After a less than thrilling bank holiday shift today I made the most of the late afternoon sun by taking a trip to a local Pick Your Own farm. Tuscany, eat your heart out…
They do the usual row after row of strawberries as well as the less usual…
…marrows, runner beans, and sweetcorn. (more…)
These beauties have kept me feeling great about the garden despite it turning into a bit of a jungle this summer. They’ve been unstoppable.
It’s the first time I’ve grown beefsteak tomatoes and each plant has (more…)
Sienna Miller’s take on the UK’s potential to grow exotic crops. I guess she hasn’t put too much thought into where her roses come from on Valentines but she’d struggle to get them blooming in Blighty’s February frosts. She’s not a million miles off though. (more…)
A new project from Garden Organic is promoting growing your own exotic crops in the heart of England. The Sowing New Seeds project has already found Midlanders growing chick peas, karela (knobbly cucumbers), dudi (long marrow-shaped veg), snake gourd, fenugreek and West Indian eddoes, and they’re keen to find more.
They want to find exotic varieties that grow well in the UK and start up a bank of exotic fruit and veg seeds that can’t be bought in the shops. (more…)
Highlights…
a carnivorous pitcher plant
a rather phallic fly catcher from Akamba
Lowlights…
My attempt at recreating The Good Life in Coventry needs a little work.
A brief window of respite from the ice, snow and rain allowed me to dig up the rest of our efforts from the late summer sowing sesh. Everything in my square-foot garden had blurred into one so it was a game of Guess The Veg.
I stunted the growth of the carrots and parsnips by (more…)
Forgive the crazy camera work. I was flying solo, taking charge of photography, cookery, pot washing, you name it. Sometimes two hands just aren’t enough…
Top tips…
My brothers used to hate Christmas.
We’d flock from our various corners of the country back to the family home. Having bought and wrapped our gifts me and my sis would spend Christmas Eve decorating the tree.
My less-inspired brothers would spend Christmas Eve trudging around town, looking for last minute presents. I remember the grumpy phone calls – “Would mum like this?” “Do you want that?” But I don’t remember the presents.
So about five years ago we made a pact (more…)
As promised, a clam recipe…
There are all sorts of complicated things you can do with shellfish but I prefer to keep it simple. (more…)
Tis the season for shellfish and I’m feeling clammy!
I get a bit giddy about shellfish because they’re my culinary Achilles heel. Feed me a winkle and I’m anybody’s.
When it comes to buying eco-friendly fish confusion reigns, and you’ll understand why if you ever try to navigate the Marine Conservation Society’s do eat/don’t eat guide.
My basic rule of thumb…
1. Cod’s out. Pollack’s in.
2. Buy British. There’s loads to choose from.
3. Avoid swordfish.
4. Go for Pacific skipjack tuna that’s dolphin-friendly.
5. Talk to your fishmonger - s/he’ll point you to the most sustainable fish on the stall.
When I lived in Dorset I had a go at gathering my own. (more…)
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