Preserved lemons in salt are incredibly simple to prepare and absolutely delightful! I have always loved food and drinks with lemon, but...

Let’s have a first wander in our garden, and start with the original established plants and trees. Bottlebrush front tree • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2017 In 2017, we bought our home in Tumbarumba, a charming little town in a cool climate wine-growing region by the Snowy Mountains. It was love at first sight for the 1940s partly renovated little white bungalow and the quarter-acre garden with established trees, shrubs and floral patches. The place is at the edg

The pleasure of squeezing, juicing, peeling, zesting, cooking and preserving organic lemons! Winter is citrus season, and the beautiful...

A wholesome, quick, and meat-free version of the old Canadian lumberjack favourite . Homemade pea soup • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2021 Here is a soup recipe inspired by a traditional, nourishing dish that sustained the first French Canadian settlers during the early years of colonisation. Today, this soup is most often served at sugar (maple) shack brunches, though many still enjoy preparing these old, comforting recipes at home. Made with yellow split peas, its

Curious about Jerusalem Artichokes? Try a little soup recipe, perfect for a first-timer! To taste and “test” the Jerusalem Artichoke...

Here's a plant with funny roots, many names, a long history and a never-ending story! What's in a name? This plant has an interesting...

Warm up your meals with the colours of autumn and seasonal flavours. Risotto served in a pumpkin bowl • Photography © Bottle and Brush...

Here’s a great way to save your unripened green tomatoes at the end of the season. Homemade sweet relish with green tomatoes from the garden © Bottle and Brush Studio 2021 Green tomatoes are the unripe fruit with many uses. All varieties are green before turning red, pink, yellow, orange, or black, but some heirlooms mature and keep the green colour. For this sweet relish, the unripe ones are the ones we need. They are firm, high in acidity and are best cooked, fried, pickled

A quick way to use all those little tomatoes popping out from the garden at the speed of light! When the garden is overflowing with...

The challenge of growing the most beautiful and tasty tomatoes that ripen on the vine. Tomatoes are the pride of anyone growing food....

There is no better way to preserve abundant zucchinis than some good jars of pickles! Any backyard veggie growers know that all varieties...

High-producing and versatile squashes to keep a gardener busy and happy all summer long! Summer squash is the soft and tender variety of...

Inspired by the French Canadian traditional “Pouding Chômeur”, made with frozen berries. Berry sweet version of the Canadian "Pouding chômeur" • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2020 “Pouding” means pudding, and “chômeur” means unemployed worker. “ Pouding chômeur ” is a Québec traditional dessert created during the Great Depression and was initially made with affordable ingredients like flour, butter, milk and brown sugar. This pudding cake is a sweet, syrupy sauce topp

Garden spuds certainly are treasures from the ground and worth digging for! Roasted, steamed, mashed, fried or baked: potatoes are simply...

This Australian native greens and bush tomato scone is absolutely delicious and a real winner! Warrigal Greens is a wild spinach native...

Backyard gardening can be more than just a hobby, here’s why you may want to dig in too . Pottering in the backyard • Photography © Matt Beaver/SVC 2021 Growing up in a mountain and lake region of Québec and loving outdoor activities, nature has always been essential. Love and timing can sometimes bring you somewhere unexpected. One day, it brought me to live in Montréal city for 15 years (when I expected that to be temporary for a year only), and here I have been for 10 yea

The taste of a summer garden captured in a jar of homemade seasoning! This salt blend is a homemade version of the old “herbamare”. With...

A must-have ingredient, worth growing in the backyard and never leaving behind! I love growing garlic for many reasons. I might not...

An excellent way to preserve fresh culinary herbs, inspired by the Québec “Herbes Salées”. Freshly made Salted Preserved Herbs • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2020 The term “herbes salées” (salted herbs) comes from the French province of Québec and is a traditional condiment for seasoning. My friend Geneviève-Amélie, born in the region that created and produces the classic blend of Herbes salées du Bas-du-Fleuve, introduced me to this method. Many herb varieties can b

Fresh eggs, bought locally or collected from the backyard hen's nest are simply the best! I love my backyard “chooks” (Aussie nickname...