from Susan (Stephanie Alexander’s recipe from The Cook’s Companion) Jerusalem Artichoke Soup 60 gm butter500 gm Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and cut into even chunks 1 onion, sliced1 clove garlic, lightly crushed1 stick celery, finely sliced1 potato or sweet potato, diced1 litre chicken stocksalt and pepperfreshly snipped chivesfreshly grated nutmegthick cream (optional) Melt butter in a heavy based [more]
recipe: cookieandkate.com This homemade green goddess dressing recipe is so easy to make! It’s creamy, fresh, completely delicious—and a great way to use up your leafy herbs. Recipe yields about 1 ¼ cups dressing; multiply if desired. ingredients 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably full-fat (made with whole milk) 1 cup lightly packed fresh herbs (tender stems [more]
Happy 11th Birthday to us! In 2011 an enthusiastic group of locals started campaigning for a community garden, which was approved by Leichhardt Municipal Council, and the Mort Bay Community Garden Association was born. Council awarded the association a license to use the land in 2012. Finally, after COVID disrupted our plans to celebrate our [more]
Citrus australasica, (the Australian finger lime), is believed to be up to 18 million years old. It’s a thorny under storey shrub or small tree of lowland subtropical rainforest in the coastal border region of Queensland and New South Wales. Read more from the Wikipedia article or from Sustainable Gardening Australia Growing finger limes Finger limes grow well in either the ground or a large [more]
Come along to our annual stall outside the ANZ bank, corner Darling & Mort St Balmain on Saturday 3 December, 9 – 1pm. We have stalls selling PLANTS, our bespoke BEESWAX WRAPS and COTTON POT COVERS. Buy tickets in our annual XMAS RAFFLE with fabulous prizes! A HAMPER bursting with goodies, gifts and vouchers from [more]
Radicchio is also known as Italian chicory. It has a slightly bitter flavour, which mellows when it’s grilled or roasted. In Italian cuisine it is usually eaten grilled with olive oil, or mixed into dishes such as risotto. I love it in a salad with the sweetness of orange or pear, walnuts and a soft [more]
These bickies were very popular at our recent Open day. Thanks to Michiel and Suuz for the recipe! Ingredients 250g self-raising flour 150g butter, cubed (unsalted) 125g brown sugar 15g spice mix (see below) 2-3 tablespoons of milk Pinch of salt Spice mix secret recipe 8 teaspoons/parts of cinnamon 2 teaspoons/parts of nutmeg 2 teaspoons/parts [more]
Join us in the garden from 10 – 2pm PLANT stall delicious home made CAKES and savoury treats sausage SIZZLE Beeswax WRAPS (in 3 sizes) made from Northern rivers Ballina Honey beeswax Don’t forget our RAFFLE – with great prizes: Sackville Hotel voucher – Pepperseeds Thai voucher – Franck Provost Hair voucher Food Hamper from [more]
Recipe from www.epicurious.com Makes about 2 cups Total Time 45 min Ingredients 1 kg fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered 1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and chopped 1/2 large white onion, cut into 4 wedges 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup chopped coriander 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice Preparation Coarsely purée tomatillos, [more]
The beds with red signage are fallow. They only get watered on working bees to keep the soil alive We aim for watering being done at least twice per week for all planted beds Only water the garden before 10 am or after 4 pm Water the strawberry beds: turn on the distribution tap [more]
My favourite veggie is – sugar snap or snow pea! I love to munch on them as I go about garden chores. They are great in a stir fry, blanched and thrown into salads or wrapped into Vietnamese rolls. What do you enjoy about being a member of MBCG? I love it when the Birchgrove [more]
Join us in the garden Saturday 26 October 10 – 1pm Join us in the Garden for our annual Spring Fair. There’ll be garden demos, potted herbs for sale and a delicious array of homemade goodies – scones & cream tea, sausage sizzle and produce hamper raffle. Bring the family, friends and neighbours! [more]
Kasper Luel My favourite veggie is ___the humble Potato___ And why is that? It may well sound like a cliché but it’s because of its versatility… mashed, roasted, fried or simply boiled. I even used it in ice cream but that’s a secretly guarded recipe J I’m originally from Denmark and new-season potatoes were a culinary highlight [more]
By Kevin Hall Ingredients 1 kg kent or buttercup pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and roughly chopped. 3 pears, cored and chopped. 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped. 1 brown onion, peeled and chopped. 4 tbsp olive oil. 1 tbsp thyme leaves. 1 litre vegetable stock, warmed. 60 gm butter, cubed. Method 1. Preheat oven to 180 [more]
There will be loads of kid’s activities to enjoy in our garden. follow your senses and find all the plants in our Plant Discovery Challenge plant your own micro-garden in a bottle to take home check out how our worms turn your kitchen scraps into beautiful compost create a Mother’s Day present and design your [more]
Thanks to Cornersmith for the lovely recipe: Ingredients 2 kg (4 lb 8 oz) Lebanese (short) cucumbers (the smaller, the better) 2 tbsp salt 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) white wine vinegar 220 g (7¾ oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar ½ tsp turmeric 2 small brown onions, thinly sliced 3 tsp brown mustard seeds [more]
my favourite veggie in the garden: I guess beetroot is my favourite vegetable because it is so versatile and bright blush purpley red! It can be savoury or sweet (just like me), all parts can be used – try stir frying the leaves, crunchy or silky smooth. And it turns your fingers (and bench tops) pink. [more]
EASY PUMPKIN PIE By Kevin Hall 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry. 2 ¼ cups cooked mashed pumpkin Roasted is best. 395 gm can sweetened condensed milk. 2 tbsp cornflour. 2 eggs. ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp mixed spice METHOD Heat oven to 180* C. Line a 25cm pie dish with [more]
