I’ve been attempting to grow fruit and vegetables on my balcony (actually several balconies), for a few years now so I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned. I am by no means an expert but I do feel that next year I know exactly what I want to plant and, more importantly, what is actually worth growing; often I’ve been sucked into the trap of thinking, ‘ooh wouldn’t it be cool if I grew that!’ rather than properly considering the conditions it might need. This has led to a lot of disappointment. Occasionally however, I have managed to learn from my mistakes.

Tomatoes are probably the first vegetable most cooks try to grow at home and I’ve had varying degrees of success over the years. What I’ve generally found is that trying to grow full size tomatoes in pots or grow bags in a limited space is not really worth it; they often toughen up into ‘London tomatoes’ – thick skinned and mealy. Cherry tomatoes are the way forward for me. This year I discovered the ‘Vilma‘ variety which are specially bred for growing in pots. They shot up really well from seed to produce strong and somewhat stocky plants that trailed over the pots and produced lots of really sweet and flavourful fruits over a long season. I’ve come to realise though, that with tomato plants, quantity is key – you need to grow more than three to make it worthwhile.

I’ve also had great results with chillies and I find you only need a couple of plants to get a really good yield. This year I grew one batch of seeds from a little self-contained pouch I got when I won the Tipped chilli cook-off and the others I grew from some chillies kindly sent to me by Jess, again for winning the cook off. They nearly always grow easily and look all pretty on the balcony as the fruits turn from green to purple to red.

I’ll also be growing more salad leaves next year. I’ve had success with every type I’ve bought including different varieties of rocket (which is much more peppery than the shop bought stuff) and Beet Bull’s Blood. They grow so fast it’s hard to keep up; you keep cutting them and they grow back within a week.

Other successes include the bay tree (an incredibly useful addition to the kitchen garden) and of course some herbs; not all of them mind you – I’ve had the least trouble with hardy ones like rosemary and thyme. Among the softer herbs, basil has worked well (particularly the Greek variety) and I did manage to keep parsley alive once, although not for very long. The one herb I have never been able to grow is coriander. If anyone has any tips on that then please let me know.

And now for some of the fails…

When I heard it was possible to grow potatoes in containers, I was excited. Generally, I am not a big potato eater but the flavour of a home grown spud is so spectacularly different from that of a shop bought one. It brings back memories of lazy summer lunches in my parents’ garden – forking up the potatoes, shaking off the dirt and tumbling them into the basket ready to be washed, cooked and made ready to receive butter. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was when the ‘great potato harvest’ turned up just three teeny spuds from one flamboyantly leafy, lush plant. I had to laugh as Chris desperately scrabbled through the dirt with his fingers, “where are they? where ARE they?!”

Next, the padron peppers. Not a total failure as you can see but the problem here was one of quantity. The three plants I managed to keep alive produced just four peppers between them and I think it was a real struggle bless ‘em; the plants are now yellow, scrawny and basically on the way out. I suspect a greenhouse might be a more suitable environment.

And finally, the strawberries. These were  incredibly disappointing because they had so much promise. I bought a variety bred for growing in pots. They even managed to survive a week wrapped up in the post office depot (the postman failed to leave a card to let me know they were there) and went on to recover well, producing a pleasing amount of scarlet fruit. When it came to the eating however, the berries were hard and sour, no matter how long I left them to ripen. I really don’t know what went wrong.

So there you have it – the fruits of my rather limited labours. Next year I’ll be growing more tomatoes, salad leaves and chillies and experimenting yet again with the herbs. I also like to grow some non-edibles for a bit of colour; sweet peas are absolutely essential as my favourite flowers and the lily trees (top photo) were spectacular, provoking gasps (actual gasps!) of joy from visitors.

I’ll be trying some winter salad leaves now but I’m also looking for a new addition for next year. What have been your successes? Any vegetable I simply must try growing? Any tips on keeping herbs alive will also be very gratefully received!

You can see my full urban gardening Flickr set here.

