50p a day til christmas, healthily?!-Weezl's next challenge (part 2)

Confuzzled

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

anyone wanting to have a bash at growing sweet potatoes next season I can explain how -they are soooo expensive -:D

just thought i'd share a lovely little tidbit i discovered about sweet potatoes the other day

i have a store bought potato that has 5 inch long shoots on it and i thought i should give it a try planting that end of it out (i fully intend to eat the rest it's a large one!) so i had a look online and discovered that you can actually eat the leaves like spinach!

now this is particularly useful for me because while i have a lovely south facing back garden and a very hot wall i could plant them up against it's late in the season and i'm in eastern scotland so our growing season isn't as long.

i do think with proper care and clever cloching i could grow them outside here with at least minimal success for the potatoes themselves however once i discovered i could eat the leaves too i was thrilled.

several sites recommended keeping them indoor growing all winter as houseplants, culling the leaves here and there which is my intention, next year i should have no problems having a supply of slips and i'll have some top ups for winter greens

for anyone worrying, i found out from 5 different sites about eating them and indeed found several sweet potato leaf recipes online as well. sweet potatoes are part of the morning glory family, NOT the nightshade family like regular potatoes so no worries about poisoning yourself if you try this... can't wait!

Confuzzled

phizzimum wrote: »

was it on this thread someone was talking about stump soup (ie broccolli stumps)?

~I have to confess I have been throwing away (or at least composting) cauliflower leaves and stumps for years. I'd never really thought about it until recently, but suddenly it seemed a terrible waste. So I bunged them in my soup- and they were lovely. DH ate the leftovers - I didn't tell him they were cauli leaves until he'd finished and he would never have guessed.

on broccoli 'stumps' and indeed asparagus stumps, both are lovely when cooked in stock, once they are soft whiz them through a blender, add a splash of cream and i promise you they will be begging you for more (and a pinch of sage really makes it special!)

i've not tried the cauliflower leaves before but i'll try that some time thank you. i have recently been trying to find veg that has a dual purpose. some unlikely candidates being sweet potato (you can eat the leaves as spinach), radish (leaves taste a bit like rocket i hear) and carrots!

now the process for using carrot tops can be a bit long but it's so good to know they won't go to waste if you buy the ones with the greens on them. i've tried small amounts mixed in my soups with no ill effects so next time i get a bunch with the greens i'm going to try a proper recipe for them. we are planning to bung some carrot seeds out this week so i'll have a some here and there too, i'll probably add those to my fried eggs, i use rocket etc in that already so i can substitute or add to that from time to time with carrot tops

nopot2pin

According to the quiz, I am 100% Unitarian Universalism.
Although, I did have a few others very close by.
I do think, for me, that had I completed this quiz a few years ago, my results would have been entirely different.

On the chutney subject.....
I recently bought a jar of beetroot pickle
If my memory serves me right, I think it was about £1.19. :eek:
I might have to try and make a cheeky little version, and compare.

Although, I have to say, my friend normally makes the jams and chutneys, ect. I make the wine, and we swap
I might have to "convince" her that she really likes beetroot pickle, to go along with her cheese and oatcakes, washed down with a cheeky spiced apple and chamomile teabag wine

Confuzzled

In_Search_Of_Me wrote: »

lol re the spuds meals...
Munchki when I make the chutney I have it simmering on smallest ring and stir every 1/2 (with help of timer or Icome on here and forget!).

odd, i noticed a lot of people on here seem to cook their chutney for ages... perhaps you're going for the smoother style?

longest i cook mine (unless i'm doing a huge batch ) is around 30 minutes, though i like plenty of chunks in mine

is there some sort of scientific reason for cooking chutney so long? i've never had any ill effect even for chutney eaten a year later but i'm curious

ceridwen

CONFUZZLED

Re dual-purpose veg - dont forget beetroot. I eat the beets themselves (grated raw in salad in my case - though I did find they werent bad roasted in with other roast vegetables the other day). The leaves can be steamed - and I personally have steamed beetroot leaves with a bit of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil on them - guess a bit of butter instead would also be a possibility?

twinkle_star_2

This is entirely un-moneysaving but for the religion discussion. For all those who came out humanist and were wondering about whether there was some organisation and community - there is. The British Humanist Association is the main organisation that you can join and they have local groups that meet up and chat about philosophy, science, morals etc ( i guess thats the closest a humanist gets to a church service). They also organise humanist weddings and funerals. HTH.

