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Edible Balcony - Adios!

dearindira2013 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:45:00 +0000

We’re off to the US tomorrow for three weeks and sadly deserting the Edible Balcony. I haven’t had time to install a drip irrigation system yet so our building’s concierge has kindly offered to takeover the onerous watering duties. Most of the plants will cope with a good soaking every two or three days but the tomatoes will need a daily drink. High maintenance. I’m trying to be zen about it all. It’s not easy leaving your babies with a stranger! Fingers crossed they fare well and are not blighted by wind, heat or bug invasions in my absence. I will also be attempting to ‘blog on the go’ so watch this space for my eating adventures across the States!

I put in a few new plants yesterday so they can lap up the December heat.

I’ve used some hanging baskets as floor space is rapidly running out.

The curry leaf tree has exploded with new shoots and leaves thanks to the heat and a little seaweed fertiliser.

I put in a few compact marigolds around its base. They’ll be delicious in a salad and will also attract good bugs.

Similarly nastursiums are great edible flowers and act as a bad bug repellant.

I’m going to try growing some strawberries this summer even though they are notoriously sensitive. I’ve put them in a hanging basket with well drained soil and room to shoot out their runners.

The cherry tomatoes are ripening on a daily basis. Will have to pick some and keep them in the fridge so the ants do’t get to them first!

The last carrots are almost ready. They should be fine to be left in the pot until we are back and ready to cook them with the Christmas turkey.

The remainging beetroots are weedy and have suffered from not being given enough space to grow. Their leaves are tasty though so we’ve being using them in salads.

I’m pesto obsessed at the moment so the basil gets a trim almost every day.

I found this antique herb holder at the garden centre the other day and planted some tarragon.

Edible Balcony - Brekkie on the Run

dearindira2013 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:19:00 +0000

This is my idea of a fast food breakfast.

A bunch of balcony Tub Toms were ripe for the picking this morning.

They were so incredibly fragrant and perfumed – even the stalks were aromatic.

It was just a case of a quick snip, a wash under the tap and a few basil leaves to make some fresh pesto…. et voila!

… fresh sliced tomatoes with pesto on toasted turkish bread with some freshly cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil

The tomatoes were incredibly sweet and luscious. I don’t think I’ll ever eat a supermarket tomato again.

At least I know now what a REAL tomato should taste like!

Recipe: Bolognaise Sauce

dearindira2013 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:13:00 +0000

two characterful baby round carrots

Phew!… How did everyone survive yesterday? The mercury soared to just above 40 degrees celsius in Sydney. Quite unprecedented for November. Doesn’t augur well for summer does it?

Surprisingly the balcony plants didn’t seem to fair too badly. I gave them a good soaking early in the morning and other than a few yellow leaves no signs of heat distress or sunburn (unlike a few Syndey-siders who crazily spent the day at the beach!)

Looking at the ripening herbs and vegies I thought I’d throw together a bolognaise sauce. I’m working interstate this week so at least the hubby will be well-fed while I’m away. Feed the man meat I say!

Scanning the edible balcony garden I realised I had most of the fresh ingredients for a bolognaise sauce

carrots, tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, parsley and basil

Tomato envy: Don’t worry Mr Carrot it’s how you taste that counts

The rest of the ingredients came fom the pantry and butcher – pork and veal mince, some smoked speck, tomato passata, tinned tomatoes, onions, garlic and some olive oil

Recipe:

1 large brown onion, finely chopped

50g of smoked speck or bacon, chopped into lardons

3 large cloves of organic garlic, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 tin of tomatoes or two chopped fresh tomatoes

2 bottles of tomato passata

1/4 cup chopped thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil

500g pork mince

500g veal mince

5 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper and a little sugar to taste

Directions:

Pour olive oil into a casserole pot and put on medium to low heat. Add onions, carrots and speck and fry for about 5 minutes until onion is translucent and speck is crispy. Add chopped garlic and fry until fragrant. Add mince meats and turn up the heat to brown well all over. Add tinned tomato, passata and herbs and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper and maybe some pepperoncini if you like a bit of a chilli hit. Turn the heat down to a gentle bubble and leave for two hours to gently transform into a thick, rich meaty sauce.