The ‘urban garden’ has been a moderate success – ok, so the potatoes weren’t exactly abundant! The tomatoes are going strong though, the herbs flourishing (even two types of basil I’ve been unable to grow before) and these pretty salad leaves, the first harvest. One is a type of rocket, the other is known as ‘bull’s blood’ – presumably due to its striking red veins. Both have a slightly bitter flavour, a good foil for the sweet peaches and creamy cheese.This is salad number 7, the end of my (rather over the top) week-long blogiversary celebrations. Why not? I like salads.

I could not have anticipated that a simple online recipe log could become something much bigger. I was a long-time reader of food blogs way before I ever considered starting my own, lapping up the musings of veterans such as Jeanne, Sam, Molly, Pim and of course, Clotilde. Food blogs are special because they are written by mere mortals, real characters with ‘other lives’, moonlighting as food junkies. Recipes come to life through these people. The story behind it, what went wrong, what works for people who are doing it for nothing but love, at home, in real life.

Want to know what’s good for eating in other parts of the world? By default, you learn a bit about how other people live. You can follow Peter in Canada, Christie and Peter G in Australia, Aidan training as a chef in Catalonia, David ‘Up Norf’ (championing those beautiful ingredients), Wendy in Scotland, Cynthia in Barbados, Fanny in France, Kalyn in Utah, Nina in South Africa, Sophie in Oxford, Jenn in Florida, Heather in Oregon (that’s what OR means, right?) and of course my fellow Londoners like Niamh, Lizzie and Spaghetti (Your real name?!). I could go on and on, that’s only a tiny selection of the food blogs I read, as are those listed on my blogroll. I really need to update….

Food blogging is about being a part of that community, connecting with people who feel the same way and sharing your experiences. Although I love my cookbooks, most sit gathering dust for long periods – if I want a recipe, I search the blogosphere first. I’m part of a global phenomenon, a network of people as obsessed with grub as I am – sometimes it’s good to know it’s not just me getting funny looks when I’m waxing lyrical about a peach or something.

Speaking of which, these were supposed to be grilled. I forgot to light the BBQ, so I cooked them gently in a little butter and black pepper. I tossed them with the salad leaves, some walnut halves, roasted beets, crumbled gorgonzola - all drizzled with a dressing made by whisking olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. A little chopped mint is good too if you have it.

So that’s it for salad days. What shall I do next? Dessert days? Maybe not, there’s a bikini moment looming in a couple of weeks. The stew series? Not until winter. Bread Bites? No, again – the bikini. Anyway, Susan’s got it covered. BBQ Bites? Now, that could be a winner. I’ll get back to you…

Sorry for the pause, I know it’s been a week – I’m taking exams at the moment. Right, it’s time for another asparagus recipe before I get distracted by all the other food ideas floating around in my head. In my last asparagus post, I mentioned how I wanted to re-discover it and that I did, by eating it thinly shaved and raw as a salad. Now I’m going to the opposite end of the spectrum with some roasted asparagus. Eating it raw retains a fresh, pea-like flavour which I recently read is “partly caused by 2-alkyl-3-methoxy-pyrazines” – I’m sorry, what?! Anyhow, roasting it draws out the water and intensifies the flavour, a totally different experience.

For this recipe, I also roasted some garlic, as I wanted the mellow cloves to add to my caramelised lemon dressing (you could just use a very small amount of fresh garlic if you don’t want to do this – 1/2 clove). To caramelise the lemons you simply cut them in half and cook them flesh side down in a hot pan for a few minutes until charred. You can then squeeze their golden, sweetened juice into your dressing or whatever else you fancy. It’s a great way to jazz up the humble lemon a bit and is something we always fling on the barbecue for drizzling over grilled meats and fish.

