Food innovations at Ithaca

Hi, about 3 years ago Marty and I moved to our bush block in Lal Lal and have never looked back.  We often reminisce about our little single fronted cottage in Williamstown with its tiny courtyard, but rarely with nostalgia (especially with our gorgeous little boy Lachie now running around)!  

We have always been interested in growing our own food, both for taste and as a way to reduce our impact on the environment.  There is something magical about standing in the garden eating a tomato straight from the vine – you don’t get less food miles than that and the taste is divine. 

So determined to make this a reality, we set about establishing a veggie patch not long after we moved to Lal Lal.  Gardening novices, we are now in our 3^rd season and feel like we are finally making some progress, albeit it slowly.  So far we have built a number of veggie beds, planted some fruit trees and built a chook yard. 

Our soil is very heavy clay so we have had to add a lot of organic matter to loosen it up – thank goodness for the chooks!  We are also trialling growing raspberries, blackberries and blueberries in 44 gallon drums that have been cut in half which we hope will make it easy to protect from the birds, and also stop them taking over the other garden beds!  (Tip for young players – yes raspberries WILL take over your garden bed!!!)  We will let you know how it goes!

It has been a bit of work and a lot of fun to get this far.  And the biggest incentive is to keep doing this is watching our little boy make a beeline for the strawberry patch, munch away on a cucumber or demand a raspberry that he can’t quite reach!

A labour of love – this is what is on our table this month!  Enjoy....

Last month we celebrated our 3^rd passata day.  Before you ask, no, there is no Italian in our blood but there is something wonderful about friends and family coming together to make the most of the summer tomato harvest. 

So on a Saturday morning in April about 20 people turned up ready to process 120kg of tomatoes into a lovely base sauce for all those casseroles we crave in winter, when tomatoes are not in season.  In a production line that a car company would have been proud of, everyone jumped in to chop tomatoes, churn them through a sieve to separate the skins and seeds and add chopped basil and garlic before pouring the sauce into old beer bottles ready for capping and boiling off.  Every time I grab one of these bottles from the shed in the middle of winter I smile just thinking of the day and its great sense of fun and community.   It makes the food taste sweeter!

We are at the end of our main growing season and are farewelling the last of our summer produce.  Last night we used the last of our Lebanese eggplants, fresh tomatoes and basil and our home made passata to make a delicious Eggplant Parmagiana.  It is comfort food at its best.  I also used our last cucumber and a handful of tomatoes that have been ripening on a table in the sun for a garden salad.  Some fresh bread and the meal was complete..... yum....!

We tried growing red kuri and buttercup pumpkins this year from seeds from Diggers, which we have also just picked.  I can’t wait to try them in a Couscous with goat’s cheese, pumpkin and macadamia recipe we got from the Age a few years ago – a firm favourite and just divine with local Meredith Goats Cheese.

Lastly I wish I could give you some beautiful raspberry recipes, but I must confess that between our 16 month old little boy and us they never make it beyond the veggie patch.....!

Bon appétit

Marty, Bridge & Lachie....

SEASONAL RECIPES

Bridget’s Eggplant Parmagiana

Cut ~ 10-12 Lebanese eggplants (or 2-3 large ones) into 1cm slices and layer in a bowl, scattering with a little salt as you go. Set aside for about an hour. Rinse, drain and pat dry.  Whilst waiting heat a little olive oil in a frypan, add 2 sliced brown onions and sauté on a low heat with a little sugar for about 10 minutes, or until caramelised.  Add about 2 cloves of chopped garlic and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.  Add about 700ml of passata, together with some chopped fresh tomatoes.  Simmer for ~ 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add a good handful of fresh chopped basil and season to taste.  Set aside. Preheat oven to 180C. Heat a frypan, add a little olive oil and grill the eggplant slices on both sides in batches until soft.  In a baking dish alternate layers of eggplant, tomatoes and thin slices of mozzarella cheese.  Finish with a layer of tomato and mozzarella.  Cover and bake in oven for ~30 – 45 minutes or until eggplant is tender and tomato sauce is bubbling.  Remove the foil for the last 10 or so minutes.  Serve with fresh crusty bread and a light garden salad.  ENJOY!

Couscous with Goat’s cheese, pumpkin and macadamias.

Preheat oven to 220C. Cut 500g pumpkin (peeled) into0.5cm thick, bite sized pieces.  Toss with 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and roast for 12 minutes.  Place 300g couscous into a bowl and pour over 2 cups of boiling stock (chicken or vegetable).  Stir, cover and set aside for 5-6 minutes.  Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small frying pan over low heat.  Add 1 large brown onion (finely sliced) and 1 tsp of brown sugar and stir for 6-8 minutes or until tender.  Stir couscous with a fork.  Add pumpkin, onion, 1 cup toasted macadamia nuts (chopped) and 1 cup flat-leaf parsley (chopped).  Whisk 2½ tbsp balsamic vinegar, 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Pour over couscous mixture and toss gently.  Crumble over 150g goat’s cheese.

From The Age – Sunday Life

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