down to earth

This is a fast, from-scratch recipe collection created by the Down to Earth community. There are a lot of great ideas here. Thanks to everyone who took the time to add their ideas and information. You've helped create a very useful collection of quick, frugal recipes.

Rachel from NZ said...
I had one such dinner myself last night. Ballet rehearsal's until 5.30 and then battling the traffic all the way home (45 minutes) didn't leave me in the mood for cooking the shepherd's pie I had planned, so we had Fried Rice instead. Just boil any amount of rice (takes 10 minutes so you can do your other ingredients while waiting), if you want meat, chop it up small and cook in a pan with onion and garlic and ginger (if you have it). Add whatever vegetables you have on hand - I had some frozen beans/corn/peas, broccoli, a grated carrot, splash in some soy sauce and heat in the pan with all the other ingredients. Fry some lightly beaten egg and water and add to the top of the fried rice. If you have walnuts, they're good too. It's really quick, easy and yummy!

Anonymous said...
I'd like to share my own "from-scratch" meal. I work part time, and on work-days am often so totally tired out that I can't be bothered cooking. Usually I cook for two days the day before, but if for some reason I fail to do so, here's my safety-net recipe. I suppose it's kind of gross, but I grew up with it and have retained a perverse liking for it.
I take slices of bread (this is a good one for using up old bread - you won't notice the stale taste once it's done), about 3 or four per person, and cover them with any kind of cheese I have at hand (if it melts well so much the better). Pop into the microwave until the cheese is all bubbling, take out and cover with ketchup. Voila! It sounds less than inviting, but it does taste good, and takes all of 3 minutes to prepare.
Best wishes, Claudia

Debbie said...

My quick and easy meal is hamburgers. I always have some mince in my freezer made into hamburgers (just mince and onion a bit of bread crumbs and an egg). You could put whatever you like in the mince to your families liking and flatten them out and freeze them so you can separate the amount you need for your meal. Cook on the bbq or get your husband to cook them on the bbq while you get the tomato, lettuce, beetroot, anything you prefer could include egg, cheese, pineapple, bacon and sauce.

SubtropicalHappiness said...

Good old reliable Frittata. Our eggs and what ever veges I grab from the garden Shallots, Zucchini, Carrot, silverbeet even some corn cobs and I take the nibblets off and add them. Served with the ever present slads I make sure I have ready all summer.

Jenn said...

This is my tasty, simple, go-to meal for times when I'm not inclined to cook anything complicated. It's fast, nutritious, and surprisingly tasty.

Chop up one medium onion and a few tomatoes. Toss into a pot with eight cloves of chopped garlic, two cups of dried red lentils, and six cups of broth. Leave the whole thing to cook for 30 minutes at medium on the stove. Stir occasionally to make sure that it’s not sticking or burning. After 30 minutes, add two and a half teaspoons of cumin, some fresh-ground black pepper, and chili flakes to taste. This is good as is, or you can add in one and a half cups of chopped cabbage or other greens, one cup frozen corn. In either case, let cook for another 15 minutes and then serve.

Lila said...

we also had a "can't be bothered" meal here last night -- my oldest standby is to slice up whatever produce i have on hand & give it a quick saute, and top it with a sliced fried egg and a bit of good cheese. very quick & healthy, and soooo tasty. last night's combo was broccoli, brussel sprouts, garlic & some frozen corn; really i use whatever i have available. for some more variety it can be served over any starch (couscous, quinoa, brown rice, etc). another staple of mine, even more can't-be-bothered, is simply a fried egg on toast, typically gussied up with some veggies & cheese.

Marie said...

One of our favorite quick dinners is making up a batch of organic black beans which we buy dry in bulk from maryjanesfarm.com. Reconstituted with boiling water, and served with left-over brown rice and a sprinkling of shredded cheese it is a delicious and nutritious meal. We had some home-made salsa and left-over greens on the side. We've used the beans on tortillas when we have them, with a quick pan of stone-ground corn bread (a really short baking time) or even all by themselves for a good portion of legumes. A very valuable staple in our pantry.

We also really enjoy sesame kale. We rinse, rough chop, steam for about 5 minutes until softened but still bright green and then saute in olive oil for about a minute whatever kind of kale we have from the garden or the farmstand, then we toss in about 2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon of brown rice syrup, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 2 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar. Heat for another minute or so, until most of the liquid has cooked off and enjoy. They are delicious as a side, or served with brown rice or noodles, or featured as the whole meal. They are very nutritious and delicious prepared this way. And under 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

badhuman said...

Our favorite is grilled cheese, we always have local cheese and homemade bread around. If we are in the mood we'll steam whatever vegetables we have around or roast up potato wedges. The potatoes take a little while but require little effort.

Lizzie said...

Cheese on toast, under the grill until melted but not too much, then splash or Worcester sauce. Delicious!

A Bite of Country Cupcakes said...

French toast...Egg bread whatever you like to call it,
Whip eggs and cream and soak /dip each slice of bread heat pan with plenty of butter and fry...
Yum!
Can serve sweet with Maple syrup or savoury as is or with chicken or onion salt or good old tomato sauce.
My Kids love this brekky, lunch or tea.
Or what we call breakfast in a pan.
Fry up,mushrooms zucchini tomatoes or whatever combo you like and crack eggs over top whilst on heat and then serve with hot buttered toast! Steam whole jacket spuds, I do in the microwave, Split and fill with baked beans and top with grated cheese. This is filling and nutritious,
You can also dress it up more by microwave together Bacon and onion together to add to the topping and even a dob of sour cream.

Joanne said...

Pasta is my quick-fix. Whatever pasta I have in the drawer, with half a bottle of passata (pureed tomatoes from a bottle- is that OK?), and a tin of tuna or salmon. Its a pretty bad night if I don't chop in an onion and some garlic. I have Italian parsley, oregano and basil growing so a combined handful and there you go.
I've also found that sometimes I can push through that "can't do it tonight" mental barrier by putting on some music & putting the brain in neutral- ie. don't think about it, just do it. ;-)

Chantel said...Hello Rhonda,
One quick and easy meal I like is simply get a pot boiling with water - add some salt to it. Then chuck in a head of broccoli that has been slightly chopped. Once cooked which will only take a few minutes, drain and sit aside. In the same pot don't drain out the water but chuck in some spaghetti pasta. While that's cooking separate the broccoli a bit with a fork and add a little butter a mix around (maybe a teaspoon is enough). Once the pasta is cooked drain and toss the broccoli though and drizzle with olive oil. Top with cheese if you like. This is so simple and tastes so yum! I'm sure it'd work with other veggies too :)

Farmgirl Cyn said...

Late this summer, when the tomato harvest was at it's peak, I oven roasted dozens of my heirloom tomatoes. When they had cooled a bit, I pureed them in the blender and put them in freezer containers for winter. Now, when I am just not up to cooking, I take one out, simmer on the stove, add a carton of chicken stock and we have the freshest tasting tomato soup ever. For real decadence, add a slosh of half and half, or a dollop of sour cream. Might make a grilled cheese sandwich to go along with the soup...or I might not!

Kim said...

I have lots and lots of quick healthy whole foods meals. The quickest of ALL for me though is just bread pizzas. I slice my homemade bread, put some tomato sauce or diced tomatoes (and wish they were from MY tomatoes instead of the store) put some grated cheese and whatever veggies I have and just pop in the oven. Takes me minutes and is delicious!

JoAnna said...

Noodles & sauce. I boil pasta & make the sauce with canned tomato sauce fixed up with fresh garlic, basil, oregano. I used to use bottled spaghetti sauce, but since reading your blog I started using plain tomato sauce & fixing it up myself. We always have fresh parmesan on hand, so I top it with that. Fast & good!

gail said...
It's Peas with Pasta for us. (really easy)
Cut up a couple of tomatoes an onion and some bacon or ham (optional)
Put a little olive oil in a saucepan and add the above and cook. You may need to add water as you are making a quick sauce.
While this is cooking put some pasta on to cook.
When pasta is cooked, drain and then add tomato sauce .
Add a cupful of frozen peas and mix them through. The heat from the pasta will cook the peas. Serve in a pasta bowl with grated cheese on top.

ruizbe82 said...

