Balcony Garden: Harvest Monday #28

After a really...bad, horrible and tragic start I have to say I'm shocked that my tomatoes have lasted so long and produced so much fruit. We're at the end of it now and this is the last meal from this crop. The tomato  plants have made their way into the green waste bin and I've got "other things" growing in their pot now.

Tomatoes may be an annual affair but it turns out the parsley is here to stay...for the next year or so I've been told. It's a perennial (as opposed to an annual like tomatoes) that has a two year life span give or take.  Who knew? Not me.

 

My rocket continues to do really well on the balcony - it's been growing in this pot for about six months with no real dramas. I just snip off what I want and the plant keeps flourishing. I don't want to jinx myself but rocket is one of the few plants I've grown that hasn't been affected by caterpillars, aphids or other creepy crawlies. Maybe they don't like the pepperiness of it?

It's funny how we collect recipes - flicking through magazines, blogs and cookbooks  - and how just a select few make it into our regular rotation, like this Spicy Chorizo Couscous from The Suz Chef blog. I like it because it's quick and simple to make and the whole meal can be cooked in just one pot = less washing up.

As always we're using "fake" chicken stock for our cous cous and ethical chorizo from The Free Range Butcher.  We don't always eat "free range" especially when eating out as it's tricky - but we try our best at home.

This dish is cooked and on the table in under 15 minutes (photography time not included). A squeeze of lemon tops things off perfectly. I'm hoping to find a dwarf lemon tree that I can put out on the balcony.  I'm looking to add more perennials and less annuals on too my balcony garden as I like the idea of plants that keep producing over the years.

You can view more Harvest Monday posts on Daphne's Dandelions blog.