The 5 Easiest Foods to Grow at Home... and What I Make With Them! 

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He has a partner! Finally! I was getting worried he'd become a lonely old goose. So happy for Mr. D.! And for someone who cannot cook, the meals he managed to put together looked really tasty. And now he's got someone to share it with! Love is in the air. And in Mossy Bottom!

Two small points, Mossy:- Put HOT jam into HOT sterilised jars, then fit the lid - contraction when cooling will seal the lid on the jar and keep the bugs out...! Test for a 'set' with a teaspoon of jam on a chilled plate - if it wrinkles after about a minute, it's ready and will set as it cools in the jar....

IMHO nasturtiums are one of the most undervalued plant in the veg patch. The pesto is superb, with more 'bite' than other kinds. The leaves go well in a stir fry as well as a salad mix. The seed pods pickle to make a caper substitute. I have made a very acceptable hot sauce from the flowers as well as using them in salads too.

Mmmm! Delicious! I'd rather watch this kind of cooking than MasterChef any day of the week! Thanks 🙏

Wahey! First comment 😁 love the videos Daniel, I look foreword to every one! Your first videos inspired both myself and my partner to buy our first home in Ireland ( he's from Cork , I'm from London) and now we have a lovely farmhouse in Kerry on just under an acre that we're gradually restoring 😊

I can see it now, young man. The Mossy Bottom Recipe book. Each recipe starting with a quick 'what's the variety' name and how to grow it.

I make nasturtium pesto every year. I tend to use sunflower seeds and hard goats cheese to keep costs down. I freeze it in muffin tray so I it’s super easy to use in a meal. Great way to preserve the spicy leaves. We love it.

My 28 year old son (and I) enjoy your videos, and this one in particular for your instruction for making "chips". My son grew his first ever vegetable and herb garden this year. And today, when he walked into the kitchen with fresh out of the soil yellow potatoes I knew exactly what we would cook (immediately!) OMG!!! Those were the best fries (chips)! Thank you for sharing recipies with us. You are an inspiration for my son and he learns much from your videos 😀👍

I loved this video, but have to admit my shock when you mentioned garlic as an ingredient in your pesto! The food looks delicious. Thanks for sharing. Here's a cooking tip about spinach - instead of boiling, simply place it in a pot with the water that clings to the leaves after you've washed it. Turn on the heat, stir and viola, cooked spinach without the loss of nutrients that takes place when boiling in abundant amounts of water.

We also planted a boat-load of currants (black, white, red, goose, justaberries, rasberries, tayberries, logan berries, honeyberries, blueberries, japanese wineberries, chokeberries). Although the birds strip the blueberries and the similar honeyberries and the red currants. Black currents, gooseberries are less affected. As are white currants because the birds think they are not ripe yet :). I think the most interresting things to grow are what you cannot buy in the shop. For me that excludes potatoes and beets and parsnips. But then again, I am not trying to be selfsufficient. The most interresting root vegetable I grew in the past was Salsify. Looks like a parsnip but is entirely different and grows as easy as grass and you cannot buy it in the shop.

Hi Daniel, have you thought of a brick vault oven in one of your outbuildings? Could cook, veggies, bread and the list is endless for your home produce. Kind regards from Alberton, South Africa!!

I am thoroughly enjoying the diversification of this channel. Like all things Mossy Bottom it is growing naturally and organically. Looking forward to trying out Spaetzle - and seeing more 'farm to fork' content in the future 😊

Absolutely loved the cooking video and can't wait to try out the beetroot recipe 😋. Congratulations on your relationship it is so nice to have someone to share it with. When do we meet them?

I have been absolutely SWIMMING in currents this year. I have 3 red current bushes and 3 black current bushes. I have a 16 month old baby and I have TOTALLY NEGLECTED all six bushes for three years. No pruning. The grass growing right up through them. And I have more jam and berries than I know what to do with! I make fruit smoothies with the frozen berries, and frozen ice pops for the kids and their friends when they're over. Big hit. Also fruit leather, which anyone can google. Like fruit wind-ups made at home very easy. Definitely the easiest. However, I am offering some bushes to a friend who will hopefully take them and tentatively planning to plant some autumn gold raspberries instead for some more variety. What shocks me always is people buying punnets of currents in the supermarket in Ireland. I mean, what? I will GIVE you some berries free I have that many! And blackberries. Every roadside in Ireland come September will have these for absolute free so long as you do the picking and people BUY them?! Lovely stuff. Will be growing more next year now I have a baby and I'm at home again, so I am a little new here. Thank you for all the information!

