My plot is a bit of a home from home as I have a tiny flat and no garden, and I am looking forward to being able to cook meals onsite using lovely fresh veg.
Is anyone else doing this? All I have managed so far are a couple of incinerated potatoes, and Ainsley Harriot's version of a Pot Noodle. Has anyone tried making an earth oven like this http://www.cherrywoodproject.co.uk/earthoven.html, or just have some tips on how not to incinerate the potato?
I was wondering if I could do something with the garden incinerator, maybe putting it in a hole and cooking things round the edge, or putting the food inside a metal cooking tin and lowering it inside?
We got 2 of those portable gas rings the ones with Aerosol canisters. They work brilliantly. use this for bacon butties and the like. Cup O' T and Soups etc.
We also have a stand to take 1/2 barrel for BBQ. An earth oven would be good. If you dont want your incinerator you could cut a oven door sized hole in the side and put in a rack.
So long as it get hot you could use a fire pit.
my lovely friends gave me some corn last year,just picked and cooked by putting over the hole of their incinerator,blissful and delicious!!!! we are going to try and cook our evening meals up there this summer,if only because last year we werent getting home till 9pm,far too tired to cook and were eating fish and chips far too much! will be interested to read this thread to see what brill ideas others come up with!
Go Elvis,
Mmmmmmmm fresh sweetcorn. (dribble)
Last summer I made a stew/soup...used and onion, potato, turnip and corn it was delish. If I'm lucky with produce I will try it again.
Great thread! A few on our site do stir frys, most people tend to use the camping gas stoves or barbi stuff. maybe you should start collecting some recipies!
I've got a kettle barbeque, and I've roasted chickens on site loads of times.
I've got a small calor gas camping stove in my shed - two rings and a grill. Very handy if I want to spend a whole day down at the lottie. Managed to lay on a party for 6 last summer, with freshly harvested potatoes, salad, herbs etc. , followed by fresh fruit.
Quote from: hopalong on March 20, 2009, 09:16:31
I've got a small calor gas camping stove in my shed - two rings and a grill. Very handy if I want to spend a whole day down at the lottie. Managed to lay on a party for 6 last summer, with freshly harvested potatoes, salad, herbs etc. , followed by fresh fruit.
sounds wonderful,bet that was a proud day for you!
We started a routine every Saturday morning there were 2 of us having a bacon sarnie, one of us brought the breadcakes(the big flat ones) the other brought the bacon ,occasionally I would go In the henhouse and fetch a couple of eggs which we fried and added to the sarnie. This went on for a few weeks then we collected another plotholder who on his 2nd week brought some sausage then another plotholder joined the fold his contribution was a a tin of beans or tomatoes.
A patio tabe was acquired from some where and plates and cutlery appeared so by this time it was bacon, eggs ,sausage , beans or tomatoes, together with the breadcake.We collected quite few bottles of sauce,There was chili sauce, tomato sauce,brown sauce etc. We became sausage connoisseurs. The guy who brought the sausage used to look around for different sorts so we tried pork sausage, beef sausage ,seasoned, non seasoned, venison. Then one week he brought some Linda McCartney veggie ones, he ain't lived this down yet , but the hens seemed to think they were alright . The upshot was that the bacon sarnie at 9 o'clock which was finished, and we were back gardening at 9-30 became a full breakfast which lasted till well after 10-30 and we were so stuffed we didn't feel like doing much gardening for a while. I think the last straw was when one of the guys went back on is Lotty sat on his form, nodded off and didn't wake till nearly one o'clock. So by popular demand its back to a bacon sarnie with an egg on occasionally.
A breakfast club, how lovely ;D
Ha ha Growmore, I do sympathise. A breakfast club would be fab, but someone needs to referee. It could quite quickly turn into a pub crawl :o
We also use the little gas stoves. Over the summer, and into autumn, when evenings are colder, we have made a lovely bolognaise, using beef mince and our lovely veg. Stir fry, mince, or steak chunks, with fresh veg and gravy - basically whatever we fancy that can be cooked in pans. And of course, yummy breakfasts - it means we can get out of the house earlier, and stay later.
KNB. Do you have toilets on site as you can stay late. We don't have toilets & one of the ladies was telling me the other day that she checked the site & she was alone so squat down to do the necessary but she had forgotten there was a path running along the site & someone was going past the gate as she was squatting & was stood watching her.