I cook up some angel-hair pasta. In the meantime, I chop a handful of parsley, a tomato or two, and when the pasta is done I combine with the veggies and drizzle olive oil over it. Sprinkle some salt if it needs it and a pinch of pepper, and voila! Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy.

daisymum7 said...

Easy I always have bags of ratatouille in the freezer ( I make it from our garden, line a plastic container with a plastic bag pour it in freeze it - the plastic bag then stacks neatly in the freezer )
So our standby meal is ratatouille heated in the microwave, couscous and salad from the garden.
or I slice some bread rub it with garlic and pop it in the oven until crunchy and have that with ratatouille on top (and natural yoghurt)
or frozen chips with ratatouille and natural yoghurt.

silversewer said...

Take 4 slices of bread and toast on one side, grated cheese, ham if you have it. Butter 2 slices of bread on the toasted side, put the ham, add mustard if you like it, spread the grated cheese on the top and slide the two pieces back under the grill. when the cheese has melted, put the other two slices toasted side down onto the cheese, allow the one side t toast and then using a fish slice turn the sandwich over and toast the underside.......serve with a side salad if you can be bothered....known as croque monsieur in France, toast ham and cheese sandwich anywhere else. Makes a fast nourishing, filling replacement for a meal if you just cannot be bothered to cook.

Liz said...

Probably my fastest is couscous salad - I chuck some dried fruit, frozen peas, a little bit of garlic, olives, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, baby spinach, cooked chickpeas if I have some in the freezer - anything which doesn't need cooking (defrost anything frozen first). I add 1/2 cup couscous and a bit of butter, season with pepper and maybe some spices, pour over 1/2 cup boiling water and leave for five minutes.

This makes a substantial side for two adults and two kids, or add some more couscous and make it a main meal.

Stormie said...

I have a young child and last minute dinners are quite common for me. I try to make some mini-meatballs in the freezer - made with local pork and beef, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, and seasonings and freeze them raw into tiny meatballs. Then I can make pasta with meatballs, quick soup with meatballs, pasta, and kale, or just plain meatballs as a little side dish. I tried this with lamb once and it worked well for gyros. I also try to make buttermilk biscuits and then freeze the dough once it is rolled out and formed, and homemade buttermilk biscuits with honey or jam is wonderful especially hot out of the oven. Either of these isn't quick since you have to plan ahead of time, but one day of work allows me at least a month of quick meals!

attila said...

tomato pasta: Fry onion and garlic
(and bacon, sometimes), add chopped peppers and mushrooms if available, add tin of chopped tomatoes and basil; simmer until thickened, maybe 10 minutes.
Meanwhile boil pasta, drain, add sauce, top with grated cheese.

My other standby is the same, but with beef mince, made in huge quantities and frozen in portions. We have it on pasta or with baked potatoes, done in the microwave.

Anna M said...

I typically have something I can pull from the freezer and microwave, soups, casseroles and that sort of thing. If I'm not in the mood for any of that it's either what can a forage to stuff into a tortilla or make a Fritatta. Both are easy and quick.

Diana said...

One of our favorites is toasted mushroom sandwiches. Slice some mushrooms and an onion(thinly sliced) and saute until done. Take some homemade bread and spread some mustard on each slice place mushrooms,onions and some cheddar cheese on the mustard side of the bread and then butter the outside of the bread and cook like grilled cheese sandwiches until bread is toasted. Serve with a simple Greek salad of feta cheese,cucumber,tomatoes,bell pepper,onions,olives and vinegar,olive oil and whatever spices you have on hand.

Solorn said...

I tend to search the fridge for 'remnants' and make a frittata type meal. I tend to just throw in all the bits that need using up, ham, peppers, bits of cheese, anything that will taste good.

If I feel like putting in a little extra effort then I will add small salad potatoes that are thinly sliced or just boil them and serve them on the side with a bit of butter and herbs. The best thing is that the kids can now cook frittata when I'm having a bad day, I have poor health, and it's always good.

Margaret said...

I have a few don't feel like cooking recipes. I'm Italian so pasta is always a staple. If I'm feeling really lazy it's any shape cooked pasta with butter and parmesan cheese. If I'm feeling a bit more enthusiastic then I sauté mushrooms, minced garlic, Italian parsley and mix in the cooked pasta, again with butter and parmesan, hold back some of the pasta water because if the pasta is too dry just add a little pasta water to make it saucy. Don't have mushrooms?? I've used broccoli, green beans, zucchini, asparagus, or a combination of whatever is in season or whatever I grew and froze. I do the same thing with risotto, just add whatever veggie is available, substituting barley for risotto also works well.
I have chicken broth in the freezer so veggie soups with some type of carb like pasta, rice or barley is really easy and fast.
I always have salad fixings of some sort and add a salad to any of the above to complete the meal.

Born Blonde said...

My first thought was quesadillas. Pop a tortilla in a skillet, spread on some shredded cheese, fold it in half and flip it after a bit to brown the other side. It's probably not the healthiest thing in the world. But it can be filling if you throw in some leftover chicken, beef, beans, etc. seasoned with homemade fajita seasoning.

We (even my children) generally call those nights "scavenge nights."

Donetta said...

Basmati rice, sushi and jasmine are all staples here, as is chicken broth or beef broth saved from roasting. Veggie broth (roasted root) is also useful to keep on hand.. by boiling my rice in a broth It gives it a lot of good flavor. So I then will add in the left over meat and veggies in the refer.
By keeping a good variety of herbs and spices available I can take this into any culture. For I use the interest in culture to whet my appetite.
Spanish rice: Jasmine rice, beef broth or use basil,add cumin and cayenne pepper with beef scraps and diced green onion
Asian: us a soy, tamari with five spice, chicken goes well with bok choy or snap peas and carrots.
Far eastern...Use a curry with chicken,lintel,peas carrots and such
European: Use chicken or shrimp, shushi rice, with a savory of basil and thyme... Diced tomato broccoli Rab, garlic onion.
Polynesian: Use a Basmati rice, pineapple, mandarin oranges (canned), snap peas, add brown sugar and ginger and clove.
Cajun: use a jasmine rice...jambalaya by adding these types of things cooked smoked kielbasa, shrimp or chicken. Make it spicy with red pepper flakes,sage is good here. Diced finely greens can be added. Corn.
Mexican:
Re fried pinto beans)I make mine ahead in the blinder.Basmati is a nice full bodied rice,a beef base with cumin, chili pepper, Taco type seasonings
Put your rice and broth(herbs toward the end) on to boil while your veggies and seasonings are being gathered.
If veggies are added in the dish good if not as a side dish, green beans from the garden or corn and the like. Kids eat it all up!
Super 45 minutes to table. Or less.
When I am above the day, I cook rice and freeze it in family size packages.
Each of these has additional spices in them but for brevity I listed these.

Elizabeth said...

Quick defrosted (microwave) chicken breasts, pounded, and stuffed with leftover veggies, ham, cheese, etc.
Clean out the Cupboards Pasta Toss: Toss your favorite pasta with fresh, frozen, or leftover veggies, plenty of Parmesan, roasted red peppers, leftover meat, you name it. Yum!
Toasted ciabatta bread topped with roasted asparagus spears, poached eggs, and fresh Parmesan cheese.
The Old Standby: Breakfast for Dinner. I make my own pancake/waffle mix and always have it on hand. Or I cook double batches when we have them for breakfast and just reheat. We also like eggs, bacon, cereal, French toast, fritatta, etc.
We love sandwiches at our house. Cheese toast dipped in tomato soup is a favorite. I love to cut a loaf of bread in half and then stuff with whatever I have on hand. Turkey, roasted red peppers, provolone cheese, chopped olives, you name it. Wrap in foil and heat until hot in the center. Let stand and then slice.
Baked Potato Bar: Bake some potatoes, then top with leftovers from the fridge, defrosted homemade chili from the freezer, steamed vegetables, cheese, etc.
Ham Steak heated with brown sugar and spicy mustard served with baked sweet potatoes and steamed veggies. You can also heat sausage with brown sugar and mustard.
Chili Maple Glazed Chicken breasts. Real maple syrup and chili powder to taste bakes up great on quick defrosted chicken breasts.
Fried rice is a favorite of ours, but I'll defer to the other poster. Our "recipes" are about the same. I like to add mushrooms and garlic/ginger paste.

