Today is a public holiday, for the Queen’s birthday no less. I’ve always found it mildly amusing that we get a day off here, in the colonies, but they don’t in the motherland. Shame, he he he…. Actually I used to be something of a republican but to be honest I’d don’t feel strongly enough about it these days to even call myself that. Besides I would miss the holiday…. we could rename it Snow Day I guess, as this weekend is also the opening of the Ski Season here in Australia. If you’ve been skiing elsewhere in the world then skiing in Australia is something of a disappointment – very short and limited runs – but if you haven’t then its fun to play in the white stuff, as long as it stays on the mountains and away from my garden that is.
Speaking of gardens, I guess I should actually tell you about this weeks harvests which have been rather fun. Anyone who read yesterdays post will know I harvested ginger:
I also harvested turmeric:
And continuing the root theme I emptied the horseradish pot:
I used some of the horseradish in a horseradish and yoghurt dressing I made for a beetroot salad. I also used some of the ginger and turmeric in a South Indian chicken curry I made this evening.
I did a fair bit of gardening maintenance this weekend, including finally pulling out the eggplants, which although they may have given me another eggplant or two, were casting too much shade on my brassicas.
Pictured with the eggplants are my second ever orange and some absolutely tiny raddichios. I was hoping for much bigger heads but the outer leaves had started to rot and I was concerned the whole lot would be ruined it I didn’t pull them now.
Aside from the ever present silver beet – which I have failed to photograph this week, my most regularly harvested crop was parsley. This week I used it in stock, salads, pasta sauce and a pie.
Fruitwise there were more tamarillos:
And greenwise there were herbs, celery
and loads of lettuce:
Thats it for me this week, but others will have more, lots more, so head over to Daphne’s Dandelions and have a look.
Lovely harvests. I am amazed that you have grown ginger and tumeric here. I must try that too!
I really recommend it – aside from anything else its fun! I still haven’t had success with galangal though – that is my next project.
Congratulations on the success of your ginger, looks gorgeous. I wonder if anything is happening with my potted ginger? I don’t dare disturb it.
Do you save some of your tumeric for next season planting?
Tried growing raddichio years ago and was not happy with the results, trying again this year.
I will save some of the turmeric – I think I’ll save it from the bits I pull last and that way it wont have to be stored as long.
Am growing ginger for the first time… your harvests look really good… and the horseradish… hmm, this is beyond my scope… I salute you…
The horseradish is one of the most vigorous things I grow so having seen your wonderful crops I am sure it is well within your scope!
What interesting harvests this week. I am trying to grow some ginger in a pot in my greenhouse but so far it’s been a bust. I just don’t think we get warm enough for it. Not sure how long I should wait before abandoning the project and using that pot for something else more productive.
I had some not come up until late December (so late June for you) so perhaps leave it awhile – if you dig up the rhizome you should be able to see if its sprouted.
I think your radicchio look great. Small but crunchy! Can’t wait to start mine next month. What variety is it?
Its called Chicory – Red Palla Rossa and I bought it from Green Harvest. I did sow it a bit later than the seed packet suggests so perhaps thats why the heads were so small.
You’ve inspired me to try ginger (even though we get a bit of frost here). But I reckon if I can grow the ornamental gingers, then I’m in with a chance. I don’t mean the gorgeous fragrant yellow ‘false ginger’ (which I also grow) but the one’s that are a bit more ginger-like in their growth habits. Horseradish is also something I’d like to try. So many possibilities! So little time (and space)!
Pots, just get more pots (actually I’ve been banned from buying any more pots as my partner finds them unsightly – like he’d know….) I found both easy and I also found both grew well in shade which does make it a bit easier for me to find space for them.
I always had/have lots of pots everywhere with a variety of things – herbs, succulents, ‘specimen’ plants etc. I was so particular about how my backyard looked (a little cottage-y and wild with lots of roses) and I took pride in grouping attractive pots together and blending everything aesthetically. A black plastic pot on display? Unsightly bird netting? Garden stakes? Never!
But now, having developed my veggie growing obsession, it’s all about the growing and less about the aesthetics (though I can’t help myself and I still try to tweak ‘the look’, where I can).
Whether it’s a good thing or not, I’ve got no one looking over my shoulder so I can do whatever I damned-well like, really!!
…and I’ve got spare pots lurking behind the shed, they will be put to good use with your inspiration. Thanks.
I do struggle with unsightly bird netting but I’ve come to love black plastic and tomato stakes – although I might try cages next year – I think they can be quite asthetically pleasing (with lots of green around them).
I can’t find the ‘invisible’ netting in the shops, only the stark white. I understand the ‘invisible’ one is not readily available now because birds can’t see it and can become entangled more easily. I love birds (and feed a variety of wild ones) but sheesh, couldn’t they look where they are going so I’m not the one who has to compromise??
Very rude of them indeed. Its just so hard having to put up with these ‘lesser’ species…
Happy holiday 🙂 We have several horseradish plants which we have never dared harvesdue to horror stories – maybe we should be brave!
Go on..she says foolishly – I grew mine in the ground last year and have spent the past year weeding out various bits of left over root that have sprouted. I thought I’d got pretty much all the root too. Having said that they are pretty easy to identify and weed out so its not the worst thing to deal with – as long as you get them all early.
Great week with nice variety!