I’ve made a ‘mimosa’ with the eggs – or pushed ‘em through a sieve, which I think is a great way to add a little richness to vegetables without covering them in butter. There is also something about the process of making eggs mimosa that I find extremely satisfying. If you ever made ‘hair’ out of clay and a sieve at primary school then you know what I’m talking about. A touch of parmesan goes in with the eggs for extra flavour and saltiness and the final flourish is some crispy, chilli fried breadcrumbs - a welcome kick and a great textural contrast. So we have intensely flavoured roasted asparagus, rich, slightly salty eggs, sweet lemon dressing and those spicy crumbs. It’s a bit like a really lazy gratin with less sauce.

I was also inspired by one of my favourite bloggers this morning (Sophie from Mostly Eating), when I read her post about what she will be eating this week. Sophie is a nutritionist and her blog is full of healthy recipes and tips for maintaining a balanced diet. Believe it or not, healthy eating is something I feel pretty strongly about and so I thought I’d give you a little snapshot of the kind of thing I eat on a day to day basis because I don’t sit around eating Opera cake all the time – honest! For lunch today I made this courgette, parsley and olive farro with lemon and chilli.

It’s basically a combination of things that I had available so I’ve given the recipe below although you could just adapt as necessary. I must say that the courgette-parsley-olive combo makes great pasta sauce too, especially with plenty of garlic and parmesan. Yum.

One last thing – there is now a link in the left hand side bar to ‘Eat the Seasons’, a great resource highlighting ingredients that are at their best in the UK right now (with an option to switch to the US and Canada). There’s also time for a brief update on my urban garden which you can see is coming along just great, in fact, it’s growing abnormally quickly.

The tomatoes and potatoes are totally unstoppable and I have some exciting new additions arriving this week too.You can see in the pictures that we had rain overnight in London but, hang on a minute – what’s that bright, light stuff? Oh yeah, that’s SUN! Remember that, UK residents?! I think it might possibly be back……

The asparagus recipe was originally intended as an entry for Scott and Julia’s event – In the Bag, which showcases seasonal ingredients but I missed the deadline. Hey ho.

Asparagus with Parmesan – Eggs Mimosa, Caramelised Lemon Dressing and Chilli Crumbs

2 ‘bundles’ green asparagus (around 20 spears in total)
4 hard boiled eggs
Parmesan to taste
1 large lemon, halved
1 slice stale bread, crusts removed and blended to make crumbs
1 red chilli, de-seeded (or not, I didn’t!) and finely chopped
Olive oil for frying

For the dressing

3 fat cloves roasted garlic (or 1/2 clove fresh, crushed)
1 level teaspoon wholegrain mustard
Juice of one caramelised lemon
Black pepper
Extra Virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas4/350F

- Bend each asparagus spear until it snaps and discard the woody ends. Put the asparagus in a roasting tray, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for around 15 minutes, depending on thickness – they should be just tender.
- Meanwhile, peel the eggs, put them in a sieve with a good grating of parmesan and then push through the sieve into a bowl.
- Heat a pan for the lemon, halve it, add a little oil and char it, flesh side down until blackened. Then, set aside while you begin to make the dressing, below.
- For the dressing, mush the garlic in a pestle and mortar with a little sea salt. Add some black pepper and the mustard and stir to combine. Add the caramelised lemon juice and scrape some of the nice caramelised bits from the surface of the lemon half into the dressing too. Add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Whisk to emulsify and adjust the quantities to your taste.
- To make the crumbs, fry the chopped chilli with the crumbs in a little olive oil until golden and crispy.
- Serve the asparagus with some of the dressing poured on top, then the eggs, more dressing and finally those crispy crumbs.

