Cake is the most delicious way to showcase fresh fruit from your own backyard- and when mulberries are in season, there’s never a shortage! This mulberry & lime zest drizzle cake is our take on the traditional lemon drizzle cake. It’s more substantial, incredibly moist, and has a perfect balance between sweet & zingy fruit.
Don’t get the wrong mental picture: this deceptively-named edible plant is in fact a green leafy vegetable. An ancient annual salad green native to southern Europe, its name came about because it would typically self-seeded in corn fields. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of Dutch corn salad- it is definitely a lesser-known edible.
We all know how good an authentic home-grown heirloom tomato is, so it’s no wonder that tomatoes are one of the most common plants in any home vegetable garden. But growing great produce is really only half of the self-sufficiency journey; we need to know how to use & preserve our harvests too. There are
A new take on an old favourite is always fun- but when the main ingredient comes from your own backyard, it’s even better! Blessed with a pest-free winter crop of custard apples, I’ve adapted the traditional teacake to allow the humble custard apple to shine. Custard apples are a fruit that many of us grew
We already know what a great food ginger is for its health and flavour qualities, but unfortunately it’s always expensive to buy. Growing your own ginger that you can preserve or eat as you like is much more cost effective- especially if you buy some rhizomes from a shop and plant them yourself. Here, we
Whether you need a snack on the go or are having friends over for a quick lunch, this delightfully tasty mushroom & thyme tart with rocket topping will hit the spot! Perfect to make when your rocket and herbs are at their best (for me in subtropical QLD, that’s winter), you just need to grab
There’s nothing like showcasing your favourite home-grown produce, and this simple braise does exactly that. Featuring the simple flavours of your organic tomatoes and fresh green beans, this tomato and green bean chicken braise is easy to make with your freshly-picked produce and a few pantry staples. There’s no point aiming for self-sufficiency if you
Tomatoes are at the top of every vegetable gardeners’ must-grow list. And while the plant itself grows easily enough, producing large, tasty fruit can be deceptively tricky. Here, we explain 5 ways to make your home-grown tomatoes taste better. Keep Them Out of The Fridge Cold is the mortal enemy of tomatoes. This is something
There’s nothing better than a low-calorie, quick, one-pot soup for a weeknight dinner…& it’s even better when you can pick most of the ingredients from your own backyard! Blessed with a big crop of leeks that were ready for harvest, I devised this hearty, filling soup that is super-simple and quick to make. A perfect
Lemons are one of the most versatile fruits on earth, so it’s no wonder a lemon tree is high on every gardeners must-have list. But once you get that wonderful lemon tree fruiting, you may well find yourself blessed with more lemons than you know what to do with! Luckily, lemons have an enormous array
It makes a lot of sense to preserve radishes so you can enjoy them at any time. Despite being quick and easy to grow, radishes don’t grow year-round in most climates. On top of that, oftentimes you’ll only want to use a little at a time. So it really does make sense to preserve them
Bring back the slice, I say- because this classic sweet treat is seriously underrated! A delight to serve to guests, perfect for lunchboxes & ravenous-teenager afternoon teas, lemon slice is an all-round winner. Easy to make and even easier to eat, the intense yet perfectly balanced flavours in this lemon slice simply melt in your
This oven-poached tarragon chicken is perfect in so many ways! It’s low-calorie, quick to make (hello weeknight dinners), heart-smart and very nutritious. Simple yet rich in flavour, it takes little more than popping a few ingredients in a dish and putting it in the oven. Based on home-made chicken stock with its wonderful comfort and
Vegetable gardening is so exciting when you first start, and there’s so much to think about. The beds, the soil, the plants, the growing, the sun, the watering, and so on. But what happens once you’ve got everything in place? How do you maintain it? How do you know what to do? Here, our 5
The taste and texture of these pumpkin, rosemary & poppy seed cake bites strike a perfect balance. Think swoon-worthy sweet pumpkin pie with a light crunch from the poppy seeds. Think perfectly moist cake that’s as easy to eat as a biscuit…they’re all that and more. Naturally, freshly-picked organic, home-grown ingredients give the best flavour.
Perilla is a herb from the mint family which is often called by its Japanese name, shiso. A staple in many Asian cuisines, perilla leaves have a unique flavour which is hard to put into words. They’re a bit minty, a bit aniseed, and a bit unlike anything else! The seeds are wonderful too: they
Originating in Mexico, corn is an ancient food whose popularity has not waned with time. Corn comes in a number of varieties and although formally called maize, it is known by many different names. These include popcorn, dent, flint, flour corn and heritage corn. The main type of corn most of us know and eat
This old-fashioned warming soup truly feeds both body and soul. Traditional lamb shank & barley soup is simple, yet full of wholesome goodness. It’s easy to make both in a slow cooker and on the stove; essentially, this is a meal that you prepare in the morning, let it cook, and it’ll be amazing by
This is the cheats way to make an amazing tasty pilaf- and it only takes half an hour! A pilaf (also called pilau) is a seasoned grain & vegetable dish, cooked in stock or broth, which may or may not include meat. Common throughout the Middle East and Latin America, pilafs usually include fresh garden
Whether as an entree at a dinner party or as a finger food appetiser, these chorizo-stuffed mushrooms are a tasty delight that will wow your friends! Full of flavour & delicious indulgence, chorizo-stuffed mushrooms are easy to make & can be prepared in advance. You can make them as small or as big as you
Self Sufficient Me is a blog about self-sustainment by growing our own produce (plant/animal), and self-fulfilment by looking after our health (physical/mental) through exercise and slowing life down a little.
