I prefer a mortar and pestle as I like it chunky and not to blended. Blitz or crush to combine and make a green sauce.
Then gradually add oil to combine. Add Chilli flakes and a pinch of Sea Salt Flakes. Taste and balance with more salt if needed.
Drizzle over the green sauce. Garnish with sliced red chilli, fennel fronts, and edible flowers.
Notes
* Swap Parsley or Fennel fronds for Radish tops, Carrot tops, Corriander, or a mix.
There may be a little extra sauce than needed so you can keep it in the refrigerator to use within a few days or freeze it in ice cubes to use in cooking.
These 10 edible plants to sow in March will get your Autumn garden off to a productive start. These edible plants can all be grown in containers or the garden so you can grow more of your own food at home. I am gardening in Perth, Australia and these 10 edible plants to sow in March are great transition plants to bridge the gap between summer and winter to help you produce a continuous supply of food at home.
There is nothing better than walking out into your garden to pick and harvest your own fresh, nutrient-rich food. No chaotic shops are needed!
WATCH 10 Edible Plants to Sow in March
Top 10 Edible Plants to Sow in March
1. Radish
Raphanus sativus
Radish are so easy to grow, they can handle a range of soils and environments, and they are also one of the quickest veggies to grow! From seed to table in just 4 weeks. Also, the whole plant is edible. The roots are delicious fresh in a salad, or, added to your roast veggies, and the leaves can be chucked into stirfries or blitz to make pesto or chimichurri to dress your salads and meals. There are a lot of different varieties of Radish that range in flavour, so if you don’t enjoy the pepperiness of Radish, choose the white or light coloured varieties. Radish also makes delicious pickles and you all know I’m obsessed with pickles.
If the Radish is not harvested it will send up a flower and create seed pods. The seed pods are also edible when they are young or they can be left to dry and save the seeds for a sustainable food supply.
The thing I love most about Radish is you can plant them in between your veggies. They grow so fast that they are ready to pick before the other vegetables take up too much space. This means you maximise your space to grow more food.
2. Rainbow Chard
Beta vulgaris
Rainbow chard doesn’t do too well in the heat of summer so most climates will only grow chard over the cooler months. Rainbow chard has large leaves so it can lose moisture and wilt quickly. If you plant Chard over the summer choose a shady location. Autumn is a great time to sow your Rainbow Chard seeds. Rainbow Chard is super versatile in the kitchen and it brightens up the winter garden with its’ neon coloured stems.
Rainbow Chard can be used in nearly every meal as a substitute for spinach.
3. Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
Lettuce can be a delicate plant to grow and doesn’t tolerate the heat well. Autumn is a great time to plant lettuce in the garden. If you want to grow lettuce during summer then find a cool spot that receives shade during the hot afternoons. Otherwise, it will just go to flower and seed if it gets too hot and then it tastes awful and bitter. Due to its’ delicate nature, lettuce is best sown in seed trays and planted out into the garden when it is a seedling. Little seeds and seedlings will be susceptible to pests such as slugs, snails and slaters. Check out natural pest management for tips on how to reduce loss from pests.
4. Beetroot
Beta vulgaris
The whole Beetroot plant is edible and the leaves can be used just like chard or spinach. You can pick off the outer leaves just one or two from each plant while they grow to get a prolonged harvest.
Fun fact: Rainbow chard is actually part of the beetroot family!
You can use the roots grated fresh in a salad, roasted beetroot is sooo good, especially the yellow and white varieties they are so sweet! Beetroot is also delicious pickled and canned to preserve the harvest.
I have planted the White, Golden, and Chioggia varieties. The Chioggia has beautiful candy cane stripes. It is also very sweet.
5. Spinach
Spinacia oleracea
Spinach is another great Autumn veggie to plant and will offer you an abundance of greens for the rest of the year. There are many different types of spinach and a few that I like to grow are the Malabar Climbing Spinach – it seems to do well here in Perth as it is more like a succulent type of plant. Perpetual Spinach is also another great producer that can offer you greens for most, if not all of the year.
