For the last few winters, I have been making my own lamb and beef broth and as the days have drawn in over the last few weeks my mind has again turned to broth making.  When the rain is falling and the wood fire is cranking out heat, it is so easy to put a large saucepan on top of the wood heater and get some stock going. Broth is a great addition to any kitchen and can be used as the basis for stews, casseroles, curries, soups and sauces or consumed on its own for great health benefits. For…

I love those crunchy basil pesto dips that are sold in the supermarkets, but I don’t love the additives and preservatives that go with them – “the numbers” as I call them. I’ve become a bit more stringent about reading food labels as I’ve learnt more about food, how it is produced and how many food-like products there are in the supermarkets. Food-like products – something which looks like food, smells like food, but is made from highly processed inputs, chemicals and numbers. My general rule of thumb these days is if there is something in the ingredients list that…

I have had so many pattypan squash from my garden this year I have been seeking out new ways of preserving them. My go to for squash and zucchini is dehydrating them, but I still have dehydrated zucchini in my pantry from last summer so I really wasn't keen to add to that glut. Image by Helen Sampson And while they are different vegetables, I find their flavour is similar and they behave similarly when cooked. So I did a bit of digging around on Google, as you do, and tried a few different recipes, made my own amendments and…

I love the summer glut of vegetables that my garden produces every year. And I have had loads of success with my capsicums in past summers. And if I'm not growing them, or they are still coming on, I know I can always find plenty at my local farmers' market. Preserving them means I can enjoy their goodness all year round and they are just as delicious in casseroles, stews or winter soups, as they are in a summer salad! For me capsicums do seem to come later in the season for me. We are in a small, slightly cooler…

Pumpkins come into their own, grown in the home garden, providing comfort and warmth from summer through to the deep heart of winter. If you have managed to grow pumpkins in your backyard, or even purchased some fresh whole pumpkins from your favourite farmers' market or other local outlet, it can sometimes be a challenge to dress up this vegetable which can get tedious towards the end of the season. This recipe is a tasty and warm variation on the traditional soup, giving pumpkin soup a new life! You can use Butternut pumpkins such as these or it is equally…