By Mary Lowther
“Turnips for breakfast?” David queried, aghast.
“Sure, why not? They’re fresh and even sweet and tasty when prepared with peas and a soupçon of onion or maybe radish,” I replied. “Besides, I’m making it.”
“Isn’t there any corn?” he complained.
“Corn’s not ready yet. Turnips are what’s in the garden so that’s what we’re eating.”
He peered into the pot and tried a mouthful.
“Hmm, not bad, maybe I’ll have a bit,” he mumbled.
David’s come a long way from having Cheerios for breakfast, but I still can’t get him to eat kippers, and him a Sassanach and all.
Pretty well anything fresh and not fully grown tastes mighty good and since we have an abundance of vegetables, we might as well eat them at every meal so they don’t get wasted. Breakfast is a dawdle when it’s vegetables. I pick them the evening before and prepare them so there’s not much to do in the morning. Stir fries in particular, taste great in the morning, although I’m on my own with that. I pick a little of this, a little of that, chop them up and keep them in a bag in the fridge, ready to toss into the frying pan in the morning. I use whatever’s ripe in the garden plus garlic and ginger and when they’re nearly cooked I lay some kipper or mackerel on top and steam till it’s all done.
This morning it’s cucumbers and dip and our usual cup of Taiwanese green tea. Last night we had mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and fried zucchini strips, all picked yesterday from the garden, sprinkled with a bit of cheese. Easy, delicious and healthy! The cheese combines with the potato to form a complete protein. Dessert was a coffee cake made with raspberries from the garden.
The stage three watering restrictions now in place in the CVRD don’t change the way I garden since I always garden as if it’s stage three. I have fewer diseases, parasites and less weeding to do. Water goes exactly where I want it to so there’s no waste, and studies have shown that produce grown with less water are more nutritious and tasty.
Good tasting produce equals good nutrition.
Please contact mary_lowther@yahoo.ca with questions and suggestions since I need all the help I can get.