As we enter our third year of home vegetable gardening, it finally feels like our garden is really feeding us.
We’re now creating entire meals from our backyard produce, which means we’re eating less meat, with fewer preservatives and lower food miles. Here are a couple of recent dishes sourced almost entirely from our garden…
Eggplants seem to do well in our garden, which is a mystery, as their cousins tomato and capsicum always seem to struggle. We recently discovered that it’s incredibly easy to grill them in a sandwich press. I don’t know why we’ve never thought of it before – it certainly saves energy compared to heating up Bob (the oven), and the whole process took a fraction of the time normally required…
I used two-thirds of the grilled eggplant slices for dinner, and froze the remainder for another day…
The ingredients for our eggplant curry were:
- chopped onion
- crushed garlic
- 2 dessertspoons of Fiji Market curry powder, mixed to a paste with a little water
- grilled eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces
- beans (snake and purple), cut into 5cm/2″ lengths
- 1 tin coconut milk
- lime juice
- brown sugar
- dark sweet soy
- salt
We fried the onion and garlic, then added the curry paste and fried it briefly before adding the chopped eggplant, beans and coconut milk. The curry was cooked until thick, and then seasoned with lime juice, sugar, soy and salt.
. . . . .
Even though they’re finally slowing up, we’re still harvesting beans daily…
This simple omelette was a staple when I was growing up. A little garlic and a small handful of snake beans were finely chopped…
Three eggs were beaten with a splash of Teriyaki sauce (my mother uses the ubiquitous Maggi sauce)…
The beans and garlic are fried in a little oil, and then added to the egg mix…
The mixture was ladled into the pan and cooked into flat omelettes. They’re supposed to be round. It’s worth tasting the first one, and adjusting the seasoning as required before cooking the remainder of the batter…
. . . . .
We can’t eat like this all the time, but it’s a great joy that we can do it some of the time. Someone once said to us, “It isn’t possible to be completely self-sufficient in suburbia, so why bother?” Our answer is this: it’s not a case of all or nothing, it’s simply a case of doing whatever we can. And finding little bubbles of happiness and satisfaction and contentment in the process!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
This is great I mean to have your own garden that feeds… They seem so delicious dear Celia, I am excited to have my own garden soon… There are so many things to learn about gardening. Thank you dear, love, nia
Nia, how exciting to be starting your own garden! Can’t wait to see your photos! :)
awesome news Ceila
Thanks Linda!
Oh lucky you ! In France, the weather is not yet hot enough for us to eat anything (but thyme and rosemary) from our garden, and I can’t wait for spring to be there !
Flo, I’m sure you’re either in spring or about to be, as we’re just entering autumn. I hope you have a wonderful growing season! :)
You are an inspiration, Celia!
I have hopes for a garden that provides at least some of our needs this coming summer. I think I will try eggplant- I like it -and I can hide it in meals in a way that Frank won’t notice that we are eating it. I am going to plant in the ground- and just some containers instead of all containers this year.
Spring is coming to NE Ohio- just taking a very long time to get here!
I love the egg pancakes- and the curry – although Frank won’t even try that. :(
Heidi, never say never, after all, you’ve now got Frank eating Brussels sprouts! :D
Congrats on your very productive garden! I love those beans. Just as your garden winds down another year, ours is springing into life – just planted peas last week, but the rains may drown them out.
Doc, fingers crossed for your peas! Our can’t go in for a couple of months yet – they’re a winter crop over here!
What a perfect blog post title! It’s so rewarding to feed yourself from vegetables you’ve grown. I am slowly getting there :)
Tandy, we’re slowly getting there too. These things take a lot of time, but it’s incredibly satisfying, in an incremental way.. :)
I really miss my garden and orchard. I look at your posts and think, I’ve got water but no food. You are blessed to have your garden and your family is blessed that you know what to do with it all. :)
I’ve used my press to grill eggplant and it works a treat.
Hi M! I’ve missed you, how nice that you’re back! We are indeed blessed, and very grateful for it too!
Your last quote said it all: “It’s not a case of all or nothing, it’s simply a case of doing whatever we can. And finding little bubbles of happiness and satisfaction and contentment in the process”.
Expecting more snow tonight but I am sure spring will be here soon.
Norma, you have so many fabulous things to go in this Spring – can’t wait to see how it all goes! We’re heading into kale/chard/brassica season here!
Hi Celia, great post. I too love to cook using what we have grown. This summer we have had quite a few meals that have come almost exlusively from the garden. It is just a wonderful feeling. We have barely been to the supermarket. Yippie!!
BTW I used the mahlab yesterday. Post coming:)
Glenda, you’ve grown just about enough to eat entirely from your garden!! I can’t believe how productive it’s been in your first year! You and Maus are amazing! :)
That will motivate me to start my eggplant seeds so they will be ready for garden planting in early May. Everything looks delish..
Thanks Bill! How nice to be hearing from you – thanks for stopping by! Our eggplants are still going strong – eggplant lasagne on the menu tonight!
