May 2016 Issue #129

Hello,

What fun that we both love gardening. Thanks for joining me.

1) Sweetie potatoes
2) Eco gardening tips
3) Sage Pumpkin

Grow a sweet potato plant indoors!

We call these kumara, and they are very nearly the most swoon-worthy vegetables on earth.

Friends Sue and Murray have this growing as an ornamental in their dining room. The leaves are very pretty; did you know they are edible?

Grow outside for more prolific plants. Give the leaves a quick steam or stir-fry and there's your healthy and delicious greens for the day.

Like chocolate, no self-restraint is needed to enjoy
No dig Vegetable Garden's FACEBOOK page. Read quirky tidbits from the gardening world.

Raring to grow

What do you think of this forum post? There's a lot of angst, lots of opinions, a few facts... Why no passionfruit fruit?

Eco gardening tips

• Random mud chucking
  Followers on my Facebook page will have read the latest article on seedbombs and suchlike. Did you know this is an ancient method of no-dig gardening; read more...


• Would you like to know about Wood Ash?
  Yes it is a source of nutrients, such as potassium and phosphorous, depending on the wood burned. Ash contains calcium carbonate, so many gardeners use ash in place of lime.
  
  

  Adding ash to the soil raises the pH making it more alkaline. Neutral (pH 5.5) or alkaline soils rarely need lime or wood ash, and adding it could cause distress to many plants as they cannot take in the nutrients they need if the pH is raised significantly. This is particularly so with acid loving plants such as blueberries. They'll survive but not thrive.

  Bottom line is that very small amounts of wood ash can be beneficial for many plants as it provides a few nutrients and possibly adjusts the soil's pH favourably. Avoid ash from preservative treated wood.

• What else can wood ash be used for?
  Cleaning murky glass, that's what. Such as those pot-bellied burners and indoor enclosed wood burner fireplaces that have glass fronts which can get decidedly dirty. Ignore chemical cleaners, use this tried and true old-fashioned way and clean with wood ash.

  First make sure your burner is cold. Spread some newspaper under the open burner door. Wet a rag or paper, dip in cold ash and clean the glass. Keep dipping in the ash, rub a bit and the glass will quickly sparkle. Wipe down with a clean cloth or paper.

Want to know what vegetables to plant?

Want to know when to plant them?

The GroVeg Garden Planner is your answer. Click here for a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!

Sage Pumpkin

Ingredients

• 500g pumpkin, cut into approximately 1cm cubes
• 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 2 heaped Tblns sage leaves, thinly sliced, plus 10 extra large leaves
• 100g diced butter or half butter and half coconut oil
• 1 extra Tbln oil
• 1 cup vegetable stock or water
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 Tbln white balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

• Heat 1 Tbln oil in large frypan and cook sage leaves, moving them around until bright green and crisp. Remove from pan.
• Using same pan, cook pumpkin uncovered, stirring a bit. Should be just tender and slightly browned after 15-20 minutes.
• Add sliced sage, spring onions and vinegar to pumpkin in pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove and keep warm.
• Add butter and coconut oil to pan and simmer until slightly brown, then add stock or water.
• Return pumpkin mixture to pan, season and stir over low heat until heated through.
• Serve topped with sage leaves and pine nuts.

Note: Can also add crumbled ricotta on top
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Live, love and garden.
Megan