6. Onions
Allium cepa
Onions are a staple vegetable to grow for adding flavour to meals and there are many different varieties. Planting onions randomly throughout your gardens can help deter pests due to their strong scent. Egyptians walking onions are a great perennial onion variety. They grow onion bulbs on the base like most onions but the difference is, they also grow mini bulbs on the tips too and as these grow they get heavy and bend over to touch the ground and then this bulb will start growing so they sort of move around the garden which is pretty neat! Plus, they just regrow on their own which supports a sustainable garden.
7. Rocket
Eruca vesiculate
Rocket or Arugula is a great leafy green to grow because it is fast-growing and it can be added to a range of meals. Add fresh baby rocket leaves on top of your meals for added flavour and nutrition. Rocket will get quite bitter if it doesn’t get enough water and also will bolt if it’s still too warm. If you are sowing it early in the season or in summer, grow it somewhere with a little shade. I sow little patches of Rocket throughout my garden at different times to have a continuous supply.
8. Rosella
Hibiscus sabdariffa
Rosella is a type of hibiscus that has edible leaves that you can use as a substitute for spinach. The flower buds are edible and are great for making tea, syrups and jams.
9. Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel is a top edible plant to grow at home as the whole plant is edible. During the warmer months, Fennel plants mainly produce leaves/fronds and flowers which are great flavour enhancements for meals or pickling. The fronds can be used to make a delicious pesto. Once the weather cools down in Autumn the bulbs will start to bulk up. Fennel is so crunchy and fresh and pairs really well with citrus. Roasted fennel is also super delicious. There are two main varieties green Florence and bronze. The green Fennel does tend to go a little wilder than the bronze.
10. Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Chives have a delicious onion flavour and produce purple flowers that are also edible. Chives are another edible plant to mix in your garden beds and help deter pests naturally.
Comment below if you are going to grow any of these Edible Plants to Sow in March 🌱👇
Radish (Raphanus sativus) are my favourite “filler” plants because they grow quickly and don’t take up much space. Radish are great for filling in the gaps between other plants or sowing alongside them as they will be ready to harvest well before your other vegetables need the space. The whole plant can be eaten root to shoot making it an excellent source of food.
Radish is easy to grow and can be grown for most of the year if given the right environment.
‘Black Spanish Long‘ – Black skin with contrasting white flesh. Fun to grow for something different.Strong flavour. Great fresh or roasted. Harvest 22-60 days.
‘Diakon‘ – Large white radish. Mild flavour. Great for pickling and fermenting. 60cm long. Harvest 30-60 days.
How to Grow Radish
During Spring and Summer find a sunny spot with periods of shade so the Radish doesn’t get too hot and go to flower. In the cooler months of autumn and winter plant your radish in a full sun position. Radish and root vegetables tend to do best when sown directly into the garden. Prepare your soil by adding in compost or composted manure. Free draining soil that is not compact will allow the roots to grow. Wet down the soil first and place your radish seeds 3-4cm apart. Sprinkle with a thin layer of soil just enough to cover the seeds. Water again with a light sprinkle. Keep the soil moist and the seeds should pop up within the first few days.
Radish can also be grown in pots or containers.
I like to plant a few seeds around other vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli etc. The radish will be ready to eat before the other plants have grown big enough to shade them out or need the space. This can help you maximise the space you have to produce food.
When to Plant Radish
All Year round in most locations. In some cold climates, they may not grow in the winter. When growing in summer provide some shade or plant between other plants to offer protection from the midday heat.
Care/ Maintenance
Small radish seedlings can be a delicious snack for your garden pests. Check them regularly when they are young. Radish will benefit from some liquid feed or natural fertilizer such as seaweed solution about two weeks into their growth cycle. Be careful not to get it on the leaves as this can burn the delicate growth.
Pests / Disease
Young Radish will be vulnerable to pests such as slugs, snails, slaters and aphids. Check your seedlings regularly.
How/ When to Harvest
Radish are best picked when they are young or just ready. Leaving radish too long will result in a fibrous texture. After about 4 weeks the roots will start to rise out of the soil and you can harvest the larger ones first. If the bulbs start to split harvest them straight away. Radish will split when they get an excess of water. So it can be a good idea to harvest your radish before big rains.
