Achocha: an easy alternative to growing sweet green peppers
I tried growing peppers yet again this year in the greenhouse. Some were attacked by a mystery pest that ate into the fruit just at stem level. The fruit gradually rotted. But one plant was not attacked and we ended the season with sweet peppers – just four but these are the first peppers that I’ve ever managed to grow. I also planted achocha this year. I hadn’t heard of these until I spotted them on The Real Seed website. Who could resist the name “Fat Baby” and the photo of just a hand poking out from the undergrowth of achocha....
read moreEasy strawberry jam recipe
“Wow. This jam is amazing. It’s so fruity and not too sweet.” Jean examined the jar of strawberry jam. “Would it be OK if I helped myself to a bit more?” We were sitting at the kitchen table indulging in a jam tasting session. I’d discovered that Jean eats toast and jam for breakfast. So we thought that she might like some homemade jam as a present. Precious stuff, just for family and best friends. Once you’ve tasted homemade jam there’s no going back to the shop stuff. Unless you are a genuine hair shirter. So when Jean...
read moreCutting your carbon footprint saves money too. 10:10 are you on board?
Richard Curtis’ short film made for the 10:10 campaign might have caused a huge backlash but it has directed a lot of attention to the movement – which can only be a good thing. 10:10 is a movement that encourages people to cut 10% of their carbon footprint in 2010. I must admit I was initially attracted to the idea of 10:10 as I hoped that it would save us money. I reckoned that we had already done most of the first step initiatives – such as bricks in the loo cistern, low energy light bulbs, extra lagging in the loft, economy washes...
read moreChicken and green tomato risotto recipe
For years I thought that risottos were hard to make. I’d order them in restaurants and drool over the creamy rice with bite. I reckoned to cook the rice like that would take real skill. Oh how wrong I was. Risottos are easy. It would take ‘real skill’ to ruin the rice. Risottos are the ultimate comfort fast food. We eat a lot of risotto throughout the year. They are a delicious way of padding out very little meat. Even Danny, the King of Carnivores adores them. Completely vegetarian risottos are delicious and I don’t think that it...
read moreWe have got a Solar Tunnel polytunnel!
It’s all Lynn Keddie’s and Jackie’s fault. They both set the “why not get a polytunnel” seed in my brain. Like everyone else we are becoming very concerned about the rising price of food. It just seems to be creeping up and up. If we invested in a polytunnel we could extend the growing season even further and might be able to become 95% self sufficient in vegetables and a lot of fruit. That is with the help of the freezer, the dehydrator and plain old fashioned bottled fruit and tomatoes. The fledgling flower selling business...
read moreLamb ribs with a green and orange tomato piquant sauce recipe
I spotted some *CFC lamb ribs – knocked down from £3.99 to £1.42 – so snapped them up. I’d never seen lamb ribs before – the price was tempting but how on earth was I going to cook them? I floated some recipe ideas past Danny. With zero response. “I’m happy to cook them.” He offered. “Grilled ribs and chips. How about that?” “No way.” The weather has been cold and drizzly for days. On my daily blight check I spotted that quite a few tomatoes had split and the skins were peeling back. Not blighted yet but...
read moreDressing the larder
“What’s this word on the bottom of the list?” I peered over Danny’s shoulder. I’ve always had ‘doctor’s writing’ and sometimes even I find it hard to read. “Doilies.” “Those silly round paper things people put cakes on?” “Yes.” “What on earth do you want those for?” “Wait and see.” “Well you’ll have to go shopping. I wouldn’t be seen dead buying doilies.” Between you and me I’d never, ever bought a doilie. I’m not a lacy sort of lady and generally have an aversion to frills. But I was on a...
read moreSlow baked belly of pork with green tomatoes, coriander and lime recipe
We have never had so many green tomatoes knocking about the house. Some will turn red eventually but I decided to try cooking with some green ones. Their flavour improves with long slow cooking so combining them with a small joint of belly of pork would make a sumptuous meal for two. The result was unbelievably good, stunning fruity tangy flavours offsetting the melt in the mouth pork. Tears over not having many toms to bottle were wiped away with the first mouthful. I’m going to freeze and dry some batches of green tomatoes as this...
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