This is a small insight into our produce grown here by me in the 2 acre garden at The Silk House. We have what many say is the best private Japanese garden in Kent, that we occasionally open to the public for charity, but we also have a busy south facing kitchen garden with two greenhouses, cold frames, raised beds, potting shed and ample space. Our idea of local is 100 yards from the kitchen. We grow all kinds of herbs, salad leaves, tomatoes, apples, legumes, limes, beetroot, carrots, cucumbers, squashes, celeriac, potatoes, peas, various beans, courgettes, rhubarb, quince, mushrooms, nettle, dock & dandelion, garlic, pine needles, lavender, sweetcorn, peppers, chillies, aubergines, bay, raspberries, kohlrabi, wild garlic, Japanese wineberry, black Spanish radishes, three corner leeks, strawberries, a few limes, Swiss chard, marrow, squash, pumpkin, broccoli, brassicas, sprouts, cabbages, edible flowers, onions, shallots, leeks, parsnips, fennel, celeriac, chicory, broccoli, purple sprouting, rosemary, pine needles, cauliflower and we get plums, pears, damsons and cider, cooking and eating apples from the orchard. We have several bee hives and make the honey we use. Asparagus is a struggle so we are starting again this year but we have a farmer neighbour who supplies us. I've added gooseberries and more redcurrants. We don't often grow Jerusalem artichokes as they spread worse than mint. We make cider and vinegar. We even grow flowers for table decorations and edible flowers for food. We're the real deal when it comes to sustainability: extensive hot and cold composting, no pesticides, no chemicals, no waste, organic, maximised recycling, low energy usage. It does not get fresher or more seasonal than this.
Silke "Head Gardener"
