From garden to table these TikTokers know how to do it best

In a culinary moment dominated by last-minute takeaways and frozen meals, itʼs refreshing to see anyone under 35 spending time in their garden. Thanks to the pull of social media, the rise of homegrown dishes is returning not only for aesthetic appeal but also a growing collective consciousness of what it means to nurture our bodies.

Image via @brit_cunningham

Gardening 101 with Brit Cunningham

Gardening is having a moment, but if you’ve ever looked at a perfectly curated vege patch on Pinterest and felt personally attacked by your own eclectic assortment of oddities, you’re not alone. But gardens don’t need to be pretty to be productive. If anything, I’d argue the chaotic ones have more charm. There’s something endearing about a rogue tomato plant popping up in the compost, or a zucchini that’s taking its role a little too seriously. A little wildness keeps things interesting, and it reminds us that life is better outside of the box of perfection anyway. Gardening is equal parts science and witchcraft. Spend a bit of time in there each day, throw caution (and seeds) to the wind, and hope for the best. And unlike a freshly cleaned house, the results actually last longer than 10 minutes.

Image via @brit_cunningham

If you need a little convincing, just remember:

•Food just tastes better when you grow it: Nothing beats the smug satisfaction of serving up a salad and casually dropping, “Oh, this? Just something I whipped up from my garden...” (trad-wife cottagecore aesthetic optional).

•It’s free therapy: There’s something about digging in the dirt that makes the stress of mum life fade for a minute. Plus, plants don’t argue back, or demand snacks every 2 minutes.

•The kids might actually eat their veggies: For some magical reason, having kids plant—and eventually harvest—a vegetable will make them eat it with gusto.

•If you’re feeling intimidated or don’t know where to start, just begin with a few hardy herbs (like rosemary, thyme, and oregano). All they need is some good compost, a bit of sun and water, and to hear your entire life story from start to finish

Image via @kitchenbykenz

Upside Down Plum and Cardamom Cake from Kitchen By Kenz

This recipe by food science student Mackenzie Cooper is a good one to use up a few plums in one go, and works well with any bruised or less than perfect plums that have fallen on the ground.

Ingredients

6-8 small plums

100g white sugar

56g water

¼ tsp salt

115g butter, room-temperature

150g white sugar

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

180g all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

125g standard milk

Method

Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease a 20cm round cake tin with butter, and line the bottom with baking paper.

Halve the plums, and thinly slice each half. Starting from the outside of the cake tin, lay the plum slices in a circular motion. Working into the middle, place the plums to overlap each other slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar ona medium-high speed, until fully combined, pale and creamy. Add the cardamom and continue to beat for another 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, thoroughly beating after each addition until light and fluffy.

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water and salt together over a medium heat.

Cook, without stirring, until golden brown (about 7 minutes) and pour immediately over the arranged plums.

Pour the batter over the plums, using a spatula to smooth out to an even layer without moving the plums.

Place in the oven on a center rack. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown on the top and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Run a knife around the inside sides of the cake tin.

Place a serving plate upside down on the top of the cake tin, and carefully flip the cake upside down, remove baking paper.

Serve with yoghurt, whipped cream or whipped mascarpone.

Image via @connielangbrown

Nectarine Cucumber Salad with Grilled Halloumi by Connie Langbrown

Food royalty Connie Langbrown absolutely adores this summer salad, with produce that we always have an abundance of come the this time of year. There is a great balance between the crunchy cucumber, the sweet nectarine, the sour pickled onions, and the creamy halloumi. Use whatever herbs you have on hand for the dressing; she usually chooses whichever looks the most overgrown in the garden!

For the salad:

2x Lebanese cucumbers or 1x telegraph cucumber

3x yellow flesh nectarines

½ cup toasted pinenuts

1x block of halloumi Pickled onions

1x thinly sliced red onion

½ cup water

½ cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp of honey

1 tsp salt

For the dressing:

Handful of dill

Handful of flat leaf parsley

Handful of coriander

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp honey

1 tsp mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

Image via @connielangbrown

Firstly, prep the pickled onions. Pop the sliced onions into a glass jar. In a pot over medium heat, combine the water, honey, apple cider vinegar and salt. Stir and bring to a simmer. Once brought to a simmer, simply pour over the onions. Let onions cool at room temp, and after around 30 mins, they should be ready! (These can keep in fridge for around 2 weeks and get better with time.)

Roughly chop up cucumber and nectarines.

Heat a pan and toast up the pine nuts (no oil neededin pan, just keep an eye on this, constantly stir asthey toast quickly.)

Remove pinenuts from pan and chuck in your halloumi, I like to do long strips, which I then chop up after.

Create dressing. Chop up all herbs very finely, to almost resemble a paste. Mix herb mixture withremaining dressing ingredients and adjust to taste.

Combine all the above and get ready for the most delicious salad of your life!