Tales from the Veg Patch

It might be the end of the series, but it’s not the end of the growing season. So this week, things to look forward to in the autumn veg patch, plus some jobs to get done and recipes for the coming chill.Find the green tomato chutney recipe here:https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/04/nigel-slater-green-tomato-recipesAnd for the roast cauliflower soup with kale and walnut pesto which Kathy's talks through:https://www.kathyslack.com/blog/cauliflower-soup-kale-pestoKeep in touch with Kathy until series 2 begins:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unbuyables – the class of produce only a grower has access to – are especially bountiful in early Autumn and none is more exciting than the imminent winter squash harvest. So this week, pumpkins – how to go them and what to cook with them. You can find all the recipes Kathy mentions in her cookbook, From the Veg Patch.Find the pumpkin tikka masala recipe here: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/pumpkin-tikka-masala-with-flatbreads/Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s August so the courgette glut helpline is open and ringing off the hook. Kathy has plenty of ideas for your courgettes, plus an essay on the joys and tyranny of the bounty. This is an extract from Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch, where you’ll find all the recipes mentioned. For more info on the upcoming events Kathy mentions:https://www.daylesford.com/shop/events/cookery-school/market-garden-gather-and-cook-3https://thebigfeastival.com/chef-line-upKeep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, silence. Kathy goes on a silent nature retreat and, sitting in the kitchen garden at the retreat, discovers that silence, at least in nature, is not silent at all.The retreat was at The Sharpham Trust: https://www.sharphamtrust.org.For more tales about growing and cooking, see Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch,Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttonySee you next week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: lists. Not a 'To Do' list as such, but a list of things to look out for, enjoy and, yes, get done, in the garden at the end of July and into August. Plus, a super simple courgette and lime cake recipe.Find the courgette and lime cake recipe in this episode here: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/courgette-cake-with-lime-buttercream/Plus more recipes for your harvests in Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch.Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deep philosophical questions this week as Kathy ponders life as a broad bean. Plus, more usefully perhaps, tips for your bean harvest from simple vinaigrettes to chicken meatballs and bean stew.This is an extract from Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch, where you’ll find all the recipes mentioned. Keep in touch with Kathy (when she's back from holiday!):kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathy returns from holiday to a jungle of a veg patch. So, this week's episode is a bit of everything, which is just what the patch is offering now too: what to plant and harvest now, plus plenty of ideas and recipes for your pickings, notably cucumber and gin sorbet and a strawberry ice-cream recipe which are, frankly, a necessity right now. Cucumber and gin sorbet recipe: https://boroughmarket.org.uk/recipes/cucumber-gin-sorbet/No-churn strawberry and rose ice-cream recipe: https://www.kathyslack.com/blog/strawberry-rose-ice-creamPlus more recipes for your harvests in Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch, Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, the last for a couple of weeks for reasons that will become clear, Kathy prepares for an ill-timed holiday and shares her tips on how to ready your patch for abandonment. Join Kathy at: Taste of London - Thursday 16th June at 3:30pmALSO Festival – Saturday 9th July at 2pmCornbury Wild Swim, Pilates & Picnic – Tuesday 12th July at 5pmKeep in touch with Kathy (when she's back from holiday!):kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode: gluts. Because Kathy’s first glut arrived this week – lettuces – and marks the start of months of gluts. All this abundance illustrates how restorative the veg patch can be, in ways that aren’t always about connecting with nature, but about connecting with people…Find the Braised Lettuce, Bacon and Barley Stew recipe Kathy talks through and more lettuce recipes in her cookbook, From the Veg Patch. The Chilled Lettuce and Mint soup is in Episode 5.Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the tomatoes need putting out. Kathy has grown them from seed this year which is a bit of a labour of love. She used to grow tomatoes from seed all the time before discovering the convenience of plug plants. Though the story of how she was converted to plug plant tomatoes is not an altogether happy one. As you will now found out…. This is an extract from Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch, where you’ll find many more recipes for your tomato harvest, including the Tomato-Lovers Tomato Salad with Anchovy Breadcrumbs Kathy reads in this episode. Should your seedlings happen to make as far as adulthood that is….Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's all go this week. Kathy deals with a problem in the only way she knows how – cooking. The weeds are getting out of hand, but never one to miss a harvest, Kathy has a recipe for that. Plus, other methods for managing weeds and the joys of RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Kathy will be scrubbing the mud from her nails and donning a frock for a veg-patched inspired lunch there by The Newt, so stay tuned to her Instagram for a blow by blow account of the menu, plus lots of snaps from the show. You can find the spanakopita recipe Kathy talks through in her cookbook, From the Veg Patch and the weed variation on Instagram.Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s decision time in the veg patch this week and boy what a decision it is. The great debate of when to plant out is a heated argument, and the consequences profound, as you will hear. Plus, the elderflowers are ready and blooming in time for the Jubilee celebrations coming up, so Kathy is making her royal (ie: recycled from Harry and Meghan’s do) elderflower scones. As ever, do let Kathy know what you think of each episode. You’ll find her busy on Instagram and Twitter or leave a review whether ever you listen to this podcast. You can find the Elderflower and Lemon Scones recipe Kathy talks through on her blog and her instagram:https://www.kathyslack.com/blog/lemon-elderflower-sconesinstagram.com/gluts_gluttonyKeep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to Tales from the Veg Patch. Join your host, Kathy Slack, for another 15 minutes of rural tranquillity as she opens the garden gate and invites you into her veg patch to explore the highs and lows of growing your own with gentle tales of goings on in the garden. This week, wildlife. Unwelcome wildlife. Despite how much gardeners talk about working with the nature and how growing allows us to be at one with the outdoors, you’d be surprised how much time they spend battling with wildlife. If it’s not greenfly, it’s mice. If not mice, then squirrels. All want to take a bite out of the harvest. And none is more disruptive than moles. And Kathy should now, because she has a mole of her very own.Plus, what to do with a rhubarb glut. You can find the Rhubarb, Honey and ginger flapjack recipe Kathy talks through on her blog and her instagram:https://www.kathyslack.com/blog/rhubarb-flapjackinstagram.com/gluts_gluttonyKeep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, an exploration of the many perfections of lettuces – from pert, hearting ones, to lolling about leafy ones, and even the crispy bowling balls ones. Find out which to grow, how to grow them and what to cook with them: charred on a griddle and buried in parmesan, tossed in a light and lovely dressing, or braised in a springtime stew.Find the Chilled Lettuce and Mint Soup Kathy talks through and more lettuce recipes in her cookbook, From the Veg Patch.Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the giddy pick-n-mix sweetshop excitement of buying soil. Plus tips on choosing compost. Then into the kitchen with the first crops to sprout through the new soil – radishes. Try radish slammers, roast radish salad and buttered radishes. Find the radish recipe from the podcast here:https://www.kathyslack.com/blog/roast-radish-lentil-anchoviesAnd others in Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch,For more about market garden guru, Anna Greenland: https://www.annagreenland.co.ukThe compost brands Kathy mentioned are:DalefootSylvaGrowNew Horizons6X FertiliserAnd the two camps in the dig/no dig debate are:Double dig: https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/double-diggingNo Dig: https://charlesdowding.co.ukMeet Kathy:Tuesday 10th May - supper club at The Royal Oak.Sat 30th April 10-12 - Warwick BooksSat 30th April 2-4pm – Blackwell’s, OxfordKeep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Come with Hadleigh (spaniel) on an adventure in the woods, amongst the bluebells and badgers for a spot of foraging (and accidental trespassing). Then join Kathy back in the kitchen for wild garlic frittata and more recipe ideas.For more seasonal recipes see Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch,Find the Wild Garlic Frittata recipe from the podcast here:https://www.kathyslack.com/blog/wild-garlic-frittataKeep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttonySee you next week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Kathy explains why she thinks growing food is good for restoring mental health. Which means telling you the grisly tale of how she came to need restoring in the first place.Note: there’s some stuff about depression in this episode so if that’s a trigger for you, maybe come back to it later. And if you need to talk, The Samaritans are on 116 123 24hrs a day.For more tales about growing and cooking, see Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch,Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttonySee you next week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In praise of the forlorn leek languishing at the back of your fridge, the trials for leek growing, dibbling blisters and leek loving recipe ideas that come straight out of The Good Life.For more on the leek recipes mentioned see Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch,Find the Leek, Chestnut and Cider Crumble recipe in the cookbook or on The Happy Foodie here:https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/leek-chestnut-and-cider-crumble/Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttonySee you next week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, I’m Kathy Slack. I’m a food writer, cook and veg grower. And I’d like to invite you into my kitchen garden to share the highs and lows of growing and cooking your own food, and the healing powers of gardening, in my new podcast, Tales from the Veg Patch. Because if there’s one thing I love in life, I mean really, passionately adore, it’s vegetables. Why this obsession you may ask?  Well, vegetables saved my life. I know that sounds glib but it’s really only a very slight exaggeration. After more than a decade in a high-flying job in London, I was a wreck. It’s a total cliche of modern burn out and the consequences of a life in the rat race, my mind and body just shut down one day and crippling depression took hold. But I found peace in an unlikely place – a vegetable patch. I put my hands in the soil and felt reconnected. A year digging, sowing seeds, counting worms, failing to contain the bindweed, and the veg patch quietly, without fanfare, saved me, giving me the courage to leave one life behind and begin a more connected life and new career in food.Even now, if I feel a wobble coming on I head out to the garden for a bit with my spaniel, Hadleigh at my heel, and I’m back in an even keel. Calm, re-balanced, reconnected.  And that’s what I want for this podcast. To offer you the same 15 minutes of rural tranquillity to restore and inspire with stories that get you back to the land. They are hopeful, sometimes funny, tales about the garden, cooking and the restorative power of nature. A quiet manifesto, I hope, for a more connected life.There’s The Love Story of the Overlooked Leek (spoiler: they all live happily ever after in a leek and chestnut crumble); an essay on How to Buy Dirt, in which I go shopping for soil; and, musings on the Morals and Mysteries of Failing to Catch a Mole (it’s actually tunnelled into the raised beds, baffling.).Of course there’s lots of eating too, with super simple seasonal suppers (oo that’s quite hard to say) in every episode and plenty of ideas for making the most the season’s bounty whether that’s homegrown or shop-bought.I’m really looking forward to sharing the harvest with you. And secretly I’m also hoping to turn you all into veg evangelists as well. So hit subscribe and join me for a peak over the garden gate every Thursday for 15 minutes throughout the growing season.Hadleigh and I, and the bloody mole, will see you there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tales From the Veg Patch is a new podcast by award-winning food writer, cook and veg grower, Kathy Slack. Come through the garden gate for 15 minutes of rural tranquillity as Kathy shares uplifting stories about growing and cooking her own food and the healing powers of gardening for mental health.There’s 'The Love Story of the Overlooked Leek'; an essay on 'How to Buy Dirt'; and, musings on 'The Morals and Mysteries of Failing to Catch a Mole'. Plus lots of eating, weekly recipes and ideas for making the most of the harvest.Tales, stories and essays to reconnect you with the food you eat and get you back to the land.Coming soon...Subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.