Gardening / Chutney

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AngryAsWell
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Gardening / Chutney

Post by AngryAsWell »

Well, I mentioned earlier in the year that I had finally tamed a small part of my garden and proudly had some crops growing.
Hummm
Potatoes got eaten by little black wormy slug things.
Cabbage got caterpillared and look like lace curtains
Carrots cant seem to make it downwards and are round lumps with long tail roots
Likewise the parsnips.
Lettuce are threatening to bolt
Purple sprouting broccoli is just not sprouting
Peas gave up without really getting to the start line
Tomatoes go squishy before they are ripe
Which brings me to the Chutney part....
I checked google and it seems the tomatoes have some kind of blight and the only thing to be done is gather them quick and make Green Tomato Chutney.
So I did, but whilst being very sweet, it also has a quite sharp "tang" to it that's not particularly nice and apart from that, there is no real flavour at all.
If anyone reads this - any ideas what I can add to take away the tang and give it some flavour?
I used
1.5k toms
500gm molasses sugar
500mil mixed malt/cider vinegar
2 large onions
4 cloves garlic
a tiny bit of chilly and a little bit of cinnamon with a few mustard seeds.
HELP! :lol: :lol: :lol:
yahyah
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

Oh Angry, that's the problem with nature, it includes a lot of hungry creatures.

That's why I don't grow veg. Have wept over seedlings getting eaten too often.
Caterpillars zapped the nasturtiums this year and slugs the rudbeckias, despite vigilantly moving them [with some leaves to chomp] to the compost heap.

Not sure what to do with the chutney other than bung in some indian spices ?
Maybe ginger and some raisins to sweeten it more, and did you put salt in ?

Any flowers survive the insect onslaught ?

We'd started digging out some more beds, have had to move 15 wheelbarrows of heavy turf downhill. Then the weather changed to wet and windy and the cat's been poorly [again] so work on digging out clay for the planting has come to a halt.


Your post has encouraged me to tackle it again, if only to check what the bugs are doing :)
ohsocynical
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by ohsocynical »

There are a lot of green tomato recipes on Google. The one below sounds pretty simple. I did notice that he says to leave it for a while before you eat it. It gives the flavours a chance to come out.


http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/memb ... cipe./4244" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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seeingclearly
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by seeingclearly »

Carrots are hard to grow anyway. You can pick leaves off the lettuce like you would spinach. When I could still garden I loved growing veg but never expected much. Or at least not that they looked as they do on the packet. I've got a garden that has armies of slugs huge and small, brown and black. To get around this I planted some things like peas and potatoes in giant containers. Runner beans are hardy and prolific, and courgettes are easy. Mostly I started seedlings off under cover then planted them out under netting. Birds will have pea shoots for breakfast! Onions and garlic from sets are quite hardy, and often it's about what will grow in your soil. I usually like to plant edible flowers in among them, herbs can help keep pests away.

If you try and balance the flavours in your chutney with equal sweet, salt, pungent, and spicey it should work, ginger, garam masala, mixed spice, chilli flakes, cinnamon, cardamoms will add depth.
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AngryAsWell
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by AngryAsWell »

yahyah wrote:Oh Angry, that's the problem with nature, it includes a lot of hungry creatures.

That's why I don't grow veg. Have wept over seedlings getting eaten too often.
Caterpillars zapped the nasturtiums this year and slugs the rudbeckias, despite vigilantly moving them [with some leaves to chomp] to the compost heap.

Not sure what to do with the chutney other than bung in some indian spices ?
Maybe ginger and some raisins to sweeten it more, and did you put salt in ?

Any flowers survive the insect onslaught ?

We'd started digging out some more beds, have had to move 15 wheelbarrows of heavy turf downhill. Then the weather changed to wet and windy and the cat's been poorly [again] so work on digging out clay for the planting has come to a halt.

