Horticulturist Byron Smith grew up on acreage on the South Coast of NSW and he is garden teacher at Bondi Public School. He also installs and maintains gardens for private clients like Qantas, Oz Harvest and Three Blue Ducks. With partner Tess Robinson, founder of a cult branding agency, they are authors of Slow Down and Grow Something (Murdoch Books, $39.99) and have brought the farm life to the city.

Known as the “Urban Growers”, as proclaimed on their overalls, they have planted courtyards, backyards, roof tops, balconies, verges and green walls. Here, their focus is on 40 home grown edible plants which follow the seasons. Tess is the chief cook of produce from Byron’s food garden and in summer their top crops are lemon verbena, chilli, bean, eggplant, tomato, zucchini, cucumber and herbs basil, mint and parsley. Think gin and cucumber popsicles, smoky baba ganoush and basil and strawberry kombucha.

We share Tess’s recipe for savoury zucchini bread with honey from their own bees and eggs from their chooks.

In Milkwood (Murdoch Books. $45.00) permaculture communicators Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar left the city ten years ago and now live near Daylesford on a 2-acre farm with a homestead founded by David Holmgren, a co-originator of permaculture. They milk goats, build biochar stoves, tend fruit trees, grow veg, pickle, repair and share and teach people new skills. Their fans include Costa Georgiadis, Indira Naidoo and Paul West and Jill Dupleix suggested they write a book.

The five chapters feature every aspect of tomatoes, beekeeping, mushrooms, seaweed and wild food, all themes familiar to readers of this column. The authors explore each topic in the gully, by the sea (Kirsten grew up at Kiama) and on the farm (Nick came from land near Willandra National Park).

They harvest apples, plums, blackberries, elder and mulberries from a tree by an abandoned farmstead but wisely say, ask for permission to pick and, regarding identification, ‘if in doubt, go without’.

Being raised on Bondi myself and now a South Coast surf goer, the seaweed chapter is a favourite. To gather kelp, choose a clean location below the high tide mark, check regulations, take a bag and forage lightly. Then you can make the kelp and bean stew, a variation on the family’s standard dish, which can be taken to beach or mountains in a thermos or enjoyed in the backyard.

To win a copy of “Slow Down and Grow Something” or “Milkwood” email your name and address to bodenparsons@bigpond.com and tell me your top foraged or homegrown plant for summer and why.

MILKWOOD SLOW-COOKED KELP, BEAN, LAMB AND WILD GREENS STEW

2 onions, sliced

olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1kg lamb (diced or stewing chops) (or tempeh)

190g dried kidney beans, soaked in water for 24 hours

400g chopped tomatoes

6 good bits (50g) dried or fresh kelp, chopped small

100g roughly chopped wild greens (or English spinach)

salt and pepper to taste

Fry onions with big lug of olive oil in heavy based pot for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic, cumin seeds and lamb. Stir until lamb is a bit browned. Add drained kidney beans, tomatoes, kelp and enough water to cover well. Bring to a gentle boil, stir, turn heat down to low, put lid on.

Slow-cook for a few hours in oven 150C, check every hour or so how beans are going - when soft but not too mushy (about two hours) turn off heat. Stir in wild greens, season to taste and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and seaweed butter.

URBAN GROWER’S LEMON, ZUCCHINI AND ROSEMARY BREAD

4 cups spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped

half tsp salt

4 eggs

4 cups grated zucchini (or apple)

three-quarters cup melted coconut oil

half cup melted butter

1.5 tbsp grated lemon zest

1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease two 21x11x7cm loaf tins with coconut oil. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, walnuts , rosemary and salt. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, stir in zucchini, coconut oil, butter, lemon zest and honey. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, stirring. Divide dough into two tins. Bake for 40 mins or until loaves are golden brown (when you gently press down on top and it bounces back). Transfer loaves to a wire rack and allow to cool in tin for a few minutes, then place on rack to cool completely. Serve slices with butter and ricotta or toast under grill with cheese. Freeze one loaf or give it to a neighbour.