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A growing obsession

My sister gets green fingers too.

Green fingers appear to be contagious: my sister too has started container gardening. My mum has grown her some lettuce, strawberries, chillies, herbs and spinach. In other news, yet another downpour has hit Norwich and I am starting to become seriously concerned for my bean seedlings. I still have some seeds so I might plant them in a small container of soil inside and then transplant them when they are large enough to withstand the Norwich monsoons. 

@AgonyPlant has solved the mystery of the spinach pest. Apparently I have leaf miner. I can see the little blighters burrowing around in the leaves. I have picked out the affected leaves and some of the worst affected plants to see if that helps. The spinach did need thinning anyway so I guess every cloud has a silver lining, and in Norwich at the moment there are a fair few clouds. Hoping for sun, Ele 

Rainy Norwich

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Settling in

The progress of my latest seedlings.

After a few days at home for a family party, I returned to see how my new additions were doing.  M has been keeping an eye on them but the Norwich weather has done all of the watering for me. My radishes have germinated beautifully; I think I will probably have to thin them out. There is, however, little sign of the French beans at the moment. According to google they should be up in 7 to 10 days so I haven’t entirely abandoned hope for them. Can’t help feeling they might be a bit wet too wet though thanks to Norfolk downpours. 

The oriental veg looks like it’s settling in wonderfully and looks much sturdier for the few days it’s had to settle in.  The spinach seems to be proving delicious to creatures other than me however. I am hoping @AgonyPlant will be able to shed some light on the problem.

While I was home I discovered mum has started growing some strawberries in a pot which I am very jealous of. Definitely a project for next year even if they only produce enough strawberries for me to snack on while I garden. Don’t forget, I’m on twitter (@GreenSideUpEle) and would love to hear from you. Happy Gardening, Ele

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Blackcurrant and Raspberry Jam

September 2013

I don’t know why I don’t see this combination more often since it really is delicious.  In my experience, a pound of fruit makes roughly 2 jars of jelly at the end of the process.

Ingredients

1 pound of Blackcurrants
1 pound of Raspberries
2 pounds of white sugar

You will also need clean jars

Method

  1. Pick over and wash the blackcurrants and raspberries making sure they are clean and bug free then place them in a large heavy based pan. A jam pan is ideal but if not just a nice big saucepan will do.
  2. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan and simmer the berries gently until they are tender and beginning to burst.
  3. Add the sugar stirring continuously until all the sugar is dissolved.
  4. Place your clean jars and their lids into a 100 degree oven to sterilise.
  5. While your jam is cooking it may produce a foamy scum which will rise to the top. Skim this off with a large metal spoon.
  6. Simmer until setting point is reached. My preferred method of determining this is to drop a small amount of jam on a plate and push it with a fingernail. If it has reached setting point the surface will wrinkle.
  7. When setting point is reached, use a ladle your jam into your clean hot jars. Place the lids on and screw them on tightly using a tea towel to avoid burning your fingers.
  8. Leave your jam to cool at room temperature; if you’re using jars with “safety buttons” you should notice that when the jelly is cool the buttons will have been pulled down by the vacuum you have formed by putting the lids on the hot jars. Your jam should last at least 6 months but will probably last much longer.  

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Creamy Courgette and Bacon Carbonara.

September 2013

I wasn’t a fan of carbonara until I tried this recipe; the courgette and rosemary really freshens the dish up. Serves 2.

Ingredients

200g spaghetti
4 rashers of bacon
2 medium courgettes
a good pinch of black pepper
a sprig of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
100g crème fraîche
1 good handful of parmesan or other hard cheese

Method

  1. Place a large pan of water on to boil for your pasta.

  2. Chop the bacon and fry it in a large frying pan until beginning to crisp and colour.
  3. While the bacon is frying, dice the courgettes into 1.5cm cubes discarding the middle of the courgettes if they are beginning to become fluffy and full of seeds.
  4. Add the courgettes to the bacon and continue to fry on a medium heat. When the courgettes are beginning to soften (after about 4 minutes) add the pasta to the water which should now be boiling.
  5. Finely chop the rosemary, discarding the woody stalks and add it to the courgettes and bacon along with the garlic and black pepper.
  6. Mix the egg yolk with the crème fraîche and 3 quarters of the cheese.
  7. When the pasta is tender, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the pasta immediately to the courgette and bacon and remove the pan from the heat.
  8. Mix in the egg and cheese mixture, adding a little of the pasta’s cooking water until you have a smooth and shiny sauce that coats the pasta. Serve immediately sprinkled with the remainder of the cheese. 