Your post has encouraged me to tackle it again, if only to check what the bugs are doing :)
Thanks for empathy yahyah :)
Yes I did put salt in - and an apple that was lurking around. Its still yucky today :( Might add some ginger but in all honesty as Mr AAW said the only decision to make about it is which bin to put it in... :lol!:
Didn't plant any flowers, was hoping to get the veg plot planted and established, then get a flower & herb bed going for my next project, but must admit to losing a bit of gardening heart and resorted to just looking glumly at it all.
Good luck with the digging! Hope the cat is a bit better, but I know she(?) is getting on, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you :hug:
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AngryAsWell
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by AngryAsWell »

ohsocynical wrote:There are a lot of green tomato recipes on Google. The one below sounds pretty simple. I did notice that he says to leave it for a while before you eat it. It gives the flavours a chance to come out.


http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/memb ... cipe./4244" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Cheers Ohso :) I still have another 1.5k to go so might have another bash at it :)
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AngryAsWell
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by AngryAsWell »

seeingclearly wrote:Carrots are hard to grow anyway. You can pick leaves off the lettuce like you would spinach. When I could still garden I loved growing veg but never expected much. Or at least not that they looked as they do on the packet. I've got a garden that has armies of slugs huge and small, brown and black. To get around this I planted some things like peas and potatoes in giant containers. Runner beans are hardy and prolific, and courgettes are easy. Mostly I started seedlings off under cover then planted them out under netting. Birds will have pea shoots for breakfast! Onions and garlic from sets are quite hardy, and often it's about what will grow in your soil. I usually like to plant edible flowers in among them, herbs can help keep pests away.

If you try and balance the flavours in your chutney with equal sweet, salt, pungent, and spicey it should work, ginger, garam masala, mixed spice, chilli flakes, cinnamon, cardamoms will add depth.
Thanks for the gardening tips Seeing :) We seem to have a hedgehog in the garden (I've seen it twice) so the slugs do get a run for their money ;) The ones in the potatoes are like fat black worms only tiny, and are only to be found in the potatoes when I've dug them up. Not sure what they are.
I think I'm going to have to write off this batch of chutney as its far to acidic to do much with, though I may re boil it tomorrow with some ginger and a bit more sugar (but behind the sharp, tart vinegar taste it is sticky sweet already)
Thanks again for tips :)
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AngryAsWell
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by AngryAsWell »

Chutney got chucked - it really was bad not sure what I did to it, but have been reading that GTC is not very nice anyway. lol
Next question
Who knew adding a couple of handfuls of raspberry's to rhubarb could make a crumble taste of soap ?? :rofl:
Geesh, not having much luck at the moment cooking wise.
Rebecca
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by Rebecca »

AngryAsWell wrote:Chutney got chucked - it really was bad not sure what I did to it, but have been reading that GTC is not very nice anyway. lol
Next question
Who knew adding a couple of handfuls of raspberry's to rhubarb could make a crumble taste of soap ?? :rofl:
Geesh, not having much luck at the moment cooking wise.
Try the finely grated zest of an orange sprinkled on top of blackberries.my favourite pie.
My lovely little damson tree has been scoffed by winter moth caterpillars.Which have also gobbled up a rose and are starting on my apple tree.
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AngryAsWell
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by AngryAsWell »

Rebecca wrote:
AngryAsWell wrote:Chutney got chucked - it really was bad not sure what I did to it, but have been reading that GTC is not very nice anyway. lol
Next question
Who knew adding a couple of handfuls of raspberry's to rhubarb could make a crumble taste of soap ?? :rofl:
Geesh, not having much luck at the moment cooking wise.
Try the finely grated zest of an orange sprinkled on top of blackberries.my favourite pie.
My lovely little damson tree has been scoffed by winter moth caterpillars.Which have also gobbled up a rose and are starting on my apple tree.
Thanks I'll try that.
My raspberry bushes & damson tree look like net curtains - would that be the winter moth buggers as well?
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

AngryAsWell wrote:
Rebecca wrote:
AngryAsWell wrote:Chutney got chucked - it really was bad not sure what I did to it, but have been reading that GTC is not very nice anyway. lol
Next question
Who knew adding a couple of handfuls of raspberry's to rhubarb could make a crumble taste of soap ?? :rofl:
Geesh, not having much luck at the moment cooking wise.
Try the finely grated zest of an orange sprinkled on top of blackberries.my favourite pie.
My lovely little damson tree has been scoffed by winter moth caterpillars.Which have also gobbled up a rose and are starting on my apple tree.
Thanks I'll try that.
My raspberry bushes & damson tree look like net curtains - would that be the winter moth buggers as well?
Possibly, or could be other pests with the munchies. If it's Winter Moth caterpiller, what you are seeing would be the result of the holes made earlier in the season looking bigger and bigger as theyve grown in proportion to the leaves. The buggers that made the holes will be turning into adult moths from now onward so you need to protect against them starting to lay eggs later in the season. A band of grease, glue, or vaseline smeared around the stem (or pot) will help to stop the moths crawling up the plants – you can get proprietary grease-bands to stick round them but they need to be kept sticky (or replaced) all through winter/early spring. If there is any sign of caterpillar damage in early spring, there is chemical or organic stuff you can spray with but the time to spray, and exact instructions, will differ depending on which plants/fruits are affected.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice is a great resource and tends to be up to date on best practice. Good luck for next season and don't give up!
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yahyah
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

Going to go sloe picking over the weekend to make some sloe gin with.

