By Matthew Appleby
Thursday, 13 February 2014

Great British Bake Off winner Jo Wheatley says hybrid pastries such as crookies, cronuts, jonuts, cragels, cupnuts, cheeselovas and townies could be options for garden centre caterers wanting to keep up with foodie trends she finds through social media.

Speaking at the HTA catering conference in Coventry, the BBC TV show winner said Van Hage Ware was her favourite garden centre, where she visited the cafe and bought ‘bootfuls’ of products.

She said cannoli and mini cupcakes as well as traditional cakes such as lemon drizzle, teacakes, rocky road, traybakes and Victoria sponge were trendy.

Tea campaigner Jemma Swallow said the ‘theatre of tea’ was a trend, despite the projected £8.7bn UK coffee market for 2018.

She said UK-grown tea “did not make the cut” in her ranges but matcha, puerh and white tea were exclusive beverages set to become more mainstream. 

The Garden Centre Group food and beverage director Jason Danciger gave a history of catered coffee. He praised Tesco for buying coffee chain Harris  Hoole and said the branded coffee shop market would be worth £4.1bn in 7,000 outlets by 2018.

Photo of Christine Laemer at Tropical Garden Cooking Classes, by Arianna McKinney for Voice of Guanacaste

A year ago, in August of 2012, Christine Laemer went for a mammogram and found out she had breast cancer. This news changed her lifestyle and diet completely, and now she is sharing some of what she has learned about health and nutrition through Tropical Garden Cooking Classes.

Originally from Germany, Laemer has lived in Samara for more than 20 years now. She related that she was a vegetarian before coming to Costa Rica, but after marrying a Costa Rican, she adapted to the local diet. Through the years, she noticed that she suffered from frequent headaches and infections and when she was diagnosed with cancer, she realized her immune system must be weak.

After having surgery in October of 2012, she began researching other treatments besides chemotherapy, which she decided against. In the process, she learned that many people successfully battled cancer through diet. She decided to try to do the same, cutting out coffee, sugar and processed foods and eating mainly vegetables and juicing, along with a little fish, nuts and whole grains.

“When I changed my diet, I quickly saw improvements. My headaches went away, I looked younger, I lost weight,” she noted. “I felt like I was before. I found myself again. I remembered the passion of preparing a nice salad again and taking time for yourself and putting love into your food, and that love comes back to you.”

As others in the community, even people she didn’t really know, began to take note of the changes she had made, the idea of offering classes developed. She is offering two types of hands-on classes.

The cultural cooking class explores the Costa Rican food heritage with a healthy twist, for example learning to make empanadas in a pan instead of fried in oil, as well as learning to cook over a wood fire. Other possible menu items include gallo pinto, tortillas, fried cheese, plantains, tamales, traditional rices and more.

On the other hand, the nutritional cooking class focuses on living a healthy lifestyle with a nutritional balanced diet to feel better, younger, healthier, more empowered and happier. This class features juicing, homemade lemonade with ginger to detox, and how to prepare dishes such as hummus, garbanzo burgers or veggy casseroles.

“I love the natural setting and that she uses all local ingredients,” commented Keisha Boulais, who attended one of the classes. “It was very informative. I learned a lot about how to eat healthy using local ingredients.”

The classes are held at her home right next to the Buena Vista River, about 5 kilometers from Samara and include a tour of her garden, which includes numerous varieties of fruit trees, herbs and other plants.

Classes can be for lunch, dinner or both, including a bonfire cookout at night. Groups of one to four are welcome, and personalized individual sessions are also available. To schedule a class or get more information about healthy cooking in the tropics of Costa Rica, call 8320-2358.

Article Voice of Guanacaste

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Originally published: February 10, 2014 7:18 PM
Updated: February 10, 2014 7:24 PM

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A new home owner’s pre-built Sunshine GardenHouse, on Feb. 4, 2013, was made from a kit to greatly extend the growing season. (Credit: AP / Dean Fosdick)

Galleries

16 plants for a healthy garden



Helping critters in winter



Invasive plants and local alternatives

Americans are a restless bunch. They change locations with a frequency that would tire a migrating songbird.

But there is more to moving day than unpacking boxes; there’s also learning to care for that garden inherited with the new home.

If you were thinking ahead, you asked for an inventory of the plants and accessories that came with the house.

