Aunty’s Garden: We may have to pinch our pennies but we will survive

Roket and tomato muffins. Photo / Supplied

How blessed were we to escape the flooding at Aunty’s Garden.

There was no surface water to speak of, so everything that had been planted was either harvested or still growing. Apart from some yellowing of the lettuces, the remaining vegetables are in good condition.

My favourite kumara looked fantastic on top with foliage everywhere but underneath the vines after so much rain, the ground beneath the kumara is so wet, and with the lack of sun not drying the vines, the kumara rot.

This is what’s happened in Dargaville, the kumara Capital of New Zealand. It was very sad to see on TV, the many acres of kumara in the north, covered in the floods. I have experienced that here in the Bay, crops that have rotted due to the wet weather.

About 95 per cent of the kumara you find in your supermarket comes from Dargaville. They are harvested but with the heavy rain and floods, instead of 20 bins per row, they only got two. I fear that our yields will be smaller as well. This means kumara will be in short supply and very expensive.

We’re in for great lessons, making our dollars stretch with our food consumption, as well as petrol costs, and looking after our families. It will be tough, but with care and attention putting food supplies away, and watching our pennies, we will survive.

Kia kaha everyone.

Our Recipe is rocket and tomato muffins.

You need

4 tbsp of butter

½ cup sugar

1 egg

1 ½ cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

¾ cup milk

¾ cup tomato and rocket leaves

Method

Cream butter and sugar, add egg, flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and mix

Remove seeds from tomatoes and chop finely with the rocket leaves then add to the mixture and gently stir in

Put spoonfuls into your sprayed or buttered muffin tin

Bake for 12-15min at 180C.

Enjoy with your favourite cuppa after a hard morning in the garden.