Reproducing
The best way to reproduce radish is to save the seeds. Let some of your best-looking radishes go to flower and then small seed pods will appear. Let them go until they are starting to go brown and hard. Then harvest the pods and let them dry. The seeds will be inside the pods. Split them open and shake out the tiny seeds into a brown paper bag. Save these somewhere dry and cool to replant.
Cooking and Using Radish
Radish tends to be underutilised in the kitchen. They are great fresh in a salad but there are so many other delicious ways to use your radish harvests.
Today I’m going to share with you 10 tips to grow more food from your edible home garden. These tips are so easy and you can implement them today to boost your garden’s production. No matter whether you are renting or living in an apartment.
It is no secret that we are facing a very real food security and shortage with many supermarket shelves completely empty. There has never been a better time to start growing your own food or ramp up your home gardens production. These tips will help you maximize the amount of fresh homegrown food you can produce from home. Starting NOW!
WATCH 10 tips to Produce more Food
10 tips to Produce more Food at Home
1. Trim your Herbs
Especially if they are starting to flower. Herbs such as Basil, Mint, and Thyme can all be grown in pots, and trimming the tops will promote a bigger bushier plant. When plants get hot, stressed, or are just left to just grow, they will send off flowers to produce seeds for another generation. Trimming off these seeds will let your herbs know that it’s not time yet, and to keep producing. Just chuck the tops and seeds back in the garden and they will sprout new plants, dry or preserve your herbs, or pop the purple stems in vinegar and make a vibrant basil infusion! You can then use this to make salad dressings by mixing with a little olive oil and lemon juice.
2. Regularly Plant “quick-to-grow” Crops
Quick-growing crops are great to continuously interplant in your garden to get quick wins. Edible plants such as Radish and Rocket are super quick to germinate and grow. Plant radish in the gaps of your garden for quick and easy food production. Radish isready from seed to table in just 28 days and is one of the quickest things you can grow! Radish not only provides fresh crunchy vegetables to add to salads but you can also eat the leafy tops by making pesto or chimichurri. If you are not a fan of the spicey radish, then try them with your roast veggies! So sweet and delicious!
3. Succession Planting
A little planning goes a long way in an edible home garden. If you know your veggies will be finishing up soon, plant new seeds to have seedlings ready to go. You can plant your new seedling out before you have pulled out the old ones so that you can transition straight away and prevent empty spaces from going to waste without producing food. I also like to grow different varieties so I plant each type two weeks apart to help stagger the crops.
4. Hand Pollinate
In an ideal world we will have lots of bees and pollinators in our home gardens to do the work for us. This isn’t always the case, especially if you live in an apartment or your gardens are new. Hand-pollinating can help ensure more of your fruit and veggies are pollinated and set to form full-sized fruit. We definitely want to encourage bees and pollinators by planting flowers but hand-pollinating can be an added insurance. This works best on plants such as Melon, Squash, Zucchini, and Pumpkin. Click here for more info on how to hand pollinate.
Your plant’s main goal is actually not to make delicious food to feed us humans… but to produce seeds to secure its future generation. If the plant feels it has enough fruit or vegetables produced with seeds it will slow or stop producing. Regularly picking your harvest when it is just ready will make the plant think that it has lost its seeds to predators so it will continue to produce more and more. So try not to leave things too long on the plant once they look ready. This also reduces the risk of other critters nabbing your produce first too.
7. Learn more about Root to Shoot
Conventionally 30-50%, maybe even more of the edible plants are discarded. Crops such as Beetroot leaves, Carrot tops, Brassica leaves and stems, Sweet Potato leaves, male Pumpkin or Zucchini flowers, and so much more! Learn what parts of the plant are edible and you could double the amount of food you have in your garden in a matter of hours!! I have some recipes on my blog but this is something we dive deeper into inside my membership.