Try mixing parsley and basil for your next pesto. Getting the best of both worlds.

i recently made garlic scape pesto. magnifico!

Daniel, you do just fine in the cooking department - and, I agree, there's nothing like eating a meal that you grew yourself! If you ever want to make your jam last longer, like a year, boil those jars and lid assemblies a good long time, take them out of the water, immediately put the boiling jam in them, and close them up right away. Listen carefully for the little "pop" sound from each one, label them, and tuck them away in a cupboard. In January or February, they're an amazing reminder of the summer day you picked them!

I grow perpetual spinach Plant once harvest year after year. Cook By steaming just for 2 minutes. Serve with a knob of butter . Mmm. Lovely

Always inspired by your videos, living the dream...I grew up on a farm and 40yrs later I still yearn to return to those days, way of life.

Spinach is a good addition to spatzle. Perhaps Daniel has eaten all of his tomatoes, but I would add some of those to my Spanish omelet.

A unique way to add naturally occurring pectin to jam that we use here with blackberries is to include about 10% green berries with the ripe. The green berries have more pectin and the product needs less boiling time and tastes more like fresh fruit. Also, in the US & Canada, if there's more fruit by weight than sugar, it's called fruit preserves; more sugar by weight than fruit, it's jam. Thanks for a bunch of great ideas!

You had me at "easy to make seasonal food with no fancy ingredients"!

First, congrats on having a partner! I'm very happy for you. 2nd, those all looked great - very delicious. I do believe that the closer to mealtime you can pick a food, the more flavor and nutrition. Funny, it's almost august here and today I planted seeds from a heritage tomato and from a red bell pepper. Here in the high desert of southern california, we have 2 growing seasons; early spring, then a break during the terribly hot months of late july and august, then we start again. Starting the seeds indoors during the heat gives me an extra few weeks of growth before we get freezing weather in late november or december. That double cook method looks terrific for taters! The prettier food is, the more we'll eat and yours is gorgeous.

Daniel - my absolute favourite video so far! What an absolute joy to hear your explanation of the easiest vegetables to grow, and to see you harvest and cook them. Oh and eat them! Lovely to hear about your partner and to see you cook in the cabin. Perhaps I missed a video on how you use power? I can see you have gas, do you have solar? I know you explained about water and the stream previously is there a video about power? Have a lovely day. Best video yet 😊👍🏻.

Your chips are the way our grandparents used to make French fries here in the states. There’s no comparison to the frozen ones now.

Ever contemplated making your pesto with a half & half mix of the basil and parsley? Could very well give you the best of both worlds! Wonder how it would pair with a nice bit of bread as well.

If you don't want to buy vegan cheez (as it can be pretty expensive), you can use a heaping tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast - it's super yummy, very healthy and gives it a nice cheesy flavour! Pesto can be done with any greens really, carrot top greens and walntus in one of my favourites to make. Also, if you add the pectin to your jam first and the sugar at the end , you'll find you'll need way less sugar. Sugar looses it's sweetness the longer it is boiled.

There's nothing like cooking your own food there's no comparison Nice video 👍

"Cheesy, nutty and herby..." Are you just talking about the pesto? XD I jest, kind of, but in all seriousness, I thoroughly enjoy your knowledge of plant growing and homesteading, your humor, and esp the use of lame puns. If a pun it's lame, is it even a pun? Absolutely fabulous vid. I really like that you share your little homestead with the world. I've learned quite a lot from your channel and much of it can be used here in Texas as well for when I get my own land,. I've been saving up for a long time so hopefully it will happen someday.

moving to Ireland in October from Scotland already bought the house with fitted polytunnel lol, plus apples and plum trees, so hopefully i can keep it all going, and i might lean few thing from your site with luck.

