Kem Ormond’s garden update: Fresh ideas for a vegetable and citrus glut

Kem Ormond has been overrun with lemons, which is the perfect excuse to make plenty of lemon curd. Photo / Kem Ormond

Kem Ormond is a features writer for The Country. She’s also a keen gardener. This week, she’s giving an update on what she has been doing in her own vegetable garden.

Do you know that June 21 is the shortest day, marking the winter solstice when the Southern Hemisphere is tilted furthest from the sun?

In my mind, I try to tell myself that once I see that date on the calendar, summer is on the way, and it is all uphill from then on!

Pity summer is a little slow in noticing it.

At present, I am overrun with the most beautiful lemons, and I try to use every one of them.

I have made plenty of lemon curd, and some lucky friends who have visited have been able to try my lemon curd slice.

Remember, lime curd is nice also, but it is harder to extract the juice.

A wonderful use of your lemons is to make ginger and lemon cordial concentrate to help with winter bugs, and why not get a large jar and make some preserved lemons to add to a good Moroccan casserole in the winter?

Then there’s lemon slice and lemon cake, the list is endless, as well as tasty!

One thing you may not know is that, unlike many other fruits, citrus fruits won’t ripen or become any sweeter after picking.

So, it’s important to only harvest fruit when they’re properly ripe and the best way to know that is to try one.

Some citrus trees suffer from the drop in temperature, which I so understand, and the leaves sometimes will yellow and fall off.

If this is the case, throw over some frost cloth.

If your leaves turn yellow at any other time of the year, this is for a different reason; usually, they are nutrient-deficient.

Of course, feijoas are in full force at the moment.

The variety I have planted is Apollo, and the fruit is large and very juicy.

So, there have been plenty of feijoa crumbles and feijoa slices happening in my household.

They are great to make into a paste to have with cheese, plus you can make feijoa wine, jam, chutney, and they are lovely as a filling in pancakes. You can even make feijoa fizz!

Put a note in your gardening journal to feed your trees every 3-4 months, starting in early spring (August/September) and again after fruiting has finished.

I am still enjoying the fruits from my tamarillo tree, which is interesting because, as I write this, there are none to be had in the supermarkets, so I feel really spoilt.

What do you do with an abundance of lemon curd? Make lemon curd cake! Photo / Kem Ormond

I am going to plant an additional tree next season. I have even had enough from my tree to make a couple of small jars of tamarillo chutney.

With colder months about to hit us, you may be cooking a few roasts.

Remember to lay your roast on a bed of rosemary, as it will add an extra dimension of flavour.

Rosemary is a great herb to have in the garden.

You can even plant it in your vegetable or herb garden, or even amongst your annuals, and it will thrive.

You have it all year round, and so versatile.

The same can be said for thyme, and both can be thrown into a winter stew for added flavour.

My cauliflowers are coming ready, and instead of just freezing them or making cauliflower and cheese, I have been making spicy cauliflower soup with the addition of my homemade curry powder and a handful of cashews to thicken it to a creamy consistency. (Not for the nut intolerant).

Winter is the time to drag out some cookbooks or go online and try a few innovative ideas with some of your winter vegetables.

I have plenty of brassicas coming on, leeks, broad beans, coriander, and parsley, as well as spring onions, so I will be looking for a few new ways to turn them into something delicious.