episode 169 | show notes & advice
episode description
With spring racing onwards, the window in which to plant out your half-hardy seeds is upon us, and it’s a time that should spark joy in the imaginations of veg gardeners.
This week on grow, cook, eat, arrange, half-hardy vegetables take centre stage - Sarah takes us through the 6 must-have categories of veg, and shares an array of mouth-watering recipes perfect for the avid kitchen gardener.
In this episode, discover
- Why this time of year perfectly suits the sowing of your half-hardy seeds
- Three stellar tomatoes, with a surprise favourite emerging from our most recent taste trials
- Recipes for all of Sarah’s top half-hardy veg, from the surprisingly savoury to the deliciously healthy
- Which edible flowers wonderfully complement courgettes in a fritto misto
links and references
Order Sarah’s new book - A Year Full of Pots
Order Sarah’s book - A Year Full of Flowers
Order Sarah’s book - A Year Full of Veg
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Episode 169 advice sheet
Three top tomato varieties (3:45)
Long time listeners know Sarah’s love for tomatoes like black russian and sungold, but from last year’s taste trials a new favourite has emerged - the sweet, prolific and wonderfully textured garnet.
These can all be used in a number of soups of course, or more curiously in a savoury recipe for baked tomatoes in cream that’ll prove to become a new go-to comfort food.
How to grow and use cucumbers (10:45)
La diva remains one of the most rewarding half-hardy seeds you can grow, and serves as the perfect ingredient for a cucumber pickle. They’re best grown on a climbing frame, and as our previous guest Olia Hercules will attest, using a blackcurrant leaf in the pickle recipe is like magic, preserving the cucumber’s crunch.
The standout pea to complete a salad (12:40)
Sarah gives us a short and sweet recommendation for the one pea worth recommending above all else; Nairobi is a perfect addition to Sarah’s salad recipe, bringing bold flavour through between the red onions, basil and broad beans.
Sarah’s tips for productive basil propagation (13:45)
For those with a sweet tooth, basil sweet genovese is a must-grow as it tops off a delicious basil ice cream recipe. Sarah shares her tips for keeping your basil propagating vigorously, making it one of the most prolific and rewarding veg to grow.
When to pick courgettes for peak flavour (15:25)
Three courgettes are top of mind when it comes to picking strong, nutty flavours from your garden - the bold yellow soleil, pale ivory-green bianca di trieste, and flavoursome romanesco. They’re best served in a fritto misto, the recipe for which includes one of Sarah’s top tulips, the exotic emperor.
Using seed tape for easy-growing carrots (18:00)
Finally, carrots are such an easy addition to any garden, and regardless of the variety you pick, the experimentation with seed tape makes their appearance in your veg garden so easy to achieve.
Episode 164 advice sheet
Easy edibles and a classy, colourful Zinnia (3:10)
Top of Jemima’s list is the Calendula Touch of Red Mix, which is such a simple way to bring a fiery flair to any mixed jug of simple flowers, and they’re so productive as cut and come again flowers.
Following those up with a flower that’s beautiful at every stage of its cycle as a half-hardy annual, Zinnia elegans ‘Queeny Red Lime’ is a classy blend of green and red worthy of any beginner’s garden.
A Linaria perfect for instant impact (10:45)
The Linaria maroccana ‘Sweeties’ earns its spot on this list for being such a quick plant to grow - you’ll have amazing flowers in 10-12 weeks, and with seared stem ends they’ll give you nearly two weeks of dazzling vase life.
A bold, brilliant cut-and-come-again Cosmos (16:50)
Cut and come again flowers are some of the most rewarding for new gardeners for just how much they give you, and Cosmos Double Click Cranberries tops out as one of the best. It’s like a handful of ruffled silk with striking colour, and they’re a hit with pollinators too.
How to make Icelandic Poppies thrive (24:50)
Perhaps the most challenging of the beginner plants on this list, the Champagne Bubbles Mix of Icelandic Poppies is a wash of watercolour that’s well worth the extra effort.
Jemima and Sarah share why Icelandic Poppies can be tricky, and how to treat them for best results - it’s a flower that doesn’t like root disturbance, so taking care when transplanting seedlings will help them shine as they flower all summer long.
A stunning selection of Sweet Peas that couldn’t be missed (30:10)
For their universal charm, Sweet Peas couldn’t be missed on this list, and among Jemima’s favourites are the Spanish bullfighter red of ‘Prince of Orange’, more saturated pink-red of ‘Scarlett’, and fragrant violet presence of ‘Cupani’.
