This week @deirdyweirdy said that she'll never get over the miracle of growing things that she can eat. Fuck yeah. If you've got to that point in your gardening journey you're never going back. And even though you've worked HARD to do it, it's wild that you can pull food for your table from your backyard. I mean, is this the best kept secret?

I know people don't always have success - the gap between pulling the fatted fennel from the soil and what you actually need to know and do to pull this off can be huge. When you've been doing it for so long it's almost intuitive, but it can take a while to get there. I'd love to consult people on having success so they keep doing it for the rest of their lives.

This afternoon I made a spanokopita from the garden- I had so many greens from beetroot and silverbeet that it had to be done. A good spanokopita also has herbs - parsley, dill, fennel fronds, mint - which I could also pluck from my garden. I mean, people pay for herbs wrapped in plastic at the supermarket when they're some of the easiest things to grow. That's crazy to me, especially if you love cooking.

I also made a batch of caramelised onion chutney with red wine and balsamic vinegar. When one has too many onions, am I right? To think I almost bought chutney. THat's another thing about growing your own - you eat seasonally, and get creative with what food you have a lot of. Here in warm temperate southern Australia we have greens all year long - so even if there isn't a heap coming out of the garden, you can always, always have greens. I think that's another reason people fail - they want to eat tomatoes and capsicum and zucchini out of season rather than beetroot and onions and swedes, and they lack the imagination or desire to turn such veggies into various creative feasts.

From the first pots of herbs I transplanted from my Mum's garden forty odd years ago to now, I've learnt a lot. The awesome thing about gardening is that you keep learning too - it's never boring and there is always something to do.

I can't tell you how much I love it. Or I can, but to truly understand, you have to experience the miracle on your own.

Start somewhere. A few lettuce. Some spring onions. Herbs. Easy things.

Just prepare to be addicted to the miracle of growing things.

With Love,

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