I really love your videos, especially the ones where you talk about what and how to grow in the garden. Additional recipes are only a bonus :) We have a simple household with a decent size of garden in the west of Ireland, county Galway where I've been learning to grow bits and pieces as a pass-time over the past few years. Your videos have been a great help on this journey and I've learned a good deal from you. Love your ever-so-positive energy and wish you all the best for many many more fun and informative videos to come!

Very enjoyable video, Daniel. Congratulations on having a partner to share life with at Mossy Bottom.🎉 Also, Moss is such a good boy for waiting patiently outside the kitchen door for an opportunity to taste the food!!

I wonder if one could make wine out of red currants... Hmmm... They are known as red wineberries in swedish so there might be something to it. Black currants are called yeah you get the point here

I love following your progress, lovely food, you look well for it too, though your partner might take some credit for that too. Use the plate trick, to flip your omelette over, leaving both sides equally cooked, saving any need for a grill. Keep it up mate, you're doing amazing. Moomins4life 👌

I wanted you for my son-in-law, but I'm delighted you have a companion now!

I'm growing Thai basil and it is absolutely wonderful. It has the aroma of anis and liquorish and taste amazing :)

FYI , Sunflower, Rapeseed and other vegetable oils go through TERRIBLE chemical cleaning & processing procedures- prior to the second world war Rapeseed oil was an engine oil!! Clear graph line upwards of obesity and these alleged ‘healthy’ oils since their introduction into our diet. I love your videos and I really appreciate ALL your content especially your ethical reasons for living this way. Your are a delightful inspiration.

Glad to see black currants on the list. Very easy to grow and fun to pick and make jam with.

Great video, Daniel, thank you so much for sharing! In the South of Germany, Spätzle are also found served pan-fried with grated cheese as well as pan-fried with onions and green beans. Incorporating the beets is a great idea I will try. I love currants dried in cookies, instead of raisins. The parsley-hazelnut combination for pesto sounds delicious.

From the garden, under the tap and into your gob in under an hour. Champion😄👍💕.

Where I live, in the SE interior of BC, Canada, my five easiest foods to grow are: potatoes, squash, beans, carrots, and all kinds of berries.

As I am from Austria, I know Spätzle quite well. We tend to make them with spinach and bath them after cooking in sauces with cheese and/or mushrooms or garlic ones....Since this year I have a swimmingpool of Beets, I will try the red Spätzle! Thank you for that. I already made a lot of Pesto with the Beets and since they have such a distinct flavour I'm experimenting, what suits them best i.e. wich nuts, wich additional herbs. I did find out, that Celeriac greens are a perfect fit for the pink Pesto. Since you don't cook Pesto, its a little bit of a hassle to keep well. Oil is not the safest conservative, I learned. Love your content! 🥰

Daniel! You finally made a video about cooking! Great wee video in your own unique lovely style. You bring such peace and lightness to my heart 😀

In Hungary we also have a traditional spaetzle, but we do it with potatoes, not beetroot. Its called sztrapacska. The masters of sztapacska do it withiut flour tho, because then it tastes much sweeter and potato-ish. We eat it with sour cream, curd and fried onions (those who eat meat also add some bacon) It's very easy and tasty!

As you might guess from my name I am Italian, and if I can give you a recommendation, I’d try to make risotto with pesto. You will quickly realize that it’s an amazing way to eat pesto. Add it at the very end so that the basil doesn’t cook. Also try making the exact same recipe with arugula in spring for a very different yet amazing flavor. Use hazelnuts or walnuts on that as well. Regarding parsley pesto, in northern italy we make some sort of that by mixing parsley, old bread let sit in vinegar, anchovies and boiled eggs. Mix chunky or creamy as you prefer. You will thank me for this. It is usually eaten like that on bread or as a side to any kind of boiled meat, for whenever you have that special meal. You need to accompany it with a nice red Italian wine like Dolcetto or Nebbiolo, if you can find a bottle If I may, I’d like a quick lesson on how to propagate currants. Do you do it in the fall or in the spring?

