What is Choko? Chokos (aka chayote) are amongst the most prolific, versatile and healthful vegetables you can grow. Uncommon in shops and stores, chokos are a traditional staple in many warm temperate and subtropical home gardens. The fruits’ crisp texture and mild flavour lends itself to roasting whole or adding to soups, stews and sweet dishes,
From basil to rosemary to coriander and everything in between, fresh herbs are like fragrant treasures that add depth and complexity to dishes, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. They are fantastic to have in the garden, attracting beneficial pollinators to vegetable plants, adding visual interest and filling the air with sweet scents. At the
What is a Wicking Bed? A wicking bed is a type of self-watering raised garden bed that is both water-saving and time-efficient. It has a water reservoir at the bottom and growing medium (soil) on the top, which are separated by a layer of fabric. This allows the plant roots to ‘wick’ water up as
Gall wasp is a problem to all types of citrus trees in many parts of Australia. Whether you grow limes, lemons, oranges, finger limes or hybrids, this common pest can infiltrate and damage your precious fruit trees without you even realising it. Originating in the subtropical northern NSW-seQLD area, this is a pest that you
Dogbane (Plectranthus caninus) is a semi-succulent perennial herb from the mint family which is native to South Africa. Despite not being edible, dogbane has numerous uses in a home food garden and is considered a valuable pioneer support plant by permaculturists. Tough, low-maintenance, fast-growing yet not invasive, dogbane might just be your newest garden go-to!
With the ever-changing retail landscape and growth of online shopping, local nurseries are no longer omnipresent. So for beginner gardeners in particular, the path to a glorious home orchard might not be clear. It can be hard to know where to buy from and which varieties will be best for you. The visual appeal of
It’s wonderful to have a mature mango tree in full fruit on your property. In fact, nothing says ‘summer’ quite like it. Mangoes are a large, beautiful tree to have in any backyard, and they have a multitude of benefits. Aside from the free fruit, they’re strong enough to support childrens swings, fun for kids
When you first start growing your own food, the excitement is real. So much so, that it can be hard to wait for your first harvest! But it’s easy to start eating from your own backyard quickly, if you sow the right crops. Here are our favourite 6 crops you can harvest in under 30
When you first start vegetable gardening, the path to successful crops isn’t always clear. There’s a steep learning curve, especially when you’re starting your vegetables from seed. Variables like soil, watering, propagation, and maintenance can seem like minefields for the beginner. One technique that is critical to the success of any food garden, is potting
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 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
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
When it is cold and snowy outside, I always crave old-school Dutch dishes like this traditional stamppot. I grew up eating things like stamppot and splitpea soup during winter, and they will continue to be staples in my home. Meals that are wholesome plus easy to make, I think I will always keep making. Translating
Meet dragon fruit- a truly wonderful, delicious and exotic-looking tropical fruit that is easy to grow at home. With the texture of kiwifruit and the taste of lemonade, dragon fruit is a delightful addition to drinks and desserts (like our dragon fruit & finger lime sorbet), and of course, is fantastic eaten on its own.
This spinach & pumpkin lasagna is excellent yet unconventional. Taking inspiration from classic Italian cuisine and using ingredients I had on hand, this dish almost created itself. I like this style of cooking. Just seeing what is in my fridge, what I can use and creating a dish with my cooking instincts & intuition alone.
Welcome to winter in the humid subtropics- all three weeks of it. Okay that’s a local joke where I live (Brisbane, Australia), but it’s not far from the truth. The subtropics give us a specialised climate- one unlike any other. Most gardening information found online and in books is written for cool or temperate climates,
What is Okra? Technically, okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a fruit, but is perceived and eaten as a vegetable. The colour changes with the variety, and ranges from pale green to pink to dark maroon. A heat-loving, low-care crop that thrives in strong sun and humidity, okra does best in subtropical and tropical gardens (if you’re
So many of us have come to live in subtropical climate areas from colder, more mild regions. Naturally, we have grown up eating traditional European vegetables, so when we become gardeners, those are what we try to grow. We soon realise that those veggies aren’t so compatible with humid subtropical conditions, and that we need
Lovage needs to make a comeback! There, I’ve said it. But I won’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of lovage- we don’t see it in grocery stores, we rarely see it in recipes, and the plants are hard to find. To me, plants that are low-care perennials which put a lot of food on
If you are like Mark and have more pumpkins than you know what to do with, this pumpkin and carrot puree is a very nice recipe to try. Unfortunately I’m not that lucky- I only ever seem to grow one pumpkin per plant. And sometimes even that pumpkin is as small as my hand, even
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.