If anyone's got a favourite recipe for a fruit in alcohol recipe please can you share it as I want to do something to have as a pudding at Christmas. Thought of oranges in Cointreau but that maybe doubling up on the orange flavour. Maybe raspberries in something ?

Also, going to plant some tiny white cyclamen where we buried our little cat on Monday.
Want it to look pretty for her. Still lots of tears, house seems empty with her gone.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

yahyah wrote:Going to go sloe picking over the weekend to make some sloe gin with.

If anyone's got a favourite recipe for a fruit in alcohol recipe please can you share it as I want to do something to have as a pudding at Christmas. Thought of oranges in Cointreau but that maybe doubling up on the orange flavour. Maybe raspberries in something ?

Also, going to plant some tiny white cyclamen where we buried our little cat on Monday.
Want it to look pretty for her. Still lots of tears, house seems empty with her gone.
Peaches in brandy was my favourite. Halve, remove the pit, blanch to remove the skins. Make a syrup with half-a-kilo of sugar to one litre of water – Mamie used to make the syrup with the peaches in the pan to begin with, and she would add a cinnamon stick, grated nutmeg, and sometimes a couple of cloves to each jars-worth but she'd had a lifetime of practise – then lift out the peaches with a slotted spoon before the syrup is really syrupy. But you could just add the spices to the jar when you put the fruit in, instead. Pack the peach halves into Kilner-jars, let the syrup cool then measure it, add the same volume of brandy to the cooled syrup, and pour into the jars up to the brim, seal, close and clip the jars then cook in a cold water-bath.

Raspberries make me think whisky but I've never tried preserving in it. Might be worth an experiment. Readers' Digest has a good section on preserving fruits – preparation, cooking methods, etc., http://www.readersdigest.co.nz/bottling-fruit

So sorry for your loss. Cyclamen will be a lovely tribute to your little cat. :gentle hug:
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by Sky'sGoneOut »

The back of my place is entirely Brambles. I've got a bag in my freezer bursting with blackberries. Though in way of warning eating them every day can cause a certain looseness about the bowels.

I remember my mother straining various fruits over the bath in an old bedsheet making Jam/Wine/Chutney.

Mainly wine.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

That peaches in brandy recipe sounds just perfect LadyC, and peaches in the shops are not ripening very well at this time of year so poaching them will bring out the best.
A dollop of cream on them at Christmas, yum yum.
Thanks for the link.

My attempt to make preserved lemons, Moroccan style, left me with mouldy, slimey green lemons.
Very disappointing.

Hope you washed the brambles well Sky.
I picked some recently and when I took a good close look they were heaving with little insects.
Bit of extra protein and all for free ;)
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by Rebecca »

yahyah wrote:Going to go sloe picking over the weekend to make some sloe gin with.

If anyone's got a favourite recipe for a fruit in alcohol recipe please can you share it as I want to do something to have as a pudding at Christmas. Thought of oranges in Cointreau but that maybe doubling up on the orange flavour. Maybe raspberries in something ?

Also, going to plant some tiny white cyclamen where we buried our little cat on Monday.
Want it to look pretty for her. Still lots of tears, house seems empty with her gone.
Hi yahyah,
one of my cats has been missing since Thursday evening,such a sad and worrying time.
Anyway,I am glad someone has started to think about Christmas food before me!
A very lovely and delicious fruit/alcohol recipe that I have used at Christmas is to peel and slice ripe mangoes,put in pretty dishes and cover with a desert wine,half a bottle will do.Leave in the fridge for a few hours.
Nigella has a nice recipe for pomegranete and lime icecream,it is a very pretty colour.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

Rebecca wrote:
yahyah wrote:Going to go sloe picking over the weekend to make some sloe gin with.

If anyone's got a favourite recipe for a fruit in alcohol recipe please can you share it as I want to do something to have as a pudding at Christmas. Thought of oranges in Cointreau but that maybe doubling up on the orange flavour. Maybe raspberries in something ?

