Growing South Asian Vegetables in the UK

This session will introduce you to growing some of the wonderful ingredients used in South Asian cooking that can be easily grown at home in back gardens or containers.

We will learn about vegetables that you may have seen but wondered how to cook with them. Nutritionists recommend including a wide variety of plant-based ingredients in our diets as it contributes to better overall health. So, this is a chance to discover and experiment with vegetables and herbs that may be less familiar but packed with nutrients.

Learn how to cultivate crops such as bottle gourd (dudhi), ridged gourd (turiya, luffa), bitter gourd (karela), daikon (mooli), fenugreek (methi) chickpea (chana), amaranth, coriander (dhania), okra (bhindi), mung beans, and more.

With warmer UK summers, it is easier than ever to cultivate these tropical crops. We will cover seed selection, cultivation basics, and harvesting tips, plus share delicious recipes with some samples to try. All with the aim of inspiring you to grow fresher, tastier, more nutrient-dense produce.

Your trainers: Hina Joshi, Rishi Shah, Niru Patel

All three trainers are experienced growers with a passion for permaculture. Rishi is a gardener at Capel Manor College in Enfield, and Niru trained at Capel Manor College as a professional gardener.

The Venue: St. Raphael's Edible Garden, a welcoming natural sanctuary amongst an urban environment with a wealth of seasonal, organic, edible produce being grown all year-round.