Seasonal foods

[Compo 10,328]

We baby boomers were brought up in age when readily available supermarket foods were not available and we had to make do with seasonallly available produce. It is nice to know that today we are still able to obtain some seaosnal items such as these wild mushrooms that i picked for my tea yesterday:

 

[philmayfield 6,140]

Are you still alive?

[woody 552]

Eating what is in season is the best way in my opinion. It means variety over the year, things are fresher and tastier than those raised in other climates.

[philmayfield 6,140]

I’m not so sure about that. The amount of fresh produce flown into East Midlands Airport every night, from all over the world is in the supermarkets just as quickly as home grown food. I do remember the days when we could only get seasonal produce and the “hunger gap” period when there was not much at all. The way produce is grown commercially nowadays means nothing has the flavour of old unless you grow it yourself. This applies to home grown as well as imports. The supermarket shelves would look pretty bare in December if we relied on home grown produce. I don’t fancy eating strawberries at Christmas but they will be just as tasteless as those grown in the polytunnels here in summer. The only fresh produce in our garden at the moment are bay leaves!

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

On the Christmas menu will be Firestorm runner beans, grown in buckets, Kelvedon Wonder peas, grown in two large wooden boxes, cauliflower Snowball and calabrese Green Magic grown in pots, all frozen by SWMBO. Potato Picasso grown in dustbins and now in store in the shed, finally black kale growing in the potato bins just out side the back door and if I am lucky some purple sprouting broccoli will be ready.

[philmayfield 6,140]

I think that’s a great achievement. Congratulations! Enjoy your festive food. I’m very envious.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

^^^^^^Phil now't clever mate I don't have a choice, my back is either pond water or paving so nearly 30 odd years ago I started growing in containers just to prove to an old friend it could be done. Now everything is grown that way, over that time the lady has perfected the art of freezing fresh veg by trial and error so now we can eat our own most of the year.

 

My mate now dead unfortunately had an allotment and issued the challenge so I took him up and bugger me after a couple of years he gave up the allotment and digging and started growing on his back like me.

 

It has become a very popular way to do things the seed people have even started cultivating plants just for containers.

[denshaw 2,872]

I grew some Rocket lettuce but it went off.

[Compo 10,328]

16 hours ago, philmayfield said:

.....The only fresh produce in our garden at the moment are bay leaves!

 

I still have Sprouts, parsnips, leeks, swedes and herbs in the garden, Phil.  Plus some Wood Blewits (Photos above) and some Rowan and sea buckthorn berries.  I ususally leave the berries for the brds because they are so much trouble to prepare.

[Compo 10,328]

10 hours ago, denshaw said:

I grew some Rocket lettuce but it went off.

 

Boom! Boom!...

[Compo 10,328]

This year SWMBO has used many of our apples to make two batches of apple wine.  It is like a still cider but sttronger.  yummy!

[philmayfield 6,140]

3 hours ago, Compo said:

 

I still have Sprouts, parsnips, leeks, swedes and herbs in the garden, Phil.  Plus some Wood Blewits (Photos above) and some Rowan and sea buckthorn berries.  I ususally leave the berries for the brds because they are so much trouble to prepare.

I only grow new potatoes, broad beans, kidney beans and courgettes outside and tomatoes, aubergines and cucumbers in the greenhouses. I did manage to make the new potatoes last up to Christmas last year. I grow four acres of hay but I just can’t bring myself to eat it. I should grow more, I’ve got the space but not the time!

[Compo 10,328]

You couild become a vegetarian and eat the hay, Phil - it would save lots of money and cooking

[philmayfield 6,140]

1 hour ago, Compo said:

You couild become a vegetarian and eat the hay, Phil - it would save lots of money and cooking

Wife's sister's horses have taken it. Perhaps next year.

[Compo 10,328]

Is she a vegetarian perchance?

[philmayfield 6,140]

Funny you should ask that- but yes, she is!

[Compo 10,328]

There you go then - she's getting food for a year for free!  Become a veggy and eat yer own crops

[philmayfield 6,140]

Have you tried wholly vegetarian meals? I love home grown veg but I feel a small meat supplement is required for flavour. Most vegetarians I know are just a tiny bit weird.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

If god wanted you to be vegetarian he would not have made sheep taste like ............lamb.................

[PeverilPeril 3,283]

Brace of Pheasants came my way yesterday. Dressed them thisafto and tomorrow they will be slow roasted with our own cidre and apples and bacon. 

[FLY2 10,108]

Years ago, when I grew much of my own veg, I had at this time of the year leeks, parsnips, perpetual spinach and sprouts. 

A good crop too, as I mixed all my chicken pooh into the compost heap. 

[Compo 10,328]

On 19/12/2017 at 10:06 AM, philmayfield said:

Have you tried wholly vegetarian meals? I love home grown veg but I feel a small meat supplement is required for flavour. Most vegetarians I know are just a tiny bit weird.

 

My daughter-in-law is a VEGAN! It is near impossible to find foods that she can eat.  As me mam would have said "She's a right faddy bogger!"

[Compo 10,328]

How can anyone want to be vegetaian when there is BACON!

[philmayfield 6,140]

14 hours ago, PeverilPeril said:

Brace of Pheasants came my way yesterday. Dressed them thisafto and tomorrow they will be slow roasted with our own cidre and apples and bacon. 

Many a fine brace of pheasants regularly stroll past my kitchen window. Whilst I would be happy to eat them I just don’t have the heart to pick them off. A few years ago I would have done but age has mellowed me!

[plantfit 7,597]

In me back garden

 

 

Rog