Into the casserole pot and two hours later an alchemist’s dream

Some egg pasta and some parmesan shavings….

…… and one very happy husband….

Recipe: Pesto Sauce

dearindira2013 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:07:00 +0000

If your’re a tentative gardener one of the easiest edibles to attempt growing yourself is basil. Providing you get at least six to seven hours of sunlight a day, basil will grow very happily in a garden bed, a balcony pot or even a kitchen window sill. It loves regular watering and a fortnightly seaweed liquid fertiliser will ensure big juicy leaves. Pick your basil regularly and it will grow bushy rather than tall and straggly. Pick leaves from just above where new leaves are sprouting on the plant.

A week ago I sowed a gourmet basil seed selection from Yates which contains exotic sounding cinnamon basil, lemon basil, purple basil and Thai basil.

As they mature I’ll select the more robust seedlings and thin out the weaker ones.

I love the contrast of green and purple

My existing sweet basil crop is ready to go into a homemade pesto sauce.

Recipe :

1 large handful of freshly picked basil leaves

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the basil leaves, the garlic clove, the salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle and pound the leaves until you have a smooth green paste. Add the pine nuts and pound. Then stir in the grated cheese. Pour the olive oil into mixture in a steady stream and stir to emulsify. Adjust seasoning. This will make about 1/2 cup of sauce. Keep in the fridge in a sealed container under a thin layer of olive oil . Will keep for about a week.

I prefer using a mortar and pestle because a food processor tends to bruise the leaves and affect the aromatic oils that are released from the basil leaves.

Most supermarkets sell tasteless bleached garlic from China. Look for Australian-grown organic garlic for a wonderful heady pungent hit.

You can dry roast your pine nuts before you add them to the sauce. I experiment with substituting walnuts or almonds as well.

Authentic pesto sauce recipes call for a combination of parmigiano and pecorino cheese. If you can get a good fresh pecorino it does add another earthy note to the sauce.

A great extra virgin olive oil can turn an ordinary pesto sauce into a gastronomic experience. Source the best one you can afford and enjoy the difference.

I still use my mum’s 30 year old pepper grinder that has a blade adjustment for when I want a finer or coarser result.

I use Maldon Sea Salt or those wonderful pink Murray River salt flakes

put in a bit of elbow grease….

add the parmesan….

stir in the olive oil…

I like spreading my fresh pesto on toast and then squishing a just-runny soft boiled organic egg on top

look at those colours…

Why go out for Sunday brekkie when you can stay home and dine at Cafe Edible Balcony?… (just need to get some chickens now…..)

Recipe: Beetroot Salad with toasted walnuts, and Binnorie gorgonzola cream

dearindira2013 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:14:00 +0000

I was in Melbourne yesterday to speak at Bus Victoria’s annual woman’s lunch. My topic was our obsession with celebrity, and our loss of connection with our families and the true heroes in our communities. We also talked about climate change and how a dramatic improvement in our public transport system is urgently needed. We also drank a bit of champagne – as you do!

My Qantas flight back to Sydney was delayed for two hours. Annoying, but it gave me time to daydream about my baby beetroot waiting back home to be cooked. After reading through all your advice I decided to prepare a beetroot salad so I could experience its real taste and texture. Why tamper too much with nature?

Recipe:

1 bunch baby beetroot

a handful of beetroot leaves

100g toasted walnuts

50g Binnorie Duetto gorgonzola cream

3 tablespoons caramelised balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Clean roots and any hard bits on the beetroots. Grate raw beets and toss in a bowl with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Arrange in the centre of a dish. Top with a spoonful of gorgonzola. Sprinkle over walnuts, partially crushed, and beetroot leaves. Finish with a drizzle of vinegar and olive oil.

