Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Friday, June 01, 2012
Growing our own...
Little Man told me last year that he wanted to grow carrots and peas in our garden (I blame Mr Bloom...) We already have a respectable crop of raspberries and strawberries and I usually have a few pots of herbs on the go. I have also grown tomatoes and peppers in the conservatory (though not for a couple of years - I always forget to start them off in time! Or I forget to water them. . .) and the occasional courgette plant has found it's way into the flower bed. You may remember last year we had a go at runner beans, which were hugely successful but as neither of us really like them that much, ultimately a pointless exercise!
In an ideal world I would love to grow all our own veggies - I dream of nicely laid out plots ala River Cottage, with a green house and potting shed. We will grow spuds all year round, pick our salad fresh every day, make jams, cordials and chutneys with the glut of fruit at the end of summer and serve home grown sprouts with our festive turkey dinner. Hey let's take the dream a step further and collect eggs daily from our little troop of chickens. I may even call on the mother in law to teach me how to milk a goat! Then I can wear dungarees and you can all call me Barbara . . .
Unfortunately our little patch of England is not really good for much more than supporting the dandelion and slug population (I have moaned and whinged about the lack of size, light, decent soil etc. in the past so I won't do it again...) But I was determined that we would grow something other than weeds this year so I invested in a simple, slot together wooden raised bed and set it up in the only flat(ish) bit of garden that gets sunlight and isn't covered in gravel.
When last summer's growing season was over I filled it with some left over potting compost and compost from our compost bin, gave it a good dig over and left it over winter. Once the soil started to warm up we had a root through my packets of seeds (some of which I had bought and some my mum gave us) and decided what had the best chance of (a) growing and (b) being eaten in the event that it actually grew big enough to harvest . . .
Little Man said he wanted peas and carrots but we also found some beetroot and lettuce seeds.
Dividing the raised bed into quarters we planted a different vegetable in each quarter. Then Little Man watered them with his very own little watering can . . .
We added a giant blue windmill in the corner of the plot as a 'scarecrow' to discourage birds from digging around and hopefully the cat from viewing the freshly dug over plot as her very own personal toilet... (it's working so far! On both counts!!)
Now we just have to sit back and wait (and remember to water it when it's dry).
I am very much looking forward to being able to harvest carrots and eat them straight out of the ground, and peas straight from the pods. I have even remembered to start the tomatoes off this year and have three plants in a grow bag against the sunny wall so we may, at some point this summer, be able to boast a fully homegrown salad for tea!
It's a long way from my little dream of vegetable self-sufficiency but it's as much as we can do with what we've got and I know the Little Man will get so much more out of it than just fresh carrots on his plate.
Are you growing any of your own fruit and veg this summer? Have you in the past? Was it worth all the effort? And did the kids really help like they said they would or lose interest before the first seedling poked it's head through the soil? ;-)
In an ideal world I would love to grow all our own veggies - I dream of nicely laid out plots ala River Cottage, with a green house and potting shed. We will grow spuds all year round, pick our salad fresh every day, make jams, cordials and chutneys with the glut of fruit at the end of summer and serve home grown sprouts with our festive turkey dinner. Hey let's take the dream a step further and collect eggs daily from our little troop of chickens. I may even call on the mother in law to teach me how to milk a goat! Then I can wear dungarees and you can all call me Barbara . . .
Unfortunately our little patch of England is not really good for much more than supporting the dandelion and slug population (I have moaned and whinged about the lack of size, light, decent soil etc. in the past so I won't do it again...) But I was determined that we would grow something other than weeds this year so I invested in a simple, slot together wooden raised bed and set it up in the only flat(ish) bit of garden that gets sunlight and isn't covered in gravel.
When last summer's growing season was over I filled it with some left over potting compost and compost from our compost bin, gave it a good dig over and left it over winter. Once the soil started to warm up we had a root through my packets of seeds (some of which I had bought and some my mum gave us) and decided what had the best chance of (a) growing and (b) being eaten in the event that it actually grew big enough to harvest . . .
Little Man said he wanted peas and carrots but we also found some beetroot and lettuce seeds.
Dividing the raised bed into quarters we planted a different vegetable in each quarter. Then Little Man watered them with his very own little watering can . . .
We added a giant blue windmill in the corner of the plot as a 'scarecrow' to discourage birds from digging around and hopefully the cat from viewing the freshly dug over plot as her very own personal toilet... (it's working so far! On both counts!!)
Now we just have to sit back and wait (and remember to water it when it's dry).
I am very much looking forward to being able to harvest carrots and eat them straight out of the ground, and peas straight from the pods. I have even remembered to start the tomatoes off this year and have three plants in a grow bag against the sunny wall so we may, at some point this summer, be able to boast a fully homegrown salad for tea!
It's a long way from my little dream of vegetable self-sufficiency but it's as much as we can do with what we've got and I know the Little Man will get so much more out of it than just fresh carrots on his plate.
