Writing about the life cycle of food means that at some point we need to cover off cooking the produce. If you are just starting to cook, check out our "Prepare and Cook" pages for more information on getting your veg ready to cook and the different ways you can cook them. We cover;

• Starters, light bites and snacks
• Main meals
• Side dishes and accompaniments
• Cakes, desserts sweet treats and sweet accopaniments
• Pickles, jams and chutneys

If you already know how to do the basics and are looking for more interesting things to make when your vegetables and eggs are in season and you are eating them every day, explore our recipe section and find something tasty that you can add to your favourites list.

Eat and enjoy!

Our recipe of the week comes about from having enjoyed a meal at home, using seasonal vegetables, and a desire to share this with you all. Explore this section and find this weeks recipe plus all the previous recipes that we have posted.

This weeks recipe is;

Dundee Cake

We are now in the season for Seville Oranges and marmalade making. Dundee cake contains Seville Orange Marmalade and the zest of 2 oranges so if you fancy having a go, try this extra orangey version of the Traditional Dundee Cake. 

Eat and enjoy!

Here are 3 of our most popular recipe's of the week for a snack or side dish, main or dessert;

1.  Fully Loaded Jacket Potato Salad
2.  Lentil and Frankfurter Soup
3.  Banoffee Pie

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I love food and hate the thought of wasting it, for all sorts of reasons. This isn't always a good thing, as my ever increasing waisteline shows. But when we have more than we know what to do with I don't like to just throw it away either. Of course there are plenty of ways to reduce food waste without eating it all. Explore this section and find out about;

• the most common ways we produce food waste and why it is a good idea not to, like cutting costs for example,
• our 5 step plan to help reduce your own waste and save money at the same time,
• what to do if you suddenly find you have an unexpected abundance of spare food,
• different ways to dispose of food waste without adding to landfil.

Our ancesters were very good at preserving the food gathered at the harvest. They had to be as there were no shops to go to when they ran out. If you are interested in longer term preserving methods for saving your own harvest explore this section and learn about some of the home preserving methods that are available for you to use. You will find also learn about;

• which fruit and vegetables freeze best and tips for freezing food successfully
• preserving whole fruit and vegetables in bottles and jars, recipes for the bottling liquids and equipment you need
• everything you need to know about making jams, chutneys and pickles, plus 7 steps to successful jam making
• Some great recipes to get you going

I have been making paper bags to use as giveaway bags for many years and my customers love them. I have been asked many times how I make them. So follow this link to my simple step by step guide and learn how you can turn a single sheet of any paper into your own gift bags too. Remember you can use any paper not just newspaper.

This section is a guide to those thinking about keeping chickens in a domestic garden. Explore this section and find out everything you need to know about chickens. Including;

• meeting "The Basevi Flock"
• whether keeping chickens is as right for you as it has been for us
• how to entertain your chickens and just how entertaining they can be
• everything you need to know about eggs, how to cook them and some tasty recipes for learners and more advanced cooks
• how to help a sick chicken and manage the end of their lives

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If you make compost at home for yourself, you are making free compost. Explore this section to learn all about the different composting methods you can use at home, what you can and can't compost and when your compost is ready to use. Explore our FAQ's to answer most of your composting questions and learn how and when to use this wonderful nutritious material that you can produce free using your own kitchen and garden waste. The different methods covered include;

• Cold Composting, using one or more compost bin
• Hot composting, using a compost heap
• Using a wormery, looking after your worm community and how to use worm casts and leachate
• Bokashi, used for processing meat and ccoked food waste
• Explore the other kinds of compost available and how to compost things that shouldn't go in your compost bin

For years we have used any spare space in the garden to grow a bit of fruit and veg. This then means we have had a fresh supply in season of whatever we have been able to grow, and yes it does taste better straight from the garden to your plate. Explore this section to learn;

• How to grow your own vegetables,when to sew the seeds and how to look after the plants to get the best crop
• About harvesting and storing them to extend their life and keep them in season longer
• How to prepare and cook your veg, ideal for for beginners,
• Lots of tasty recipes, for experienced cooks and lots of ideas for using up a glut adding variety to your meals.

Vegtables covered so for include Asparagus, Carrots, Peas, Potatoes and Runner Beans;