From the Garden Archives - Page 2 of 4

I consider our garden an extension of my home. The kitchen overlooks the specially designed vegetable garden. It contains many herbs, 3 olive trees and couple of lime and lemon trees, two fig trees and various vegetables in season.

My inspiration in the kitchen often comes from the garden. I am motivated to start cooking when I harvest a bowl of freshly picked tomatoes or a handful of crisp spinach, herb or kale leaves, but more about that as the seasons progress.

We are managing to handle the water restrictions during the severe drought during the summer of 2016/17 by fitting a hose to the waste water of the washing machine and using a plastic bowl in the sink to catch every drop for the vegetable garden. Buckets in the showers serve some of the flower garden. Hopefully the winter rains will give us some relief. The flower garden also impacts on our meals as I always stroll around the garden to see what is available before I plan my table setting. Other than on the roses, I do not use insecticides, so edible flowers are also used.

I love visiting gardens on my travels. The formal gardens of Europe and the exotic Asian gardens fascinate me. My passion for beautiful gardens and outdoor areas has awakened my interest in another field. During 2017 I will be launching a garden and patio décor business, Rustic Rose, specializing in importing second hand garden and patio furniture and accessories from France.

It’s time to harvest your olives!

Robyn Wallace2020-05-08T16:20:05+02:00May 8th, 2020|From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

In April / May we harvest olives in the Southern Hemisphere! When I designed my Mediterranean style garden 20 years ago I enthusiastically planted 3 olive trees. They do look beautiful and with the pencil cypresses, citrus trees and rosemary they do frame my vegetable and herb garden perfectly! Olive trees are slow [...]

Comments Off

Lemon Curd Cake

Robyn Wallace2020-05-06T13:22:21+02:00May 6th, 2020|From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

It’s citrus season and everyone is looking for lemon recipes! This is one of my favourite cakes as it bridges the boundaries of cake and dessert. It is super moist with a delicious curd-like layer with a light cake layer on top. I also am not crazy about cakes that call for sugary frostings. This [...]

Comments Off

Chicken Melanzane Parmigiano

Robyn Wallace2020-04-09T18:15:24+02:00April 9th, 2020|From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

Today our taste buds are travelling back to Italy! Previously I have posted a recipe for the vegetarian dish, Melanzane Parmigiana. This is very similar, just with the addition of a layer of chicken breast. It's super healthy! The recipe consiste of 4 easy components Baked or fried aubergine slices A yummy tomato ragu (stew!) Flash [...]

Comments Off

Brinjal Pickle, a great antipasto or salad

Robyn Wallace2020-03-31T14:03:14+02:00March 31st, 2020|From the Garden, From the Kitchen, Italy, Uncategorized|

At the end of the summer the brinjal crop is always excellent and as they mound up on the kitchen counter it’s time to create some delicious food. Most of my recipes originate in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Today’s recipe hails from Italy. The Italians make the most delicious pickled vegetables that form [...]

Comments Off

3 SUMMER CORDIALS – CORDIALLY YOURS!

Robyn Wallace2020-02-06T13:05:54+02:00February 6th, 2020|Beverages, From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

When I was a kid living on a Karroo Farm in the 1950’s and 60’s (wow that makes me really old!) we never drank fizzy cold drinks, but my Mother made wonderful fruit cordials. The only fizzy drink we had on the farm was home-made ginger beer, but deserves a page on its own. [...]

Comments Off

Tomatoes Provencale

Robyn Wallace2020-01-21T12:12:08+02:00January 21st, 2020|From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

The most successful vegetable from my garden is tomatoes! Every time a tomato does not look as fresh as I would like it, I toss it into the garden. It either adds welcome organic matter to feed the soil or the seeds come up the following year. The cherry or cocktail varieties are most prolific [...]

Red Potato Salad

Robyn Wallace2020-01-12T11:49:00+02:00January 12th, 2020|From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

A couple of years ago I found red and purple potatoes in our local supermarkets. At first I was intrigued by the exotic colours but what made them really special was the lovely buttery texture and the flavour. Red & Purple potatoes from a couple of years ago! Sadly we have not seen them [...]

Comments Off

Lesley’s Lemon & Limoncello Mousse

Robyn Wallace2019-05-23T13:18:43+02:00May 27th, 2019|From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

I have been eyeing Lesley Orr’s Lemon and Limoncello Mousse for a while and thought it would be ideal for a ladies’ supper party last week and then I made it again a few days ago as a refreshing end to a rather rich lamb curry. Lesley is married to my cousin Robert. [...]

Comments Off

Grape sauce for fish or poultry, my version of classic Veronique

Robyn Wallace2019-01-25T15:01:14+02:00January 25th, 2019|From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

It’s peak grape season It is amazing how our tastes in food change according with new developments. Some of you may recall when table grapes usually had tough skins and huge bitter pips! I do, as kids we had several grape vines at home. The grape covered pergola near the farm house was so big [...]

Comments Off

Watermelon feast time!

Robyn Wallace2019-01-17T13:18:28+02:00January 17th, 2019|From the Garden, From the Kitchen|

Versatile watermelon to celebrate summer! I always feel that summer is in full swing when there is an abundance of watermelons in the shops and markets! We buy mainly from supermarkets, especially when you can choose a quarter or half fruit. But when our local little market stall has melons directly from the farm we [...]

Comments Off