The format and style of these videos remind me of the documentaries by Carl Sagan. Just as informative and wholesome; no bitter taste left after watching.

well cooked! I see "Quality control" stands by (Mossy). I never pre-cook spinach as it wilts so quickly, only problem when doing that is the volume

Great video as usual, very interesting. Everything you grow looks so healthy! I noticed that you said you don't have an oven. Have you ever thought of building an outdoor clay/brick/pizza oven? With your skills you could do it with a bit of research, it would be interesting and should bring in some views, especially if it's a mini series. Don't know if that appeals to you, just an idea. All the best and keep up the great videos. Eric.

Patreon sub here! Looking forward to another podcast :) but definitely would appreciate more cooking vids! Loved this! Maybe one veg at a time so easier for you filming! Take care 👍 Tracy and Steven

We just love Mossy Bottom we just love gardening 👩‍🌾 and to hear your knowledge it’s so beautiful and interesting 🤨.We just love Ireland 🇮🇪 it’s our favourite place in the world 🌎.So we will be watching on later something for us to watch after a busy day.GodBless.🇮🇪🇮🇪🤨🤨🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇺🇦🇺🇦☮️

Great news that you have found a partner. I loved this video because there was more action and less reporting. You do have a very nice presentation style and have a lovely smile, but I do prefer that we see more of what's happening in your homestead. The meal you drummed up look delicious. Look forward to more of your action videos.

Cheeky spaetzle caution: "despair, or rejoice!" 😂

This was awesome I make clothes pin cookies with red current jam in the center actually a 150 year old recipe from my great grandmother from Galway she brought this from Ireland 🇮🇪 when she immigrated to America 🇺🇸 my favorite cookie I usually make every Christmas

27:03 replacement for pectin: soaked chia/flaxseeds, 1 part seeds to 4 parts water, they expand and become viscous. Also tried 1 tablespoon of ground stevia leaves only (sold like matcha tea) on 500g of blueberries and it became so sweet it hurts, now using max 2 teaspoons 😅

Thanks! Great cooking. Re the chips: buy an air fryer - you can make wonderful chips in it with just a small quantity of oil. Plus it is just a compact oven so you can make lots of other tasty things in it. Recipe for chips: put cut & rinsed & dried potatoes (chips or whatever form you like) in the basket, mix with a splash of oil - heat at 155 C for 7 mins (don't bother preheating) - toss carefully and repeat - repeat 3x tossing in between but now at 190 C - the last time might take a bit shorter or longer depending on the potato and the amount - toss with salt.

Take the Spatzle and fry them up in some brown butter, garlic, sage and salt and pepper until they get a little color on them. Grate some parmesan cheese and you are set

happy for you dear Daniel, God bless, such a relief to see how one's way is making the best for itself... feels happy you are no longer alone

Another brilliant video Daniel! I will definitely be trying some of your recipes. That was quite the mitt full of chives you cut into your omlette... encourages me to not be so sparing when I use it in some recipes. So delighted to see how established you've become on your small holding and a big congrats on your new relationship! Here's another idea...When I've made pesto I freeze some in an ice cube tray then pop them out into a container and back into the freezer for easy small portions.

It's so easy to watch your videos all the way till the end you have a good way of being thank you x

Congratulations on your relationship 😊 will we all get to meet your partner here on RU-vid?

Congrats on your partner! You surely deserve to share this peaceful life with another human being. You talk about Ribena and fresh currants like my late Irish husband. Very sweet.

Salutations Daniel, Moss (and all the lovely creatures) and Congrats on finding a partner, I wish you both every happiness. I've been cooking for 58 years now and try to be frugal, adaptive and resourceful and, if you don't mind, I have a few tips. 1) since you're not growing lemons (I'm in Mexico here we grow citrus). you can stretch the lemon flavor of things by removing the outermost zest of the citrus and using it along with the juice in any recipe. It has a very citrusy flavor and improves anything you put it in. (for long term storage mix it with an equal quantity of sugar. It's shelf stable but to stretch it out even longer, freeze or refridgerate) 2) Pectin. when I need more pectin in a dish I use a just ripe (or slightly underripe) fruit. Apple or Pear is (are?) great. 3) Hazelnut(or any nut) Cookies with jam (Linzertorte) Most recipes for this are a disaster with too much flour. Grind 2 cups nuts coarsley, mix in 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp Salt, sugar to taste @ 1/4 cup, 110g soft butter I egg yolk and half the white (the other half white is for the egg wash) spice (nutmeg cinnamon allspice ginger whatever you like) some citrus zest (shades of 1) } combine til the dough can be formed in balls. make an indentation and fill with jam and paint with eggwash. bake 180C 350F oven til golden @ 10-12 minutes.... Best wishes JIM Oaxaca

Wonderful! I love the way you cook - fresh and simple. And so beautiful. How can it not be delicious with those ingredients. What a terrific way to live, and now someone to share it all with. Lovely!