Compostwoman said...My fast meals are

1 Cheese on toast or toasted cheese sandwiches...( add chopped onion, worcester sauce, other seasonings...)
2 Baked spuds...with toppings
3 Home made soups from the freezer ...I freeze them in 2 portion concentrated sizes, so on defrosting I have either 3 "normal" portions or 2 " hearty" portions...
which could be stretched to 3 normal ones by thinning down.......
add some home made bread and butter ( and if very hungry some cheese) and it is a very filling lunch!

jacqui jones said...one of our favs is something i saw on a simple blog...i wish i could remember where??
in the oven for an hour or so
tomatos, potatos, onion, some herbs, garlic - if your not allergic like me, carrots and corn have been known to hit mine, olives from the trees in our yards when we get more fruit, really whatever feels italian to me at the time. drizled in olive oil. sometimes some homemade tomato paste is added too...depends what ive got.
fresh homemade pasta
and maybe some cooked bacon if im in the mood (a few rashes as in like 2 will make my kids eat the veg to get to the bacon)
toss together and serve with parmesan

Em said...

We have at least one standby meal a week; some of them use tinned food (tomatoes, chickpeas) but many are from the garden + fridge/pantry :
1. Mash potatoes and stir through chopped steamed veges + grated cheese. Add a tin of tuna or leftover meat if wanted.
2. Frittata type thing - parcook a few potatoes/kumara, chop into cubes. Sprinkle over cooked oniony equivalent of a large leek and 1 clove garlic. Pour over 6 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup milk. Bake until set then sprinkle over cheese and grill to brown top. Serve over salad from the garden, with home pesto if you have it.
3. Mixed salad, cucumber, beans, tomatoes, anything fresh from the garden. Boil a few eggs then quarter over salad. Grate tasty cheese or sprinkle fetta over. Dress with vinegar/oil and herbs. side of bread to mop up dressing.
4. Halve fresh tomatoes into a baking tray and bake until starting to collapse. Stir through a tin of chickpeas (I use my own prepared frozen), crumbled fetta and a handful of fresh basil leaves. Serve with bread.
5. Omlette with cheese and salad.
6. Stirfry of whatever veges are available, dressed with soy and sesame oil - add any leftover meat if wished - serve over couscous made by pouring boiling water over dry couscous, add a little stock powder stir and leave. Fluff/fork through some oil or butter before serving. Or serve over ricestick noodles cooked by pouring over boiling water and leaving for 10 minutes.
7. Toasties - slice bread, spread with pesto, tomato paste or similar; scatter over anything tasty on hand (fridge leftovers are great); grate cheese over and grill.
8. Pasta - Cook a few cloves crushed garlic (with fresh chilli if you want), add quite a bit of olive oil then fresh bread crumbs. Cook till golden. Stir through drained pasta and lots of grated parmesan.

But quite often our standby meal is whatever leftovers we can rustle up - leftovers are fabulous!

Elizabeth said...

Pasta alla carbonara. We had it for dinner tonight with a salad.
And eggs are always quick with many easy variations.
Chicken caesar salad is also popular around here.

Desiree said...

Quick and easy, and great for any time of year- our Tostada's. Chop up some onions, a hot pepper, a little garlic all in a drizzle of olive oil. Throw in a can of or left over black beans (lentils, kidney, whatever beans would work) and some diced up tomatoes. Warm all up, throw on tostadas, nacho chips, or in a flour tortilla if you want a soft wrap, add a sprinkle of cheese (and I like a little fresh cilantro) on top, and tada! Very yummy, fast, easy, and pretty decent for you. :)

CAM said...

I sit next to the toaster and toast slices of bread....laid out on the bench are every kind of condiment (often home made) that I love, possibly cheeses, preserved and pickled things,smoked stuff and salad veggies...whatever makes up a sort of bench smorgasboard and I usually read a book in between creating various mixtures of things lol

greenfumb said...

My favourite is also frittata with home grown eggs and any veges you happen to have, raw or left over. Another easy one is spaghetti with good olive oil, toasted pine nuts, some steamed pumpkin and parmesan. Of course that assumes you can be bothered to boil water.

The Old Dairy said...

I call this chilli beans....
I use 1 large tin of four bean mix i tin corn 4 chopped up tomatoe or 1 tin of diced tom,1 onion 1 hot chilli,garlic.Fry chillie.onion and garlic till onion soft.add tomatoes and stir untill cooked. Add drained tins of corn and four bean mix. Allow to simmer gently for at least 10 minutes. Great on its own or with toast.
I have used chilli sauce if there is no fres chillies in the garden.

Jen said...

I laughed about the "breakfast for dinner" one...we do that often...pancakes, eggs and toast...or using eggs in some way for the main dish, as they cook so fast.
Huevos Rancheros is awesome. In a large frying pan saute half an onion and a clove of garlic in a Tbsp. of olive oil, throw in half a jar of tomatoes (we use our own canned ones, but about half a 28 oz. can), a Tbsp. of chili powder and cook down for about 10 mins. until thickish. While that's cooking down, take a corn tortilla for each person, and brush olive oil onto the top...crisp up in a moderate oven. When the sauce in the pan is thick, carefully crack eggs onto the top...for this amount of sauce, about 6-8 eggs, put a lid on top and cook to desired doneness over med. heat (About 5 mins. for us.) Put a crisp corn tortilla (or some corn tortilla chips if you don't have tortillas) on each plate, top with an egg or two and the sauce underneath it and sprinkle with some grated cheddar cheese...the hot eggs and sauce will melt the cheese. Add hot sauce and salt to each person's taste! A piece of toast out of homemade bread and a quick and dirty fruit salad of a couple of fresh fruits cut up and mixed with a splash of lime juice (for tang and to keep fruits from browning) are great additions to this meal.
Or we have my husband make omelettes...he makes fabulous thin French ones and we eat with some greens (frozen swiss chard in the winter) and some toast.
Or egg burritos...We always have packages of flour tortillas in the freezer. When I'm ready to start I get out a pack and pry apart as many flour tortillas as I think I'll need and after about 15 mins. they're thawed. Turn your oven on hot. Scramble up a few eggs with a little chili powder, a little oregano if you have it and some salt and pepper in a frypan; set aside. Cut up a little green pepper, a little onion, a tomato if you have it. I grab out some beans I already have cooked and frozen...and run some hot water over them to "thaw" them. (Black beans, pintos, kidneys, garbanzos, whatever.) Grate some cheese. If I have leftover rice, I use this, too. Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray or oil it. Take a tortilla, scoop on a Tbsp or two of beans, add a couple of spoonfuls of egg, sprinkle on some of your chopped veggies (rice, if you have it), and a Tbsp or two of grated cheese. Fold in ends and roll up. Place seam side down in baking pan. Repeat until pan is full. Take some salsa (we use our homemade canned stuff) and glob a spoon or two over each one and spread around a bit for a light "sauce". Cover your baking pan and put in oven for about 15 minutes (oven is really hot...about 425 degree F or so)...take lid off for another five mins. to crisp up the burritos a bit. Serve with some more salsa and some sour cream, if you have it. Fabulous! Kids love these. These are great to clean out little containers of leftover veggies, etc. in the fridge.
I have tons of quick meals (well, half an hour of cooking or so), but I don't want to take up all your space here! :) We don't have a microwave (conscious decision), but we haven't found that has added to our cooking times.
We save ourselves a lot of time by having containers of cooked beans in the freezer, ready. Whenever I cook dried beans, I always make sure to cook extra for future meal "bases". If you have some beans, a doz. eggs, a loaf of bread, a couple of veggies, and some cheese on hand...well, you're set to make a multitude of quick meals! :)

Michelle said...