BEETROOT AND GINGER CAKE – Inspired by Ottolenghi by Mary Ann Grant 1/2 cup (100g) finely chopped candied or crystalized ginger 1 2/3 cups (200g) flour 3/4 cup (150g) sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large red beets, peeled and grated finely grated zest of one orange 2/3 [more]
What could be more taste-quenching than a chunk of well-roasted Kent matched to roasted potatoes, onions and boiled mint-flavoured green peas. Roast lamb added if you wish. Mint sauce if you want or maybe gravy. Sounds very traditional, old-fashioned, bygone, I know. Love it. Then again the pumpkin can be boiled or microwaved or whatever. [more]
Why the cape gooseberry and do we really have them in the garden!? Yes! When I discovered that Julia had planted a Cape Goosebery in the garden I suffered an intense bout of nostalgia. As a child, the house we stayed in for summer holidays at the Gold Coast had a Cape Goosebery growing in [more]
To eat or not to eat ….!? Pip Dodd’s favourite colour is green, of course! What is your favourite vegetable? I really love broccoli. Partly because I’m never quite sure whether to pronounce it “brockle-eee” or “brockle-eye”. (You say po-tay-to, I say po-tah-to….) Also because when you grow it yourself, you never know when you’re [more]
The star is fennel, but it does have very tasty co-stars… I love roasted fennel, and this risotto recipe evolved to incorporate my other roasting favourite – red capsicum. Then came the addition of homemade preserved lemon, which is always a lovely combo with fennel. Ingredients: 1 brown onion finely chopped 2 cloves garlic 1 [more]
from the Urban Veggie Gardening Workshop, presented by Julie Inhelder A worm farm is a great way to minimise food waste by converting your organic kitchen scraps into fabulous fertiliser for plants and soil. [more]
from the Urban Veggie Gardening Workshop #3 with MJ Written by Mo McCarthy The successful operation of the MBCG compost system has eliminated our need to purchase commercial soil for the garden. Thanks to everyone who contributes to making our compost system a success. The compost system has three main components as described below: [more]
Part 1: How to make home made Ricotta If you would like to make your own fresh ricotta, the recipe is here at Not Quite Nigella Part 2: How to make baked Ricotta with herbs Cut a thick slice of ricotta and put it in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Bake for [more]
Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter 1⁄2 cup sugar 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 cup mashed pumpkin (cold) / 750grams Steam until cooked but still firm. Place in warm oven to dry out. 2 cups self-raising flour Directions Beat together butter, sugar and salt with electric mixer. Add egg, then pumpkin and stir in the flour until just combined. Turn on to [more]
Botanical name: Daucus Carota subs. sativus Description: There is evidence of carrots been a vegetable already 5000 years ago in what is today’s Afghanistan. The original cultivated plant had a purple root, orange varieties first appeared in Europe in the 1700’s. The 20 to 30 cm long roots range from orange, yellow, purple to white [more]
Here’s our planting plan for Autumn and Winter 2017: [more]
by Pip Dodds The garden is overflowing with basil at the moment , and we all know what that means – it’s pesto time! There are a hundred delicious things to do with pesto, and if you’ve never made your own before, now is the perfect time to give it a go. Grab a big [more]
Felicity’s perfect gazpacho – Felicity Cloake Word of mouth blog The Guardian The real secret to gazpacho, if we assume your ingredients are ripe and your fridge cold, is good olive oil, and lots of it. Meanness has no place here, unless you’re a frugal peasant – pour it in in great glugs, and then [more]
Water is essential for plants to grow and stay healthy. Without the necessary amount of water, plants cannot take up nutrients, they wilt and they are more prone to get diseases. Watering needs to happen on a regular basis Watering should keep the soil moist, but not wet Water the soil not the leaves, leaves [more]
Hi, I’m Robert McDougall, a PhD student from the University of New England researching urban agriculture. For the last year I’ve been carrying out a range of studies at MBCG and other gardens throughout Sydney and Wollongong looking at how productive these gardens are and the role that ecosystem services (mainly pollination and control of [more]
Botanical name: Lactuca sativa Description: Lettuce plants and their ancestors are native to Europe and Northern Asia. They are usually grown for their colourful green and red leaves that grow 15 to 30 cm high. They have been cultivated to a variety of colours, textures (soft and tender to crisp and crunchy) and shapes (dense [more]
Ingredients 250g beetroot 200g fine dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids) 4 tbsp hot espresso 200g butter 135g plain flour a heaped tsp baking powder 3 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder 5 eggs 190g golden caster sugar crème fraîche and poppy seeds, to serve Method Lightly butter a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and line the [more]
Have a look at our plan for the Spring planting… [more]
Garden member Mikaila made these delicious treats Vegan kale chips 283 g chopped kale leaves, washed, thoroughly dried (stems removed) 30 ml grape seed, olive or avocado oil 1/4 cup / 30 g raw cashews, soaked in water for 2-4 hours 2 Tbsp / 14 g raw or roasted (unsalted) sunflower seeds 6 Tbsp 18 [more]
This is a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi – (he calls it Corsican Pie with courgette flowers) I made this one using zucchini flowers, swiss chard and some kale from the garden. Ingredients •1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (85g) •3 celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced (220g) •8 large Swiss chard leaves, white stalks discarded, [more]
Garden member Sylvia made this delicious looking salad using veggies almost exclusively from the weekend’s harvest. She made it with matchstick kohlrabi and fennel mixed with plain yoghurt (plus a little ricotta) and dill arranged on endives, rocket and lettuce leaves, with chunks of roasted beetroot and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Yum! [more]