One of the common challenges faced with veggie gardens is when veggies ripen, you have lots of that variety at once. Preserving or pickling comes in handy and can be fun to try different combinations. I haven’t pickled, jammed or preserved since my early days of being a perfect wife and prefer to do this with produce I’ve grown myself – somehow it feels more authentic. After watching “The Road”, I’m also mindful that come Zombie Day, it might be all we have to survive on. At least I’d have something to offer Viggo.

Faced with a mini glut (well, more than my immediate neighbours and I could eat), I had a surplus of zucchinis and tomatoes. The zukes turned into pickled zucchinis and zucchini pickle. There is a subtle difference – pickled zucchinis are in a spiced vinegar and zucchini pickle is more of a curry relish. I think the latter was not my finest moment and will pluck up the courage to try one day. Perhaps when we again win the meat tray at the RSL and score some corned silverside.

I grew lots of lovely mixed mini tomatoes – different shapes and colours – which worked well cooked as semi-dried tomatoes in the oven with home-grown basil. I’m tossing up whether to put a selection in the local Show. The larger tomatoes found their way into a pasta sauce.

Not how good they are, but they were fun and part of being a gardener/home producer.