Verdict:

sweet, delicious, crunchy with the cheese and the vinegar adding a sharp creaminess and the walnuts giving it an earthy balance.

Edible Balcony Update - First Beetroot

dearindira2013 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:27:00 +0000

The first baby beet seemed ready to be pulled this morning - so I pulled. I’m not sure how you know pecisely when a beetroot is ripe but I read that when the crown starts lifting from the soil it’s probably ready. And besides, I’ve been waiting patiently for two months to eat it !

Next time when I plant my root vegies I’ll give them more room so I get a larger crop.

It looks like a real beetroot… hopefully it tastes like a real beetroot

organic, chemical-free – apart from Sydney inner city smog!

Now, how to cook it? Baked I think…. in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and oregano from the balcony.

Edible Balcony - Vegetable and Herb Bouquet

dearindira2013 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:10:00 +0000

Our dear friends Helen and Dann (and little Jones) treated us to lunch at their place in Harris Park in Western Sydney today. Instead of flowers I thought I’d take them an Edible Balcony tasting pack.

It contained my first ripe carrot, the first bunch of ripe cherry tomatoes, several rainbow silverbeet stems, some sugar snap peas, curry leaves, basil, rosemary, thyme, mint and oregano.

the greens were crisp and squeaky fresh

the cherry tomatoes looked picture perfect while the carrot was squat and gnarled – or full of ‘character’ as I prefer to describe it

Helen generously cooked up my solitary carrot as part of her delicious beef wellington with baked vegies lunch. I know I sound a little like a boastful mother but it was the best tasting carrot anyone in the history of the world has ever tasted (mostly down to Helen’s prowess as a chef no doubt !)

Edible Balcony Update - Gotcha!

dearindira2013 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Practising organic pest control has its frustrations.Rather than relying on toxic powders and chemical sprays to do the hard work for you, you have to rely on your cunning and Sherlock Holmes powers of deduction. And when you’re up against tomato caterpillars you can come close to tears.

These wiley nematodes could teach Osama Bin Laden a thing or two about disguise and camouflage.

I’ve caught and squished about ten or eleven since they were laid as eggs in both my tomato bushes about six weeks ago. But some still eluded me. How did I know? Well, there were fresh holes in some of the back leaves and a mysterious trail of black droppings which I later realised were caterpillar castings! I followed the poo trail and two frustrating hours later… ’gotcha!’ – two drunken caterpillars gorging Club Med-style on a feast of juicy leaves. Party’s over boys.

caterpillar poo trail

The Perfect camouflage: no wonder I couldn’t find them

how fat are they?

Hasta La Vista Baby!

Edible Balcony Update - Red Peppers sprout

dearindira2013 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:39:00 +0000

For non-foodie gardeners these edible garden updates must be like watching paint dry. A new green shoot, the first flower, the first sign of life… it all gets me quite excited. I know - I should get out more.

The Italian Red Pepper seeds I planted two weeks ago sprouted yesterday.

They’ll only be room in this pot for about four red pepper plants so I will monitor how the seedlings develop and keep the strongest looking four and pull out the rest. Hopefully that way I’ll get the biggest, tastiest crop!

Edible Balcony - vegie update

dearindira2013 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Well, everything seems to have erupted in unison. The vegies are ripening and the herbs and sprouts are throwing up new shoots. The plants can taste summer in the air. I’ve nipped the top shoots off both tomato plants so all the plants’ energy will be directed towards sweetening up the fruit not producing more leaves.

The first large Tub Tom tomato turned blush pink yesterday

I’m looking forward to comparing the taste of these to the cherry variety in the next pot

How long is this branch of Tiny Tom tomatoes? Must be at least 25 fruit on this branch alone.

..good enough to eat

…and lots more to ripen..

