November 2018 Issue #159

Hello,

What fun that we both love gardening. Thanks for joining me.

1) Favourite tool
2) Eco gardening tips
3) Spinach and Potato Galette

Would you believe it? Most people like to do gardening on days ending with a y.

Eco gardening tips

• Here's a hint
  A recent article about a showcase garden had many pearls of wisdom from the owners, eg; In reply to "What's your favorite garden tool?" The answer was "My secateurs and scissors—I always have them on my belt."

  I'm the same, actually I keep secateurs on a little verandah table in front garden; and another pair out the back on covered shelf. Often there's a spare pair in the middle of house on kitchen shelf to grab. My favourite, affordable, tough, handy all-rounder secateurs are from here. One can never have too many scarves, chocolates... and secateurs!




• Blender blast
  Margo, a reader, commented that she blends up eggshells, banana skins and even orange peel with water, before tipping into a hole dug in her small garden. She doesn't have a compost, so this method works well.

  I know many people bury their kitchen scraps this way, and if it's practical for you, certainly blending first will help them decompose faster.




• Healthier potatoes?
  We all love the humble spud, but 'they', as in spoil-spoilers, say that it spikes our insulin because it's a simple starch, almost as bad as sugar. Now, the latest research has good news, which is to cook potatoes and then let them go cold, preferably overnight.

  Then when reheating, and I quote: "Cooking the carbohydrate starch alters the chemical bonds in the food. The ensuing structure of those bonds during the cooling process is what makes them resistant to then being digested in the small intestine."

  In other words, they are now good for you, and apparently this works for rice too... cook, keep in fridge and reheat next day or so, or even eat cold.

Solve your gift giving . . .

Gifts for Garden lovers

Nature ideas for your Home

Garden prezzies for Children

Crafty friends? Get them a DIY

Best books for Gardeners

Unique Greenie gifts

Nature's Knick-knacks

And if you're quick for Christmas...

... catch some Santas!

Spinach and Potato Galette

Ingredients

• 900g large potatoes (roughly 4 biggies)
• 450g fresh spinach (roughly 2 bunches or 14 cups)
• 2 large eggs
• 400g cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
• 4 heaped Tbsp chopped fresh herbs eg chives, parsley, basil or whatever you have handy
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2. Line a deep 23 cm cake tin with baking paper.

3. Halve potatoes and cook them in a large saucepan for ten minutes at a rolling boil. Drain and cool slightly before slicing thinly.

4. Wash spinach and place in a large saucepan with only the water that is clinging to the leaves. Cover and cook until spinach is just wilted. Drain well and squeeze out excess moisture before chopping finely.

5. Beat the eggs with the cream cheese and mustard, then stir in the spinach and herbs.

6. Place a layer of potatoes in concentric circles in the lined tin then cover with a spoonful of the cheese mixture and spread it out. Continue layering, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go, until all the mixture is used up.

7. Cover the tin tightly with foil and place in a roasting tin filled with enough boiling water to come half way up the tin and bake for 45-50 minutes.

8. Serve warm or cold. Goes well with salad.

Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 4-8 people

Live, love and garden.
Megan