The Country Cook



Here is a typical morning visiting my vegetable garden, 2 types of tomatoes (roma and Thai pink), rosellas, rosemary, oregano, leeks, fennel, basil, sage, beans, chillies and garlic chives. Then from the orchard lemons, tamarillo and passionfruit.

Just using some of this I made;
1 tub of tamarillo ice cream
3 preserved jars of tamarillo & rosella jam
4 preserved jars of tomato and passionfruit jam
4 tubs of a vegetable pasta sauce base for freezing
4 desert moulds of chilli chocolate in case someone drops in
6 packets of mixed beans, blanched and ready for freezing  

So cooking is not always just about making pretty dishes when you grow your own food, although I do like to make pretty dishes still and hence why this day I made the desert moulds and ice cream. Cooking on a farm needs a range of skills which you might say are about survival. If your going to do the work and grow your own food then your not out working for someone else making money to buy the food someone else grew. So take the time and learn your preserving techniques then you won't go hungry or waste any of your crop.

My little secret to not let the constant food preparation get laborious has alway been to take a bit of time every now and then to cook a luxury meal. I guess it reminds me of the city and the life I left behind and all those fancy restaurants.

With a little clever trading this is a buffalo mozzarella salad. First there is a ring (swirl if you want the fancy term) of a brown sugar and balsamic reduction. Then fresh roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil and rocket leave are laid alternatively around the plate. A drizzle of avacado oil and some freshly cut chives are added. yum yum  


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