The carrots are a little crowded. I should have followed the planting instructions a little more closely.

the first beetroot is peeking through

The basil seedlings I planted on Melbourne Cup Day have already doubled in size

I can taste that minty aniseed flavour….

I planted some Italian coriander seeds that I picked up in the greengrocer two weeks ago. They are already delicious salad sprouts.

The rainbow silverbeet is my bottomless ‘pot of porridge’. I harvest leaves every week.

Here’s one of my favourite simple recipes using silverbeet…

Rainbow Silverbeet with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

Recipe

1 bunch of washed silverbeet with stalks

1 small brown onion

1 garlic clove

1/2 tspn mustard seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

200g freshly roasted walnuts, roughly chopped

100g gorgonzola or similar blue cheese

Directions:

Roll silverbeet leaves and stalks into a log and shred finely. Slice onion finely and chop garlic.

Heat olive oil in a frypan. Add onions and fry gently on low heat until translucent. Add mustard seeds and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until both fragrant. Add silverbeet stalks first and cook for a few minutes. Then add silverbeet leaves and cook until leaves collapse.Add seasoning. May need to add a little water at this stage so leaves don’t dry out. Toss in chopped walnuts. Serve immediately on a plate and sprinkle with gorgonzola crumbs.

Edible Balcony Update - First Ripe Tomato

dearindira2013 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:24:00 +0000

Well, the tomato plants went in on August the 26th and at last some fruit have that first blush of colour! The tiny toms are ripening quite quickly after that burst of heat on Melbourne Cup Day. The larger variety of Tub Toms obviously still have a way to go before they’ll be ready to be picked.

Tom Thumb tomatoes on the left and the larger Tub Toms on the right

My first tomatoes are just starting to colour up…

how good do they look? But will they pass the taste test?…

Edible Balcony - Melbourne Cup plantings

dearindira2013 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Am I the only person in Australian not thinking about the Melbourne Cup today? Possibly it’s sourgrapes. I have to finish a presentation today and won’t be going to any glamourous lunches … won’t even be part of an office sweep. Very un-Australian. Instead I will be watching my new tenants settle into their home. I’ve been reading that you get the best vegetables by growing them from seed rather than seedlings. Most of my plants are from seedlings so I thought I’d sow some seeds from a delicious Italian red pepper variety. I also potted some basil seedlings not seeds because I couldn’t wait that long to pick fresh basil leaves!

Corno Rosso – Italian Red Peppers

I love this pepper chargrilled and served with a sharp fetta cheese

No sign of life yet

I like using these fibreglass containers because they’re lightweight (unlike terracotta) and the dark colour really sets off the green foliage.

lots of basil .. but no Mr Fawlty

I’ve used the best nursery potting mix I could source and mixed in some organic mulch to give the basil plants more nutrients and thus better flavour.

You put basil in the ratatouille!

I love basil in homemade pesto, on bruschetta with fresh tomato and when I have a good bunch I’m going to trial a recipe I came across in delicious. magazine for a basil ice-cream.

Edible balcony update - 8 weeks

dearindira2013 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:17:00 +0000

from right to left: rainbow silverbeet, beetroot, carrots, tiny tom tomatoes, tom thumbs tomatoes

Well, it’s been 8 weeks since most of my herbs and vegie seedlings went in. Looking back I’m really lucky I planted during a freak summer burst at the end of winter. That warm weather gave the plants a little pick me up and helped them establish good resistance before the insect and weather attacks. As the weather warms they are requiring watering every second day – the tomatoes need a drink every day. I fertilize with a seaweed fertilizer once a fortnight.

clockwise: parsley, mint, rosemary, oregano, thyme, tub tom tomatoes, tom thumbs tomatoes

This little corner doesn’t get quite as much sunlight as the rest of the balcony so the herb plants aren’t quite as robust .The tomatoes, on the other hand, seem to be thriving but I hope its not just all leaves!

tub tom tomatoes

I’ve counted about 100 tomatoes on this bush with at least another 100 flowers so this variety looks as though it may be a prolific fruiter. Let’s hope so.