Also, going to plant some tiny white cyclamen where we buried our little cat on Monday.
Want it to look pretty for her. Still lots of tears, house seems empty with her gone.
Hi yahyah,
one of my cats has been missing since Thursday evening,such a sad and worrying time.
Anyway,I am glad someone has started to think about Christmas food before me!
A very lovely and delicious fruit/alcohol recipe that I have used at Christmas is to peel and slice ripe mangoes,put in pretty dishes and cover with a desert wine,half a bottle will do.Leave in the fridge for a few hours.
Nigella has a nice recipe for pomegranete and lime icecream,it is a very pretty colour.

Sorry to hear your cat's gone AWOL Rebecca.
Hopefully he/she is just taking a short holiday and will return to home & hearth soon, but as you say, a worrying time.

Your mango recipe sounds delicious. Will be forced to try it out before Christmas.
Love mango in savoury salsa too, with coriander, chili, red onion & lime and have it with grilled halloumi.

[We really need a piggy icon for the food related posts]
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

Rebecca wrote:
yahyah wrote:Going to go sloe picking over the weekend to make some sloe gin with.

If anyone's got a favourite recipe for a fruit in alcohol recipe please can you share it as I want to do something to have as a pudding at Christmas. Thought of oranges in Cointreau but that maybe doubling up on the orange flavour. Maybe raspberries in something ?

Also, going to plant some tiny white cyclamen where we buried our little cat on Monday.
Want it to look pretty for her. Still lots of tears, house seems empty with her gone.
Hi yahyah,
one of my cats has been missing since Thursday evening,such a sad and worrying time.
Anyway,I am glad someone has started to think about Christmas food before me!
A very lovely and delicious fruit/alcohol recipe that I have used at Christmas is to peel and slice ripe mangoes,put in pretty dishes and cover with a desert wine,half a bottle will do.Leave in the fridge for a few hours.
Nigella has a nice recipe for pomegranete and lime icecream,it is a very pretty colour.
Fingers crossed that your cat comes home soon and safe, Rebecca. And I love the sound of the mango dessert. I am rather wishing that I still partook of the alcohoolies. Oh, well, memory and imagination will have to do but I might try it with elderflower cordial instead of the wine.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

If Rebecca's reading, hope Toffee is back to fine fettle and you are all feeling better after the stress.


&, on gardening...

I've got a lovely chili plant on my window sill.
Have had five chilis off it, and five ready to pick, and a whole load of new flowers on it so the chance for more to come.

But it's got greenfly. Have tried brushing them off [try not to kill anything], then had to resort to spraying it with diluted washing up liquid. Still has greenfly.

What else to do that's organic ?
Am already worried the chilis will taste of detergent even if I wash them well.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

yahyah wrote:If Rebecca's reading, hope Toffee is back to fine fettle and you are all feeling better after the stress.


&, on gardening...

I've got a lovely chili plant on my window sill.
Have had five chilis off it, and five ready to pick, and a whole load of new flowers on it so the chance for more to come.

But it's got greenfly. Have tried brushing them off [try not to kill anything], then had to resort to spraying it with diluted washing up liquid. Still has greenfly.

What else to do that's organic ?
Am already worried the chilis will taste of detergent even if I wash them well.
Second your thoughts about Rebecca's little cat! Hope Toffee is ok after the ordeal :crossed-fingers:

Greenfly...

I don't think the Dalai Lama would find any great fault with you if you run your fingers over the plants, daily, for squishing purposes. He said, recently, that he does pretty well on most of the 'do not kill' injunction but still can't get past a murderous inclination when it comes to mosquitos and pigeons!

You could try adding a generous shake of cayenne pepper to the washing-up liquid – and use a strong washing-up liquid like Fairy or something else concentrated because it's the suds you need. Doing both of these, daily, should get things under control. Dunno about the taste of detergent getting into the chillis, they have a firm skin so should be properly washable.

Other things to try: grab a bar of soap (the bathroom stuff – as I don't think you can ever get rid of the smell of carbolic...) Turn on a tap to wet your hands and the soap bar. Rub and squish the soap bar to create as many thick suds as you can and splosh/push the suds off your hands and the soap into a jug/bowl. Once you have a generous amount, add a splash of water but not too much, then us a paint-brush (or a pastry-brush you will never use again!) to paint the suds onto the leaves, stem, branches, and flowers of the plant. Keeping the suds as thick as poss (not very dilute) will make it easier to see which bits of the plant you've already done and the sudsiness will suffocate the aphids more quickly. Painting it on also avoids getting suds on the fruit.

