Home-grown fruit and vegies!

Hey everyone, Emily here :)

Unfortunately I have been too busy today to cook, so instead I thought I'd show you some great home-grown food, from my family's garden.



Yummy mandarins!

In our backyard we have a mandarin tree, it came from a parent tree that is about 70 years old, our tree is about 16 or 17 years old. Each year around July or August, the fruit on the tree that has been maturing from flowers for a year finally turns orange. We pick hundreds of mandarins each year. Unfortunately this year, due to we think, weather and perhaps a tiny bit of neglect, the fruit is small and half are still green, but come September we decided we had waited long enough and didn't want the possums eating them. One of the great things about growing our own mandarins, is how amazing they taste, and trust me, no shop bought ones taste this amazing, and this year, despite their size, they are no exception. They are bursting with delicious flavour.



Washing the carrots

I am also currently growing some purple carrots. I planted them about 3 months ago and I harvested 2 of them the other day. Though not quite fully grown, they are still wonderful to eat and taste amazing (again better than shop bought). These purple carrots have a purple outer and an orange inner, and though not quite as sweet as standard orange carrots, they still taste really good. Purple carrots are an unusual vegetable, however they were some of the first carrots to be cultivated centuries ago. Their funky colour makes them an appealing addition to any meal and they can be cooked as any other carrot would be, but beware of the purple as it will stain. The best thing about growing carrots is the interesting, not so standard shapes they grow.

Growing your own food, and eating it, giving it away or serving it to friends and family is always rewarding and you can often find exciting things to grow that you wouldn't find in the supermarket. Growing your own fruit and vegetables is often easier than people think, a little bit of TLC goes a long way. Happy growing!

-Emily :)