tom thumb tomatoes

This variety isn’t as prolific a fruiter. Interestingly instead of the usual flower clusters it producers long branches of fruit.

sugar snap peas

I threw these sugar snap peas in with the tub tom variety. We’re having these sweet crunchy pods in our salads most nights.

carrots and beetroot

beetroot leaves

I am really regretting putting the carrots and beetroot seedlings in the same pot. Even though they are a dwarf variety they are very cramped and I won’t be getting many vegies.

rainbow silverbeet

The rainbow siverbeet is my favourite baby. Prolific, robust, delicious fresh or cooked, and looks so pretty

curry leaf tree

The curry leaf tree is now touching the balcony roof. Still covered with beautiful white flowers which are slowing turning into dark berries. I gave the curry leaf tree a little extra nitrogen and phosphate dissolved in water to help the extra leaf growth.

Study in Leaf

dearindira2013 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:06:00 +0000

All yesterday’s talk about pure and natural and organic got me thinking about how difficult it is to connect with nature in the urban jungle we call home.

Watching my edible balcony grow every day gives me a joy and a sense of well-being that I get from few other activities. It’s nurturing, it’s meditative, it’s restorative – it’s life unfolding before your very eyes. It’s also a good way to mark the passage of time… from day to night, winter to spring you realise time doesn’t fly it ebbs and flows with grace and purpose.

Today I took a little more time than usual to look closely at my little green neighbours and realised what a wonder a simple leaf is. Not only is it the engine house for most plants’ food production but its form and architecture are quite simply a thing of beauty. And without them, we couldn’t survive on this planet.(and yes, I did remember to take my pills today…!)

Rainbow silverbeet

sugar snap pea

rocket

mint

oregano

carrot

beetroot

curry leaf

thyme

parsley

tomato

Edible balcony update - Oct 15th

dearindira2013 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:21:00 +0000

My edible balcony through the leaves of the Curry Leaf Tree

Tiny Tom Thumbs are flowering prolificly and I’ve counted about fifty fruit. The plant is about two metres high.

The larger Tub Tom variety has survived a caterpillar infestation (just) and is developing some strong looking fruit. The plant is about 1 1/2 metres high.

The baby beetroots are just peeking through.

The baby carrots have been affected by tight confines and are still very small.

Sugar snap peas are healthy although only about 20 flowers so far.

I’m harvesting the rainbow silverbeet regularly. The leaves are crisp and flavoursome.

The morning sun shining through the red-veined leaves.

Parsley is still small. I will move it into a sunnier spot.

Bugilicious

dearindira2013 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:27:00 +0000

As well as growing some healthy tomato plants, I discovered yesterday that – unbeknownst to me – I have also been raising a little colony of caterpillars. They’ve been sampling the delights of my edible garden as well. Even 13 floors up insects are amazing colonisers!

Edible balcony update - October

dearindira2013 — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Well I’m very happy with how the greens and herbs are thriving. I’m watering them every second day or so and fertilizing them with liquid seaweed once a fortnight. Only a few bug invasions which a couple of douses of Pest Oil quickly sorted out. This basket of balcony produce is off to my mother-in-laws – it contains rainbow silverbeet, sugar snap peas and tendrils, basil, parsley, rocket, rosemary, thyme and curry leaves.

The balcony basil looked so good it inspired me to make a Grand Final pizza.

Recipe

Pizza Dough (makes 2 x 16cm x 32cm rectangular pizzas)

4 cups plain flour

1 x 7g sachet dried yeast

2 level teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/4 water (a mixture of half boiling and half cold)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the cnetre. Combine the water and oil, then pour into the well. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until most of the flour is incorporated, then use your hands to mix until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for ten minutes. Put in a lightly greased bowl, brush the top with a little warm water, cover with a greased plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 35 minutes.