8. Plant Perennials
Perennials are plants that last longer than 2 years. These may be a little slower to establish but once they do, they produce an abundance of food with just a little maintenance. These are plants such as Berries, Fruit trees, Artichoke, Asparagus, perennial Spinach varieties, Rhubarb and so much more! Having perennials in your garden will help you maintain your food supply. I also have an article on A-Z edible perennials available inside my membership.
9. Stack in Time and Space
Use the space you have in your edible home garden to grow both horizontally and vertically. This can maximize the amount of food you can grow. Having a trellis at the back of your garden or container can help create structure and expand your food production capabilities. I also let plants use my fruit trees to grow up. Whether that’s beans, tomatoes, melons, or pumpkins. Growing vertically can double the amount of food you can grow in a single space. Stacking in time is just like succession planting. Plant crops that will be starting to take off as the previous ones are finishing up. If you have a vertical crop that may produce more shade on the lower levels this can also provide a cooler climate to grow some more sun-sensitive crops such as lettuce. Especially in these hot summers.
10.Utilise Space with Container Gardens
Even if you have a large veggie patch, container gardens still have plenty of use. Container gardens are great for growing prolific plants that can be a little invasive. These are plants such as Mint, Nasturtium, and Sunchokes. Not only will you get lots of food but your precious garden space won’t be overrun with the weed-like growth of these plants. Containers are also good for maximizing the sun and shade. You can move them around during the year to follow the sun or reduce the amount of direct sunlight in summer.
Start TODAY with these 10 tips to produce more food from your edible home garden! Let me know if any of these tips sparked inspiration with you in the comments below.
Edible Perennial Plants are an investment in your future food production. Perennials grow back each year and provide long-term sustainable harvests. When creating a self-sufficient garden, edible perennials can form a really good base to build from. Annual vegetables can be a lot of work and it can be devastating if you lose a crop after all that time and effort. Having a mix of edible perennials in your garden will give you the comfort of knowing you will still have food available that will re-grow year after year.
Most of the vegetables we see in the supermarkets are annual vegetables that are grown for a single season and then harvested. This means that perennials are a little unusual for home gardeners to grow and cook.
What is a Perennial Vegetable?
Annuals – Grow for a single season and then harvested completely or die off
Biennials – Grow for a season and then flower or seed for the second season. Most are grown as annuals or left to collect seeds.
Perennials – Grow for more than two years and many can continue to grow for decades. They often die back in winter and re-grow in spring on their own accord.
Why Grow Edible Perennial Plants?
Re-grow each year without planting
Stable consistent food supply
Create diversity in the garden
Economical plant purchases
Low maintenance
Form deeper root systems to require less watering
Stabilise soil and reduce erosion
Require less feeding as they are slow-growing
Habitat for wildlife long term
Support no-dig gardens
Pros and cons of Edible Perennial Plants vs Annuals?
Many edible perennial plants are quite slow-growing. This helps them form strong established root systems to feed and support their growth for many years to come. This can mean that you may not get food from your perennial plants within the first year or two. However, all good things take time and time is going to pass anyway. Think of it as an investment that will have compounding growth and provide you with a sustainable future food supply. Saving your future self, time, and money!
Perennials stay in the same spot and regrow year after year so you need to make sure you select a suitable spot from the start. Look into how much sunlight/shade and type of soil they prefer before planting. This also means your garden beds will be allocated to that plant long-term. The great thing about annuals is that you can mix and match different plants constantly.
Note: Plants behave differently in each climate. What may grow as a perennial in some climates may not in others. For instance if it gets too cold or too hot each year the plant may die off and need to be replanted each year just like an annual would.
A-Z Top Edible Perennial Plants
Artichoke
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus
Full Sun – summer harvest
Edible flowers
Beautiful aesthetic plant
Very popular with the bees!