Our standby dinner is super easy if you can boil water and only takes as long as the pasta takes to cook. Put some spaghetti on to cook. Meanwhile (in the ~11 mins it takes to cook) put some olive oil, oregano, basil, chilli (optional), garlic and salt/pepper into a bowl. Halve or quarter some cherry tomatoes and add them to the bowl. Squish some of them with your fingers or a spoon to release the juice. Stir around and add the cooked spaghetti. Done! Add some parmesan to serve.
This works with fresh and dried herbs, depending on what you have. A variation is to add a can of tuna in olive oil rather than the olive oil - I find a bit of extra chilli is good with the tuna.

The Tin House said...

Our favourite all-round, in a bleary eyed hurry cook from scratch meal is....FRENCH TOAST.
Beat a few eggs in a bowl and add some milk.
Soak slices of bread in the mix and lightly fry each piece in a pan until golden and cooked.
Serve with: plain salt (my favourite), maple syrup, golden syrup, honey, stir fried leftovers, chopped banana and apple, or whatever you fancy. Sweet or savoury is fine. Really good with homemade chutney.
Takes 5 minutes and uses eggs, bread & your topping of choice. It is a very light meal and can easily be followed with yoghurt and fruit or something to fill those tummies.

Anonymous said...

1. egg & cheese sandwiches w/ whatever fruit i have on hand sliced up to go along with them.
2. grilled cheese/tomato/dijon mustard sandwiches.
3. i always have things in the freezer ready to go, from full pans of quiche and lasagna to quarts of soup and sweet treats. getting into the practice of filling the freezer if you have the room is a saving grace on these nights. there is such satisfaction when you pull homemade 'convienence foods' out of your own freezer. :)
4. pasta and sauce (homemade sauce, from the trusty freezer). it's funny how i feel like i'm cheating when i serve spaghetti. i'm not sure why, it was my favorite meal as a kid and my daughter is always excited if it's a spaghetti night.
heather, beautythatmoves

home handymum said...

I did this twice today - once for lunch and then again for dinner.
The lunch version was pasta boiled as usual. The 'sauce' is a mix of 1 fresh avocado, chopped into 1cm-ish cubes, a couple of tomatoes chopped likewise, a dollop of oil out of the sundried tomatoes jar, some salt and pepper and green herbs of your choice. Mix the 'sauce' together.
Dollop some more tomato-essenced oil onto the pasta and mix. Top the pasta with the avocado/tomato mix and grate a little cheese over the top.
My preschoolers and I thought this was terrific (well, one of the preschoolers did - the other spat out all the pasta but ate the sauce and the cheese)
Dinner was more or less the same but on a baked potato instead of pasta, with mayonnaise instead of oil. Both kids liked it this way.

Valerie Cox said...

This is a super simple meal that our family loves...I boil up a pound of shelroni noodles, add a can of chopped tomatoes and a pound of cooked crumbled sausage. Mix it all together....so easy and we have bread and butter with it.

Simbelmyne said...

breakfast for dinner is our favorite.
Omlettes are quick and easy, with whatever fresh veggies and cheese I have around.
And sometimes I'll look for leftover baked potatoes in the fridge (I always make too many because they make lovely snacks) and slice them up for hashbrowns, sauteed in oil with some onions.

Public Artist said...

I have several of these-
1 cup of cous cous with two cups of water, a chopped carrot a chopped zuccini/courgette, peas if I have them and usually a few pine nuts and a little olive oil and a bit of salt all in one pot. I cook that according to the the cous cous directions and the veggies come out perfectly steamed (and only one thing to wash!) I'll usually have it with whatever cheese, yoghurt, nuts I have on hand for some fat/protein. Some find this bland, so you could add a stock cube or rosemary, oregano, tyme, basil or cumin can be added.
If I'm cooking for heavy meat eater I marinate some lamb in 2 parts soy sauce 1 part worchestershire (not sure if this counts as non-packaged!) sauce a handful of rosemary and 2-3 cloves of garlic and then bake that in the marinade till done. A fairly fatty cut comes out the most tender and the sauce is great for spooning over the cous cous and vegetables.
I also keep dry chinese egg noodles (soba) around, they only take 2 minutes to boil. (I'm often too lazy to boil pasta) I'll frequently take whatever veg I have on hand, stir fry that with olive oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce and add the noodles. I'll put in tofu or meat if I have it, or this a great peanut stir fry sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 tsp. peanut butter
1 tsp fresh ginger or equivalent of powdered
This goes well with tofu, but not meat.
Eggs and pasta are also frequent visitors for my plates.

goingferal(ish) said...

We had it tonight - little egg tarlets: made in a muffin tray, pastry on the bottom topped with a mixture of eggs and whatever veges we have (tonght it was corn, tomato, beans, capsicum and peas) with a little parmesan on top. Kids and grownups alike love them.

Ree said...

My It's-late-I'm-tired-&-cannot-be-bothered meal is usually poached eggs on toast.
Other options I choose from are: toasted sandwich, melted cheese on toast, baked beans on toast or toast spread with avocado and tomato slices or onion or both, salt & pepper. Yum! Toast obviously features heavily and needs to be a nice sourdough!

Elizabeth said...

For a quick and tasty meal I like to fry off a finely chopped onion in some butter, add three or four large tomatoes (deskinned and roughly chopped), a clove of garlic finely chopped, a good splodge of tomato puree, some basil and a pinch of sugar and salt. Cook until the tomatoes have turned to mush and spoon over plain penne pasta.

Melinda said...

For us it is pizza. Using flat bread or lebanese bread as the base (I always have some in the freezer). Then tomatoe sauce (homemade) or pesto made from herbs in the garden ground in the mortar and pestle with almond or pine nuts and olive oil and parmesan cheese. I usually make two for our family. A simple cheese and meat one for the boys and another with veges or what ever left overs on it. When I have a little more time I make the pizza dough by hand or in the bread maker.

Deborah said...When I just can't be bothered, it's usually pizza that saves us. The bread maker does the hard work (45 minute cycle) and we put what ever we've got on top; that's the great thing about pizzas. We use BBQ sauce or tomato ketchup from the fridge nowadays (usually BBQ) often have mozzarella cheese in the house, the girls like Hawaiian so I chop bacon or ham for them and we keep a tin of pineapple in the fridge for these occasions. One small tin of pineapple pieces does two pizzas for us.

Along a similar vein, when I feel really lazy and start thinking about takeaway, or even seeking takeaway approval from DH, I've decided to go the baked beans on toast. As legumes and vegetables too if you're looking at the food pyramid, the right variety are super healthy and loaded with protein. Not so cooked-from-scratch, I admit, but they are the forced consequence of my verbalising a desire for takeaway LOL! And DH says "beans on toast" too which makes me cranky when I'm feeling like that, of course, but it was me who gave him the instruction to do just that.

Slice of life said...

Toast. Had that the last 2 nights where I couldnt be bothered with anything.
Other than that microwave a potato, 6 mins or so. depending on size. Whilst that is cooking, turn oven on, when cooked in micro, throw potato in oven and crisp for 10 minutes. Cant bare funny micro nuked potatoes. Kind of weird skin... top with heinz beans. My only product that must be brand make.
Also, bag of crisp thrown between 2 pieces of bread. Or even a brown sauce sandwich. with a cup of tea.

allybea said...

Another vote for omelette here with whatever you have to hand in the fridge or freezer. Serve with salad and bread.
Scrambled eggs. Just before the egg sets stir in some smoked fish pieces(salmon or mackerel is good) or ham/bacon. Great with hot buttered toast.
Or Leftover Soup. If I don't have soup already made in the freezer I can make some quickly with my Leftovers Box. Every time I have some cooked pasta, rice or veg leftover at the end of a meal I put it in a 1 litre box I keep in the freezer.
When the box is full I use it to make soup. I add the contents to a litre of stock (from freezer or good stock powder). Since everything is already cooked it takes minutes to come to the boil. If it doesn't look very appetising I blitz it with a hand blender and add a bit of cream. It's never failed me yet :)

Hana said...