Punch down the dough and knead on a lightly floured board for about 1 minute. Divide in half and roll each out to a 16cm x 32cm rectangle (about 4cm thick) or into rounds to fit pizza pans (or freeze half the dough for future use – which is what I usually do!)

Topping

Your favourite tomato sauce

Meredith’s marinated goats cheese

chargrilled red peppers sliced

half a white onion finely sliced

grating of fresh parmigiano reggiano

and MY BASIL LEAVES

Vegetable blooms

dearindira2013 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Just because you’re growing edible plants it doesn’t mean your garden will miss out on colour or gorgeous flowers. Here are a few delights from my balcony.

sunflower-yellow tomato blossoms

Delicate white four-petalled flowers from the rocket

Bushy white clusters on the Curry Leaf Tree

The candy-coloured stalks of the rainbow silverbeet

White slipper-like flowers on the sugarsnap pea vines

Edible balcony update - First tomato

dearindira2013 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:29:00 +0000

Well in only five weeks my first little green tomato on the ’Pot Tom’ has appeared from its flower bud. I think it’s going to be a whopper!

Edible Balcony Update - September 2009

dearindira2013 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:59:00 +0000

Well it’s been four weeks since the new herbs and vegetables went in. Thanks to record warm weather in Sydney they look like I’ve been feeding them steroids! We’re already using the basil, rocket and young rainbow silverbeet shoots in salads. I’ve used the rosemary for my Roman baked lamb dish, curry leaves in a yellow lamb curry with fragrant basmati rice and mint in a refreshing mojito cocktail!

The baby carrots and mini-beetroots are doing well although as they grow I regret not putting them in a larger pot. They are not going to have the space to develop fully I fear.

This soft leaf rocket is absolutely moorish with a mild peppery taste. I think I may put some more in since we’re eating it faster than it can grow.

The rainbow silverbeet is going off. I’m harvesting the leaves while they are youngish so we can eat them raw in salads. The multi-coloured stalks look like pieces of candy stick.

My two tomato varieties are flowering now. The bushy Tub Toms on the right are throwing off more flowers in a compact shrub. The cherry tomato variety on the left, the Tom Thumb variety, is sprouting wide leaves with only a few flower stems but still seems to be doing well.

The Curry Leaf tree has been lapping up the warm weather and has about 8 new branches of sprouts with many ornamental berry clusters just showing.

The parsley and mint are enjoying their little corner

Stay tuned for your next report from Farmer Naidoo in October.

Vegies With a View

dearindira2013 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:38:00 +0000

A happier balcony for vegetables to thrive on I cannot imagine. Warm north-facing sunlight all day, cool harbour breezes and a view (if they could see) to die for.
With the unseasonally warm weather continuing in Sydney I’ve potted some more vegetables and herbs.
There are some wonderful new varieties of miniature vegetables available at nurseries these days. These are a perfect solution for small-space gardening. The purple leafed seedlings are baby beetroot and the green fern-like leaves are baby carrots.

I’ve used some traditional terracotta pots to plant some garden staples – continental parsley and common mint. It’s important to keep mint in a separate pot as it can run riot.

Spring has Sprung

dearindira2013 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:38:00 +0000

I’m a huge advocate of grow-your-own organic, pesticide-free vegies. I know it’s challenging especially when you live in the city in a high-rise apartment with just a small balcony or window-ledge. But herbs and vegetables need remarkably little room and as long as you have a few hours of sun each day you can tailor your crop to suit your space restrictions. Nothing tastes as good as fresh hand-picked rocket or tomatoes and you’ll be saving yourself money at the same time!

With Spring just around the corner I’ve cleared out the remnants of my winter vegetable crops and put in some sunny greens and herbs. Emptying out old pots and refilling them with fresh potting mix, blood and bone and chicken manure (if you’re lucky enough to have some handy) is back-breaking work. Skip your gym workout one day, dedicate your morning to planting instead and watch your little babies bloom into delicious produce..hhhmmmmmmm…

First plantings: Tom Thumb tomatoes, sweet basil, peas, and rocket. To give my seedlings an extra boost I’ve used a nursery quality potting mix, blood and bone fertilizer and chicken manure.