Most produce in their second year
Harvest buds before they flower
Reproduce from side suckers
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
Full sun – spring & summer harvest
Produces for up to 30 years
Beds can look bare for part of the year
Grow underground and pop up in spring
Mulch well
Feed with animal manure
Seeds form from berries
Brazilian Spinach
Alternanthera sisssoo
Sub-tropical or tropical climate – All year round
Low growing lush green plant
Hardy easy to grow plant
Use as you would spinach
Propagate from cuttings
Likes humid weather
Blueberry
Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus
Full sun – part shade
Grow to about 2m tall
Can fruit for up to 30 years
Likes acidic soil
Fruit starts really producing after two years
High in antioxidants
Produce up to 7kg of fruit each year
Chicory
Cichorium intybus
Full sun – part shade
Eat fresh or cooked to reduce bitterness
Great animal feed
Beautiful edible flowers
Attracts bees for pollination
Can be grown as an annual or perennial
Short lived 7 year perennial
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
Full sun – part shade
Green variety can be invasive
Edible leaves, flowers, seeds and bulbs
Easy care free plant
Leaves, seeds and flowers are great for flavouring pickles and ferments
Medicinal qualites
Horseradish
Armoracia rusticana
Full sun – part shade
Root crop that spreads (can be invasive)
Edible leaves and roots
“wasabi” like flavour used as a condiment
Great for flavouring pickles and ferments
Medicinal qualities
Likes cooler climates
Jerusalem Artichoke (sunchoke)
Helianthus tuberosus
Full sun
Edible roots
Low maintenance
Attracts Bees and Butterflies
Abundant production of crops
Drought tolerant
Good for mulch and biomass
Can be invasive – keep conatained
Pepino
Solanum muricatum
Full sun – part shade
Low-lying fruiting shrub
Melon flavour
Abundant production
Frost sensitive
Easy to grow, low maintenance
Easily grown from cuttings
Pineapple
Ananas comosus
Full sun – warm climates
Low maintenance
Re-grow from the top and side suckers
Low lying and can be grown in pots
Slow growing can take 2 years to fruit
Regrow to have many on the go and have regular fruit
Turn leftover Banana peels into a natural dried banana fertilizer to grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables.
My name is Holly and I am on a mission to create a self-sufficient edible garden in my suburban property. I am converting grass into thriving urban permaculture gardens.
It’s important to reduce the amount of organic matter going to landfills because when it does go to the landfill, it is piled up and starved of oxygen. This process is not conducive to breaking down our scraps and they end up producing methane gas, which is not good for our environment. That’s where composting and turning our scraps into natural fertilizers not only boosts the health and production of our gardens but is also better for our planet.
Watch how to make Dried Banana Peel Fertilizer
Which plants will benefit the most from banana peel fertilizer?
Banana peels have potassium which is an essential nutrient for promoting more flowers and fruit on plants. Prioritize your dried banana peel fertilizer on your flowering plants such as Pumpkin, squash, capsicum, and fruit trees. Promoting flowers will offer more chances of fruit!
Having potassium on hand can help when you have deficiencies in the soil. Potassium deficiency can show as leaves turning yellow one falling off especially the older leaves.
If you are growing your own bananas and you get to harvest the fruit, then you can use your peels to feed the plants and create your own fully self-sufficient gardening system!
You can also make a banana peel fertilizer by soaking the peels in water. I talk more about that on my video about 15 natural fertilizers so definitely check that out for more ways to turn your homegrown produce into fertilizers to grow more of your own food.
How to make dried banana peel fertilizer?
To make dried banana fertilizer take your banana peels and lay them out on a tray to dry. You want to keep them somewhere warm and dry until they turn black and crispy. Natural Sunlight is great and will take 1-2 days to dry depending on the temperatures. You could also use a dehydrator to remove the moisture.
Chop the peels up a little to help speed up the drying process. Remove the ends and compost them as these will take a lot longer to dry.
Then once they are completely dry and crumbly. Crush them up into a powder using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder/spice grinder.
Sprinkle a couple of TBSP around your fruit and veggie plants. It’s that easy! You can also add 2 TBSP to a jar of water and mix to pour around your plants.
This simple homemade pickled red onion recipe is so easy and delicious! I can easily demolish a jar of pickled red onions in a week. They just get better and better as they continue to pickle and infuse. You can eat these pickled red onions on absolutely anything!! And I mean anything…avocado on toast, salads, stir-fries, tacos, noodles, cheese, and crackers, or in sandwiches. They also make beautiful, delicious garden-to-table gifts for your friends and family.
