Harvesting the bounty

How much will you get to eat from containers on two growing ladders that span six feet (2 metres)?

This week I'm sharing pictures of harvests from the last two weeks and how we ate them.... The idea is to show how even a small container garden can make a significant contribution to your daily meals. 

How much can be grown on these two ladders?

Here in the UK, April is early in the growing season (traditionally known as the ‘hungry gap’). Even so, I've been able to pick leaves every day I've been at home (I'll post a full list of harvests soon). I mostly use the pickings as salad ingredients or to add flavour to main dishes.

A simple salad of home grown peashoots and avocado (not home grown). Easy, nutritious, delicious.

The salads with home grown leaves are out of this world. Whenever we're away from home, I yearn for them. You simply can't buy salad like this. This month (and it changes each month) I'm picking pea shoots, chives and garlic chives, oyster leaves, sorrel, fava shoots, coriander, mint, rocket, rocket flowers, and parsley. Ultra fresh, these leaves sing with flavour. I pick them minutes before eating, knowing they haven't lost precious nutrients sitting for days in plastic bags or being shipped hundreds of miles in refrigerated trucks. On Sunday we had this salad with fish for supper.

A salad almost impossible to buy: oyster leaves, fava shoots and pea shoots.
The oyster leaves really do have an oyster flavour - great with fish dishes.

The next evening, Monday, a simple salad with home grown rocket.

Home grown rocket has an intense flavour at this time of year - delicious with avocado and tomato (not home grown).

And the following Monday, I picked chives and coriander for a salsa. Homegrown coriander has an intensity of flavour it is hard to find in shop bought. 

Homegrown coriander and chives add zing to a tomato and avocado salsa.

I also used the leaves and flavours to transform simple food.  For example, yesterday, ladder grown parsley and chives, lifted plain, leftover rice into something quite delicious...

Parsley chives and rocket, used to transform leftover rice...

Simply adding fresh herbs can transform leftover rice into something delicious.

The rice dish above was inspired by this wonderful Ottolenghi recipe. I simplified it, omitting the wild rice, quinoa, pine nuts, and tarragon – even so, it was still ace. If I didn't grow them, I couldn't justify buying lots of different fresh herbs for every day use. As well as being expensive, they'd go off in the fridge. But by growing them, I can pick as little or as much as we need, and eat them in any meal we choose. I'd got as far as saying that having fresh herbs to hand can change the way you eat. On Tuesday, I picked chives and sorrel for a tasty omelette. (Sorrel has a lemony taste that goes well with eggs and fish amongst other things).

Chives and sorrel are great in omelettes.

Chive and sorrel omelette.

On Thursday I picked chives, mint, sorrel and fava shoots to add flavour to a stir fry.

The flavour of spring - mint, chives and fava shoots to lift a stir fry.

If you are new to growing - or thinking about starting - I hope this post has given you an idea of what it is achievable. It's possible to transform a small concrete space (as long as they get three or four hours sun) into an edible container garden where you can grow something special, delicious and nutritious to pick for your meals every day.

Your turn

What are you picking from your containers at the moment? I'd love to hear in the comments.