I went to the Melbourne show today. The show is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria. I’ve been going to the show for years, ever since I was a kid, so I have seen how it has changed over the years. When I was really young the show very much emphasised animals, produce and farm machinery – it played up its agricultural origins. Over the years it has gradually commercialised with rides and showbags becoming more prominent. This year though I was really pleased with the amount of vegetable gardens they had throughout the venue. They may not have had as many chooks, sheep, turkeys or tractors as I would have liked but at least they had lots of veggies.
Sadly my garden beds are less prolific that the portable ones they had at the show. I am still waiting for my broad beans and kohlrabi to develop, but at least the radishes have matured. I love easter egg radishes. These I ate with a sprinkling of Mount Zero pink lake salt. I am experimenting with salts at the moment. I’d be interested to know if people think that one salt is very much like any other or whether there is a discernible difference between them.
Speaking of salt – I’m thinking I might try cooking these potatoes in salt like they do in the Canary Islands. They are Kipfler and I grew them in big pots over winter. The harvest was meagre but better than nothing I guess…..
The other new crop I harvested this week was beetroot. Sadly all my photos of them were really badly over exposed (tedious camera issues).
Otherwise it was more of the same this week, and that means lots and lots of green leaves:
I am harvesting large amounts of parsley, watercress, lettuce (particularly the oak leaf varieties), and wild rocket as well as the occasional bit of coriander and oregano.
At least I can eat lots of leaves whilst I plant out my tomatoes and dream of the kind of harvests they are getting in the Northern Hemisphere. To check them out head over to Daphne’s Dandelions.
I love agricultural shows, especially the small ones in the rural towns! Cant advise on salt… but those little radishes look perfect. And I want a bowl full of those potatoes now, with olive oil and salt ( of a kind that you recommend!).
Your potatoes might not be prolific, but they look tasty anyway. The radishes are gorgeous colours – I really should try that variety.
Your radishes look like perfect specimens. Why aren’t mine like that?! The ones I grew in the Spring were great, but my Late Summer ones are no good at all – mostly bolted, and even the ones which did form a bulb are woody (and nibbled beyond acceptability by something, possibly slugs).
I tried some pink salt once (from somewhere in the Himalayas I think), but wasn’t impressed. Difficult to use, and tasted just the same as “ordinary” salt.
That is a lovely basket of greens. I have to go out and pick some salad greens soon. I haven’t had a salad in a while. I keep picking my cooking greens, but forget about my salad greens.
Your radishes and potatoes look lovely! Yours will be picking up production in no time I am sure.
Can’t help with the slat as we don’t use much of it at all. As or our harvests north of the equator soon they will be no more and we will be envying yours.
Your potatoes look very good – I’d be interested to hear how you get on if you do try cooking them in the Canary Island style, it’s something I’d like to do because I quite fancy having a go at making the mojo verde sauce to go with them.
Love the idea of baking potatoes in salt, and yours look perfect for doing that! We’ve just dug up our own potatoes, not a terribly robust harvest — makes me awfully glad we have local farmers to fill in the gap…
Well it’s a 100% more than I’m harvesting right now, in fact I’m not even planting, boo. Love the radishes.
I should try baking potatoes in salt, will search the internet for ideas. Forgot to sow oakleaf lettuce for the fall planting, too late now. Your greens look lovely.
Patience, your garden is ramping up and soon enough we northern denizens will be envying your harvest and you will be enjoying it. I tried watermelon radishes after seeing yours and they all bolted. Then I read the instructions (duh) that said they will bolt if you plant them in the spring. So I do have some now for fall, hope I get at least one to try.
Yes but you are going into Spring and green growing things now! It’s an exciting time to garden! Your greens and radishes look so tasty and healthy and I’d love a batch of potatoes like yours!
With raddish, I suggest you sprinkle a small amount of black salt which can be picked up from any Indian grocery store. It smells not so great but goes so very well with raddish.
Oooooo – Black salt – sounds good.