Yep, bananas! The other morning I looked out of my kitchen window and I saw that one of the banana plants had a flower. New flowers in the garden make me incredibly happy, and this was a big one!
I went out to have a look and under the outer petals I could see the first little bananas.
After a few days there were some more... maybe this year I will get lucky and I'll have my very own bananas, for the first time!
Rhubarb is also full on now. It took my husband a while to convince me to plant rhubarb, but I have to admit that it is a great plant, and it keeps popping up every year, stronger than before!
I cut it and place it in a pot with water, lemon juice and a little sugar, and as soon as the water start frothing I drain it, keeping the pink water to make syrups and liqueurs, and the rhubarb for pies, muffins or for the breakfast cereals.
Broccolini is one of my favorite crops, the plants keep producing, I cut them and get some more, 3 or 4 times, and in the end I get some thin ones, with flowers, good to use for Chinese cooking.
My last little teddy bear pumpkin.
I need to find more space for pumpkins next year, but where? Down into the bush?
Bok choy: fantastic winter veggie, it grows in a few weeks and takes up very little space, in fact you could grow it in a window box! This is the easiest brassica to grow, a brassica for beginners!
Incredible, I still get strawberries! Maybe one or two at the time, and I have to be quicker that the snails!
My feijoa plants fruited for the first time. I love Feijoas, such a New Zealand icon! We eat them on cereals, or make lovely smoothies with them.
Of course I didn't get enough from my plants, and they are small (the small one in the picture), but Carolyn game me some of hers, like every year :-)
Last little surprise in the veggie garden: a tiny green frog. I am sorry the photo is not very clear (taken with the iPhone) but I didn't want to get to closed to her (him?).
I love frogs!
Happy Easter to all!
Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
I'm amazed you've got a banana flower, let alone bananas!! I thought it'd be much too cold!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your wonderful produce - and have a great Easter!
quante splendide meraviglie!!!!! buona Pasqua Ale! ciao Ely
ReplyDeleteAle, non finisci mai di stupirmi!Banane?Zucche?Mamma mia.Una domanda..ma la Feijoa è la gojaba?
ReplyDeleteBuona Pasqua!
Sara
I forget the seasonal reverse :-). Your garden is lovely and your harvest is quite impressive for this time of year. I hope you have a wonderful Easter holiday. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteRhubarb is amazing! It has always been a favorite of mine!
ReplyDeleteWhat a bountiful garden! I've never seen a banana flower before...and all those little bananas, really neat to see. I hope you get your own banana harvest too!
ReplyDeleteThe little green frog is a cutie!
Happy Easter to you.
You have beautiful and bountiful garden. love the banana blossom there.
ReplyDeleteOh my your garden is lovely...that banana blossom is amazing. Nothing so tropical in mine...well nothing is in mine right now...we need warmer weather!!! xoxoxo hugs for a Happy Easter.
ReplyDeleteOh mamma mia la raganella...anche nel giardino dei miei ce n'è stata una per qualche anno, sono bellissime. Anche loro hanno la feijoa, ogni anto qualcosa in comune col tuo paradiso non guasta! Un abbraccio.
ReplyDelete@ Saretta, non lo so!!! Mai sentito il nome gojaba... mi dispiace!
ReplyDelete@ Red Nomad, usually bananas grow only in Northland, where is much warmer, but they can grow in Auckland if they are in a sheltered spot (like mines). I give them lots of compost too!
ReplyDeleteNow they have to ripen, and that I am not sure if it will happen! I hope so!
ciao
Alessandra
You do have a beautiful garden.
ReplyDeleteYou have a lovely garden! Very soon you will have enough bananas for your cakes, smoothies, cereal and lots of other yummies! How did you grow the rhubarb, from the seeds?
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter and a great weekend!
Quanto mi piacciono le feijoa e quanto ti invidio il rabarbaro!
ReplyDelete@ Kitchen flavours... not sure if I will have that much bananas :-), lets see if they ripen first!
ReplyDeleteI got a small rhubarb plant (seedling) from the garden centre, I am not sure how you would grow it from seeds.
Che meraviglia, cos'è un paradiso di vegetazione e di raccolti meravigliosi?...Auguri per una serena Pasqua...ciao.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a banana flower. That's amazing!
ReplyDeleteAncora mi chiedo che sapore abbia il rabarbaro e spero di poterne piantare almeno un cespo nel mio giardno che verra' ma mi chiedo anche che sapore hanno le banane vere e non quelle verde cargo che arrivano qui,
ReplyDeleteIntanto ti auguro buona pasqua verde orimavera.
Un abbraccio forte forte
Grazie Enza e buona pasqua anche a te, e verde autunno per me :-)
ReplyDeleteche meraviglia alessandra!
ReplyDeleteil rabarbaro poi lo adoro, ne ricordo il sapore da quand'ero piccola, che mia nonna ci faceva una marmellata sublime, qui da noi non l'ho più ritrovato e ogni anno ci riprovo, senza costrutto.
se non fossi un po' lontanuccia, verrei a prenderle alcune coste da te ;-)
ne approfitto per augurarti buona pasqua, carissima!
Che bello il rabarbaro! Passavo anche per per lasciarti i miei più cari e sinceri auguri, per una Pasqua davvero serena e ricca di tante cose belle e di tutte quelle piccole cose che ci circondano ogni giorno e che contano sul serio! ^_^ A presto Any
ReplyDeleteA veritable bounty! Stunning broccoli & the rhubarb looks beautiful. Great photos too.
ReplyDeleteTantissimi auguri di un serena Pasqua con le persone che ami, carissima. Un abbraccio.
ReplyDeleteAren't banana flowers fantastic! Yours looks beautiful and those baby bananas...great photos. Then, I was surprised you are just harvesting rhubarb, as we, up here in Nova Scotia are just seeing it poke through the ground for harvest in about three weeks. I thought yours would be finished, used up early in your season.
ReplyDeleteI adore those little crosses on my curser when I am on your page.
Happy Easter and thank you for your wishes.
Here in Auckland Rhubarb is ready in Autumn, and I can harvest it for most of winter, strange eh?
ReplyDeleteAlso I am getting my irises popping up now!
ciao
A.
seeing the banana plants i fee like being at home....lovely pic's
ReplyDeleteWe used to eat banana flower salads in Thailand, they are so astringent.
ReplyDeletelove your garden pics - glad to be on your blog -following- please do drop by mine and please follow too if you like it :)
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a banana flower, Alessandra, and I can only imagine how wonderful it must be to pick your own bananas from your garden! I love your garden photos.
ReplyDeleteI love feijoas! They are sooo yummy! I wish I had some growing in my garden.
ReplyDelete