Garden Basics.

Some gardening books have titles such as The Complete Book of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs, which, to me, feels like they are attempting the near-impossible task of providing a ‘how to’ for every single plant ever grown and eaten in the history of humankind. For the new gardener who simply wants to master the art of growing oregano or manage to keep a kaffir lime alive, we’ve narrowed it down a little. In this handbook, we’ve kept things simple and focused on 40 plants that we’ve grown ourselves in various urban landscapes, such as courtyards, backyards, rooftops, balconies, verges and green walls. We’ve chosen these plants because they’ve worked well for us and are the usual suspects on our dinner plates. For somebody starting their own urban garden who enjoys cooking with seasonal fresh produce, I think this collection of plants and recipes is the perfect starting point.

As this is an edible gardening handbook, it features recipes showcasing the plant you’ve just successfully harvested – bringing the produce to the plate without the need for a whole stack of other ingredients. You’ll find snacks, jams, pickles, smoothies, cakes, cocktails and other sweet and savoury goodies to enjoy all year round. Relishing the fresh flavours of homegrown food is the best way to reward yourself for growing the produce you would normally buy anyway.

There are many different seeds, seedlings and established plants available at your local nursery or online suppliers. If you fancy a particular variety of radish, chilli or kale, then have a go at growing it. Maybe try two or more varieties so you can compare the growing success and taste the nuances between them. Try your hand at growing some of the wonderful old vegetables available – heirloom vegies have a unique story, appearance and flavour. One of my favourite ways to source seeds is to ask my neighbours for seeds saved from herbs and vegies that grew and fruited well in our local conditions.

We aren’t chefs but we love our cooking, so we wanted to share our garden-to-plate accomplishments with you in the hope you’ll enjoy some of the same satisfaction that we do. We created these recipes with sustainability in mind – there’s a lot of preserving and stockpiling for months ahead, and using up what we have rather than heading to the shops for just a couple of items. We provide alternative herb or vegetable selections so the recipes are flexible and fun, even if you don’t have all the ingredients.

For me, the art of cooking is like being on a wave – you’re in the moment, making do with all the skills you have (or don’t have!), because every meal and every wave is completely unique. Nothing’s better than the gut feeling that it’s all coming together in the kitchen – the ingredients are fresh and fusing well, the timing is right and the taste is more than you had imagined. It’s about being smart and practical with what you’ve got and getting to know each plant along its entire journey from germination to consumption.