What You Will Need:
3 medium red onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup white vinegar
1 ½ tbsp raw sugar*
1 ½ tsp salt
1 cup water
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional, for heat)
The Benefits of Homemade Pickled Red Onions
Making homemade pickled red onions means you control everything from the ingredients to the flavour. No preservatives, no artificial colours, just simple pantry staples and fresh onions. I like mine on the sweeter side, but if you like yours spicy, then add more chilli. Plus, the flavour is far better than store-bought. I find store-bought (I’ve tried a lot of brands!) are weak and dull, and not to mention expensive! Not these! They are packed full of flavour and go a vibrant all natural hot pink colour.
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
1/2 tsp Chilli flakes (optional)
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 oven for 10-15 minutes at 110 degrees Celsius.
You can swap and use just one type of vinegar if you prefer.
*Swap to honey (1 1/2 TBSP)
Add herbs or spices for extra flavour
Use within 3 weeks.
Homemade is best!
Homemade pickled red onions taste so much better, and they are so quick to make. I prepare a batch on Sundays, and it usually is gone within the week! Enjoy these Simple Pickled Red Onions on your morning breakfast toast with avocado (my favourite way) and egg, or in burgers, wraps, salads, and more! It’s such a versatile addition to your garden-to-plate meals!
Customise Your Homemade Pickled Red Onions
One of the best things about homemade pickled red onions is how easy they are to adapt. Add herbs like thyme, fennel flowers or dill for a fresh twist, or try slices of jalapeño or ginger for an extra kick. You can even swap in red wine vinegar for a bold colour. Once you start experimenting, you’ll find a version that suits your taste perfectly.
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Learn tips and tricks on how to grow bananas and get abundant harvests. Banana (Musa) are fantastic permaculture plants because they have so many uses both in the garden and the kitchen. Bananas are in fact a perennial herb, not a tree. The bananas grow from a stalk that emerges from the centre of the banana palm.
Bananas come in both full-size and dwarf varieties, allowing you to grow them in both large and small space gardens. Plus, you just can’t beat the flavour of homegrown bananas!
Rich fertile compost and well-drained soil. Mound soil up.
LOCATION
Full sun. Protection from harsh winds.
CARE
Water and feed regularly.
FERTILISE
Feed with compost and with liquid seaweed fertiliser.
PESTS
Rodents may attack the fruit.Root rot in wet soils.
HARVEST
9 months +
REPRODUCE
Small “pups” form at the base of the main trunk.
Why Grow Bananas?
Bananas are quick-growing and have many beneficial relationships within the garden. Once you know what conditions bananas thrive in, they are easy to grow.
Here are some of the many reasons to grow Bananas:
‘Ladyfinger‘– Popular backyard banana. Small sweeter fruit. Don’t turn brown once cut. Plant size 2-5m tall.
‘Gold Finger‘ – Cross between ladyfinger and Cavendish. High wind resistance. Quickest to fruit. Plant size 2-5m tall.
‘Cavendish – Williams’ – Medium-sized bananas. Popular variety. Thin peel and creamy texture. Plant size 2-5m tall.
‘Blue Java‘ – Cold tolerant variety. Known as the ice cream bananas due to the creamy texture. Plant size 2-5m tall.
‘Red Dacca‘ – Dwarf sized plant. Deep maroon-red peel when ripe. Plant size 2.5m tall.
‘Dwarf Cavendish’ – Smaller version of the Cavendish. Ideal for pots or urban gardens. Plant size 1m tall.
‘Dwarf Ducasse‘ – Dwarf sized plant. Known as the sugar banana due to sweetness. Plant size 1-2m tall.
‘DPM 25‘ – Variety of Cavendish developed to resist Panama disease. Plant size 2-5m tall.
How to Grow Bananas?
Bananas like warm, sunny, sheltered areas. Choose a full sun location with at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Bananas can be damaged by extreme heat, so in some places like Perth, semi-shade may also work well. Bananas are grown from small plants or “pups” so check out which varieties you want to grow and visit your local nurseries. Due to the spread of diseases, there are restrictions in Australia around swapping and trading bananas. Bananas are heavy feeders, so make sure you add lots of compost and composted animal manure into your soil. Make a mound around the base so that the water drains off and the banana has plenty of food.