My favourite is egg dishes. When I have more time and am more hungry, I add potatoes or mashed potatoes. My mother's (or someone else's from whom she received it) improvememnt on mashed potatoes: save the water from boiling (that is, if you have peeled them before boiling) and mash them at first with water, then add some milk. It's smoother and softer this way.
Another favourite of mine is a quick soup. You start with chopped or grinded vegetables (I use mostly root vegetables, leek, something like that - something solid and not very juicy) warmed up on a bit of butter. Then you add some flour so that you create a roux enriched by the vegetables. Add an egg, stirr and add a glass of cold water, stirr again. Then you just gradually add the water, until you have the desired amount, and keep stirring at least in the begining; boil for about ten minutes. You can add some spices according to your liking - it is very mild on its own, but I love the taste. It used to be one of my favourite soups when I was a child, and I used to hate most soups, so I suppose children would love it. Just make sure you have enough vegetables, so it's not only water... We used to have our own vegetables pre-chopped and freezed. Somehow we have dropped this practice by now, but I'd like to come back to it, it was very convenient.

linda said...

I always keep corn tortillas in the freezer and cans of beans in the pantry. the beans are either pinto or black beans. With onions and some chili powder (not cayenne but the kind you use to make chili) and cumin, the beans get made into a filling that I then smash with a potato masher for our own nonfat version of refried beans.
We then make up the tacos by putting the beans on the tortilla and add cheese and broil for a few minutes until hot and melted. I make a diced salad on the side with salsa as dressing. Add to that some yellow rice (turmeric and rice cooked together sometimes with peas thrown in for color), we have a full Mexican meal that nobody realizes is made in a hurry.

debbie said...Here's what we do when we don't have time or don't want to cook. The first is a recipe a young friend from Honduras gave me. It's a rice dish and it's so good that my husband who doesn't care for rice eats it right up. It does take a right big skillet.
Chop up one onion and lightly saute in a little butter or oil. Dump in your rice (I make 1 and 1/2 cups) and saute. Add double the amount of stock ( in this example I would add 3 cups) and cover and allow to simmer 20 minutes or so.( I make stock and keep a portion of my freezer to store it. It thaws well fast in the microwave.)Salt and pepper to taste.Also I like to throw in any herbs I have on the windowsill that go well with the flavor of my stock. About ten minutes before the rice is done add a couple handfuls of frozen mixed vegetables or you could add any cooked veggie you like. Enjoy
The next is a recipe my kids call "homemade hamburger helper". You put some salted water on to boil. When the water boils dump in some pasta I use elbow macaroni or whatever is on sale. In your skillet you again saute a finely chopped onion in a little butter until translucent. Add hamburger or ground turkey and brown. Drain off any fat and add a can of tomatoes, a half teaspoon of oregano, a half teaspoon of thyme ans a half teaspoon of basil. Reduce heat and simmer until pasta is done. I add the pasta to the meat with a slotted spoon. Mix well. I like to serve on a big platter with a bit of cheese grated over the top. My kids and their friends think this is fine dining. No leftovers ever. Both of these dishes cook in thirty minutes or less.

Anonymous said...

I think we are going to have this for dinner tonight. I have a feeling (at 7am) that it is going to be one of those days. Eggs. The kids like theirs scrambled with a little cheese and a side of toast. I think I will have mine sunny side up, and my husband prefers to fix his own eggs. Easier for me!
Deb in the PNW

alison young said...

curry in a hurry
boil up some red lentils and add chopped onion,garlic and potatoes,2 teaspoon garum masala spice and a teaspoon of chilli powder(adjust to taste),cook this down,about 10 mins then add a can of baked beans,we like it with toasted pitta bread.this is my favorite standby,and my hubbie and 3 children love it and like me to be a bit disorganised so i make it!!

barbara (in Tennessee) said...

Since we usually have eggs and some kind of cheese in the fridge, and bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes (either fresh, frozen or canned, as appropriate for the season) an omelet is one of my go-to meals, the other is a stir fry with veggies from the freezer and brown rice.
Another one is saute chicken and add salsa, serve with taco fixings, or wrap in a tortilla for a burrito or wrap in a tortilla and heat in the oven with salsa and cheese for an enchilada wannabe.

Green Bean said...

This is such a busy time of year we've been eating a lot of meals like you suggest. I can't promise that there haven't been a meal out a bit more than usual but we're availaing ourselves of grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit and, you know what, it hits the spot. :)

Anonymous said...

One of the dishes that I fall back on is referred to in my house as succutash(which it is not). Take a brick of frozen ground meat (beef) and start frying it in standard 8-10 frying pan with the lid. When it is ready to turn over shake about a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce over the cooked beef, put the lid back on. Open a can of tomatoes, chop coarsely, prepare some brocolli. When the second side of the beef is done, cut into little cubes with your turner throw the tomatoes over all and put the brocolli on top. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes. From start to finish about 40 minutes. We serve it over rice. The great thing about this recipe is that you can start with frozen or unfrozen beef, left over rice, canned tomatoes or fresh, frozen or fresh brocolli. It never stays around. Karen G.

Cindi said...

we do stir fry with rice and any vegetable, left over or fresh we have. We also add cubed beef. I have a potato soup recipe this is pretty quick and it can simmer for a bit if you want to start it ahead of time.

Ok, my best made from scratch, quick comfort meal is:
Rice and stir fried veggies.
I dump a couple of cups of rice in the rice cooker and then prepare myself some veggies. We actually had this last night in our house.
The veggie was bok choy which is so easy to cook. Simply, get a wok or non-stick pan very hot, add a little sesame oil then the bok choy. (Cut up as small as you would like it.) Then add 2 tbsp of sugar and salt to taste with a splash of soy sauce. (Cook for 4 mins.)
As a side dish, I cut up small seedless cucumbers, added soy
sauce, salt, hot peppers and garlic. You close that in a tupper ware and shake shake.
It's the Chinese version of pickles. Was very humble and yummy!

***

Rhonda Jean said ...

Some of my standbys like homemade pizza and quick pasta with a homemade tomato sauce are already listed. We sometimes have a quick meal of salad from the backyard with either boiled eggs, a tin of tuna or red salmon. But another favourite quick meal here is pasta with pumpkin sauce. It's delicious!

You need two saucepans of water. Put on a saucepan of water for your pasta and while it is coming to the boil, skin and chop a couple of wedges of pumpkin, skin and quarter an onion. Add the vegetables to cold water in the saucepan and bring to the boil. When your other saucepan of water is boiling, add enough pasta for your family and cook until al dente. Both these saucepans will take about the same time to cook.

Sit down for ten minutes to relax.

When the pasta is ready, pour into a strainer. When the pumpkin/onion is ready, pour off the water, add salt and pepper to taste, and put it in the blender. Whiz until it's a smooth sauce and add a dollop of sour cream. Then place the pasta on a plate and pour the sauce over. Add a little chopped parsley or basil if you feel like walking out to pick it. :- )

LATE ADDITIONS:

Laura Lee said...

Hot Hominy Beef (or turkey)

Brown beef or turkey; skim. Add one jar of good veggie salsa, one cup tomato sauce, large can of hominy, and season to taste with pepper, cumin, garlic, adding a splash or two of Tobasco. Simmer 20 minutes uncovered. Serve over brown rice with just a sprinkling of jack cheese and a lightly salted avocado and cucumber salad splashed with fresh lime juice.

joolzmac said...I'm a bit late but here's an easy dish, only take about 1/2 hour in the oven...

Serves 4
4 chicken breasts, skin off
4 tblspn mayonnaise
2 tspn curry powder

Mix mayo and curry powder together then slather all over the chicken breasts. Place in greased casserole dish and bake about 1/2 an hour in 180Deg oven.

Serve with fresh salad of your choice and crusty bread.

Scribhneoir said...

