I always thought of summer as being the season of abundant productivity. In my pre-gardening days it seemed to me that summer would be when everything happened in the veggie garden, and winter on the other hand would be a bit of a wasteland. However winter is definitely, for us at least, just as productive as summer. And as a bonus, the garden seems to tend itself in these cooler months, requiring very little additional watering, time or effort.
Unlike in summer, winter harvesting is also far less demanding. A lot of the winter crops (swedes, carrots, lettuce, leek...) all happily sit in the garden 'til they are called upon in the kitchen. It's so nice having food stored in the ground, alive until the very day you intend to eat it. In summer however, our garden demands a daily harvest, and if you happen to ignore it, it protests with weird displays of giant zucchini and other strange sights.
I still find planning meals around what is available in the garden takes a bit of extra thought, but it's time and thought well spent as it means we are making the most of the organic, real food we have available and only subsidising where necessary at the supermarket.
This 'food dream', though, is still far from being realised. So many of our trees are still yet to produce their first crop, and there are still so many things we want to plant (pomegranates, figs, grapes, persimmon...). But for now we are enjoying what comes from the veggie patch while we wait for the trees to catch up. Once they do, we will have more than enough. And having excess, in fact abundant excess, will be the evidence our dream has finally come true.
Currently In Harvest
VEG: Beetroot, Broccoli, Carrot, Lettuce, Loofah, Peas, Radish, Silverbeet, Snow Peas, Spinach, Spring Onion, Swede, Turnip. FRUIT: Mandarin. HERBS: Chives, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme. 
New to the Patch
In the last three months we have added thirteen new food varieties to our garden and still, still, all I can think as I catalogue them below is "more-more-more-more-more!". At some point in the next few years all of these crops will produce their first harvest and hopefully by then I will see that maybe, just maybe, we finally have enough. The new comers to the productive garden are an almond tree, four varieties of heirloom apples including one called 'snow' (a tiny bite-sized, red-skinned, snow-white-fleshed apple that I already know is destined to be my favourite), two varieties of blueberries which are already in flower (pictured below), pears, pine nuts, raspberries, strawberries, cinnamon myrtle (which you make a form of cinnamon out of), and purple asparagus (because having green asparagus just didn't seem enough of course).
Full List 'In the Ground and Growing' Winter 2015
KEY
Y = Years till harvest.
W = Weeks till harvest.
H = In harvest.
Veggie Patches
Veggie Patches
Asparagus 'Mary Washington' (Y)
Asparagus 'Purple' (Y)
Beetroot (H)
Broad Beans (W)
Broccoli (H)
Carrot (H)
Garlic 'Glamour' (W)
Garlic 'Melbourne Market' (W)
Garlic 'Early White' (W)
Garlic 'Early Purple' (W)
Leek (W)
Lettuce (H)
Loofah (H)
Onion 'Red' (W)
Peas 'Greenfeast' (H)
Radish (H)
Rhubarb (W)
Silverbeet (H)
Snow Peas (H)
Spinach (H)
Spring Onion (H)
Swede (H)
Turnip (H)
Asparagus 'Purple' (Y)
Beetroot (H)
Broad Beans (W)
Broccoli (H)
Carrot (H)
Garlic 'Glamour' (W)
Garlic 'Melbourne Market' (W)
Garlic 'Early White' (W)
Garlic 'Early Purple' (W)
Leek (W)
Lettuce (H)
Loofah (H)
Onion 'Red' (W)
Peas 'Greenfeast' (H)
Radish (H)
Rhubarb (W)
Silverbeet (H)
Snow Peas (H)
Spinach (H)
Spring Onion (H)
Swede (H)
Turnip (H)
Fruit & Nut
Almond (Y)
Apple 'Fuji' (Y)
Apple 'Gala'(W)
Apple 'Jonathan' (Y)
Almond (Y)
Apple 'Fuji' (Y)
Apple 'Gala'(W)
Apple 'Jonathan' (Y)
Apple 'Pink Lady' (Y)
Apple 'Snow' (Y)
Apple 'Wild Granny' (Y)
Avocado 'Hass' (Y)
Avocado 'Pinkerton' (Y)
Blueberry 'Reveille' (W)
Blueberry 'Sunshine Blue' (W)
Lemon 'Eureka' (Y)Apple 'Snow' (Y)
Apple 'Wild Granny' (Y)
Avocado 'Hass' (Y)
Avocado 'Pinkerton' (Y)
Blueberry 'Reveille' (W)
Blueberry 'Sunshine Blue' (W)
Lemon 'Meyer' (Y)
Lime 'Tahitian' (Y)
Lime 'West Indian' (Y)
Mandarin 'Imperial' (H)
Mulberry (W)
Orange 'Navel'(Y)
Orange 'Navel'(Y)
Orange 'Valencia' (W)
Pear 'Conference' (Y)
Pine Nut 'Stone Pine' (Y)
Raspberry 'Sandford' (Y)
Strawberry 'Temptation' (W)
Pear 'Conference' (Y)
Pine Nut 'Stone Pine' (Y)
Raspberry 'Sandford' (Y)
Strawberry 'Temptation' (W)
Herbs & Spices
Cinnamon Myrtle (W)
Chives (H)
Lemon Balm (W)
Mint (W)
Oregano (W)
Parsley 'Flat Leaf' (H)
Chives (H)
Lemon Balm (W)
Mint (W)
Oregano (W)
Parsley 'Flat Leaf' (H)
Rosemary (H)
Thyme (H)
Thyme (H)
