Brigid DiMattina’s food garden in Māngere Bridge, Auckland, is a bit wild and not at all like Peter Rabbit’s. The ex-hospo professional gets rich results from volcanic soils, pony poop and robust heritage plants. 

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@iatemygarden came about as a lazy cross between intrigue and simplicity, or perhaps the other way around. Simplicity because I prefer to grow plants that like to live with me and that we enjoy eating. Intrigue brought me to the discovery of heirloom varieties and some plant hoarding ensued. I’ve spent many days in the kitchen preserving abundant crops to fill my pantry, but I’ve found I prefer simple, fresh food, and only the occasional jar of sauce or chutney. I tend to give away excess crops now. My organic garden is slowly coming around to providing a little, often. Herbs are brilliant for a little often. Meanwhile, the search continues for vegetable plants, fruit and nut trees that provide when others don’t. 

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One of the benefits of this approach is having asparagus long before it’s in store. It’s the easiest thing to grow, has no pests and a 20-year life – just cut it back, give it some food and it will return next year. Home-grown asparagus is never uniform and not necessarily straight, which makes me wonder how that’s achieved in the store-bought stems.

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This recipe is vegan but I highly recommend serving it with a few dollops of labneh (strained yoghurt) or chèvre.

Harissa Crumb

30g rose harissa

50ml olive oil, plus extra for pan frying 

200g sourdough (any bread is good and the size of the crumb is a personal preference – I like hand-torn crouton size)

Asparagus‍

500g asparagus (2 bundles)

olive oil

1 lemon, halved for squeezing

pinch sea salt

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What to do

1. Mix together the harissa and olive oil, then coat the bread evenly. Toss croutons in a hot pan with a little extra olive oil until brown and crispy-crunchy. Keep tossing or stirring so they cook evenly and don’t burn. Set aside to cool.

2. Remove and discard woody stems from asparagus. Place asparagus in a single layer on a baking tray and brush with olive oil. Grill to your preference. I like mine to retain a little ‘bite’. Remove pan from heat and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with a little sea salt.  

3. To serve, place a layer of the crouton/crumb on a plate to soak up the juices, then a layer of warm asparagus, including all the lemon and olive oil juices. Top with the remaining crumb and a little lemon zest.