An achievement which is green in so many ways.
Thanks Peter.. xxx
Great way to grill the eggplant, Celia! And what a beautiful harvest. Well done.
Thanks Lizzy darling. I wish I’d discovered it years ago!
Now you know you could have fried the omelette on the sandwich grill as well right ;-) Many moons ago at my place of work we had one, and damn, that grill got a work out! Pancakes, and a whole fish were the stand out.
Keep enjoying your beautiful garden Celia, it’s a truly wonderful thing to have.
Brydie, obviously there are many more options with the sandwich press that I’ve never even considered! A whole fish – wow!
As you know, I think you are a Super Woman with countless talents – from bread baking to gardening, to raising a beautiful family and having such a wonderful relationship with your beloved hubby…
Enjoy the fruits of your labor, you deserve each one of them!
So kind of you, Sally, thank you! Not a superwoman at all, just a very fortunate one. xx
Congratulations Celia on getting to the stage of being able to make a meal purely from harvesting what you’ve grown in your backyard. That’s a huge accomplishment. I love the look of your omelettes. They sound really yummy – you’ve made me hungry because it’s breakfast time xx
Thanks Charlie. I think the omelettes will become a staple, at least while the snake beans continue! :)
Keep inspiring everyone Celia, you certainly inspired me. Not only the superior flavour and freshness but knowing the vegetables do not have chemicals or are washed with chemicals is keeping me going.
Roz, that is kind of you, and you’re so right – everything we’re growing is chemical free. It’s a nice feeling! :)
Wonderful to see your garden produce doing so well. I can’t grow aubergines for the life of me, simply to warm enough – although I may try again this year…..
And yes please to the curry, it’s a wonderful veggie to curry, and I’d never in a million years thought of using a sandwich maker to grill them. Genius!
Claire, swings and roundabouts, I guess – we can’t grow garlic or apples here! :D Can’t wait to see what Spring brings to your allotment.. x
Frying eggplant in a sandwich grill is a neat idea. Never tried it before but I will next time we have eggplants! Do you freeze them raw too? I never tried freezing them before!
Manuela, I always freeze the eggplants roasted or grilled, and they defrost brilliantly:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2012/03/11/freezing-eggplant/
Oh you clever thing Celia,I use my Squishie Machine (sandwich press) for so many things but never thought too use it for the eggplant like that- brilliant!
It is so exciting producing a meal totally from your garden, I’m super impressed, it’s such a nice rich feeling too isn’t it? I’ll swap you some of my tomatoes for some of my beans, I wonder if I could send them individually with a stamp on them? :)
Becca, a friend gave us the idea, and it’s a ripper, isn’t it? We grilled eggplant, zucchini and kebabs on it last week! And you know how much I would LOVE to swap with you!
Another great post Celia. I plan to plant snake beans and purple beans in the garden next spring. Where did you buy the seeds and the brand name please?
Miranda, sorry, I was given both of these from a friend. Another friend buys his snake bean seeds from ebay though!
Thank you Celia
I totally agree that you don’t have to even try to be self sufficient for gardening to be worth it. I think how you cook subtly changes towards fresh, from scratch, in season, healthy, just by having some ingredients on hand. The garden ingredients taste so good, they become stars instead of the oversalty, overfatty things you otherwise need to make food really inviting. And eggplant in curry is so good. It just seems to soak up those curry flavours so well. That one looks really delicious. And I love snake beans cooked fast and light like that.
Linda, thank you for your wise words – the *only* problem with growing your own fresh produce is that it’s hard to ever go back to store bought after that. And I do think that one of the best things is that we’ve learnt to eat seasonally!
Totally agreed. Its like hearing people say, why should I worry about recycling or saving animals or saving energy etc. Every bit helps. Great tip with the eggplants now, if only I could get skater to eat them
Tania, if only! They’re so delicious – I just kept putting them on the table until the boys finally stopped complaining! :)
Thanks for the tip about grilling eggplant in the sandwich press – I’d never thought of it, but it’s brilliant. Certainly beats standing over a pan or a hot barbecue in the weather we’re having. And I had no idea I could freeze cooked eggplant. Must try all of the above with zucchini too. What a wealth of info you are, Celia.
Amanda, I wish we’d realised it years ago – we were either grilling or running the oven for an hour, whereas the sandwich press took less than half the time! Works with zucchs too! We’ve just defrosted eggplant and zucchini slices (both oven roasted) for lasagne tonight, and they both look completely fine.
I am so impressed with your home grown snake beans and eggplant. A friend of mine grows prolific snake beans up in Queensland. I didn’t think they would grow so well here in Sydney. Maybe I should try planting some in my weed patch. I like the sound of a snake bean omelet too – must try that next time I buy some.I bought a bunch the other day that were so fresh and tender they were such a joy. I can imagine that home grown would be even better.