Confuzzled

ceridwen wrote: »

someone who was feeding a family most of their veg from a "bed" 8' x 12'. So - if I can get my planning right then it should be possible in theory - apart from the potatoes (and I've bought three of the collapsible container thingies for them). .

a quick tip for anyone wanting to grow a lot of potatoes in a small space, and very cheaply

tyres!

stuff a tyre full of soil, a bit of manure if you can get it, seaweed if you can get that and plant your potatoes. as the tyre fills up and the plant grows put another tyre on top, keep earthing this up and adding tyres til it's about waist height

just a few tyre stacks like that could keep a small family in potatoes. you will have to water more frequently as the tyres get very warm and dry out faster. one tip to get more water to the roots vs on top to evaporate... cut the bottom off a 1litre soda bottle, remove the cap and place inside your tyre upside down to act as a funnel. give most of the water to the funnel and a sprinkle on top

Confuzzled

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

I was going to strip my bed to put the electric blanket on but it is a bit of a pain as I have a cabin bed and we have a communal hot-water-bottle-fill-up-session every night in my house. 10 mins on the pjs whilst you do your teeth, 10 mins where your feet would go and then into bed to cuddle up to it, ah, it warms my heart to think of it. Especially for those of us who haven't got someone in bed to warm our cold feet

that sounds a bit familiar to what i do, but i don't use a hot water bottle. i was badly scalded by one when the plug bit you screw in broke and sprayed me (quick thinking/moving kept the damage relatively low physically, mentally not so much!) but instead i use my beloved rice sock

i have chronic lower back pain so i have filled a long woolen sock 2/3rds full of cheapy rice. it gets heated up in the microwave several times a day (anywhere from 2-4 minutes depending on how strong your micro is) first i place it on my lap a bit then behind my back once it's cooled a tiny bit. the relief is amazing but i also found it's great for warming the bed

if you have any troubles sleeping you might find that snuggling up with it against any sore points you might have will lull you softly into sleep...nights when i really want to read i have to keep it in bed with me but not against me or i fall asleep too quickly!

i put it in bed at the foot of my bed when it first comes out of the microwave, leave it there for about 5 minutes then move it to the middle of the bed for another 5 minutes or so (under the duvet all the while of course) and when i'm done with my nighttime routine it's nicely warmed everything and it's cool enough to place against my bare skin... can't recommend this highly enough especially if you have your reasons for not liking hot water bottles like me

another note for pain relief the rice socks are superior because they are very flexible and can go around the neck, hips, waist, back etc, even around ankles, knees...

this winter i'm going to attempt to keep my bedroom radiator on the lowest setting all winter if i can. my plan of action is to put two duvets beneath me (i really miss my foam topper i once had so this helps with taking the stress off my joints and keeps me warmer) then i'll pre warm the bed with the rice sock, snuggle up to the rice sock and have a heavier duvet on top of me too. my room is small and south facing so as long as i keep the door shut all day i think this will keep me plenty warm enough for sleeping

Confuzzled

BigMummaF wrote: »

t PINTO are supposed to add protein where a good many others are more fibre....

Are there any strong opinions on:-
a) the flavour
b) the texture
c) price comparison with eg beef mince
d) would they be better in a pork/chicken combo
e) the credibility of bulking up on veg.vs.meat protein

i like pinto beans, as i grew up in the states i'm very familiar with them. however they aren't cheap here or at least no where i've found, in fact sometimes they aren't even easy to find.

pintos are quite versatile and if you mash them with a bit of stock and some cumin they add a lovely meaty taste. i find the texture more palatable then kidney beans and i prefer them (it's just the price here that gets me, they are so cheap in the states!)

pintos are great in a soup, refried beans, bean dips, they can replace kidney beans in most recipes and are wonderful in a multi bean soup.

if i had access to cheap pinto beans i would favour them over kidney beans most times to be quite honest. if you have access to a good priced source i would encourage you to experiment with them.

pintos mixed with some spanish rice (cook your rice in some tinned tomatoes and add a few mexican spices and a bit of chopped onion and peppers if you like) is actually a complete protein and quite tasty to boot. i particularly like this mixture stuffed in a tortilla, topped with a bit of cheese and maybe some greek yogurt and warmed up in the microwave to melt the cheese and soften the tortillas (make sure to fold them well, fold up the bottom 1.5 inch or so then fold each side in, turn over and microwave

Confuzzled

Kentishmaid wrote: »

Hi, Have bought some whoopsied Okra/Ladies Fingers, any suggestions as what to do with them ?

Has anyone heard from MuscatJane? I assume she's packing her camel train?

mmmm okra, i love it

first cut the fingers into small pieces perhaps 1/4 inch thick. then
if you mix some of your favourite spices in with a bit of flour (i like cumin, garlic granules a touch of salt) then beat an egg, you can dip the slices into the egg then roll them well in the flour and pan fry them in hot oil til they are a golden brown, drain and eat

bhindi bhaji is another fav use for them, you can see a recipe here (i've not tried this one) http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/bhindibhajji_74849.shtml

they are good in gumbo's, stews etc

i love the feel of the seeds slipping over my tongue, some won't. frying them removes most of the sliminess and leaves just a nice slippery feel that is rather pleasant not gross