I missed the invite yesterday so my contribution is late, here it is...
fry a chopped onion, garlic, raisins, grated carrot, tumeric and cumin and coriander or cajun spice in olive oil til softened, add a cup of good basmati rice, two and a half cups of water and cook on low heat 'til water is absorbed. Add some sliced almonds and have with salad or fried eggs if you like.

Kittee said...Ok, my best made from scratch, quick comfort meal is:

Rice and stir fried veggies.
I dump a couple of cups of rice in the rice cooker and then prepare myself some veggies. We actually had this last night in our house.
The veggie was bok choy which is so easy to cook. Simply, get a wok or non-stick pan very hot, add a little sesame oil then the bok choy. (Cut up as small as you would like it.) Then add 2 tbsp of sugar and salt to taste with a splash of soy sauce. (Cook for 4 mins.)
As a side dish, I cut up small seedless cucumbers, added soy
sauce, salt, hot peppers and garlic. You close that in a tupper ware and shake shake.
It's the Chinese version of pickles.

belle said...

I have 2 good standbys.....baked beans, stir in a good spoonful of tahine (extra protein)serve on homemade bread toat, sprinkle a handful of toasted seeds on top....pumpkin,sesame, sunflower, tossed in a little temari. I always have some of these in the fridge to add to salads.
Second is stir fried bokchoy...plenty in garden...garlic, ginger, temari, served on top of soba noodles....these cook in a bowl with some boiling water poured over while bokchoy cooks. Add a sprinkle of toasted seeds.
I'm vegetarian, so the addition of seeds ensures some protein.
Don't forget to save the noodle cooking water for the garden or potplants.
Nanette

Amber said...

Just this morning my partner commented on my ability to turn simple, humble food into yummy meals, when he had a bite of my breakfast, which was stewed apples made with a pat of butter, cinnamon and maple syrup, with just a splash of water to keep it from sticking to the pot. I left it on the stove to simmer while I got ready for work. I added toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds on top. With a slice of toast, it made for a quick and easy, warm and yummy breakfast on a cold snowy morning! Simple and nourishing. (When I have such things on hand, I will also add raisins, yogurt, buckwheat...)

Belovedgoddess said...Recently I made the decision to involve my children in the making dinner process, they are more than old enough at 16 and 13. Last night I was busy so got them into the kitchen to prepare dinner. My daughter cooked steak and package macaroni/cheese while my son prepared and cooked the vegies. I was able to concentrate on cutting out quilt squares and still be available to answer questions. In the new year we will concentrate more on cooking from scratch meals, I am a beginner at that as well. But with the advice I get from you, Rhonda I am sure we will do it and both my children will have the experience for when they are out on their own.

getting stuff done said...

Pasta Puttanesca
put pasta on to boil. then, in pan chilli oil, chopped garlic, fry 3 mins. add tin of chopped tomatoes. Add tin of tuna, olives and capers. Pour over cooked pasta. add parmesan.

good store cupboard food!

My kitchen in the late afternoon.

Hanno and I were out free ranging yesterday. I wanted to have a day off. It was the first day of my 3½ weeks holiday. The Centre will close on Friday for three weeks and apart from Hanno, Kerry and I helping out at the Christmas breakfast, I have no away from home work to do until mid-January. My plan was to have the morning out, then return home to knit and watch the cricket. I should know by now not to make such plans. ; - )

Early in the day, before what I expected to be big crowds of Christmas shoppers, we travelled over to a nearby town to do the shopping. I wanted to buy a cookbook for my son, meat for Christmas lunch and sewing supplies for me. I bought Crust: Bread to Get your Teeth Into which is a very good all-round book on how to make all manner of interesting yeasted breads and sourdoughs. I'm going to try some of his recipes and I'll pass on those that work well. We had to go to the mall for the book and I was surprised to see less people there than I expected. Anyhow, I got my fabric and some buttons and we called in at the butcher shop on the way home.

Great, that done, now for the cricket! Driving down our street, Hanno stopped to speak with our electrician who was working two doors up. He asked if he could come and finish off the work he started at our place last week. Pffffffft there goes the cricket. I ended up doing a little bit of work on the book.

It's strange how the mind works sometimes. By the end of the day, when the workmen left, I didn't feel like making dinner for us so after looking in the fridge we ended up having leftover potato salad, from the night before, with a toasted cheese, tomato and onion sandwich each and a cold drink. Often, my standby can't be bothered meal is pasta from the pantry with a quick sauce, but I didn't want to boil water for some reason, so sandwiches it was.

While I assembled that meagre meal I wondered what my friends out in blogland would make for a quick and easy meal at the end of a busy day. I think it would be a good idea for us to share our best, quick, cooked from scratch meal. Gone are the days when we run out to buy takeaway or convenience food. Remember, in keeping with our cook from scratch focus, all these recipes should be made using fresh food or pantry staples with no cans of soup or anything with preservatives in it. It can be healthy AND fast. I'll devote tomorrow's post to compiling what you give me so all of us will have an easy to print out collection of fast recipes. I'll add a couple of my favourites and we'll see what you come up with. So thinking caps on ladies and gentlemen, it's over to you.

Well, as you can see, I didn't get back here yesterday. I had a full on day of Christmas preparations at work. Our Christmas hampers and gifts go out today and we finalised the prep for our free Christmas day breakfast for our town. All is ready, my friends, now I just need a bit of extra sleep to catch up and get back to normal. There is only one thing I really dislike about growing older, I get tired easily. :- (

There were a number of questions from the comments yesterday so I'll answer them today.

Gail: Bunnings do sell some open pollinated (OP) seedlings, but very few. If you remember the varieties you bought, google them and see if they're OP not. I think it's a good idea to swap seeds and I have no problem with those interested in swapping doing that here. We have had an OP seed swap here in the past. I'll talk to Sharon and see if she can set something up. We might be able to get a seed swap happening on the weekends. You have to be mindful that you cannot send to WA though, and I think some things can't go to Tasmania. Other countries would need to work through their own government requirements for sending seeds - some countries are strict, some aren't. Regarding diseases surviving in dried seeds the process of fermenation does kill of some diseases but others do survive. You need to select seeds from disease-free plants.

Kim, until you really know what you're doing, just plant one variety of each veggie and work up from there. Each year, add something new and it will be more manageable. When you do add more variety, add the easy ones first, like tomatoes. Tomatoes rarely cross pollinate, I've been growing beefsteak, paste and cherry tomatoes together, alongside my brandywines and they didn't cross. All I did was put them in different garden beds and they were fine.

Barbara: here is how I ferment tomato and cucumber seeds. Select a couple of your best tomatoes/cucumbers and wait until they are just past the ripe stage. Cut the tomato in two and scoop out the seeds, you'll take out the surrounding flesh when you do, that's fine. Place that in a small glass jar, add about half a cup of water, cover with a cloth to keep insects out and leave it in a warmish place in the kitchen. Depending on the warmth in your kitchen, about three or four days later, mould will develop on top of the tomato pulp. Stir with a spoon to dislodge any seeds caught in the pulp and you'll see a lot of seeds fall to the bottom of the jar. Carefully pour off the rubbish at the top without losing any seeds at the bottom. Then, when most of the pulp and mouldy flesh is gone, pour the seeds into a fine strainer and wash them gently, but thoroughly. Then tip the seeds onto a clean cloth to dry the water from them and place them on a ceramic or glass plate to dry out completely. That will depend on your conditions there but it will be between 10 - 14 days. Then add to your labelled container and put in the fridge.

Rachel: yes, you can cook the leftover beans. It's difficult to tell you how long any seeds will be viable for. It depends on the type of seeds and how well they've been stored. This is good test for seed viability - get a couple of sheets of newspaper, write the date and name of the seeds on the paper, then wet it. You want every sheet moist but not dripping wet. Sprinkle about 10 of the seeds you want to test on one side of the paper, fold in the sides and roll it up into a cigar shape. Place that into a plastic bag, along with any other cigar shapes you're testing, and seal the bag. Leave it for two days, then check. If there are no seeds sprouting, check it again in two days. If you see the seeds are sprouting, note how many sprout because that will give you a good indication of how viable the seeds are. If only a few germinate, I'd still plant your seeds but don't expect all of them to grow. If a lot of them sprout, you'll have no problems growing your plants. Be aware though that not every seed will sprout, generally expect about 80 percent success rate. If the seeds don't show any signs of life for two weeks, the seeds are probably dead. Be aware that some seeds do take a long time to sprout, so check the germination time (on Google) for the seeds your testing. And even with the best seeds and storage, you'll only get about 80 - 90 percent success anyway. Please let us know when baby arrives and take care, love.

