The ups and downs of growing your own dinner 2016...

zafiro1984

I'll start this one off with my favourite recipe of using blackcurrants.

Blackcurrant icecream Make a gooey sauce with the blackcurrants.
300ml double cream whipped to slightly more than soft peak but not over whipped.
Add 1 tin sweetened condensed milk. I use the 'lighter version' (on offer at the moment at asda) whip again until quite stiff and increased in volume.
Put in plastic container and add blackcurrant goo which you then fold in, or streak through.
Freeze - no need to stir half way through
Very calorific but very moorish

Recipe also very good with other 'gooey' fruits and I also make one with Alzera coffee - beats bought ice-cream hands down.

What can I do with cucumbers!!!!!

Jazee

You can probably pickle cucumbers. It's not my problem this year as mine failed, but in previous years I've just given them away to friends, family and neighbours.

Fruittea

Yes you can pickle them Zafiro. Just pick them small so they're not too watery. Chopped with mint and yoghurt is good. Cucumber is all the rage in smoothies at the mo - it really tastes nice with lime and apple. Here's and article from Hugh Fearnley whatsit. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/aug/02/cucumber-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
I've had cucumber soup surprisingly nice.
That ice cream sounds lovely I'm definitely going to try it. Thanks.

Oakdene

Im growing purple carrots in the garden & they're coming on nicely so Im happy. How big or large should the green bit above ground be before I know theres a decent carrot there?

Fruittea

Well done Oakdene the carrots sound great. Some people say you should keep the green rings covered with soil to stop the carrot fly laying it's eggs. Why not pull one up and see if they're ready. You may need to thin them out anyway to allow them to grow well.

Dizzy_Ditzy

I just lightly run my finger around the top of the carrot to see how big the top is - if it suits, I pull it but if not, I cover it back up and leave it be

I've discovered beetroot and chocolate cake

Oh my goodness, how have I been missing out on it all this time?! :eek:

zafiro1984

Just updated my signature. The produce is starting to come in and I want to process everything and not be wasteful.

Dug up all the shallots the other day and they are drying nicely - as usual gave some away - when will I learn?

I think I'll try to do 'sundried toms in olive oil' All the recipes suggest keeping the finished product in the fridge but I want mine to last well into winter so I'm thinking of dehydrating them and then freezing, and only adding the oil when they have been defrosted. Don't know if it will work, maybe I should try a few first. Last year I only made soup and sauce but I feel I want to be a bit more adventurous this time.:D

Lovely day today - glad of the rain Mon/Tuesday.

zafiro1984

Oakdene wrote: »

Im growing purple carrots in the garden & they're coming on nicely so Im happy. How big or large should the green bit above ground be before I know there's a decent carrot there?

Oakdene:- I do exactly what Queen of Cheap does, doesn't seem to harm them at all.

moneyistooshorttomention

Two more points to remember here for me.

Don't tell people to just "help themselves" to my food - in case they take rather more than I had expected and none left for me.

Must remember that carrot tip - running finger round the top.

Of course I'm the one that decided to transplant my barely-started carrots yesterday and then read today that carrots "don't like" being moved. Whoops! Fingers crossed that they will survive okay. I also transplanted some brussels sprouts plants that had started putting on some reasonable growth and they are now sitting there looking a bit droopy on me and I hope I've not mucked them up by doing so.

Fruittea

Morning everyone
Looks like a calmer day here in Gloucestershire - less windy anyway. I brought home a tonne of stuff from the allotment last night and it's still sitting in a bag. So I'll make a start on that this morning. Mostly purple French beans and courgettes. Some will go to a neighbours and the rest in the freezer. I'll update the vet pot challenge later as I've only bought mushrooms and peppers this week and they were mark downs.
I'm sure the carrots will be fine - they don't like being moved but if they're small enough they should cope. Make sure you heel the Brussels in Money - they like to be firmly planted otherwise they keel over.
I'm sowing some more dwarf beans this week - just to give a really late and last crop - they should be fine. Everything else is doing really well and the potatoes are surviving blight which is nice to see. I'll report on the variety - just cant think which ones they are at the mo.
All the best