Last year Dr Anna Robinson was a winner in our broad beans giveaway and she invited us to see her planting of them under a key lime tree (Kitchen Garden, May 18, 2021). Last month she emailed to say it was "ripe limes time" so she shared some with a neighbour Rebecca Drew. Their conversation prompted Anna to suggest Beck's garden "growing everything" might be of interest to Kitchen Garden readers.
The family has lived in Aranda since 2000 but, with little children then, Beck only started gardening during the past eight years. Her main interest is growing things that are either expensive or difficult to find in the shops, including samphire, medlars, Tasmanian pink eye potatoes and fruit trees which provide a big harvest for preserving.
Her parents are keen cooks and gardeners, so she says it is in the blood. Beck likes cooking seasonally and doing a bit of foraging to make things such as hedgerow jelly. Her husband, and daughter Elizabeth, 20, and son Ben, 18, all cook each week too.
The Aranda site is steep and we were greeted by a blue tongue lizard basking on a gabion wall. Current harvests include perennials such as rhubarb and globe artichokes, there are lots of both, plus herbs. Beck has been making rhubarb jam and chutney, plus crumbles (recipe follows). The family loves the artichokes on a classic Italian style pizza (as did photographer Keegan Carroll and I). For the recipe, see Beck's entertaining blog insearchofgoldenpudding.com
Garlic scapes are used for pesto, there are a few remaining leeks and more will be planted soon using seed from the last batch. New potatoes should be ready by Christmas. Pickling varieties of cucumbers have been planted to be fermented to a method from her colleague's Russian grandmother.
Black, red and white currant bushes are laden, plus raspberries and a few blueberries for a summer pudding. Fruit trees include figs, sloe, quince, pomegranate, lots of plums, nectarine, lemon, mulberry and crab apple.
Roses growing in the garden are all heavily scented and Beck makes rose petal jam and syrup "the latter is fabulous in bubbly" (recipe follows). The scented pink and red rose varieties work best for flavour and colour, especially Munstead Wood, Schoene Maid, Forget Me Not, Mme Isaac Pereire, Reine de Violette, Souvenir de Louise Amade, Ispahan, Rosa rugosa scabrosa and Rosa Mundi. Lavender flowers are added to shortbread.
Two types of mulch are used in the garden, both from Canberra Sand and Gravel. The coarser forest litter is used for the native plants and shrubs and Canberra forest litter for vegies, fruit and small plants.
Beck's rhubarb crumble
Ingredients
- large bunch of rhubarb (800g, about 8-10 stalks)
- 250g strawberries (1 punnet) (optional, but delicious)
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- zest and juice of an orange
- 4-5 tbsp (60-75g) sugar or 120g berry jam or orange marmalade
- Crumble topping:
- 150g flour
- 75g ground almonds
- 75g rolled oats
- 100-130g brown sugar
- pinch salt
- 130-150g unsalted butter
Method
1. To make crumble: Sift together dry ingredients with a fork. Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and stir in dry ingredients until it forms a crumbly mixture with uneven clumps.
2. Preheat oven to 180C with fan (200C without fan).
3. Remove leaves and trim any damaged bits from rhubarb and wash well. Cut rhubarb into approx 4cm lengths. Wash and hull strawberries if using, and halve large ones.
4. Toss fruit in a bowl with cornflour and place in a large baking dish (approx 33 x 22cm). Scatter over zest, juice and sugar (adjust to your preference).
5. Sprinkle with the crumble, aiming for an even coverage but still with clumps.
6. You can reduce the temperature or loosely cover with foil if it is browning well but the rhubarb isn't quite cooked.
7. Serve warm with custard, ice cream or cream or cold the next day with plain yoghurt.
Rose petal syrup
Ingredients
- 4-6 large, heavily scented deep pink or red roses (homegrown and never sprayed)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 500g white sugar
- 650ml water
Method
1. Remove petals from roses. You should have about 4 cups or 80g. Check for small spiders or other insects.
2. Combine petals in a medium saucepan with juice, sugar and water. Heat gently, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then barely simmer over low heat for one hour. The colour will gradually change from clear to deep pink and should smell wonderful.
3. Strain to remove petals, pressing on the petals in the sieve to extract all the syrup, then return syrup to the saucepan and bring to the boil.
4. Pour into sterilised bottles and seal.
5. Refrigerate after opening. Fabulous with sparkling wine or soda water, drizzled over ice cream or yoghurt, or with strawberries or raspberries.