Good luck with the laundry soap, Kathy.

Bobbi: Hanno and I had a giggle over your Mary Poppins comment. ; - )

And just a final thought for all those who are nervous about saving seeds. When you step away from the mainstream and go along this path we're all on, there aren't a lot of guideposts along the way. I've made plenty of mistakes, but it was through my biggest mistakes that I made my biggest gains, and went on to becoming quite proficient in a number of unusual tasks. So dive right in, the water's fine.

Check out Lyn's great post on pruning tomatoes here.

Technically, some common vegetables like tomatoes, squash and cucumbers, are fruit. For this post, I'm referring to everything as "vegetable".

After you grow your vegetables and before you save the seeds, you need to know how they're pollinated and if the vegetable is annual, biennial or perennial. Annuals will produce viable seed in the first year, biennials take two years to mature and produce seed, and perennials, produce viable seed in the second year and from then on until the plant dies.

When I write about drying seeds, I don't mean you wait until the outside of the seed is dry. The seed - inside and out - needs to be dry and this will require leaving most seeds on a china or glass plate for a number of days or weeks to dry out completely. Drying seeds on paper towel or newspaper is not the best way to go as the seed will stick to the paper.

You need to monitor your vegetables as the grow to see when they need picking. In the photo above there are two lazy housewife beans. The smaller one is the size I pick them for eating, the larger one I let stay on the vine until it was bigger and I could see the beans developing in the pod. Then I pick it for drying (for the pantry) and for seed.

This is a very good site that lists whether vegetables are annual, biennial or perennial and also how they are all pollinated. Grandpappy also gives excellent instructions for saving seeds, so instead of reinventing the wheel please refer to his site to get instructions for each vegetable. I will write about general principles of seed saving and some differences between warm and cold weather vegetables.

Always pick the best vegetables when you collect seeds and if you have two or three of the same vegetables you can collect from, do that because you provide a stronger gene pool for the plants you grow.

This is a yellow zucchini and a good example of male and female flowers. The male flowers are those on the long stalks and they stand up tall to attract bees. The female flowers develop lower down on the plant and are bigger with a distinct ovary inside the flower. You can see here the female flowers are still attached to the end of the developing zucchinis.

I categorise vegetables, for the purpose of seed saving, into three groups:

WET - tomatoes, cucumbers, luffas. These vegetables have thick flesh around the seed that needs to be removed, and in the case of tomatoes and cucumbers, fermented. Fermentation will happen when you add the seeds to a jar of water and leave it for a few days. Luffas don't have to be fermented but you leave the luffa on the vine until it's brown, then crack it open and pour out the seeds. If you're in a cooler climate, you can pick the luffas green and store them in a dry place until they turn brown and crackly. Melons are another wet seed but you can save these when you're eating the melon. Watermelon seeds just need to be dried. Save rockmelon (cantaloupe) and honeydew melon seeds and put them in a sieve to clean under running water until all the fresh is removed. Then dry them.

DRY - these are the easy seeds to harvest. Let pumpkin and squash mature for a few days after you pick them. Then cut open, scoop out the seeds and dry them. To harvest corn seeds, pick all the corn you will eat, leaving behind the best cobs. Let them sit on the plant for another month and when they look dry, harvest them, peel back the husks and let them dry out more. Tie the cobs together by the husks, and hang them up to finish drying, then pick the kernels off or rub two corn cobs together and they will fall off.

LEGUMES: Beans and peas have pods that are just broken open and the seeds are there waiting. They need to be dried before storing.

These are lazy housewife beans drying on our verandah. These are a great bean as they can be eaten as a green bean or you can dry them out and add them to your pantry.

Sometimes you don't have to sacrifice the vegetable to save the seeds. For instance, pumpkins and squash can be cut open, scoop out the seeds and you can still eat the vegetable. These are dry seeds so when you scoop them out, they just need to be dried before storing.

These are pigeon peas, a great permaculture plant, still in their green stage.

When they're like this, I pick them to use like lentils. These peas make an excellent pea soup and they can be stored in the pantry for months. Pigeon peas may also be fed to chooks when they're still green, and the foliage is an excellent fodder or mulch.

In the middle of our tomato season I generally pick two excellent tomatoes to save seeds from. These are processed in the usual way of scooping out the seeds and adding them to a jar of water to ferment. If, the following day, I cut open another tomato to eat and find it's a really good one, I'll save a few seeds from that one too and just squeeze the seeds from a wedge of that tomato into the fermenting jar.

Tomato seeds must be fermented and dried before storing.

If the vegetables you want seed from are easily cross pollinated you need to plant those vegetables away from their cross pollinators. For instance, chillis and capsicums (peppers) may cross pollinate, so even though they're different varieties of the same vegetable, you need to be mindful of the pollination factor and grow the plants you want to sow seeds from at least 15 metres (50') apart.

While your vegetables are growing, check if they are pollinated by bees, many vegetables are. You have to make sure there are bees in your backyard to pollinate so early one morning, go out to your garden and look for bees. If there are none, you'll have to hand pollinate. If you are serious about your vegetable growing, it's a good idea to grow a small number of flowers in with your vegetables to attract the pollinators like bees and other insects. These flowers can be things like nasturtiums, which are edible, little daisies that bees love, herbs - tansy, oregano, thyme and borage, or marigolds, cosmos and sunflowers.

Luffas should dry out on the vine. If you can't do that, pick them green and dry them in the shade until all the flesh has dried up and the skin will crack open.

Generally, in the case of flower forming vegetables like carrots and lettuce, you only need to put one plant aside to harvest seeds from, but it must be the best plant. You are looking to select the best plant so that you pass those trait onto what you grow in the seeds you save. Look for vegetables that are not diseased in any way, are strong growing, and display the qualities you want in that vegetable, such as early maturing, as well as size and abundance of the crop. If there is only one perfect fruit on the vine, that is not the one to select. Go instead for a vine or plant that has a good yield of many good vegetables, is a good size and is strong.

Lettuce, carrots, celery, parsley - all form flower heads. You have to wait for the flowers to turn to seed but if you can't do that for reasons of weather, wait until the flower head is almost ready to seed, then cut the whole flower off and store it in a paper bag in the house. After a couple of weeks you hear the seeds rattling around in the bag when you shake it. All you have to do then is clean the dried old bits of flower away from the seeds and store them.

The biggest threat to your seed treasure is mould. The seeds must be dried completely before storing, and then stored in dry conditions. The fridge is ideal for most seeds. Pack them in their own little packet with name and date of collection on it, place that, along with all the other packets or little jars, into a larger plastic box and keep it in the fridge until needed. If you live in very humid conditions and this way of storing doesn't work for you, add a little diatomaceous earth to the seeds, shake off most of it, and store the seeds. If you want to be an organic grower, don't use seed fungicides.

I know some of this is confusing if you're new to gardening but it's a very simple process and once you've done it once, you'll realise just how easy it is. This post is a bit disjointed but I just wrote it as it came to mind and now I don't have the time to tidy it up more. I hope you can make sense of it. I'll try to get back later and change a couple of things so it is more coherent.

ADDTIONAL READING
Annete McFarlane's vegetables stories

This is the plant we're saving for its seeds. Sorry, it's a bit overexposed.

There is a celery plant in our vegetable garden that reminds me every day how important it is to save vegetable seeds. Celery, unlike a lot of other common vegetables, is biennial. That means that it will only flower and produce seeds in its second year. My pineapple is similar, it produces its fruit in the second year. Many popular vegetables are annuals - and that means the seed can be planted, and will mature and reproduce all in the space of one year; and if it's an open pollinated plant, you can collect the seeds for planting the following season.