Janet
No toilets on site granny - but we have very high and dense hedges. Plus, with four plots, we have had space to erect a little 'cubbyhole', so no chance of anyone accidentally spotting us! We were a little concerned about someone spotting us when we first took on the plots about 5 years ago, but now don't really give it a second thought!
If you ever get a chance to pick up a volcano kettle at a reasonable price (the new price isn't reasonable!) then grab it. They're extremely efficient, and all you need is a few dry sticks.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on March 22, 2009, 19:53:14
If you ever get a chance to pick up a volcano kettle at a reasonable price (the new price isn't reasonable!) then grab it. They're extremely efficient, and all you need is a few dry sticks.
i so want one of these - been looking at them for the last year - as you say - quiet pricey new - would love to get my hands on one - away to look at the on ebay again lol
we have a small one ring gas burner at the moment that we use for teas/coffees, and have those disposable BBQS which we used for my (Rosie's) 21st birthday party last year.
Mum's been after a double stove for a while now and i've just bought her one with a grill underneath for £35.99 with free delivery on Amazon. the same product is £48.89 in argos, so i'm very pleased with myself.
We've never been really adventerous with our cooking at the lottie though, i'm impressed with all of the above efforts! We shall have to have a go now :)
Rosie xx
Quote from: knbsallotment on March 22, 2009, 19:46:16
No toilets on site granny - but we have very high and dense hedges. Plus, with four plots, we have had space to erect a little 'cubbyhole', so no chance of anyone accidentally spotting us! We were a little concerned about someone spotting us when we first took on the plots about 5 years ago, but now don't really give it a second thought!
FOUR PLOTS how on earth....i would love a second,but unfortunately cant as our 30 strong waiting list wont allow it,how were you lucky enough to end up with four,never heard of that before?
rach
x
FOUR PLOTS how on earth....i would love a second,but unfortunately cant as our 30 strong waiting list wont allow it,how were you lucky enough to end up with four,never heard of that before?
rach
x
A lot of people on our site have more than one plot, one couple have just taken on their 5th!!
Weed-Digga
p.s. This is actually Weed-Digga and not Rosie just posting on my log in!!
Slightly off topic I know, but toilets have been mentioned. We've just had new composting toilets installed with some spare cash generated by charging subs that turned out to be too high. They look like little swiss cottages with chimneys. I'll take a pic when I'm down there next week. The allotment secretary has been challenged by the local paper to have his picture taken with his trousers down "christening" one of the new toilets, with champagne glass in hand. He has declined!
Quote from: hopalong on March 22, 2009, 23:47:23
Slightly off topic I know, but toilets have been mentioned. We've just had new composting toilets installed with some spare cash generated by charging subs that turned out to be too high. They look like little swiss cottages with chimneys. I'll take a pic when I'm down there next week. The allotment secretary has been challenged by the local paper to have his picture taken with his trousers down "christening" one of the new toilets, with champagne glass in hand. He has declined!
just read all of this thread and it has given me a brill idea
we at ashford ave are geting the first of a new type of composting toilets . they have dug out the pit to put the toilets on (the pit is over 4" deep+)
now your wondering wot my thoughts are
well our soil is clay and suprise suprise when they dug the pit for the toilet they pulled up some top quality london brick clay its good stuff as in the 1900,s the whole area used to be a clay pit
so with the clay thats been dug out to put the toilets on our site im gonna make a http://www.cherrywoodproject.co.uk/earthoven.html
Quote from: THE MASTER on March 23, 2009, 01:10:01
so with the clay thats been dug out to put the toilets on our site im gonna make a http://www.cherrywoodproject.co.uk/earthoven.html
Someone on our site suggested making an oven so I'm going to send her this link. I'd love to have a brick pizza oven but that might be a bit too ambitious.
We have a chap who has built a large cabin and has a settee and a gas fire in it. Every one is looking for gas cookers and he is after a fridge he can use to keep his tins of beer cold.
He has also put a caravan style toilet in another tiny shed (we have some woodland behind our plots, on a slope so these temporary buildings do not show up like they might on other sites).
Years ago, people did not have flushing toilets and any one with a shed can make arrangements to relieve a number one on site. Urine does compost safely. It is a number two which could have unsafe content and this is best left at home.
