And the Winner of the ‘Best Looking Vegetables’ is:
Sancia Bayldon!
Congratulations Sancia you have won a $50 voucher to the Kingaroy Garden Centre.
Our two runners up are:
Emma Koy
and Melissa Ballin
Who will both receive a Healthy Food Fast Cookbook. Congratulations!
Are your vegetables going to seed?
If you want to be a little organised about this and start saving seeds for next season it matters which varieties you plant. Knowing when and how to harvest your vegetables is definitely a skill that is eventually learned through trial and error. Getting the right taste has everything to do with when the vegetable is harvested.
In general, vegetables should be harvested just before they are ripe.
This way, you prevent pests from getting a taste of the finished product, as well the risk of the produce rotting out. For example, mature lettuce needs to be picked early or else the weight of the mature leaf will become heavy and droop towards the ground. When the leaf comes in contact with the ground, it starts to break down. The same is true for other leafy vegetables, like spinach.
Further, vegetables will go to seed if you do not continually harvest. When a vegetable goes to seed, it will start to grow flowers and the plant changes direction and becomes focused on producing seeds instead of edible crop.
Some types of vegetables – like carrots and onions – are just not worth trying to save the seeds since they are biennials and take two years to mature and produce seed. Other types of veggies, like lettuce, have seeds that are hard to catch and harvest at the right time. Even within certain vegetable species, some varieties are much easier to save than others.
What to do when it goes to seed
Broccoli: Harvest seed pods before the pods split open naturally, but after they have fully matured and dried on the stalks – the seeds will not continue ripening after the plants or stems are cut. Finish drying upside down in paper bags or hanging in bundles over a tarp. When the plants are completely dry, any seeds that haven't naturally fallen out of their seed pods are easily removed by crumbling the pods. Broccoli seeds will last for 5 years if properly stored.
Lettuce: While each flower opens only during the morning of one day, the flowering period is long and there are almost always flowers blooming on the plants. This means that a flowering plant will have flowers and seeds in all stages of maturity. Gather dried seed heads (they are easy to recognise) every couple or three days as they ripen and dry, or wait until most seed heads have dried and hang the plant upside down over a tarp or in a paper bag (harvest dry seeds if rains threaten). Lettuce seeds can remain viable for 3 years if properly stored.
Parsley: Allow seeds to mature and dry on the plants before harvesting. Parsley seeds can be kept for 2 or 3 years if properly stored.
Asian Greens: Allow the pods to dry on the plant. They will generally hang around for weeks until you remember to take them off. Snip off the seed heads when they are brittle, then separate them to store.
Let’s look at legumes
It’s a strange name, but if you’ve had chilli con carne or hummus lately then chances are you’ve been eating legumes!
The legume family actually includes common foods like kidney beans, split peas, soy beans, chick peas and lentils. And these bite sized beauties are high in fibre, a rich source of carbohydrate, packed with protein, low in fat and they’ll keep you feeling fuller for longer. Plus you’ll probably find they are easy on the wallet and can be an alternative to other sources of protein such as meat and poultry.
Here are some serving suggestions:
• Swap creamy dips for hummus. Team it with sticks of carrot, celery and capsicum for a healthy dipping snack.
• Swap meat-based one pot dishes for less meat and add some legumes. Try kidney beans in chilli con carne, chick peas in casseroles and lentils in bolognaise.
• Making a hearty pot of stew or soup? Try adding lentils or split peas to add substance.
What do you do with legumes? Share your swap tips at
https://swapit.gov.au/ways-to-swap/your-swaps
Go for 2&5 with dinner
It’s easy to pack extra vegetables into meals – begin making a habit of adding a few extra vegetables to whatever the recipe says, and gradually increase the serve size of the vegetables you have on the side – go for half the plate filled with vegetables.
Easy beef hotpot
15 minutes preparation + 2 hours cooking
18 serves of vegies in this recipe
Serves 6 people
Ingredients:
1kg chuck or blade steak, cubed
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons paprika
425g can crushed tomatoes
2 medium onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 sticks celery, sliced
2 large carrots, thickly sliced
1 turnip, cut into large chunks
3 medium potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 cup red wine or stock
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Toss meat, flour and paprika in a plastic bag, tip into a heavy casserole dish.
Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Press a piece of baking paper over the ingredients and cover closely with a lid.
Cook for 2 hours without lifting the lid. Check for seasoning and tenderness, returning to oven if more cooking time is required.
Vegie lasagne
25 minutes preparation + 30 minutes cooking
22 serves of vegies in this recipe
Serves 6 people
Ingredients:
500g pumpkin or sweet potato, peeled and sliced
2 bunches English spinach or young silverbeet, washed and sliced
500g reduced-fat ricotta
6 spring onions, sliced
½ cup chopped parsley
12 sheets instant lasagne, softened in hot water
425g jar tomato pasta sauce
Topping:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 cups low fat milk
pepper and nutmeg to taste
½ cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese
Method:
Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Steam the pumpkin for 3 minutes, then cool.
Plunge spinach into boiling water until wilted and drain well.
In a large bowl combine ricotta, onion and parsley.
Arrange 3 sheets of lasagne onto base of ovenproof pan (33cmx22cm).
Top with 1/3 each of pumpkin, tomato sauce and spinach ricotta mixture. Repeat twice and top with remaining lasagne sheets.
To make topping, break eggs into flour and mix well to remove lumps. Whisk in milk, pour into a saucepan and bring to the boil, whisking until smooth and thickened. Add pepper and nutmeg, pour over top of lasagne and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Both recipes are from “Healthy Food Fast”, published by the Western Australian Dept of Health, 2006
For more information visit
www.rhealth.com.au
www.gofor2and5.com.au