I should have my first tomato crop in about eight weeks’ time. I can just picture it now….toasted sourdough rubbed with a cut garlic clove, thick sweet slices of tomato, a few aniseed-flavoured basil leaves, cracked black pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Winter Tomato Harvest

dearindira2013 — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:31:00 +0000

Well here it is folks! Our winter harvest of sweet delicious Tiny Tim tomatoes from our high-rise balcony. Not many I know but three good handfuls is not to be sniffed at! Even though we’ve had a cooler winter than we usually have in Sydney, there have been some unseasonally warm days that gave these luscious red rubies the extra sun they needed to ripen. I was very happy with this variety even though they were not supposed to attract fruit fly and they did.

And now how to eat them?….I think we may toss them through a fresh salad or make some tomato tarte tatins.

Edible balcony update - Feathered friends

dearindira2013 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:57:00 +0000

The unexpected advantage of having greenery on your balcony is the visitors who drop by. This pair of rainbow lorikeets ocassionally pops in in the mornings to play see-saw on the branches of my curry leaf tree!

My Edible Balcony

dearindira2013 — Sat, 30 May 2009 22:50:00 +0000

I’ve set myself a challenge to see if I can live my sustainability ideals.
I’m giving myself ONE YEAR to convert my 13th floor 30m square apartment balcony into a herb and vegetable garden that can feed 2 people all year round!
Fortunately I am blessed with a north-facing aspect ( good sun throughout the year), a greenhouse-like glass wall to trap the heat and a harbour view to entice me outside to do the gardening!
There are currently 10 herbs and vegetables flourishing on my balcony, and space – I think – for at least 20 more.
Over the next few months I will update you with my successes and failures, frustrations and breakthroughs and detail the dishes and meals I will create from my ‘floating urban vegie patch’. Take a look at my current tenants…..

Curry Leaf Tree

My two-metre high Curry Leaf Tree is my proudest achievement. Rescued by my husband from near pest-annihilation 6 months ago, it is now thriving with dozens of verdant branches. In fact, it is so prolific we have even given several branches to our friend Kham who runs the Arun Thai restaurant across the road! Despite its name you don’t make curry powder from curry leaves. The leaves are used as an aromatic ( like bay leaves) when making curries, pilafs and other Asian dishes. The fragrance is intoxicating! The leaves freeze well in a plastic bag.

Italian rocket

My little pot of rocket is a magic porridge pot of non-stop leaves. This crop was planted 6 months ago from seed and gives us a daily supply of salad leaves. In Italy this variety grows like a weed along road-sides and railway tracks. Hardy with delicious peppery leaves.

Russian sage

My sage plant is almost four years old and, now that it is winter, it’s sending out beautiful lilac flowers. It’s also a rapid grower and I will probably need to re-pot it soon. I have some sweet basil tucked in here too.

Tiny Tim Tomatoes and Italian Basil

Unbelievably this tomato shrub was planted last Dec 2008 and is flowering for a second time in winter! This is a delicious variety which we use in salads and tomato sauces. I companion-planted some Italian basil to supposedly keep away white fly but that didn’t work! We use the basil leaves in salads and to make fragrant pesto.

Rosemary

Rosemary is such a hardy herb and a survivor of many gardening abuses. Just don’t water it too much. This variety grows in a cascade rather than straight up and would be a perfect rockery or ground cover herb because of its coverage. I use this for baked lambs or as herb skewers on the BBQ.
Oregano and Thyme

My oregano and thyme are doing well in a window box in the corner of the balcony. They can be thrown into just about any dish from meat, vegetables and eggs for an extra earthy pick-me-up.

Parsley

This needs urgent re-potting into a larger container! Freshly picked parsley is one of life’s taste sensations and will lift any dish.