Says he's not much of a cook but with out using words his cooking says that he's a top notch chef!

Love the channel! Awesome that you have someone to share your permy oasis with. Motivation of like minded ppl is a continuous reward

You had me at "no fancy ingredients ". People force them into recipes without any sense and need. Love the vid! Spätzle schmecken immer super. 😉

I have just made some peach jam and I put a generous quantity of lin seeds as thicking agent, it works! Thank you again for your video, love and peace from Tuscany

Great video! 👍 Those pestos look delish 😋… I’d be tempted to try it with both basil & parsley together. The veggie beds are looking very abundant btw!

Hi, I came across your channel by chance. Just tried the Spanish omelette as I was curious, the only thing I added was a tiny bit of grated cheese just before it was done. It is just a delicious and very easy to prepare vegetarian meal!

That was a fantastic video Daniel, I could tell you put a lot of time into it, so thank you, very informative and inspirational. Glad you have someone special in your life now, she's a very lucky woman.

For the omelette - flip it over. For The jam - do the wrinkle test. Great food!

Just found your channel, this video is a godsend in my search for a small cottage to buy in the west of Ireland. Plan is to turn it in a small self sufficient home over the years and your advice on what to seek for in a property is brilliant. Can't wait to watch your other videos!

It is wonderful to see all you have made from your garden!

How wonderful to live in such a warm climate that you can just collect hazelnuts from the tree! Just like that

I hesitate to tell an Irishman and especially someone as skilled at self sufficiency as you, anything about potatoes 🙄, but when you were cutting them up, I noticed one was a bit green. Anyway, my mom, a very frugal person, stored her potatoes very dark and said the green ones that were exposed to light could contain a toxin. She never threw anything else away, ha ha, but if that happened, she would. It's called solanine and may or may not be present in high amounts, but I wouldn't like you to get sick. Love your channel and all the great info and your sense of humor. Thanks for inspiring me to grow more food. Makes me feel safer and happier. Thanks Huw!

That was quite fun...and yummy! Thank you for sharing! Happy day to you, your partner and Mossy 🙂

Love this. I miss growing food.

Your homestead has come along so far! Amazing to watch the journey.

Really enjoyed watching this! 😀

Many thanks - excellent video as always.

Loved this video. Well done! Great to see how you use all the produce you grow.

The food looked great! You should do more of these videos. 👍

That all looks delicious, I’m always looking for recipes to use up the beetroot , lovely

Always look forward to your informative videos, you have done wonders to the place

Great video, I really appreciate the simple meals too so this was very refreshing to watch.

Great video ! Thank you so much 😊

Absolutely delightful ... thank you so very much ... simply marvellous !!!

Great vlog!!

Great vid, will try the parsley pesto

thank you so much Daniel, yes they are delicious on just about everything! I like the red ones the most for their extra tartness. they are great made into a jam, like you said, and served on waffles or pancakes.

I'm going to watch the rest of this later as I want to see how you make pesto but I have eaten nasturtium leaves and flowers in salads!

Thank you for showing me how to make spaetzle.

This video is so sweet!!

Loved this, thank you. It's always so helpful to see ideas for using home grown foods. Hazel nuts for pesto sounds good and sensible xxx

wonderful Video Daniel, any chance we can see some more fishing in a video? that water was so lovely and it really is like a little mini peace vacation.

I never knew you could make a Spanish omelet that way--it looks wonderful! Can't wait to try it!

My favorite video..I just really enjoyed seeing the results of all your hard work.

Very happy about your news on a partner bright blessings to you both and to your animals

Oh, I wish you could share those wonderful dishes and currants. I will try that Spanish Omelette. Thank you.