PHOTOS: Plants that promote a healthy garden | Invasive plants and alternatives | Your garden photos | Helping critters in winter

MORE: Garden Detective blog | Gardening 101

“There’s no problem with asking owners for a list of landscape items and for an explanation about the plantings,” said Shirley French, an agent with the Woodstock, Va., office of Funkhouser Real Estate Group. “Usually, the owners are more than happy to give you a list. In fact, if they know the purchasers are interested, that will make for good feelings on both sides.”

Gardening priorities are determined mostly by the seasons. You won’t be mowing the lawn in February, although you might be combing the seed catalogs.

But where to start with a newly purchased property?

Michael Becker, president of Estate Gardeners Inc. in Omaha, Neb., suggests that putting safety first.

“Check out the dangers,” said Becker, a spokesman for Planet, the Professional Landcare Network that certifies green industry professionals. “Are the retaining walls stable? Are any trees leaning or diseased with dead branches?

“Assess the hardscape,” Becker said. “Is anything heaving, creating tripping hazards? Examine the drainage around the house. More often than not, it isn’t correct and may be damaging the structure. Bring in some professionals to help sort things out.”

As for plantings, be patient with the perennials.

“Go through the seasonal changes,” Becker said. “Learn what things look like in your yard. Determine if it’s aesthetically what you want, or if it’s so high-maintenance you won’t have the time to care for it. Most perennials need pruning and deadheading.”

Other things to consider when dealing with an unfamiliar landscape:

— Make note of the average frost dates. Do soil tests. Map the yard for sun and shade. “If you live in the city and all you have is a porch or a patio to work with, where is all that water going to go that you’ll be putting on plants?” asked Josh Kane, president and head designer at Kane Landscapes Inc. in Sterling, Va. “Also, where do you get the water? You’ll have to figure out how to care for everything.”

— Water fixtures. “Look for care instructions when dealing with special features,” Kane said. “A lot of people get put off or are scared of things like koi ponds, pools and fountains that require startups, maintenance and attention during the seasons.”

— Don’t try to do everything the first year. Mulching will keep the weeds down. Composting will improve the soil. Bringing in some annuals for window boxes, hanging baskets or containers will provide instant color. “Nothing gives you as much impact in a garden as planting annuals,” Kane said.

— Anticipate. Avoid planting trees or shrubs near sewer or water lines, to prevent root damage. Study the plat map for restrictions that could prevent expansions or additions. “A lot of people might want to build a big outdoor room or pool and find they can’t do it because of an easement on the property,” Kane said.

THE BEST URBAN HOME GARDENING SECRETS

With the diverse climatic conditions, gardening and garden care becomes a little difficult. Every plant has a sustainable quality for different Indian climates.

There are different gardening tips for different Indian climate. In this article we will discuss a few common gardening tips for Indian gardens.

1.Selection of the plant – The first gardening tip for Indian climate is the selection of plants. The plants, shrubs or flowers selected for your garden should be compatible with the climate of your area. It is pointless to choose a water requiring plant in an area which has dry climate. Similarly, it is not fruitful to choose a temperature sensitive plant in an area with extreme weather conditions.

2. Fighting abilities – Indian climate is unpredictable. Therefore, a good gardening tip would include use of plants which have high resistance to climatic conditions, diseases and soil conditions. Use plants that are sturdy to survive every climatic challenge thrown on them.

3.Easy to care – When using plants for gardening, chose such plants that have minimal maintenance. Indian climate varies drastically in every area. High maintenance plants are tough to grow as you need to put in a lot of care for the plants. Also, the survival of low maintenance plants is much higher than high maintenance plants. DO YOU CARE FOR YOUR POTTED PLANTS?

4.Water – Water is the basic necessity of plants. Chose a plant with minimal water requirement if you live in an arid or semi arid regions. Chose a plant which can survive with excess water if you live in a wet area with heavy rains. Water should be provided to the plants according to their needs.

5.Sunlight – Sunlight is needed for the growth of plants. Whatever climatic condition you are living in, you must make sure that the plants in your garden should be exposed to sunlight for a minimum of 3 hours in a day. This is an important gardening tip for Indian gardens.

6.Seasonal rotation – Use seasonal plants in your garden to enhance the soil fertility and maintain quality of plants. Change plants according to their suitable seasons. This gardening tip is good for people who can regularly change their garden plants and have ample time to redo the garden every season.