Love food hate Waste Part two for 2018 :)

Hopeless_Case

Mummy2cheekymonkeys wrote: »

After last weekends glut of plums, this weekend I had courgettes to deal with. On Friday I roasted a huge tray of onion, courgette, peppers and aubergine. I mixed half into some cous cous which we had for dinner Friday night with a turkey breast. The other half was mixed with some tinned chopped tomatoes and herbs to make a veggie lasagne for dinner yesterday. Also had courgette fritters for lunch. Made a courgette and lemon cake and some cheese and courgette scones which have been a huge hit with my toddler son. Just when you think you've used them all the plants are covered with more.

I'm awash with courgettes atm , I did a huge chop, blanche and freeze on Monday, keeping as many out as I thought I'd use this week but I keep noticing new big ones on the plants each day, it's wonderful . I'm aiming to freeze as many as possible to last as long as possible.

Butternut squashes starting to appear too although only tiny - also cut the dead flower heads off my dwarf sunflowers and I'm debating whether the seeds are too small to be able to get the kernels out and eat them. I'll save some for growing next year's plants but there are hundreds and I do love a sunflower seed

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

Hopeless_Case wrote: »

I'm awash with courgettes atm , I did a huge chop, blanche and freeze on Monday, keeping as many out as I thought I'd use this week but I keep noticing new big ones on the plants each day, it's wonderful . I'm aiming to freeze as many as possible to last as long as possible.

Butternut squashes starting to appear too although only tiny - also cut the dead flower heads off my dwarf sunflowers and I'm debating whether the seeds are too small to be able to get the kernels out and eat them. I'll save some for growing next year's plants but there are hundreds and I do love a sunflower seed

They really are brilliant plants aren't they? Minimal work and such brilliant producers. I would suggest anyone struggling with high food shopping bills to try and grow one. Plus courgettes are so versatile.

[Deleted User]

Today we'll be having tuna and sweetcorn salad, we sorted out the freezers yesterday and took one to the tip and in amongst all the home growns I found 2 large packs of sweetcorn! good job we like it as it may feature heavily along with the courgettes in our meals for a couple of weeks, ne'mind it'll keep us regular!!!

Cappella

We've just got back from a very refreshing week in Cumbria staying with MrCs lovely sister and her OH. She loves cooking, and is an excellent cook. But oh dear me the amount of food they waste almost gave me palpitations!! And I had visions of all of you shaking your heads in disbelief. There were 8 of us at the barbecue she arranged on Sunday but there was enough food for at least 20 people so as she hauled the black bin bags out I stopped her and asked if I could bring some of the salad and bread home to save me shopping on Monday.
She was more than happy to oblige (having rather delicately asked if we were managing ok on our pensions bless her)and packed us a huge bowl of bulgar wheat salad, fruit salad, two halved melons, two packs of unopened Cumberland sausage, half a pineapple, two French sticks, two half loaves of wholemeal and spelt bread, assorted cheeses and FIVE packets of assorted posh veggie offerings from M and S. All of which had been destined for the landfill bin.
Sooo - we're now wading through everything I couldn't freeze and thinking very hard about what I can do with the rest of the homemade bulgar wheat salad. We've eaten it twice as a salad but I'm wondering about adding some feta and stuffing peppers with it for tea.
Will let you know if it works or not, we poor relations can't be afford to be picky:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Oh you poor 'poor relations' you! Is it very heavily flavoured? if it isn't you could blitz a can of beans (baked would be nice) and add in an egg and some cheese and then stir in the bulgar salad and make either burgers if it was thick textured enough or a 'meat loaf' without meat which would be nice hot but then probably nicer sliced cold and used in sandwiches. Would ring the changes from eating it as salad xxx.

Hopeless_Case

Cappella wrote: »

We've just got back from a very refreshing week in Cumbria staying with MrCs lovely sister and her OH. She loves cooking, and is an excellent cook. But oh dear me the amount of food they waste almost gave me palpitations!! And I had visions of all of you shaking your heads in disbelief. There were 8 of us at the barbecue she arranged on Sunday but there was enough food for at least 20 people so as she hauled the black bin bags out I stopped her and asked if I could bring some of the salad and bread home to save me shopping on Monday.
She was more than happy to oblige (having rather delicately asked if we were managing ok on our pensions bless her)and packed us a huge bowl of bulgar wheat salad, fruit salad, two halved melons, two packs of unopened Cumberland sausage, half a pineapple, two French sticks, two half loaves of wholemeal and spelt bread, assorted cheeses and FIVE packets of assorted posh veggie offerings from M and S. All of which had been destined for the landfill bin.
Sooo - we're now wading through everything I couldn't freeze and thinking very hard about what I can do with the rest of the homemade bulgar wheat salad. We've eaten it twice as a salad but I'm wondering about adding some feta and stuffing peppers with it for tea.
Will let you know if it works or not, we poor relations can't be afford to be picky:rotfl:

Wow what a lot of waste! Enjoy :)

I've always hated waste even before becoming much more old-style MS! My main waste has been lack of organising and things going off, but wastage like that would sorely grieve me! We had the last of the guacamole and coleslaw from Sunday's bbq in our salads today for lunch, not as nice as humous, but not wasting it tastes good

Gem-gem

Hopeless_Case wrote: »

I'm awash with courgettes atm , I did a huge chop, blanche and freeze on Monday, keeping as many out as I thought I'd use this week but I keep noticing new big ones on the plants each day, it's wonderful . I'm aiming to freeze as many as possible to last as long as possible.

Butternut squashes starting to appear too although only tiny - also cut the dead flower heads off my dwarf sunflowers and I'm debating whether the seeds are too small to be able to get the kernels out and eat them. I'll save some for growing next year's plants but there are hundreds and I do love a sunflower seed

Do butternut squashes like lots of water, like courgettes ?
Should you water around the root of the main plant or all along the plant. Are the twirling bits along the vine extra roots or just anchors?

Moorhen

Afternoon ladies,

I am hoping for some advice here. A friend visited on Sunday and bought us loads of very ripe plums. I have stewed them all down and the resulting puree is very sour. I don't really want to add loads of sugar, do you have any advice on how to use them up?

Thanks everyone

[Deleted User]

Plum chutney or dipping sauce is very nice as is a continental 'fruit soup' which can be made from plums, could you reduce the puree until it's thickened and pot it up for the freezer and then use it in curries/tagines instead of tamarind as a flavouring. If you froze it in ice cube trays you'd be able to easily take out the amount you needed for a dish and the sourness might replace lemon juice in some recipes?

Moorhen

Thanks Mrs Lurcherwalker,

We make loads of curries so freezing it in an ice cube tray and adding to curry is a great idea