Want to make a beetroot salad?

Having picked our lovely fresh beetroot while still small, I made the following salad. You might like to try it and let us know what you think!

INGREDIENTS

Bunch small sized beetroot (enough for your hungry friends, say 4-6 small ones each).

Zest of half an orange.

Juice of half an orange (double if making large salad).

Handful of fresh flat leaf parsley.

Half handful of fresh mint.

Good feta cheese (goats feta is ideal), depending on your taste for cheesiness.

Good light olive oil.

Red wine vinegar (optional).

Salt and cracked black pepper for seasoning.

METHOD

Clean beetroot add to saucepan with water and sprinkle of salt and bring to a gentle boil. Cook until just soft when pierced.

Drain and rinse with cold water. At this point you can gently rub off the outer skin, but I don't bother.

Add to salad bowl with orange juice and zest, olive oil, crumbled feta and herbs. Mix gently and check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Just prior to serving you could add a light sprinkle of red wine vinegar.

Serve immediately and enjoy!!



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You say potato...

A work colleague asked me why her potatoes were hollow in the middle with a dry black soot inside. I suggested it might be a nutrient deficiency. It prompted me to look up potato problems and this is what I found.

Hollow heart occurs when potatoes grow too fast because as a result of too much water or too much fertilizer. Cavity can be discolored and lined with powdery decay, verticillium fungus. Cut away the brown areas before using. Fertilize plants early when tubers are about to form. Avoid planting varieties that develop hollow heart: Chippewa, Katahdin, Mohawk, Irish Cobbler, Sequoia, Russet, White Rose.

This webpage also covers a range of other problems, although not in great depth.

As always I checked the Gardening Australia website, but alas nothing specific about potato problems. Then I found this PDF (American), which again is somewhat general, but gets you on the right track to ask your local nursery about some solutions, depending on your problem.



Our potatoes in tubs have popped up nicely and look healthy and green. I just hope hollow heart won't be a factor, as the tubs contain a good deal of compost. I guess we'll just have to see.

By the way, if you're looking for a way to grow potatoes in a small space, you might like to see what Josh Byrne set up; it's a potato cage!

Catch-up planting for Spring

Simon bought some tomato seedlings this week: a black Russian, beef steak and some Roma seedlings. We've popped them in with a light sprinkling of lime.

Also got some potatoes going. We ran out of garden space so have 3 tubers in a foam box and a plastic crate! Hopefully they'll do okay.



Planted them with lots of compost and sugarcane mulch. Am hoping they won't be "overcooked" and end up with hollow, black centres! We shall see.

I have also just planted some marigold seeds around our orchard trees - apple, plums, olive. A good companion plant that brings in helpful bugs.

The weather is starting to heat up now with this week in the high 20s to 30s.

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Mulching up a swale

Did a bit more mulching today and Simon built up a swaleso as to catch more run-off especially around the gate.

The are doing so well we've done a second lot of divide-and-transplant with them. They look fab!

Here's a little pic outlining the swale.

Tomorrow is another sunny day!

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Understanding horseradish

Here's our first piece of harvested horseradish! Our friends John and Jess gave us this horseradish to look after and it's doubled in size in about twelve months. The smell is amazing! It's quite herbacious compared to the processed kind. I read that the longer you let a cut piece oxidize, the more fiery the taste.

I also found a cranberry relish recipe which uses a bit of horseradish, so will give that a go. Ah, that nose-clearing sensation!