Topic: Ingredients from the Garden/Lottie

[Palefire]

Ahem, I hope that's how it's spelt! :)
I made a stonking ratatouille today and it struck me half way through it that next year, I should have raised all the ingredients (bar the Marmite!!!) myself. I am hoping for some success with Aubies, Peppers, Courgettes, onions, tomatoes, garlic and maybe a go at mushrooms. We will have to see. Hopefully I'll be able to come back to this message and verify the bits that were successful and bemoan the failures.

Are there any recipes that you had to buy in some of the ingredients for this year, but hope to grow the full monty next year?? It might be a good way of charting your progress over the first few years of veggie growing - I did the tomatoes the first year, the tomatoes, the garlic and the onions this year, so I'm going for all or nothing next year! Are there any recipes you've got down to a fine art both growing and cooking wise?

Love, Palefire

xxx

[Beer_Belly]

I thought at first that the only thing missing that I use a lot of would be mushrooms, but i've just ordered two types of mushroom bags for in my garage - I'll let you know how I get on.

[tim]

MARMITE ? - what next! - Tim

[merv]

Hi,

Why not grow some chillis.  I don't buy seed.  

Booth's at the mo has the Israeli chilli packs. I got them when the pack price was reduced last year and grew them this season; and they have been fantastic!

[Mrs Ava]

Well....I only took on my lottie very late in the summer, however, I was able to make stonking apple pies, crumbles, in & outs, cakes, and sauce using apples from the 2 trees I inherited.  I have also made stacks of tomato sauce from the plants from my garden - for pasta and pizzas and have that in my freezer to enjoy over the forthcoming months.  I only hope that this time next year, my freezer is full to capacity with dishes made from lottie produce, I have strings of onions and garlics in my shed, clamps full of carrots and parsnips, sacks of spuds, and jars and bottles of goodies to enjoy over the winter months!

[Colin_Bellamy-Wood]

At the end of my first year growing, I've realised that :

...........the more we've grown, the more we eat.............

..................the more we eat, the fatter I get..................

..................... the fatter I get, the more diffficult it will get

............................to grow more next year.

I have asked Sainsbury's to get me some "hindsight", so I'd better ask them to get me some "discipline" too.

[Beer_Belly]

Colin - When the hindsight arrives can you send me a bucketful please :-)

[Palefire]

It's definitely going to take some discipline  :-/ for me to do what I have to do on my tiny plottie in the corner of my garden this winter - namely take down the once ramshackle greenhouse that came with our house and rebuild it to my own requirements - which includes seating it on better foundations. I am only 5 ft 4 and I have to stoop at each edge of the path, so I think it's time for some proper brick built foundations incorporationg beds, which the glass and aluminium frame can be attached to on top. Customisation here I come ;D. It's an exciting prospect, but it's going to be hard graft and I can forsee a bit of swearing and broken glass!! I have decide to build a coldframe adjoining the base of the greenhouse on one side, too, so my building skills - which are pretty decent for a girlie - will be pressed to the limit and much reading of my Collins DIY bible!!! ;D ;D ;D

Then, the recipes............. ohh, my mouth is watering, as I am 90 - 95% vegetable, sorry veggie :D! I will be getting all the ingredients above started off, also hope for squash next year and better leeks. Has anyone else got recipes they've managed to grow this year?

Love, Palefire

xxx

[budgiebreeder]

Try simply roasting all your tomatoes, squashes,courgettes,onions etc,etc,etc  with plenty of home grown garlic of course. Sometimes the simplest things are best.

[Colin_Bellamy-Wood]

Absolutely B-B, we have that at least once a week, and as many as eight different veggies at a time - including loads of garlic.

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