Are you growing any of your own fruit and veg this summer? Have you in the past? Was it worth all the effort? And did the kids really help like they said they would or lose interest before the first seedling poked it's head through the soil? ;-)
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Bountiful Garden
I believe I have blogged before about how much I love Spring. Did I mention I am also a bit of an Autumn fan? I would say that it's because, after a long, hot summer the blessed relief of cooler days is so welcome but we all know that that's a load of rubbish - in fact since we hit 'official' autumn time about a week ago the weather has improved to the point that my garden has been tricked into thinking its spring again and put on an almost triffid-like growth spurt!
Actually it's because all the hard work put into the garden through the spring and summer finally pays off with (if we are lucky) an abundance of goodies to see us through the damp, cold dreary winter bit...
This year we have been pretty lucky - the slugs and snails left most of my plants alone (apart from the low growing strawberries. Next year ALL my hanging baskets will be full of strawberries...) The raspberry canes I picked up for 99p from Woolies closing down sale a couple of years back have really flourished! I have a big bag full of them in the freezer to add to smoothies and puddings through the winter.
And as for the magic beans I planted way back in May with the Little Man...
We were a bit late with the courgette plant this year. This is not a bad thing as last year I confess I got a little bit sick of eating the darn things. They get grated for salads, added to Mediterranean Roast veggie dishes and I made another batch of these GORGEOUS muffins (yes, muffins, with courgettes. Go on, try them!)
And it's not just our teeny patch that has provided this year.
My parents had the benefit of a new (secondhand) green house and produced an abundance of tomatoes and some cucumber too (have you ever had homegrown cucumber? They ACTUALLY taste of cucumber and not water...)
They also have a pear tree. Last year it produced a grand total of one lowly pear. To be honest we thought it was past it and that was as good as it would get but this year it was absolutely heaving!
Look at them!!! I love pears - just ripe as they are; chopped up in yoghurt; lightly poached with melted dark chocolate dribbled over them....mmmm... ahem... where were we?
The in-laws have apples, plums, damsons, hazels and blackberries galore which we are always welcome - actively encouraged - to help ourselves to. Well it would be rude not to...
Yup - Little Man loves blackberries! That night we had Blackberry and Apple crumble and with what was left I had my first ever attempt at making jam!
I did make one surprising discovery - maybe its just because they have had some of the jungle trimmed back or maybe I just had my eyes closed before when exploring this part of their garden but hanging out above the blackberry tangle, growing over the shell of an old shed is a grape vine. Absolutely smothered in big bunches of ripening grapes!!
I cannot believe I have never spotted these before...
Now I have a garage full of wine making equipment I inherited from my dad (ie; he was going to throw it away coz it was cluttering up his garage and I jumped up and down so now it is cluttering up mine...)
I wonder...
Actually it's because all the hard work put into the garden through the spring and summer finally pays off with (if we are lucky) an abundance of goodies to see us through the damp, cold dreary winter bit...
This year we have been pretty lucky - the slugs and snails left most of my plants alone (apart from the low growing strawberries. Next year ALL my hanging baskets will be full of strawberries...) The raspberry canes I picked up for 99p from Woolies closing down sale a couple of years back have really flourished! I have a big bag full of them in the freezer to add to smoothies and puddings through the winter.
And as for the magic beans I planted way back in May with the Little Man...
Well they just grew...
...and grew....
...as magic beans do!
Now I just need some
runner bean recipes....
We were a bit late with the courgette plant this year. This is not a bad thing as last year I confess I got a little bit sick of eating the darn things. They get grated for salads, added to Mediterranean Roast veggie dishes and I made another batch of these GORGEOUS muffins (yes, muffins, with courgettes. Go on, try them!)
And it's not just our teeny patch that has provided this year.
My parents had the benefit of a new (secondhand) green house and produced an abundance of tomatoes and some cucumber too (have you ever had homegrown cucumber? They ACTUALLY taste of cucumber and not water...)
They also have a pear tree. Last year it produced a grand total of one lowly pear. To be honest we thought it was past it and that was as good as it would get but this year it was absolutely heaving!
Look at them!!! I love pears - just ripe as they are; chopped up in yoghurt; lightly poached with melted dark chocolate dribbled over them....mmmm... ahem... where were we?
The in-laws have apples, plums, damsons, hazels and blackberries galore which we are always welcome - actively encouraged - to help ourselves to. Well it would be rude not to...
Yup - Little Man loves blackberries! That night we had Blackberry and Apple crumble and with what was left I had my first ever attempt at making jam!
I did make one surprising discovery - maybe its just because they have had some of the jungle trimmed back or maybe I just had my eyes closed before when exploring this part of their garden but hanging out above the blackberry tangle, growing over the shell of an old shed is a grape vine. Absolutely smothered in big bunches of ripening grapes!!
I cannot believe I have never spotted these before...