As for cooking on site, barbies are common if the weather allows in the summer. We encourage it because if the ever present vandals appear from the newly built social housing nearby then they can be shouted at and will scarper. We also get people going out and getting take away food.
I think it is difficult to wash veg properly on site and prefer to prep it and eat it at home. Thankfully too have a garden. Not too far then to stagger off to bed later.
So pleased to read that there are others cooking on site. We are quite new to allotmenteering but decided early on that we needed a few home comforts. Every time we go over, which is almost every day, we empty the two storage sheds of some of their contents. Out comes the table and 2 chairs, the camping tilley and stand, tea, coffe etc and at weekends the sausages and onions with baps. We ususally have brunch about 11.30. This week our neighbour asked us to be quick with the cooking as it was making him feel hungry, so we invited him to join us. Then my daughter came over with something she called a reject. A beautiful lemon cake, iced as well. That we had for afternoon tea. We find this helps us to break the digging and gives us time to decide our tasks for the rest of the day. It has been said that whenever anyone comes over to see our progress we are brewing up. They just choose to come at the wrong time. In 2 months we have completely transformed the weeded plot into dug out, manured and partially planted beds so we think we deserve the refreshments. We are no spring chickens, I am retired and Mary is only a couple of years behind, plus we are amply proportioned so things take us a bit of time. On the toilet front, we have been using a bucket on the odd occasion we have needed it but have no acquired a porta potti from an old caravan that OH has. Needs a good clean but that will be wending it's way over soon.
Quote from: Jeanbean on March 23, 2009, 07:38:56
In 2 months we have completely transformed the weeded plot into dug out, manured and partially planted beds so we think we deserve the refreshments.
You deserve all the lemon cake and tea in the world for achieving so much in such a short space of time. Well done! Besides there is nothing like a slice of cake and a slurp of tea to give you a break and revive you!
Loved all the cooking stories.I have three camping gas stoves and I have promised to cook b/fast for my two daughters if they will put in a little work for mom on the plot,bribery or what.
Lol June.
Quote from: PurpleHeather on March 23, 2009, 07:27:27
Years ago, people did not have flushing toilets and any one with a shed can make arrangements to relieve a number one on site. Urine does compost safely. It is a number two which could have unsafe content and this is best left at home.
the only time your humanure could have unsafe content is if you are taking LOADS of drugs
( prescription)
folk happily put all sorts of animal manure on their land!!
http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html
for a bit of enlightenment!! ;)
Quote from: hopalong on March 22, 2009, 23:47:23
Slightly off topic I know, but toilets have been mentioned. We've just had new composting toilets installed with some spare cash generated by charging subs that turned out to be too high. They look like little swiss cottages with chimneys. I'll take a pic when I'm down there next week. The allotment secretary has been challenged by the local paper to have his picture taken with his trousers down "christening" one of the new toilets, with champagne glass in hand. He has declined!
Here's a link to some information about our new allotment loos. We have two of the Kazubaloo 1 toilets (hope that will be enough for a site with 180 plots!). The units don't need water supply, mains drainage or a soakaway.
http://kazuba.eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=71
http://www.lifeisland.org/?p=262
You just have to look at this. I've got the book, and it is crammed with brilliant ideas for cooking on plots and lovely photographs of people doing it. Such a shame that the area was bulldozed and concreted over last year.
One of my reasons for getting a second plot on a different site (lots of open space and trees) is so that grandsons can run about, make competitive bonfires, cook their own lunch etc. So far basic sausages and marshmallows, but I have plans.
Quote from: artichoke on March 24, 2009, 09:43:57
http://www.lifeisland.org/?p=262
You just have to look at this. I've got the book, and it is crammed with brilliant ideas for cooking on plots and lovely photographs of people doing it. Such a shame that the area was bulldozed and concreted over last year.
One of my reasons for getting a second plot on a different site (lots of open space and trees) is so that grandsons can run about, make competitive bonfires, cook their own lunch etc. So far basic sausages and marshmallows, but I have plans.
Thanks. That's a great site. What a tragedy that the area has been bulldozed. Why?!!
To make a pathway for The Olympics
There was a campaign to preserve the allotment site as a little slice of England amid all the stadiums and athletics grounds - but it was ignored
What an amazing site, how awful they bulldozed it. I'll defo be buying the book!
There's more about it here:
http://www.lifeisland.org/?p=372