Explore the beauty and wisdom of nature, the changing parade of the seasons and the tides of change that have elevated the old to the new

About Roots Recipes Reasons
Roots, Recipes, Reasons shares the pleasures of our table, the recovery of endangered flavours and creation of new ones and our agrarian adventures as we attempt to tread a little more lightly on the planet today than we did yesterday.
It reflects the love, memories and connection with friends & family, the terrior of the land and sense of place through the foods we grow.
It traces the ongoing conversation between generations of plants and families and our shared food heritage and culinary diversity.
It’s a celebration of the beauty and wisdom of nature, its web of life, the changing parade of the seasons and the abundant harvest that abounds from nurtured soil.
Roots Recipes Reasons explores the culinary landscape of a gardener, cook, forager, artisan and writer in the quest to find beauty, balance and meaning in our noisy, disconnected and contradictory world.
Explore Roots to discover what comes from the land, Recipes to transform nature’s abundance and Reasons to unearth our culinary linage.
Roots
Our soil is our culture and future. It defines who we are. The terroir of the land, showering us with distinctive local characteristics, shapes the plants, products, and cultural life of a region.
Each plant, each garden and its web of life carries its own personality and shares it bounty unreservedly. This collection ranges far and wide. Sometimes tracing a plant's ancestry and trading routes as it morphs into an important food source. Other times, it highlights the tides of change that elevate the old to the new or uncovers a plants culinary myths, mysteries, and other miscellany.
At its root, the purpose is to ignite an appreciation of the natural world.

- Kitchen Garden
Keeping up with the Beet
Following our English culinary ancestry, beetroot remained relatively neglected until it took a turn in the 1960’s. Tinned food and electric can ...

- Roots
Rhubarb Renaissance: A Curious plant
Originally, rhubarb (Rheum palmatumn) was valued for its medicinal prowess. Native to the wintry steppes of Central Asia, Himalayas ...

- Roots
A Hand Spinners Delight
It was a hot spring day in 2012 when the four of us set off in the big silver Ute-the F250-to buy two coloured cross breed wethers from ...
Recipes
Welcome to my world of preserving. This collection contains recipes to suit every taste, from the sweet and luscious, hot and fragrant through to wonderful tongue tickling salty and tangy flavours.
With recipes for beginners as well as those ready to step up to the next level, it contains classics as well as artisanal preserves.
Adding vibrancy, diversity and sustenance, life is better with a preserve on the table. Delve into the art of preserving and if you have any questions or need more information, I would love to hear from you.
- Jams, Jellies & Marmalades
Apricot Jam
Apricots, queen of the stone fruits with its intense, tangy and contrasting sweet luscious flavour, makes a truly magnificent jam....
- Pickles Chutney's & Sauces
Bread & Butter Pickles
Bread and butter pickles, affectionally called B&B’s in our household, are an indispensable pantry staple. This simple recipe is a...
- Pickles Chutney's & Sauces
Cornichons by the Cold Method
For this classic French pickle, known as Cornichons au Vinaigre (à Cru), harvest very small pickling cucumbers and process them...
Reasons
Food is a common thread that binds us all. It sits at the heart of our cultures and shapes family life, relationships, traditions, and rituals.
It’s meaning, our foodscapes, provenance and farming system and the conversations that flow from its daily consumption from the ordinary through to the remarkable is celebrated in this collection of articles, interview’s, and stories.
The science of the kitchen provides a practical knowledge for those who want to know how food is transformed.

- Creative Food Fiction
What's For Dinner 2040
It’s another scorching summer day on the Fleurieu Peninsula, yet I’m surrounded by a botanical oasis here at Jed Manningham’s ...

- Creative Food Fiction
Strong & Sweet for Me
ANZAC’s in the Trenches: Jacks homeward bound letter, 30th April 1915. Written from somewhere on the front line of the Dardanelles ...

- Interviews
Welcome to My World of Food
The shortest route from paddock to plate is when you grow food in your own garden. This podcast shares my top tips for creating ...