Grow, Cook, Eat

Far from humble, the potato is a great source of nutrition, and surely the most versatile vegetable in terms of how it can be cooked. Presenter Karen O'Donohoe joins the crew of a Thornton's Recycling bin lorry as it collects brown bins from an estate in Dublin and finds out exactly what happens to the vegetable peelings and grass cuttings we throw into the bins.

Unfortunately, most of the imported supermarket tomatoes we buy taste of absolutely nothing at all. It is not until you grow your own that you realise this! The homegrown tomato is a delectable treat, and while a little TLC is required to grow them, it's worth the effort.

Learn to grow your own peas.

In this first episode Michael and Karen focus on a household staple - the onion. Easy to grow and very low maintenance, both red and white varieties are sown in the raised bed with Karen holding back some of the sets for container growing.

In this second episode, Michael and Karen take a fresh look at the pumpkin and why it's a fantastic vegetable to grow, cook and eat during the year, rather than just buy, carve and dump at Halloween.

Garlic is relatively easy to grow and stores extremely well. It's also incredibly good for you. The garlic requirements of an average family can be easily satisfied by even the smallest vegetable patch, or container. Take any bulb of garlic, break out the cloves and stick them in to the ground spaced about 4 inches apart, and each clove will eventually turn in to a bulb of garlic.