Darn it, if I’d known, I would have brought you some last week! xx
I’ve never thought to grill eggplant like that either but what a brilliant idea! How wonderful that you can create entire meals from the backyard. I don’t know that I can quite do that but I did like that I picked nearly everything for a Thai noodle salad from my little balcony yesterday.
Claire, that’s absolutely wonderful! You must have been so happy to be able to do that! :)
I find it a huge thrill every time something I have not had to buy ends up on my plate: looking at your success leads one to begin making plans for the spring after the winter after the autumn . . . :) ! And those omelettes look so moreish NOT round: obviously homemade!
Eha, thank you – I think there’s a trick to making them round, but I think it involves a flat-bottom wok.. :)
What an inspiring post Celia! And having tasted the produce that comes from your garden, it doesn’t get any fresher and tastier!
Thanks Lorraine! xx
Yum! The more you can harvest from the garden for a meal the higher the ratio of deliciousness :) Great idea re the eggplant – the G.O. doesn’t eat it in original form but does eat Baba Ganoush, so this an easy method for me to prepare it, and I could make the curry for me for work lunches :) We both love asian omelettes – adding in the snake beans & garlic are a fantastic idea – so simple but tasty.
ED, the omelettes are so widely eaten – they were the first thing my mother told me to make when we started growing snake beans. And we love baba ganoush too – haven’t gotten around to making any this season yet!
PS. Got your email, thank you, but been a bit flat out so haven’t replied yet.. x
:) All in good time.
Never considered using a sandwich press for this. How clever of you! Another trick is to always use baking paper so food is covered top and bottom. This makes cleaning even easier.
Also didn’t realise you have only been vege growing for 3 years. Inspired by this blog I started one on a very small scale at the end of last year. Unfortunately it is now a non-event as I am still unable to weight-bear on my foot due to fracture following a fall on Christmas day. I will get back to it though.
Marg, I’m sorry to hear about your foot, I hope you’re on the mend soon! Thanks for the baking paper tip! :)
Where would we all be if everyone thought like that person, that if you cannot be 100% successful, why try? Silly.
Great how much your garden provides for your family, Celia. And only after 3 years? Wonderful!
John, thank you, and what a fun few years it’s been too! Not quite to your Nonno’s scale, but we’ve certainly been enjoying it!
Yum! Your curry looks delicious! Yes, I too have found that the sandwich press is great for grilling eggplant. My eggplants died and couldn’t be resurrected so just this week I put a new plant in. Getting cooler here in North Queensland so I can’t wait to start on the vegies. It is a wonderful thing to pop into the back yard to pick something for dinner even if it’s just chillies and parsley. Love you blog!
Marcellina, thank you for stopping by! I hope your eggplants come back – I’m sure you’ll have a longer growing season than we do here in Sydney!
That omelet looks amazing! I’m off to Tomatomania with my mother-in-law. Bring on the spring! Hugs, Maz. http://tomatomania.com/
Thanks love! Tomatomania sounds exciting! :)
She bought us seven different tomato plants, I have a sungold yellow cherry, a roma for sauce, a black zebra and a plum that is a pink and yellow blush. Plus a flat of basil. Bring on the summer! :-)
It really is nice when so much of the food you eat comes from your own back yard. Not only the gratification of taking seeds and seeing them grow until they bare their fruits at harvest time but also knowing that what you are eating is healthy and delicious.
Karen, thank you, and I know you understand only too well how satisfying and rewarding it all is! :)
what lovely meals celia that are bursting with vitality and flavour from your beautiful home grown produce..x jane
Jane, thank you! We haven’t quite reached your scale, but one day I hope we get to grow a true glut of something! :)
I think that is the secret of true happiness Celia to take delight in being able to plant little bubbles of Happiness, Satisfaction, Contentment – HSC! What’s more, you are sharing those hybrid seeds. It’s a wonderful education, thank you. Nothing worthwhile in the world would have been achieved if everyone adopted the “why bother” mantra.
Jan, that’s so true. It’s almost always worth “bothering”, isn’t it? ;-)
I have never attempted aubergines but I enjoy seeing yours! Excellent looking curry too xx
We’re always surprised how well they grow here! And as I said, not really sure why! But they are one of my favourite veg, so I just hush and be grateful! :)
I am so impressed Celia (and just a teeny bit jealous)! You have definitely given me something to aspire to when we have more outdoor space and perhaps slightly more moderate weather too. This is such a lovely way to live and eat.
Kari, thank you! It’s fabulous and simple at the same time, if that makes sense. We are very blessed! :)
I always cook eggplant in the double sided grill, it’s quick and easy. I wish I had your garden. I am hoping to start one at Vergemoli,but I will need someone to look after it when I am not around.
And it gets so cold up there, Deb! I wonder if a winter garden would survive!
One day I will taste your cooking….
That would be lovely, Norma..one day.. :)
I love using he sandwich press for grilling my fresh asparagus. Takes no time at all. Thanks for the idea to try other vegies on there too .