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Savour the difference: foods that taste better home grown.
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items Some of my favourite foods to grow at home. Not only do they taste better than supermarket varieties, they can also help make your dollar go further. For most you don't need a large garden; many can be grown in pots on the balcony. Warning: once you ...
Sections
3
Fruits
Vegetables
Herbs
Fruits
Some of my favourite fruits to grow at home. If you can eat it with ice-cream you'll find it here.
My eldest couldn't understand why her friends didn't like apricots until she tried one from the supermarket. Home grown apricots ripened on the tree taste nothing like the ones you buy from the stores. They are moist, juicy and full of flavour.
Apricot 'Trevatt'
My kids learnt how to pick their own raspberries from a young age. Our raspberries were planted opposite the sandbox and I am sad to say that it took me two weeks to work out why they didn't want any afternoon tea in summer, and why there were never any ripe raspberries around when I went to pick them in the evening...
Raspberries
We have had the same rhubarb crown for about 20 years. Water and fertilise generously and you will be rewarded handsomely. Harvest only the outside leaves and you will be rewarded with rhubarb for most of the summer. Our family favourites are apple and rhubarb crumble and home-made apple and rhubarb crumble.
Rhubarb
Apples require space. Look for multiple varieties grafted on the one dwarf variety to minimise the space required as most apples aren't self-fertile. Using different varieties will also enable you to have fresh apples all year long.
Apples
Delicious! And the snails think so too, so be prepared to battle them. I love the small varieties that hard to grow commercially as they are often bursting with flavour.
Strawberries
Vegetables
Some of my favourite “vegetables” to grow at home. I use the term loosely, if you can eat it as part of a main meal you'll find it in this section.
Home grown tomatoes, picked just before eating are one of the tastiest vegetables. There are lots of varieties to try. My favourites are the heirloom varieties. These are often too delicate to transport so you won't find anything like them in the shops.
Tomatoes
Pick open lettuces a couple of leaves at a time and more will grow to take their place. Say goodbye to lettuce that is wilted before you finish it.
Lettuce
I grew up buying potatoes by their name and it wasn't until I moved interstate that I saw potatoes being sold as potatoes. Pink eyes are our family favourite. Grow them in a potato bag if you don't have a vegetable garden. Harvest when the leaves start to wither, scape with a knife rather than peel them, boil or steam and serve them with a little butter. Hmm, I'm salivating just thinking about them.
Potato | 'Pink Eye'
Snow peas are a little harder to grow but are worth the effort. They are crisper and tastier than store bought varieties. Eat fresh on their own, in a salad or with a dip.
Snow Peas
I didn't like zucchini until I tried it home grown. It was very easy to grow and can be shredded and frozen. Nice on its own as a vegetable, it is also great in a sweet zucchini loaf.
Zucchini
Freshly podded peas taste so good you might need to pick double if you want enough to cook.
Peas
Herbs
Herbs add flavour to any meal and can even be grown on a window ledge.
Home grown spring onions can pack a punch, so start with small amounts. Cut spring onions off just above the roots and they will grow back.
Spring Onion
Home grown parsley is perfect with a bit of butter on home grown potatoes.
Parsley
Crush some fresh sage and you will smell the difference. Place in a pan with a bit of butter then pour over freshly poached eggs. Perfection!
Sage
Coriander is my husband's favourite. Cut it finely and sprinkle on the top of pumpkin soup.
Coriander
Home grown thyme is not only tasty, but the flowers add colour to the vegetable patch.
Thyme