Celery flowers - these fine wispy flowers will soon turn into black seeds ripe for the picking.

First a word about open pollinated seeds and hybrids. Plant open pollinated seeds, they are reproductive. Doing so will ensure biodiversity for the coming generations. Open pollinated seeds are old vegetables whose seeds have been passed down through the generations without anyone tampering with them. And they taste like vegetables should taste. There are many more varieties of open pollinated seeds than hybrids, and they have fabulous names like Pink Brandywine, Lazy Housewife Bean, Mortgage Lifter and Purple Tiger Chilli - they were all named by the people who used them, not by multi-national companies. Open pollinated seeds may be harder to find though, so look online if you don't have a seed company nearby. Try to buy seeds from a supplier near you because those seeds will match your conditions better than those grown half a continent away.

On the other hand...

Hybrid seeds were developed by altering the makeup of particular plants to produce vegetables with certain traits. A good example of this is the supermarket tomato. When I was a girl, way back in the 1950s, tomatoes were large soft skinned fruit that weighed in at around two per pound. This was fine when we all bought our vegetables and fruit from the green grocer, but when supermarkets opened for the first time, when self serve was still a novelty, the stores wanted tomatoes that could be dropped on the floor without splitting, and they wanted four per pound. Tomato growers came up with a new tomato that was smaller and tough skinned. Store keepers were very pleased, housewives were not - they didn't taste like tomatoes used to taste. Over the years we've come to accept that bland tomato taste and only people who grow tomatoes in their backyards, or buy open pollinated tomatoes from the organic market, know the true taste of tomatoes.

Hybrid vegetables are strongly promoted by some seed companies because you can't save seed from them and therefore have to re-buy seeds every year.

Open pollinated seeds, which are now becoming quite popular, will produce vegetables exactly the same as the parent plant for year upon year. It will save you money to grow them, the vegetables are better, you'll help maintain genetic diversity by growing them and they taste divine.

Heritage chooks are a similar thing to open pollinated vegetables. They will go broody, sit on eggs, and happily raise chickens. They are reproductive. There are some chooks now - Hylines, Isa Browns and Lowlines - the familiar small red chook, that have been modified to not go broody and to keep laying eggs. This shortens their lifespan. Like hybrid vegetables and their seeds, Isa Browns and their sisters are programmed to be replaced frequently. Those companies prefer that we buy our vegetable seeds and chickens over and over again instead of taking control of our own gardens and flocks with open pollinated seeds and heirloom chooks.

It's all an encouragement to let someone else take over our food requirements so we don't have to worry our pretty little heads about it. Pfffffffft. If we allow that to continue, we will lose these old skills forever and we will be totally reliant on someone else, or worse still, a commercial enterprise, to feed us.

Self reliance ... make a step towards it every day.

So on to saving seeds ... which I will finish tomorrow by writing about how to select, save and store seeds.

It's been a busy week. After two days at work, I've been confined to my sewing room writing, thinking and making notes. Oh, I did have one outing. I drove my friend, Bernadette, to the airport in her car - a very red, very low on the ground sports car. It was a big change from my little station wagon. Driving back past the shops, it was all Christmas decorations and people with packages, it doesn't look like a world economic crisis out there. On that same day, Hanno drove down to the Gold Coast to help our son, Kerry, move house.

I was back in the sewing room yesterday. It's quite pleasant in there, shut away from what is happening in the house. The phone rings frequently, yesterday there were calls from my sisters and a few from my Centre, but through it all I kept tapping away at the keys, looking out the window and wondering when I should pick the pumpkins.

The book proposal is coming together. I finished one section of it yesterday, then decided to add another section to the book (not the proposal), which means I'll have to rewrite quite a bit of the first chapter, which is part of the proposal. I'll make a start on that today. Did I tell you I'm with the same agency that represented Janet Luhrs and her Simple Living Guide? I am very thankful for that because I know I'm in good hands and I appreciate their knowledge and guidance.

So I was tapping away on the keyboard yesterday, when Hanno walked in with a parcel. "it's from Germany" he said, and I knew immediately what it was. Hilde, a reader here, had sent me Zakka Sewing: 25 Japanese projects for the household, a number of beautiful fabrics, thread and a lovely message on a card. It made my morning! Thank you so much, Hilde! You are very generous. I spent a wonderful thirty minutes looking through the book and then had to force myself back to the computer. I kept thinking of that little squirrel tea cosy though, it's so sweet.

It doesn't feel like Christmas yet. We have no decorations up and I haven't decided what we'll eat for Christmas lunch, but I know it will come together, just like it always does. In the meantime, I'll keep writing and thinking, writing and thinking and hope that soon I'll be confident enough to send my proposal in.

Thank you all for the comments this week, I really look forward to reading them. They remind me every day that you're all out there and there is a world-wide community of us all working towards a better life, and for that, I'm ever thankful.

One of the things we all do every day is eat. If you're looking for a way to start simplifying your life, if you're a new wife or husband, or if you've just moved away from your parents home, learning to cook from scratch is a very important step on your road to independence. Cooking from scratch is home cooking or comfort food - it's those meals your mum or grandma made that used wholesome, fresh ingredients and staples. There was no recipe book for those meals, they came from a long history of understanding food, how to mix it together with good results and from recipes passed from mother to daughter.

No matter how many times you see a food item in a box named "Mama's Choice", "Grandma's Favourite" or "Nana's Pie", those foods would rarely have been used by our mums and grandmas. Food producers know the appeal of comfort food and try to use that longing for old fashioned home cooking to sell their products. Don't be fooled, many of them contain preservatives, artificial colourings, stabilisers, firming agents, colour fixatives and flavour enhancers. Even some precooked organic foods contain these additives, so if you're trying to eat healthy food, the best way to do that is to cook it yourself.

Here is a list of Australian food additives here and here. The FDA USA food additives list is here but I have to tell you it's quite confusing (I wonder why). Information here about UK food additives and colourings. Readers in other countries, I encourage you to Google "food additives ...." < - add the name of your country, to find out more about your food.

Buyers beware.

What you cook will be healthier, cheaper and fresher than any convenience food you buy, and it will contain only what you put in it. Now, I'm not telling you that you'll never buy another take away meal or convenience food, but I want to encourage you to move towards home cooking and to try to make most of your food. I know there are times you need a quick bought meal. Just the other day I bought a vegetarian pizza for our dinner. I'd been at work all day and Hanno was busy, but I doubt we'll do that again for another six months.

Home cooking does take longer, that is why you pay so much for convenience food. You are paying for someone else's time and experience to make your food, along with all the ingredients they use. But over time, as you develop your skills, and hopefully your desire to cook, you'll realise you can cut back on the time it takes for many things. You can cook double the amount and freeze another meal for later, you can pre-prepare and just do the cooking when it's needed, you can use a slow cooker that will cook while you do other things. There are ways around the time issue.

Over the coming weeks I'll add to this, and probably make it a series of how to's, giving hints, tips and short cuts to help you in your kitchen. But in the meantime, please look at the list below and make a start. From scratch cooking is one of the most empowering skills you can have and it will help you on your road to a simpler life.

RECIPES FOR HOME COOKING

Here is a post I wrote a long time ago about developing flavour in home cooking.
Home cooking recipes - USA, there are some good recipes here but it pains me to see them using cans of soup and something called browning sauce. I don't know what that is. Nevertheless, I believe these recipes are a good starting point for the new cook and when you get further down the track, you may wish to use something other than cans of soup to flavour some of the recipes here.
Egg recipes
For UK recipes, who else but Delia
Australian recipes - the cook and the chef
Slow cooker recipes
Australian vegetarian recipes - Kurma
Traditional Christmas dinner (Australia)
Casseroles and stews
Recipes for all meals
Food for baby
Baby food recipes
Food equivalents and substitutes
International measure calculator
Explanations and old fashioned conversions
Can sizes