Aunty’s Garden: Abundance of produce a blessing for community

Aunty's Garden basic lettuce salad.

The average weight of our kūmara harvest planted early, in new ground and nurtured carefully was 2-3 kilos.

They were harvested to coincide with the book launch of The Kumara Vine.

kūmara are a great passion of mine. The harvest is now drying out and being stored for planting next season.

An abundance of fruit and vegetables has been grown here in the Bay. It is such a blessing for our community to have so much kai around us.

Now, in the 20th year of Aunty’s Garden, we too have provided a great variety of vegetables and fruit to more people who come to the garden. It’s extraordinary, as all the food we grow is spray-free and so tasty.

At my extended age of three score and 10 plus, I’m noticing a slowdown in pace, my enthusiasm is still there but for how much longer, I’m not sure.

So many classes, garden groups, special needs, schoolchildren, kindergarten and kohanga reo children and their kaiako and parents, have come to share in what we do at Aunty’s Garden.

I didn’t set out to be famous or well-known, but somehow it just happened. I will continue to do what I love, and that is to work in my garden. I love to share my passion for the garden with others.

Providing recipes for Hawke’s Bay Today via Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc’s Tihei Kahungunu pull-out is no easy task. Even though the recipes are basic, they tax my imagination - but it’s a lot of fun to do.

Recipe: Basic Lettuce Salad

• 1 iceberg lettuce
• ½ red oak lettuce
• ½ red delicious apple
• 1 mandarin
• ½ red onion
• 1 carrot
• ½ cup nuts (walnuts) or your preference
• Two boiled eggs

Method

• Finely slice lettuce
• Dice apple
• Finely cut mandarin segments
• Finely chop red onion
• Grate carrot
• peelPand cut eggs into quarters
• Toss all in a bowl and add dressing of your choice

It’s very simple. It takes 5-10 minutes to make this delicious salad to go with any meal.