In permaculture design, bananas are often grown in a banana circle. This way you can add piles of compost, mulch and plant matter to break down and feed all the plants around the circle.
Papaya and root crops such as turmeric and ginger are often planted alongside the bananas to utilise the space. They are also heavy feeders, so make sure there is plenty of compost and plant matter around them. Bananas grow quickly and can be great for preventing soil erosion on sloped blocks.
When to Plant Bananas?
Plant Bananas during the warmer months of spring and summer.
Care/ Maintenance for Bananas
Banana plants are made up of a high percentage of water so they do need adequate moisture to grow. They just don’t like having soggy roots. Well-draining, fertile soil with plenty of mulch or cover crops will help retain moisture.
Bananas want all THE FOOD so regularly feeding of compost, natural fertilisers and mulch can help your bananas thrive.
The leaves will get damaged by winds and turn brown. You can cut these off and lay them at the base of the plants to return nutrients back into the soil.
Pollination/ Fruiting
Bananas send up a flower through the centre of the plant on a spike called the inflorescence. The flowers will have both male and female so you do not need multiple plants for pollination to occur. Once the bananas form, you may need to add support to the bunch to stop the weight from pulling the whole tree down. This will depend on the size and strength of the plan,t and also if you have strong winds or storms.
The small bananas will start to form facing downwards. Once they turn upwards over a few days, it may be beneficial to cover the bunch with a bag. This protects the bananas from birds, bats and other insects.
You can harvest each “hand” of bananas as they start to ripen, or you can remove the whole bunch and hang it somewhere warm and protected to ripen off the tree. I think it’s always best to let the fruit ripen on the tree, but if there are storms coming or birds have found your bunch, then it may be best to remove them.
Bananas only fruit once from each single plant. Once your bananas are ready, you can chop the entire plant down. Cut this up and add to your banana patch as mulch to break down and add nutrients back into the soil.
Pests / Disease
Bananas can be prone to diseases, and due to our high commercial crops here in Australia, there are regulations to help stop the spread of diseases. This includes only purchasing plants from trusted nurseries and not swapping and trading plants around the community.
Bananas are popular among many pests such as birds, bats, rats and fruit flies. Covering the bunch with a banana bag or a recycled plastic bag can help reduce the risk of losing your delicious crop.
How/ When to HarvestBananas
Bananas will be ready to harvest when they:
Are light green to yellow
Have no harsh angles but are rounded and smooth
The flower remnant at the ends of each banana comes off easily
Cut the stalk with at least 20cm at the top to hold and hang
Cut the whole tree down as it will die anyway, and use for mulch
Remove the ripe bananas and hang the main bunch up somewhere cool and dark to continue ripening.
The purple blossom end is also edible. Remove the hard outer leaves to reveal the soft pale centre.
Note:
Remove the bag for hanging and ripening purposes, or they will ripen too quickly.
Ensure they are hung somewhere that pests cannot get to them.
Bananas can be picked when they are still green to use as a savoury “potato” substitute.
Reproducing Bananas
Bananas have been cultivated to have no seeds for optimum eating. The best way to reproduce bananas is to dig up the small suckers or “pups” that start growing from the base of the main stem. Look for suckers that are at least 30cm tall and have narrow sword-like leaves. The broadleaf suckers will still grow but have smaller root systems as they rely on the main plant for water. Use a sharp blade or spade to detach and dig up the side sucker.
Cooking and Using Bananas
Bananas are super versatile and can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes. The banana leaves can also be used as a substitute for baking paper to steam and infuse flavours into meals. This technique is often used for steaming fish or rice. Banana leaves also make great natural platters, plates and serving dishes. Simply compost them after!
Bananas produce in huge abundance and can ripen quicker than you can eat them. Freezing and dehydrating bananas is a quick and easy way to get the most out of your harvest. Below are a few ways to utilise your ripe bananas:
