Fresh
from the plot
Rekha Mistry is a keen veg grower
who loves to try exotic varieties and
experiment with them in the kitchen.
She appeared in the 2015 BBC Two
series, The Big Allotment Challenge
Harvest now
Even though winter has kicked in,
I can dig up a few carrots, which
are tucked under straw I use to
keep the ground and roots from
freezing. I’ll also snap off a few
Brussels sprouts to add to
my pickings. My family have
requested their favourite soup, so
I’ll lift a leek or two to make that,
and snip off a few curly kale
leaves to sprinkle over the top.
A handful of strikingly coloured
chard stems are a welcome sight
in a light saag paneer curry.
And, as I thin out my ‘Senshyu’
onions, the seedlings will be
an aromatic addition to salads.
Swiss chard adds vibrant colour
to stews and curries
86 gardenersworld.com
It may be winter, but Rekha is
harvesting and planning next
year’s crops, with a delicious
recipe for parsnip kedgeree
A lthough it is quiet on the plot
now, there’s still plenty to harvest.
My visits this month will be fewer
and farther between compared
with the rest of the year, but with
every visit I am taking collards,
leeks, mustard greens and winter
cabbages, with bunches of herbs
like parsley and coriander tucked
into the trug, too. Even my
lunchboxes hold winter salads
such as endive, rocket and ‘Winter
Density’ lettuce, which are growing
in the unheated greenhouse.
The green manures I grow, to
protect the soil from erosion through
the winter months, also add a
lushness to the plot. But I experience
a glum feeling at this time of the year
– I blame the lack of sunshine! To
get me motivated, I start planning
the new varieties of vegetables and
herbs to add to my plot next year.
There’s one date in December that
does excite me, though (no, not
Christmas Day) – 21 December. It’s
the shortest day in the calendar,
when we know that slowly the
daylight hours will start to increase.
After this date, the heated mat comes
out, seed trays get washed (again),
seed packets are selected and seed
compost bags tucked in the boiler
Rekha harvests
room to warm up. And come 26
‘Hollow Crown’
December, seed sowing can begin. parsnips grown from
Ooh, I feel happier already! her own seeds
December 2020