Now I have a garage full of wine making equipment I inherited from my dad (ie; he was going to throw it away coz it was cluttering up his garage and I jumped up and down so now it is cluttering up mine...)
I wonder...
Monday, September 26, 2011
Jammin'
The other day I made jam. For the very first time.
For some reason it's something I have avoided in the past, partly because of the bewildering array of 'special' utensils listed in my recipe books - jam thermometer, jam funnel, special pans, waxed circles, preserving jars etc etc. Perusing the Lakeland website (my kitchen utensil supplier of choice ) confirmed my suspicions that these things cost money. More than I can afford to shell out for what, at best would be a once or twice yearly activity. I really might just as well go out to the supermarket and just buy a jar or two of jam (good stuff, obviously. The ones with 'extra' on the label somewhere...) So I avoided making jam.
This year, however, I thought 'Sod it! Surely I don't really need all that stuff? I mean how difficult can it be? Really?'
And you know what? It really isn't as mystical as hardcore jammers would have us believe.
There are loads of recipes on the internet but basically you need the same weight of sugar and fruit.
I had 600gms of blackberries and apples (peeled and chopped up small) from my mother-in-law's garden, so used 600gms of sugar. I added a large dash (more of a slosh really...) of lemon juice coz it seemed to be mentioned in at least three of the recipes I looked at. And a slosh of water. I have no idea how much... (sorry thats not very helpful I know, but that's the kind of cook I am )
Bring to the boil gently on the lowest heat you can - this can take quite a while so put some music on and make sure kiddiewinks are occupied. You do have to keep an eye on it and stir it so it doesnt burn/stick! In the meantime put a saucer in the freezer (one of those 'mystical' jam things - will become clear in a bit!) and place your washed jam jars upside down in a warm oven for half an hour to sterilize them (140C/275F/Gas1) If you are making this sort of quantity you will only need one or two - recycle old jam jars rather than buying special 'preserving jars'.
Once the fruit and sugar mix has come to the boil keep it there, stirring pretty much constantly for a good 10 mins or so. To test whether 'setting point' has been reached drop a small amount of the HOT jam on the ice cold saucer you have just fished out of the freezer. If its ready it should set fairly quickly as it cools. If not keep it boiling and try again in 10 mins. When ready, remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15mins then ladle into sterilsed jars.
Et Voila!
No complicated ingredients or utensils need! (Sorry Lakeland, but rest assured I will spend my money on other lovely things...)
This is quite a small amount of jam and should keep fine in the fridge - I have no idea how long it will last - but if your house is anything like mine it will be eaten up long before it has chance to go off!
For some reason it's something I have avoided in the past, partly because of the bewildering array of 'special' utensils listed in my recipe books - jam thermometer, jam funnel, special pans, waxed circles, preserving jars etc etc. Perusing the Lakeland website (my kitchen utensil supplier of choice ) confirmed my suspicions that these things cost money. More than I can afford to shell out for what, at best would be a once or twice yearly activity. I really might just as well go out to the supermarket and just buy a jar or two of jam (good stuff, obviously. The ones with 'extra' on the label somewhere...) So I avoided making jam.
This year, however, I thought 'Sod it! Surely I don't really need all that stuff? I mean how difficult can it be? Really?'
And you know what? It really isn't as mystical as hardcore jammers would have us believe.
There are loads of recipes on the internet but basically you need the same weight of sugar and fruit.I had 600gms of blackberries and apples (peeled and chopped up small) from my mother-in-law's garden, so used 600gms of sugar. I added a large dash (more of a slosh really...) of lemon juice coz it seemed to be mentioned in at least three of the recipes I looked at. And a slosh of water. I have no idea how much... (sorry thats not very helpful I know, but that's the kind of cook I am )
Bring to the boil gently on the lowest heat you can - this can take quite a while so put some music on and make sure kiddiewinks are occupied. You do have to keep an eye on it and stir it so it doesnt burn/stick! In the meantime put a saucer in the freezer (one of those 'mystical' jam things - will become clear in a bit!) and place your washed jam jars upside down in a warm oven for half an hour to sterilize them (140C/275F/Gas1) If you are making this sort of quantity you will only need one or two - recycle old jam jars rather than buying special 'preserving jars'.
Once the fruit and sugar mix has come to the boil keep it there, stirring pretty much constantly for a good 10 mins or so. To test whether 'setting point' has been reached drop a small amount of the HOT jam on the ice cold saucer you have just fished out of the freezer. If its ready it should set fairly quickly as it cools. If not keep it boiling and try again in 10 mins. When ready, remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15mins then ladle into sterilsed jars.
Et Voila!
 |
| I know it's chunky but that's the way (uh huh uh huh) I like it (uh huh uh huh) |
No complicated ingredients or utensils need! (Sorry Lakeland, but rest assured I will spend my money on other lovely things...)
This is quite a small amount of jam and should keep fine in the fridge - I have no idea how long it will last - but if your house is anything like mine it will be eaten up long before it has chance to go off!
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