Growing my Own

Blackcurrants about ready

I am almost ashamed to admit it but I only started gardening as such about three years ago.  I say ashamed because I have a degree in horticulture (in landscape design).  For years I said I hated gardening and would never, ever get the bug.  It's a past time for old women right?  At least that was what I told myself.

When we lived in England my 3 year old son saw a woman across the road cutting her grass and said to his dad, "daddy, ladies don't cut grass do they"?  I laugh to myself now when I think of it because I cut my grass with a kind of frenetic zeal every week.

When I lost my job I had to find something to keep me busy or I would have gone crazy, so I started tentatively growing some vegetables.  I went out and bought seeds, lots and lots of seeds and a small cheap propagator.  I had seed trays spread everywhere and when I transferred them outside, most of them died or got eaten.  I then sowed some seed directly outside and had more mixed success.  The most success I had was when I blagged some seedling plugs from a friend with a poly tunnel.  This was because she had bought good quality seed, good quality compost and had the icing on the cake - a poly tunnel.

Our weather here this summer has been a disaster and I have heard many gardeners saying they will have to admit defeat and put in a tunnel.  We have had nothing but rain and temperatures have been well below normal.  I heard the met office saying the last 4 summers have been bad but this summer has been the worst by a mile.  

Chickens can only look

I discovered the hard way that when you have poultry, as I do, that they are not compatible with seedlings or newly sown potato drills.  Now they are fenced out of a raised area.  In winter I let them in to clear out bugs and slugs and to fertilise it.  If I ever forget to close the gate they are in like a shot.

The problem with a small raised area is that it is necessary to practice crop rotation and to incorporate plenty of compost at the start of every growing season.  The compost is not a problem as I compost all my suitable household waste and chicken pooh is even better.


The chicken wire around the raised bed also doubles as support for peas and beans.  This year my peas are really, really late as you can see here to the left.  Normally this would be the stage a second crop would be at.

Each year I have differing levels of success with different species.  This year has been the year of the rhubarb, raspberry and blackcurrants.  But all the different Brassicas have done well including purple sprouting broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.  Two years ago I had a fantastic crop of courgettes but last year and this year they have been really disappointing. My sole surviving courgette plant has finally got some flowers so I am hopeful that at least a few brave courgettes will make it.

I only "discovered" this magnificent cauliflower yesterday and got a bit of a shock when I saw it.  This is because every plant I have grown up to this has failed to form a nice cohesive head, as in the picture and instead looked like a big lacy flower, still edible, but wouldn't win a prize in the local agricultural show.

I have read and can confirm it is true, that if you have poor soil, plant potatoes.

The soil I have had potatoes in, is now dark, crumbly and friable.  I have dug a few rows of this years crop and have now planted more salad, rocket, beetroot and purple sprouting broccoli in it. 

The best thing by a mile about growing your own is the almost smug satisfaction you get from going out and digging or picking what you want to cook for dinner.  Knowing that it is truly organic, fresh and above all tastes amazing.  And for a confirmed non-gardener like me it really is not a huge amount of work.



                                                       

Decadently Delicious

What is more decadent than dark chocolate?  Dark chocolate and orange.  What's even more decadent? Chocolate cake and orange curd.

This strange process went through my head while walking back from feeding the pigs.  Why?  Because the veg man had given me oranges for them.  They don't like oranges and the oranges were perfect.

Quite apart from why shops waste so much? But this is not another rant post!

I looked up an orange curd recipe and found this.  It needs to be chilled for a few hours to get a good consistency.



The chocolate cake recipe is as follows:
150g softened butter
150g sugar
3 eggs
100g plain flour
50g extra rouge cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder

Extra rouge cocoa powder is a much stronger cocoa powder than that normally available and gives a real richness. Try and get a local bakery shop to order some for you from their suppliers usually Pallas Foods.


Cream butter and sugar together, add eggs one by one and beat in well until pale and fluffy.  Sieve in cocoa, flour and baking powder.  Divide between two greased sandwich tins and bake in a pre-heated oven gas mark 4/190 C until firm and springs back to a gentle touch.

When cool sandwich with the orange curd.  Top with melted dark chocolate.  I used 100g (75% cocoa solids) but any good quality dark chocolate will work.







Put the kettle on and make a big pot of real tea or good strong coffee and have a slice.  Do not be tempted to have a second.  I did and I almost died!


orange curd, chocolate, extra rouge cocoa powder

Rhubarb and Date Tart

I have tried unsuccessfully for the last couple of years to grow rhubarb .  But then I read somewhere that if we have a very dry spell in spring then this could contribute to a poor crop.  Surprisingly, we have had several dry springs the last few years.  This year though my two rhubarb plants bloomed.  They seem to love all the rain and I have already got two good crops.

I made a rhubarb and date chutney and it is presently mellowing in jars in my kitchen cupboards.  I decided to try the combination in a tart and it was surprisingly good.   I am trying to reduce using refined sugar and in as much as possible using muscovado sugar (which is unrefined cane sugar).  However, you need to add 50g sugar to the pastry as the muscovado is a bit course.

Pastry
250g white Spelt flour (or plain white wheat flour)
125g butter
50g sugar
water to make a cohesive dough

Make the pastry by rubbing softened butter into sieved flour.  Stir in the sugar and add enough cold water to bring together and make a dough.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.



500g rhubarb
75g dates chopped
75g muscovado sugar

Cut your dough into two equal halves. Line a 27cm tart tin with pastry.  Fill with the chopped rhubarb and sprinkle the dates and muscovado over.  Roll out the remainder of pastry and top the fruit mix.  Cut 3 vents to allow steam to escape and either egg wash or brush with milk.  Sprinkle a little bit of sugar over.

Place in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 6 for approximately 45 minutes checking if you need to turn the tart around half way through and also reducing heat to gas mark 4 for the last 15 minutes.

I served it with some raspberry and blackcurrant coulis I made as I also had a great crop of both.  I softened the blackcurrants in a pan and then added to the blitzed rasberries.  Pass the mix through a sieve and add some icing sugar to taste. 

Tip - sprinkle some semolina onto the pastry base before adding the filling.  This thickens the juice.







Rhubarb, Dates, Spelt, Tart  muscovado sugar  coulis, raspberry and blackcurrant