Roast a whole pumpkin until tender. Slice off the top to use later as a lid and scoop out most of the flesh leaving some of the flesh behind. Throw away seeds. Puree pumpkin flesh with two large, cooked potatoes, one cup of cream and chicken stock until you have a good soup consistency. Heat this mixture and pour back into the pumpkin to serve. Add a little sour cream and some sprinkled chives if you wish. Put the lid back on to serve. This dish can also be made using Golden Nugget Pumpkins as individual bowls.

Other Ideas in Brief

• Beetroot – Roasted Beetroot, pickled Beetroot
• Lettuce – Warm Chicken Salad with mixed lettuce
• Onions – Caramelized Onion Tarts
• Potatoes – Potato and Leek Soup, deep-fried potato skins
• Silver Beet – Stir Fry, colourful varieties

Ingredients

• 3 cups self-raising flour
• cream
• diced bacon
• large bunch parsley
• grated tasty cheese
• sundried tomatoes (packed in oil)

Method

In a bowl, combine flour with sufficient cream to make a dough. Dice tomatoes and chop parsley and add along with small handful bacon and cheese. Do not over mix. Lightly flour work area and pat out the dough until it is about 3cm thick. Dip a glass in flour and use this to cut out the scones. Re-dip glass after each scone to prevent sticking. Place scones on greased baking tray and bake at 200 degrees C for about 15 minutes. Serve buttered warm and garnished with a sprig of parsley. Any parsley left over can be finely chopped and frozen in ice cube trays for later use.

Parsley

Growing requirements etc. Great for pots or use as an edging plant in your flower bed for something a little bit different. There are two types, Italian which has a flatter leaf and excellent flavour and Curly, which is more decorative but not quite as flavoursome. Both are full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Ingredients

• 500g premium mince
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1 large onion
• 1 375g tin Australian tomatoes or fresh equivalent peeled with and seeds removed
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• freshly-ground black pepper.

Method

Lightly brown onion and garlic in large frying pan. Add mince, breaking it up as it browns. Add tomato paste and tinned tomatoes. Finely chop basil and add to sauce with pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes and serve with spaghetti and parmesan cheese. Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.

Basil

Growing requirements etc. Great for pots with Grow Master Potting Mix. Companion plant with tomatoes to repel pests. Keep removing flowers to prolong season and keep the plant bushy. As for medicinal attributes, it is said to be good for nausea.

Ingredients

• Fresh basil
• Garden tomatoes (Roma are the best)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Thick slices of crusty bread

Method

Toast one side of the bread under the grill. On the untoasted side of bread, place thick slices of tomato. Roughly chop basil and sprinkle on top of tomatoes. Lightly sprinkle with olive oil and put under grill until hot. Cut slices in half, garnish with a fresh sprig of basil and serve immediately. Makes a good starter before the following recipe.

GrowMaster Albury Specialise in Daylilies

Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are surely the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow and we love them. With stems of clusters of flowers opening one by one over a period of weeks, the ongoing show can be enjoyed from mid November until well into summer. Many varieties repeat the performance in autumn.

Daylilies grow as strappy-foliaged, clumping plant. They enjoy a full (or part) sun position in the garden and are drought tolerant. However with mulch, a good soak once or twice a week and fertiliser such as Patio Magic, Nurserymen’s Blend Plant Food or Grow Better Organic in late winter and late summer, you will be rewarded with more blooms for an even longer period.

Divide clumps every four years preferably in autumn. Though virtually pest and disease free, snails, slugs and aphids may occasionally need deterring.

Enjoy your Daylilies; they’re such care-free and appealing flowers that it’s easy to be beguiled by their charms.

Pictured here is a small sample of our range. Come in and see them in real life in our display garden. We sell Daylilies potted and in flower right throughout the year and take orders for bare-rooted plants for autumn collection. Click each picture to see a large view in a new window.

Our Services Include

• Separate gift shop with free gift wrapping.
• Indoor plant centre.
• Water garden – ponds, rocks, pumps, plants, lighting, fish and accessories.
• Irrigation equipment.
• Indoor and outdoor decor.
• Extensive plant ranges – Native, Exotic, Bonsai, Indoor, Hedging, Seedlings & Herbs, Potted Colour, Advanced, Fruiting.
• Qualified staff to answer all questions.
• Grow Master Guarantee on all services.
• Landscape design & construction.
• Garden advisory service.
• 7 day home delivery service.
• Free courtesy trailers available.
• 7 day bulk garden supply delivery.
• Fruit tree and rose pruning service.
• Full EFTPOS facilities.
• We also accept Lucky Buys and Seniors Card.

We are the proud winner of the following Yates Garden Centres of Australia awards:

• 2001 The Best Garden Centre in Australia
• 2000 Garden Centre of Excellence in Victoria
• 1998 Best First Year Entrant

Hobart (Howrah) Services Include:

• Gift Shop with free gift wrapping
• Large selection of Advanced Indoor Plants
• Exclusive range of water features, pumps and ponds
• Home irrigation equipment
• Massive range of indoor and outdoor décor
• Extensive plant ranges – native, water-wise, hedging, seedlings & herbs, advanced evergreens and many more
• Landscape Design & Construction
• Fully qualified staff
• Garden Advisory and consultation
• Home delivery service
• Eftpos facilities
• Grow Master guarantee on all services
• Seniors card welcome
• Free Garden Club membership that helps you save $$$
• We accept Clarence City Council Nature Strip Vouchers for redemption

Hobart (Howrah) Awards

• City of Clarence Business Excellence Awards – Highly commended in 2004 & 2005
• Small Business Champion Awards 2007

Our Garden Centre is the proud winner of the following ‘Yates Garden Centres of Australia’ Awards:

• 2002 The Best Small Garden Centre in Tasmania
• Marketing Excellence Award (State Winner)
• Flora for Fauna Display (State Winner)
• 2008 Best Medium Garden Centre Tasmania
• 2009 Australia’s Best Medium Garden Centre

• Texture – be it shiny, soft, serrated, choose from agave, sedums, grasses, magnolias (Little Gem), ferns, palms.
• Form – includes, upright, cascading, clipped and shaped (e.g. liriope, yuccas, box-hedging, topiary, gardenias, lillypillys).
• Colour – bold or subtle, flax, capsicums, olives – stunning flower colour when in clematis, magnolias, (new super large flowered Vulcan, Star Wars, Elizabeth) iris, etc.
• Perfume – old fashioned violets of many hues, Murraya for an all Summer delight, Daphne, Osmanthus, Sweet Box and of course Roses.
• Style – Tuscan/Mediterranean, think of citrus (cumquats, limes, etc), standard olives, pines and rustic and terracotta pots. Cottage – a wealth of lavenders, species geraniums and perennials. Contemporary – look for yuccas, liriope, grasses, topiary and espaliers and hedges.
• The unusual – we enjoy sharing a couple of ’specialties’ such as the tiny Iris Cristata, herbaceous paeonies, stunning day lilies and in Spring, salmon oriental poppies.