Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

Keen gardener and cook, Faith Baigent highlights the
attractions of  having your own food garden

If you have never experienced the pleasure of growing your own, then there is no time like spring to get started. 

Nothing compares with the flavour, texture and crunch of crisp organic vegies and herbs picked straight from your own kitchen garden only moments before sitting down to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal.

Part of the pleasure is getting some reference material together or seeking the advice of a professional landscaper, and deciding how your new garden potager or parterre will integrate into the overall design of your garden on a scale that will meet your family needs. 

For practical reasons it is a really good idea to locate your new garden as close to your kitchen as possible so long as the site gets at least 6 hours of sunlight each day.  With companion plantings of herbs and flowers, this may simply mean converting an existing flower bed into an edible garden and replenishing the soil with rich layers of organic matter.  

So get into the spirit of spring, discover the pleasure of growing and cooking your own. Frittata is a great example of using ingredients from your garden or  local organic produce. This is my personal recipe which is great for lunch, or cut into small cubes and served cold with drinks.

Faith Baigent

Faith’s Spring Frittata

Rice bran oil cooking spray
8 medium red pontiac chat potatoes unpeeled roughly sliced
75gr butter
2 red salad onions finely sliced
approx 750g Swiss Rainbow Chard or spinach finely chopped or
substitute 500gr frozen spinach portions thawed and drained
1 cup fresh mixed herbs (Italian parsley, dill, oregano, thyme)
1 Tablespoon Cumin
3 cloves garlic crushed
8 Free Range Eggs
280g local feta
250g finely grated cheese
Sesame seeds
 
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Line a 22×28cm baking dish with baking paper and spray with cooking oil
Spray a baking tray with rice bran cooking spray. Arrange potatoes on tray in single slices spay with oil and cook for approx 35 minutes. 
Melt butter in frying pan; add sliced stems from Swiss chard or spinach, and chopped onions together with cumin and garlic. Sauté gently for 5 minutes then add spinach and cook for about 4 minutes until slightly wilted.  Remove pan from heat and cool slightly.
Break eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until frothy, season with ground black pepper. Strip thyme from stalks, chop remaining herbs and add to mixing bowl. Add crumbled feta cheese into bowl along with cooled spinach and about 200g of the grated cheese, combine with a wooden spoon. Pour just enough of the egg and spinach mixture into the base of the baking dish to cover, layer potato slices and top with remaining mixture.
Sprinkle remaining grated cheese over the dish and top with  sesame seeds.
Bake for 40–45 minutes until top is crisp.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing  to serve with your own garden salad.