And/or, you could have a look online and buy some ladybird/hoverfly/lacewing larvae. Though you might not want the resulting insects living indoors with you. You can also buy adult ones but they might well fly off – and that's why using predators for pest control is usually recommended for greenhouses. I'd recommend http://www.greengardener.co.uk as a source but, having just checked, they've finished ladybirds and ladybird larvae for this year and will start again in time for spring.

I'm thinking of getting some for next year, as I've only seen two ladybirds and a handful of hoverflies this year so have done a lot of squishing and sudsing.

(Note: 'sudsiness' and 'sudsing' are proper words. I can't imagine why on earth spillchuck disagrees with me... :wink: )
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

Sudsiness, what a lovely word. Sounds angelic and bubbly but also a little naughtily mucky too.

Thanks for those tips Lady C. Have got a small paintbrush handy so will do the sudsy trick later.

Have just been drooling over Sarah Raven's gardening site, got a 20% voucher so have ordered some white allium and white wood anenome bulbs for delivery next month.
Like to shop local but very hard to find things like that in Lampeter or even Aberystwyth which is a drive away.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

yahyah wrote:Sudsiness, what a lovely word. Sounds angelic and bubbly but also a little naughtily mucky too.

Thanks for those tips Lady C. Have got a small paintbrush handy so will do the sudsy trick later.

Have just been drooling over Sarah Raven's gardening site, got a 20% voucher so have ordered some white allium and white wood anenome bulbs for delivery next month.
Like to shop local but very hard to find things like that in Lampeter or even Aberystwyth which is a drive away.
Now you mention it, sudsiness does sound just a little naughtily mucky :giggle:

White allium and white wood anemone sound lovely – and even better with a 20% discount! Sarah Raven knows her stuff. We've got a couple of pretty good local garden centres around here who are quick to offer to order things in if you ask for something they don't have but I do buy online from a great place called Victoriana Nursery, in Kent, and from Suttons Seeds, both of which are great for rare breeds of fruit or veg and for organic seeds/plants.

One thing I really miss is the trip my mother and I used to make, every month, to the RHS London Shows. The plants their members have for sale are always absolutely top quality for not-bad prices. And they are brilliant for advice and encouragement, not just from the stall-holders and exhibitors, but also from whoever you land up sat next to in the refreshments area or stood next to in a queue. Sadly, Maman is even less mobile than me, these days, so the journey is beyond her; and paying the RHS membership (which gave us free entry to lots of gardens and some shows) is now rather a long way down my list of priorities – although I will, perhaps, splash out a fiver on a public ticket, one of these months...
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

If you are reading Lady C, the suds tip has worked a treat.

Now have a crop of new flowers, un-aphid affected, so hopefully a lot of new chillis too in a little while.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

Oh, that's really good news :dance:

And now you're ready to pounce at the first sign of an aphid! Enjoy your fruits and flowers!
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

LadyCentauria wrote:Oh, that's really good news :dance:

And now you're ready to pounce at the first sign of an aphid! Enjoy your fruits and flowers!

I'm sitting looking at the plant on the windowsill as I eat my breakfast.

They shall not pass ! Not while I've got soap and a brush and a pulse.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by 51A »

Not sure where to put this but:

Re: Courgettes

I always made the base of any chilli/bol dishes for my children basically a ratatouille style ragout thingy, so if you have any spare courgettes, bung them in there. Gave them their 5-a-day in 1 dish (olive oil and olives, red pepper, green pepper, onions, tomatoes, courgettes, carrots, beetroot, aubergines, garlic, large handfuls of herbs, anything you have to hand or need to use up). Surprisingly yummy every time.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

51A wrote:Not sure where to put this but:

Re: Courgettes

I always made the base of any chilli/bol dishes for my children basically a ratatouille style ragout thingy, so if you have any spare courgettes, bung them in there. Gave them their 5-a-day in 1 dish (olive oil and olives, red pepper, green pepper, onions, tomatoes, courgettes, carrots, beetroot, aubergines, garlic, large handfuls of herbs, anything you have to hand or need to use up). Surprisingly yummy every time.

I'll start a recipe/food thread, we had one on the old FTN site.
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

Breakfast, these days, consists of a handful of increasing tiny but burstingly sweet tomatoes from the vine varieties I have grown this year. I pulled them from the vines about five days ago, all still green, and set them on a cake-stand on the kitchen window-sill - where they will catch what sun gets through – together with a ripening banana.

