veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

VJsmum

mutley74 wrote: »

a good spicy coriander salad i learned when back packing the hills of Thailand:
Lots of coriander chopped up
Some tomatoes chopped
lots of green chillies finely chopped
mix together add some salt and pepper to suit
(obviously you can vary the amount of each to the salad to suit)

I have a similar recipe but you add watermelon and white melon and maybe a small amount of red or spring onion

frazzbo

soullessfire wrote: »

Had my first flower on a courgette today and considering it has no male flowers yet and also has a 3 inch courgette on the bottom, I thought, sod it, I'm making this one into a stuffed courgette flower to try them.

Stuffed the flower with Garlic and Herb Philadelphia, made a simple batter and coated it and deep fried it for a few minutes. Can honestly say it was delicious, am munching away happily as I type. Definately a much tastier way to eat courgettes.

Sounds fab. can I just ask a stupid question though: do you eat the male flowers or the female flowers or both, and do you pick them when they're still open or after they have closed?

izzwizz_2

OK, recipe for caramelised onion & goats cheese tartlets.

First make some pastry cases (I usually do a big batch and freeze some, so don't have to do these every time - this will make enough for about 12 cases).
240g plain flour
120g cold butter
large pinch salt
60ml (4 tablespoons) cold water

The secret with pastry is to keep it cold, work fast & let it rest.
1) Use a food processor to mix the flour, butter & salt until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2) Tip into a large bowl. Sprinkle the water over, mix quickly with a flat knife or spatula until it forms a ball (you can gather it up at the end with fingers if you need to.
3) Wrap in clingfilm and leave in fridge for 30 mins, along with little tins (Greased - I use individual flat-bottom tins, but you could make one big tart in a dish if you haven't got these).
4) roll out pastry thinly, and use to line the tins, then cover in cling film & put back into fridge for 30 mins.
5) Place on baking tray in preheated oven for 10 mins until lightly coloured (350F / Gas Mark 4 / 150C fan oven)

Meanwhile, caramelise the onions (this is enough for 6 tartlets):

olive oil
400g onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Cook the onions in a small amount of olive oil in a large pan over a gentle heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to caramelise (about 10 mins). Add the sugar & vinegar and continue cooking for another 20 minutes until the mixture gets syruppy and the onions are very soft. Leave to cool.

Make up the tarts:

A small log of mild, soft goats cheese

Divide the cooked onions between 6 tartlet cases (about a tablespoon in each one). Cut the goats cheese into 6 slices and place a slice on top of each tartlet. Cook on a baking sheet in the oven at 170C fan oven for about 10 mins until the tarts are warmed and the goats cheese has started to melt.

I like to serve them on a bed of rocket or landcress or baby spinach leaves. If you've hungry lads to feed, you might want to pad it out with some spuds & veg

elsien

My courgette plant is finally bursting into bloom - with any luck I've got a glut on the way. Only problem is that last year the courgettes started going mouldy at the end before they got big enough to pick so most of them went to waste. Was it last years horrible weather, or is there something I can do to stop the same thing happening again?

izzwizz_2

soullessfire - good on you, I did the same with my first baby courgette but instead of frying I poached it and the flower split & spilled the soft cheese into the broth. It was not a success - must try it your way next time! Supposed to be on a diet but that tub of Philadelphia in the fridge keeps saying "eat me" whenever the door is opened...

lolly, congrats on the cucumber! Well done

elsien, you could try taking the dying flowers off the ends of your courgettes before they get a chance to rot.

lolly5648

Thanks Izzwizz, I will try this at the weekend. Sounds delicious

izzwizz_2

No problem lolly, hope you enjoy them

soul619

izzwizz wrote: »

soullessfire - good on you, I did the same with my first baby courgette but instead of frying I poached it and the flower split & spilled the soft cheese into the broth. It was not a success - must try it your way next time! Supposed to be on a diet but that tub of Philadelphia in the fridge keeps saying "eat me" whenever the door is opened...

lolly, congrats on the cucumber! Well done

elsien, you could try taking the dying flowers off the ends of your courgettes before they get a chance to rot.

my pumkins have rotted is that why? the flowers? i didnt take them off i didnt know i had too

izzwizz_2

soul619 wrote: »

my pumkins have rotted is that why? the flowers? i didnt take them off i didnt know i had too

I'm no expert, but I guess it could be.

soul619

oh man do you think i will get anymore grow? i had about 5 starting..