Sunday, October 19, 2014

Jungle style.


Having been an apartment dweller for many years, few things give me more pleasure than walking out the back door and picking an enamel bowl full of lettuce for the evening's salad. Knowing that there will be more tomorrow.


I love the way the vegetable garden is transforming itself - I allow plants to go to seed and the seedlings that grow from them are better than the mother plants. Strong, bushy coriander and vigorous mint. There are no neat rows in this place. A robust tomato plant has appeared in a sunny spot next to the compost maker - sheltered by a rocky wall. I have a feeling it's from a wrinkled, discarded salad tomato from Woolworths - perhaps Bella. The fruits are perfect, clusters and clusters of them - though they have yet to reveal their colour.


The giant lacy flower of a carrot - who would have thought?


Spring onions bloom.


The last of the boer bone. As I shelled the previous lot, I thought they were too much trouble. But then I made Yotam Ottolenghi's pan-fried meatballs with lemon and broad beans.
They will grow again...

4 comments:

Marie said...

Looking lovely. You are making me lus for those meatballs.

the sourcerer said...

actually - I should have mentioned - those meatballs are COMPULSORY DINING!

Leslie said...

Aren't vegetable gardens wonderful? Beautiful, interesting, *and* productive. Your volunteer tomatoes look like Romas to me, a paste tomato that's also pretty good eating, but I could be wrong, not being a certified tomato identification expert.
I'm on the winter side of the earth from you and still have tomatoes coming but the weather is cooling off so won't be long before it's all gone for this year. Enjoy!

the sourcerer said...

Thanks Leslie -
I like the term "volunteer" very much.
At the end of last summer I had a glut of green tomatoes and made a fantastic chutney - lots of fresh ginger... if you need it give me a shout!