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September Stew with Parsley Dumplings

With the winds getting colder and the nights drawing in, it’s good to have something seasonal and comforting to eat in the evening.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

For the stew

500g stewing steak, cubed
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 large onion
3 medium carrots
1 medium courgette
1 large potato
1 heaped tablespoon of plain flour
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of yeast extract  (marmite)
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce

For the dumplings

100g self-raising flour
50g suet
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
pinch of salt
pepper
5 tablespoons of water

Method

  1. Fry the stewing steak off with the oil in a pan large enough to hold all the meat in a single layer. This stage is the most important because here we are caramelising the sugars in the meat and building up flavour.
  2. While the mead it browning, chop your onion.
  3. When the meat is well browned and any liquid it has released has evaporated add the onion and continue to fry on a medium heat.
  4. Chop the rest of your vegetables and add them to the pan when the onion is starting to become tender.
  5. Sprinkle the flour on top of the meat and vegetables and stir it through. At this point brown crusty deliciousness will be beginning to form on the base of your pan. Add enough boiling water to just cover your meat and veg and use a wooden spoon to scrape the delicious residue from the bottom of your pan.
  6. Add the bay leaves, yeast extract and Worcester sauce and cook for about an hour and a half. Your stew is ready when the meat is tender and soft.
  7. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Add the dry ingredients and parsley to a bowl and mix in the water to a soft dough.  Set aside until required.
  8. When your stew is 15 minutes from serving, roll your dumpling mix into balls roughly 2cm in diameter and drop them onto the surface of the stew leaving room between them for expansion. Put a lid on your pan and cook for 15 minutes.
  9. Serve either on its own or with a big chunk of bread. This is not a dainty dish but it tastes like a hug in a bowl!

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Rosemary Potato Wedges

August 2013

Such an easy recipe and so much better than frozen oven chips. Serve as a side or with chorizo and crisp leaves for a hearty healthy salad.  Serves 4.

Ingredients

4 baking potatoes
2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Slice the potatoes into wedges and place in a bowl.
  2. Add the oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and toss to ensure each wedge is evenly coated.
  3. Lay on a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 190 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown and soft inside turning half way through the cooking time. 

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Halloumi and roasted pepper bruschetta with tomato dressing

August 2013

A light supper or lunch ideal with a crisp salad and a nice glass of wine. Serves 2

Ingredients

3 peppers in a variety of colours
A sprig of rosemary, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper
150g halloumi cheese, sliced thickly
2 slices of good quality bread

For the tomato dressing

two large tomatoes, finely diced.
a small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Fresh leaves to garnish (I used radish tops but rocket or lettuce would be great too)

Method

  1. Cut the peppers into eighths and place on a baking tray, sprinkle over the rosemary and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and bake in a 180 degree oven for 1 hour.
  2. Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the tomato dressing and set aside.
  3. When the peppers are tender, turn off the oven and leave them there to stay warm.
  4. In a griddle pan, fry the halloumi until golden brown and toast the bread.
  5. To assemble, place the toasted bread in the centre of the plate and lay over your soft peppers. Place the halloumi on top and garnish with your leaves. Drizzle over the tomato dressing and enjoy.  

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Organicplants Virtual Village Show 2013

Photos of successful harvest 2013

Organicplants Village Show 2013

We are running our ‘Virtual Village Show’ again. All you need to do is take pictures of your produce and garden throughout the ‘Summer’ and send us your best pictures in the categories below. Harvest festival is traditionally held on the Sunday near or of the Harvest Moon. As this is a bit early for some of the classes (e.g. largest pumpkin) we will judge the competition on 31 October. You can see last year’s winners on Facebook. The rules are that at least one of the plants in each picture must be grown from Delfland plants or seed.

  • Vegetable plot or allotment
  • Greenhouse or polytunnel plants
  • Vegetables or herbs growing in containers
  • Group of picked vegetables
  • Largest pumpkin
  • Single variety of any plant
  • Funniest-shaped vegetable

There will be a £10 Gift voucher for the winner of each class.

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The Best Dark Chocolate Brownies

August 2013

Ingredients

100g butter
175g dark brown sugar
125g dark chocolate
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
150g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Method

  1. Line and grease an 8 inch cake tin and preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius.
  2. Gently melt the chocolate, butter, dark chocolate and syrup in a pan stirring continuously until all the ingredients are melted and combined. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
  3. Beat the eggs and add the vanilla essence. Whisk in the cooled chocolate and butter mixture.
  4. Sieve in the dry ingredients and fold them in gently with a large metal spoon.
  5. Pour the batter into your tin and bake for around 60 minutes. Remember, an overcooked brownie is a disappointing brownie so make sure to remove it from the oven when it is still slightly liquid in the centre (it will solidify slightly as it cools). Cut into squares when cool and attempt not to eat the whole lot in one sitting.