How to grow your own vegetables

Part 3: Onions

Onions are the most useful and popular vegetable in the kitchen, and growing them in your garden is easy and makes sure you have plenty on hand.

Onions can be grown from seed or from small bulbs called sets. Onions need an open sunny site to grow. 

For White onions:

• Plant in humus-rich, moist but well drained soil in a sunny position.  
• Lay onions out to dry a day before harvesting.
• Make sure your planting area is well prepared beforehand in a necessary amount of compost fertiliser. 
• Water plants well before planting out and afterwards if the soil seems dry.
• Remove plants from soil by pushing through from the underside. 

For Red onions:

• Plant outside, spacing 15cm (16in) apart in rows 30cm (12in) apart in humus-rich, moist but well drained fertile soil.
• Water well if the weather is dry.
• Again, Make sure your planting area is well prepared beforehand in a necessary amount of compost fertiliser. 
• Water plants well before planting out and afterwards if the soil seems dry.
• Remove plants from soil by pushing through from the underside.

Desriable Elderberry and Blackberry Cordial

Ingredients 

45g Elderberries

115g Blackberries

150g Caster Sugar

1 Teaspoon Lemon juice

1/2tbsp Red Wine Vinegar 

200ml Water

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients into a pan and heat on low, stir occasionally. 
2. Once the majority of the berries have burst, push it through a fine sieve over a bowl.
3. Add 200ml of water to the pulp to make sure all the juices have been sieved.
4. Place into a air tight bottle and it will keep up to 2 months.  Once opened store in fridge. 

Irrestible Banana Bread

Ingredients

220g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

75g caster sugar 

80g brown sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for decorating

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

2 eggs

125ml vegetable oil

3 mashed bananas 

Demerara sugar, to decorate 

chopped walnuts, to decorate

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 160C.
2. Grease a loaf tin and line with greaseproof paper.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, both sugars, cinnamon and vanilla extract. 
4. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs, vegetable oil and the mashed bananas and mix until combined.
5. Pour the batter into the loaf tin. Sprinkle cinnamon, Demerara sugar and walnuts over the top.
6. Cook in the oven for 60 minutes.

Quick Breakfast Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients 

1/2 Mango

8 Strawberries

2 Frozen Bananans, chopped

Handful of Granola

1 teaspoon of Chia seeds

1 tablespoon of agave nectar

1 teaspoon of cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Blend the frozen banana until it becomes a smooth paste.  This may take some time and look powdery but keep blending it magically turns smooth.

2. Add the cinnamon and cocoa powder and stir throughly.  Place into a large bowl.

3. Chop up the fruit and place over the banana ice-cream. 

4. Place the granola over the ice-cream.

5. Sprinkle over the chia seeds, and drizzle over the agave nectar. 

How to grown your own vegetables

Part 1: Potatoes

Anyone can grow potatoes, even if you are living in the city and don't have a garden!  

There is something quite special about growing your own organic produce, harvesting and then eating.

I've used the plastic potato sacks (3 in a pack with carrying handles … reusable) from the garden centre.  You could use a thick black bin liner, an old tin drum etc.  Just make sure there is drainage holes.  Seed potatoes are available from the garden centre, spring to autumn.

• If you plant the seed potatoes in intervals, 4-6 weeks, you can harvest over a longer period.
• Each shop bought planter is suitable for about 5 seed potatoes.
• Line the planter with good quality potting compost to 4cm.  Place the seed potatoes with the shoots facing upwards and cover with a further 6cm of potting compost.
• Keep the soil damp but not waterlogged.  Feed with a high potash/ low nitrogen feed.
• If there is danger of frost, then cover with a fleece until this has passed.
• When the shoots have grown 7cms high add another layer of compost,  so it covers the tips by a couple of CMS.  Continue to do this until the shoot are CMS above the planter.
• Now leave the plant to grow.  Watering when its dry but not too saturate the soil. Feed as before, periodically.
• The plant should produce small flowers and once these have died then then potatoes are ready to harvest.  
• Some varieties don't flower but start to die off.  Just feel beneath the soil to see if there is any hidden treasure… there probably is so its time to harvest!
• Tip the bag out, collect your treasure and wash.
• Wash out you bag, if you used a commercial one and plan your Maris Pipers for Christmas lunch.
• I've just planted mine today. (27 Aug 15)

Fantastic Detox Juice

Watermelon, Apple, Strawberry, Pear and Ginger Juice

This drink is full of juicy watermelon, which to me is so refreshing and acceptable on any occasion. It's pairing with succulent apple, pear and strawberries really gives you a taste of summer. The twist of ginger give you a strong punch at the end, which for me is a necessity is any juice.

I use my 'OMEGA VSJ843 Slow Juicer' as I like juicing to be a quick process with little clearing up involved.  Of course you could use any juicer you have at home.  Alternatively you could use a blender and simply use a sieve after blending but this does take much more patience!

I know many people dislike using juicers due to the horrible pulp that it leaves behind, but i have a fantastic recipe to use up your left over pulp into muffins… You won't waste a thing!

'Detox Summer Watermelon Juice'                                                                       

Serving Size : 900ml of juice

Ingredients

1/4 of a Large Watermelon, cut into small chunks 

10 Large Strawberries, hulled 

2 Red Apples, quartered 

1 Pear, quartered

Thumb sized piece of Ginger

Instructions

1.  Chop all the fruit into small enough pieces so it will fit into the juicer without any force.  If you are doing this is in a blender just roughly chop out the fruit to bite size pieces.

2. Begin to feed the fruit through the juicer until it has all gone.  If using a blender, i would recommend using some apple juice as the blender could find it difficult to blend them smoothly.

3. One the juice is all done, but the container which has the juice inside, into the fridge for roughly 30 minutes.  If using a blender, pass the thick pulp juice through a fine sieve into a jug while pressing a spatula as this helps squeeze the juice out.  Add a tablespoon of water or even your joyce of choice, if the pulp is a little thick.  Place this into the fridge also.

4. This juice is best served cold, I personally like it with frozen watermelon, which act as ice but don't allow you to loose the flavour. 

5. Pour the juice into small glasses, with a strawberry on the side of the glass, and a straw.  Enjoy!!