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