Some people recommend putting unripe toms in a closed drawer – again with a banana – but I find that a sunny window ledge does the job just fine. Whichever method you choose, day length and light levels mean they are highly unlikely to ripen outdoors or in unheated greenhouses, so it is time to strip those bushes, vines, and cordons, and to bring those green babies into the warm.

And do not try to make them into chutney while they are green ;)
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yahyah
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

Is there going to be enough sun around to ripen them now we're into the autumn ?

Have started my fruit drinks, have now got raspberry brandy, blackberry gin, apple brandy on the go and am going to try strawberry gin as well.

Am also soaking prunes in brandy, to make Delia Smith's fantastic chocolate brownie recipe.
You don't taste the brandied prunes, they just make the brownies really scrumptious and adult.
Am going to make them for presents for neighbours this year.
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LadyCentauria
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

Wow, you are going great guns on the making of, and preserving in, alcohol :) Makes me wish I still drank - but not enough to do it ;)

It is unlikely to be sunny enough for that alone to do any ripening – but there are still a few hours of reasonable daylight to some window-ledges (inside, not out! The real tricks are the greater warmth inside a house and the chemical/gases given off by bananas as they ripen – they trigger ripening in fruit and vegetables that are kept next to them. And it is because of the banana-ripening effect, along with the warmth, that toms can ripen shut inside a paper-lined drawer with no light. It is a handy trick to use with any fruit which are slow-ripening that you want to speed up, especially avocado and pears; but not things like strawbs and raspberries which ripen quickly by themselves, in warm conditions.
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yahyah
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

Just don't forget they're in the drawer or it could get messy !

We aren't great drinkers, don't normally drink spirits so suspect a lot of it will be decanted next year into smaller bottles for gifts.

It just seems like alchemy, like baking bread, mixing ingredients and waiting for the change.

Tried to make non alcoholic elderflower cordial in the past, too many tiny insects on the flowers ended that, didn't fancy supping drowned critters.
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LadyCentauria
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by LadyCentauria »

Moment of excitement here as the first snowdrop of the year has just flowered in my tiny patch of a garden. Time to give some serious though to what crops I'll be growing this year. I know that I'll grow a lot more chard, as I'm still picking the occasional treat of a few leaves from the plants I started last spring. And I'm hoping that all the strawberry plantlets I layered off will make it through these last few weeks of winter – if they do I'll have more-than-trebled the three plants I bought in in early-summer. Fingers crossed!
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yahyah
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by yahyah »

LadyCentauria wrote:Moment of excitement here as the first snowdrop of the year has just flowered in my tiny patch of a garden. Time to give some serious though to what crops I'll be growing this year. I know that I'll grow a lot more chard, as I'm still picking the occasional treat of a few leaves from the plants I started last spring. And I'm hoping that all the strawberry plantlets I layered off will make it through these last few weeks of winter – if they do I'll have more-than-trebled the three plants I bought in in early-summer. Fingers crossed!

Snowdrops are gorgeous aren't they.

We've had them out for a week or two, lots in the hedgerows as well as the garden.
Crocus are out too, white ones on my little cat's grave [prompting tears again] and some yellow in the beds but they are getting pecked by the birds.

Am sure your strawberries plantlets will be good, they are rampant little devils.

We wanted to turn over the compost heap to get some friable stuff from the bottom as it's been dry but it is frozen solid so will have to wait.
giselle97
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Re: Gardening / Chutney

Post by giselle97 »

I miss my garden, the birds. Now I'm sadly looking out on tarmac, pavements, little patches of green grass and cultured shrubs in front of mixed houses in that rusty/grey mix of bricks. I no longer have snowdrops, crocus, tulips and daffodils. I am also missing my conservatory and patio doors. But there's sun blazing through all of my windows and I can see a glorious blue sky as I sit at my desk typing this, and I'm already planning trips to other people's gardens!

I saw this one in a TV programme this weekend.

Biddulph Grange Garden - as seen on Glorious Gardens from Above yesterday morning.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... ffordshire

I'm fitting this in with a (second) trip to the National Memorial Arboretum.

http://www.thenma.org.uk/

Can't wait!

( :hug: to all pet people)
Happy to be called a Labour Party Tribalist as I don't consider it as an insult in the grand scheme of things!
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