Blog BY Staff | 26 January 2021
Grow Your Own Breakfast
Mornings can be a struggle, with some days having time or ingredients on hand to make a nutritious breakfast seems utterly impossible. Though have you ever thought of growing your own breakfast ingredients?
Saving you time, money and with added benefits of having flavoursome and wholesale ingredients to fuel your day, growing some of your own ingredients can help you add so much value to your morning mealtimes. These benefits extend beyond the kitchen with learning to grow your own food being an easy way to improve your physical and mental wellbeing by helping you keep active, spend more time outside and getting much needed Vitamin D.
To help get you get started we take a look at some ingredients you can produce in small spaces and the family backyard.
Berries
Growing your own berries in containers is one of the easiest and fool proof ways to start your own small space fruit garden. They can be placed in pots on a balcony, porch or patio giving you flexibility that other plants cannot, making them easy to have on hand when you want a sprinkle of berries in your morning oats, smoothies or pancakes.
While Berries can grow in a compact space, do not give them a pot too small, always aiming for the largest possible pot space available. Also ensure that it can drain properly, and water as required. Also be mindful in winter conditions plants need to warm up like us so insulate your pot, move it inside or move to a protected area.
Berries certainly provide ‘bang for your buck’ with them being one of the easiest ways to add healthy options to your diet as well. Berries are well known as a good sources of antioxidants, help healthy blood sugar levels and they are nutrient dense with vitamins, whilst also being widely popular for their sweet taste.
Try out your fresh berries in our Quinoa Breakfast Bake recipe: https://www.maxigenes.com.au/recipes/quinoa-breakfast-bake
Tomatoes
Homegrown tomatoes are juicier, sweeter, and so much more delicious to store bought, which are bred for firmness to withstand many elements. They are relatively easy to look after and can yield large amounts of fruit. When considering planting tomatoes, the three biggest things to remember are sunshine, soil and space.
Tomatoes require a lot of sun, if your garden doesn’t receive a lot of sun you can still plant beautiful tomatoes you will need to make their environment warm and toasty, this can be by placing row covers or placing a barrier behind the plant so the sun reflects back onto the plant. For the soil make sure it is well drained and sandy, as your tomato plant grows taller you will need stakes to help support them. Whether you a growing from a seed or an established plant tomatoes can be grown directly in the ground or medium/large points, making sure to give them plenty of space if they are in the ground (about 80cm). They can start producing fruit after 8-12 weeks.
Once your tomatoes are red and ripened you can start using them in a huge amount of recipes such as frittata’s, omelettes or even a simple but delicious tomato tart. Adding tomatoes to breakfast are a great way to start the day, as tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C for energy support and vitamin A for immune health. Tomatoes are also fat free, cholesterol free, low sodium and low-calorie foods making them an excellent choice for those who require specialised diets.
Try out your fresh tomatoes in our Vegetarian Hash Brown Quiche recipe: https://www.maxigenes.com.au/recipes/vegetarian-hash-brown-quiche
Eggs
Chickens are wonderful pets, being social, chatty and great for kids, though it is always best to give them a large amount of space in the backyard and make sure to abide by council regulations at all times. As they are social animals it is best to have 3-4, providing them a coop that is safe from weather extremes, predators and easy to sleep/nest in. During the day your chickens will love to feed, preen, forage and take dust baths, keeping themselves and the kids entertained.
In return for providing you with farm fresh eggs in the morning your chickens can also help you with your kitchen scraps. In addition to their fortified feed and water you can give them vegetables such as spinach and cabbage, fruit and grains like corn or wheat. Foods to avoid as citrus, uncooked rice, rhubarb, avocado, chocolate, onion, garlic and lawn mower clippings.
Eggs provide us with a high-quality complete protein at breakfast which is important for nutrients our body cannot make themselves. Eggs are also a source of selenium, choline and vitamin B12 along with other nutrients to make sure we are starting our day the right way.
Try out your freshly gathered eggs in our Zucchini, Carrot and Ham Slice:
https://www.maxigenes.com.au/recipes/zucchini-carrot-and-ham-slice
Tea
Australia provides a wonderful environment to grow beautiful organic tea leaves, as they do not require pesticides due to our strict quarantine and pest control at borders. There are a number of tea plants that grow well in pots or as hedges, so can be a great addition to a balcony or patio.
Some different varieties include herbal teas, you can use the leaves such as mint, dandelion, raspberry, lemon balm. Also you can use flowers such as lavender, jasmine or chamomile – the roots from ginger or stalks from lemon grass. These are easy to grow in pots and can be used fresh or dried meaning you will be sipping in no time. For black tea you can plant a Camellia sinensis plant though it will take about 3 years before you can start harvesting it for tea, though a good cup of homegrown tea is worth the wait. Try finding a grow your own kit at your local nursery to get you started.
For many holding a warm cup of tea in your hands is soothing, with many herbal varieties also being well known for their stress relieving properties. Tea can also help with digestion, with teas such as peppermint assisting the feeling of nausea. Some teas such a ginger they are also known to help reduce severity of cold and flu symptoms, when you need to rest and recharge. As well as providing us with a warming cup to hold in the morning, teas can be used as a flavour enhancer in other foods and a breath freshener.
For some tea inspiration check out our Iced Hibiscus Latte recipe here:
https://www.maxigenes.com.au/recipes/iced-hibiscus-latte
Peanuts
You may have never thought peanuts were something you could grow in your backyard, with many types of nut taking years to grow and needing large spaces to grow in. Peanuts on the other hand are members of the legume family, and therefore grow in slightly different conditions.
Peanuts only take a few months to grow and should be planted 20cm apart. To get started bury fresh, unroasted peanuts in loose and well-drained soil that receives a good amount of sunshine as they thrive in hot climates. You will know the plants are ready to harvest when they turn yellow, this can take 4-5 months. Make sure to dry them before eating them, this can be done by hanging the harvested peanut ‘roots’ in a cool dry room for 1 month.
Once your peanuts are dry they are easy to incorporate into your morning meals, you can add them to a blender with a small amount of oil for homemade peanut butter or use in overnight oats. They are a great source of plant-based protein, fibre and healthful fats which make them a great balanced option for breakfast.
Try adding some homegrown peanuts to our Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Biscuits:
https://www.maxigenes.com.au/recipes/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-biscuits
Citrus
Many of us have come to know a glass of orange juice as a staple at the breakfast table, so growing your own fresh supply will make your morning meal even easier. With a few different varieties available for oranges and other citrus fruits you can find a plant that can be placed into a large pot or grow a full orchard.
Your orange tree will need some TLC with it preferring full sun (6 hours a day), being watered regularly (1-2 times a week) and with well-drained soil. Trees start producing fruit normally in their third year, if your tree starts producing fruit earlier remove it quickly to encourage better sized and better tasting fruit to develop in later years.
Oranges are well known to give us a daily dose of vitamin C to help support our immune system and a source of antioxidants, they are also good for your digestion having a good source of fibre. The peel of an orange also contains high levels of certain nutrients such a flavonoids so using the zest in recipes will give your diet an extra boost.
Try adding some fresh oranges to our Choc Orange Chia Pudding recipe:
https://www.maxigenes.com.au/recipes/choc-orange-chia-pudding