Farro with Courgettes, Parsley and Olives

250g farro
3 small courgettes, grated
1 red chilli, finely chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely sliced or diced
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
20 kalamata olives, halved
Parmesan and lemon zest, to serve
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

- Put the grated courgettes in a colander, sprinkle with a little fine salt and put a plate on top to weight them down. Either put this in the sink or over a bowl to let the water drain out. I left them for about half an hour then got bored but they were fine.
- Cook the farro according to packet instructions.
- Soften the onion in olive oil until starting to caramelise, add the garlic and chilli for a couple of minutes and then add the courgettes (as soon as you smell any hint of the garlic burning, put your courgettes in).
- Cook the mixture for 10 minutes (ish). This is to lightly cook the courgettes and get rid of any remaining moisture.
- Whisk together the honey, lemon juice olive oil and some black pepper.
- Mix everything together in a serving bowl, pour over the dressing and finish with a good grating of parmesan and lemon zest.

So, we have two lavender recipes in a row – which is what can happen if you have a big bunch of delicious smelling lavender hanging around your flat, constantly triggering your food-obsessed brain off in all kinds of directions. After making the lamb, I put the remaining stems on my desk as a soothing scent to guide me through exam-hell but instead, I came up with this recipe.

I’ve been meaning to have a go at smoking duck with earl grey tea for ages as I love the flavour of bergamot and so Chris and I fashioned a steamer from a roasting tray, a cooling rack and some tin foil. I threw in some lemon zest and lavender stems and it came together really well, producing the most delicately perfumed, succulent duck. Thankfully, the lavender and bergamot were still discernible but not overpowering, a total fluke on my part as I had no idea of the right quantities.

With the smoked duck in mind, we took a trip to our local Chinese supermarket yesterday where I also spotted they sell fresh durian fruit. I’ve seen them frozen here before but never fresh. After reading Pim’s post recently, I’ve become more interested and very slightly less scared about trying one. I don’t have the nerve yet and so, apart from stocking up on kaffir lime and curry leaves, we picked up some rice wrappers to make some pancake rolls with strips of crispy spring onion, cucumber and soft, sweet mango. We dunked them in a dipping sauce of soy, rice wine vinegar, honey, chilli flakes and coriander with a touch of sesame oil.

The duck rolls were perfect for the sunny weather we had yesterday. Today, it’s raining again but that’s ok as my urban kitchen garden is getting a good soaking.There is something about growing your own food when you have limited space that is really satisfying. Here’s a couple of work in progress shots. You can see that the bay tree has sprung into action and the tomatoes are unstoppable!

We’re also growing potatoes, two plants, in a grow bag I cut into two and stood on it’s ends. If anyone tells you it’s not possible to grow potatoes on a balcony, they are wrong. Of course, I’ll probably only get a few meals but I’m still proud.

Earl Grey and Lavender Smoked Duck

2 duck breasts
A generous grind of black pepper
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 star anise
The zest of 1 lemon
25g earl grey tea leaves
4oz golden caster sugar
A few sprigs of lavender, I used dried and stripped the flowers from the stems to yield about a heaped tablespoon
Rice wrappers
Your choice of fillings – we used mango, cucumber, spring onions and coriander leaves.

Preheat the oven to Gas6/200C/400F

- Score the fat of the duck in a criss-cross pattern, taking care not to slice through the meat. Mix together the salt, pepper, ginger and star anise, spread over the duck and allow to marinate for a couple of hours if possible.
- If you have a wok with a lid and a rack that sits inside, double line the bottom with heavy duty foil and do the same for the lid, leaving an overhang at the edges so that you can seal it tightly during cooking.
- Mix together the tea leaves, lavender, lemon zest and sugar and sprinkle over the bottom of the wok in an even layer. Set the rack inside, put the duck on it and heat on medium until wisps of smoke start to appear.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the lid and seal tightly, crimping the foil together like a pasty around the edges.
- Smoke for 10 minutes. Towards the end of this time, begin heating an oven proof frying pan or skillet. When the 10 minutes are up, remove the duck from the wok and put into the frying pan, rendering the fat down for about 5 minutes or so until golden brown and crispy.
- Put the duck in the oven, skin side up, for 5 minutes then remove and allow to cool to room temperature. Slice and serve with your chosen fillings.

If your wok does not have a rack, like ours, use something like a roasting tin with a cooling rack inside it and then make a domed lid using foil.