I was so excited about growing ginger, the turmeric is a whole other level! I only know it as a dried spice — do you use the root fresh, like ginger? Brilliant idea to grow the horseradish in a pot… I feel my colony of potted plants expanding…
I do use turmeric fresh and generally substitute it for the dried at a rate of 1 tsp finely chopped for 1/2 tsp powdered. I do really enjoy it. I can’t believe how well the horseradish worked in a pot – it was in a pot with a 35cm diameter and I think to get a decent sized tap root it probably needs at least that.
Your harvests look great! I must try to grow ginger as I use lots of it fresh in stirfrys and other Asian-based dishes. Your comment on the Queen’s birthday made me curious, so after a little Googling I discovered that her actual birthday is April 21st. Her official birthday varies but is usually May-June. All the Commonwealth countries celebrate it on different days and I read on one site that Western Australia celebrates it in Sept/Oct, not in June with the rest of the country… Is that really true?
Do you know I only found out the WA celebrate it on a different day this year – my friend had to fly there for work and she worked on Monday – funny eh. I didnh’t realise her actual birthday was in April – I knew we didn’t celebrate on her birthday but I never though to find out when hers was.
Beautiful harvest, not bad for the start of winter. Your root crops are intriguing. I’m sure your ginger root is going to be superior to any you can buy at the market, so that negates any loss. The horseradish reminded me that decades ago horseradish was such a valuable crop (due to the large US German population) that there was a commodity market for it. Horseradish was bought and sold by the ton on the St. Louis Commodity Exchange which set the price of horseradish for the US.
That is absolutely fascinating, and amazing especially considering how easy I found it to grow.
Yeah, OK, you can gloat about one Public Holiday – but WE had a 4-day Jubilee Weekend! (And it rained non-stop throughout it.)
Nice harvest BTW. I have very little harvestable at present – except for the Asparagus which keeps on producing a handful of spears every few days, a little salad and of course the herbs… New potatoes should be ready in a week or two though.
Ah yes the jubilee weekend – I saw a bit of the concert on the telly – Gee Robbie Williams has aged. Got to love new potatoes.
I had no idea what turmeric looked like. I learned something!
Glad I could enlighten you. Its interesting, it isn’t nearly as yellow as I thought it would be – more a an orange colour so I don’t know if its the same variety that is usually dried or not.
Ah, lettuce. Yes, you’ve definitely moved into the cool season! BEAUTIFUL lettuce, BTW!
I am really appreciating lettuce this year, so many types, so many textures and flavours.
Your ginger did more than mine ever did. I do need to give it another try sometime, I guess. I often see fresh turmeric root in my favorite Asian market but never know what to do with it. Any ideas, other than a curry? And how does the taste compore to the dried powder?
It isn’t as pungent as the powder and tastes fresher if that makes sense. I do use it mainly for curries and stir fries but I also rub fish in it, lime juice and a bit of chilli and salt before frying it – really really nice.
I think the fresh herbs are the thing I miss the most from my garden, I think I should at least get that part going again. I always find your garden inspirational.
How weird we get the Queen’s Birthday, I wonder if that has more to do with our need for holidays, we do seem to love them. I like the idea of Snow Day.
I think you should do herbs, definitely, especially things like thyme, rosemary & oregano that requried next to no maintenance.
what fun to grow ginger and tumeric! never thought about tumeric as I rarely use it. I do have a couple ginger roots in a pot; waiting to see signs of life, they seem to go soooo slowly! What a lovely harvest you have this week.
Mine went really slowly at first – its really only been since Febuary that they’ve looked like much at all.
Ooohhh…your second orange! How fantastic!!!
I know I feel very proud. It tasted better than the first too.
Love your roots! And that celery looks fab. The benefits of a La Nina year I guess? Nice thick juicy stems?
Actually I think the celery was better last year – but thats probably a time of planting thing.
I have to try growing ginger, just have to! If you can grow it in freezing Melbourne surely I can in Adelaide!? Looks awesome!
Melbourne’s living up to that description at the moment – it was really cold this morning. I think it would do well it Adelaide, my only reservation would be that despite the cold I think we are probably more humid than you and being tropical it might miss that. Definitely give it a try though.
I’m amazed that you managed to grow ginger and tumeric, I’ll definitely have to give it a go. My husband will be so excited, he cooks with those a lot, but I keep telling him that I can’t grow them in our garden. Perhaps I can…!
Yes definitely try – they take ages and need a fair bit of feeding and watering but otherwise they are really trouble free. I suspect it might be a lot cheaper to buy turmeric than grow it though – I’m going to Preston market this week so I’ll check out the price there.
What a great success with the ginger I think certainly worth it, I’d love to grow it but this week we have already had 4 frosts in a row( 2 quite heavy -3c)!
My little lemon tree(turning yellow) and 2 peppers under the veranda are already turning up their toes and their protected from the frost they just don’t like the cold.
I’m thinking pollytunnel……………..
OOOOO the polytunnel dream……nice…..My parents live up your way and although during summer the temperature difference isn’t that noticable it certainly is at this time of the year. The ginger might be OK if you harvested in before the first frost. I think it probably nedds about 6-8 months frost free growing time – if you have that it might work.
You are definitely the queen of root crops! I’d love to grow ginger and turmeric. I’ve got to try them next year. The neighbors trees are definitely becoming a shade problem in part of my garden, so I’m thinking that will be the perfect spot for ginger.
Your climate would be great for them i would have thought, so i do hope you give them a try.