Tuesday 2 September 2014

Gardener Cook ~ Waste Not Want Not

I seem to have been doing a lot of pressing, squeezing, chopping, cooking and tasting – all in the name of filling the freezer and preserves cupboard.

Is it some deep-felt need to go through this every year – originally in case of times of hardship.  Well, not really – I mean, everything is readily available in the shops – so what makes us keep on with this ancient practice of hoarding food  against the shortages of winter – when we know there won’t be any.

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To be quite honest, even if we don’t really need to do it – I quite enjoy the whole thing of gathering in the surplus crops and trying to make something tasty out of them – and I do get quite a kick out of opening the cupboard and freezer and seeing them full to the gills of homemade produce.

Anyhoo, what did I spend the last week doing.

  • Mixed Berry Jam
  • Damson and blueberry jelly
  • Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup (for the freezer although we did have a bowl each first)
  • Apple Juice

vegetable mulligatawny soup

I thought I would get the (seldom used) juicer out of the cupboard and make the most of the over-abundance of James Grieve apples on my tree.  I was going to get rid of the juicer as it is only taking up cupboard space – then I thought – why not turn the apples into juice.  The result is one glassful from about ten large apples. 

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When you drink this tart-sweet juice, the sharpness makes you salivate, and look at the lovely pinkness of it.  It smells and tastes just the same as the apples, which I guess is no surprise – I found it really refreshing – but was it worth all the mess, and the washing of all the parts of the machine just for a glassful?  The jury is still out on that one – but I won’t throw the juicer out just yet – it has earned a reprieve for now.

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I think that’s me done for this year a) because I have no room left anywhere to store anything and b) because I have run out of freezer containers and jam jars.

The evening on Sunday was glorious – I took a couple of pictures of the veg patch just as the sun was going down ~ as you can see it wants a good sort out ~ it all starts to look a bit messy at this time of year with the runners dying back  ~ tomatoes needing to be taken down ~ foxgloves that have seeded themselves into the beds need digging up and transplanting, all jobs that I will get on with when we come back from our September break at the coast.

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I have planted some onions in modules in the greenhouse – they were in the shop so I thought I would give them a try as I have never grown them this early before – but it seems a good time of year to get things going – the seeds I sowed last week are all through already ~ even the carrots which usually take an age to germinate ~ I’m dead chuffed because my original sowing of carrots got munched by the badgers and I haven’t had a single one this year.

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And finally – I was reading an article in Gardens Illustrated last month about the Great Dixter vegetable garden and Christopher Lloyd’s book ‘Gardener Cook’ was mentioned.  I purchased it for the princely sum of 1p. It has lots of recipes on how to use up the vegetables you have grown all given in Christopher’s own inimitable style – I shall definitely be trying plenty of them out during the course of the gardening year.

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‘Til next time – happy veg growing …

38 comments:

  1. Wow! I think you and me come out of the same pod, Like you Elaine i am also like to juice my apples, make jams and chutneys and store fruit and veg away for the winter. Its a great feeling to know i won't starve for this year at least......xx

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    1. I feel that you can't let all the effort you've put into growing stuff go to waste - although I have to say that not all of it gets eaten - I preserve far more than we ever have a chance to eat. I still have chutney left from three or four years ago - it's amazing how long it keeps.

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  2. I know how you feel. I'm busy this morning picking, halving, de-stoning, and freezing Plums. There's no point it all going to waste!

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    1. Oh, and Lady Magnon has just produced about 6 jars of Strawberry Jam.

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    2. I'ver been doing the same - I had loads in cartons in the greenhouse but the greenhouse mouse decided that I had left them there especially for him - subsequently they have been removed to kitchen for processing - sorry mousey.

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  3. I know everything can be bought, but it just isn't the same as home grown produce, is it? I've never grown overwintering onions before, though my summer ones will last me through as we don't use that many.

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    1. It will be interesting to see how these get on - I expect growth will be slow but it may mean I get early onions next year - only time will tell.

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  4. There is nothing more satisfying than a larder, a cupboard or pantry filled with one's hard labour of preserves.
    I'm in the middle of a 1/2 bushel of Roma tomatoes to make sauce and I think the ritual is my knowing where the fruit came from (my garden) and how it was grown without pesticides and poisons. Plus the fact you get to control what's in the sauce, not too much salt, no sugar (as the tomatoes are oh so sweet) whereas the stuff at the grocers can come from anywhere in the world nowadays where there is little or few controls of how it was grown.
    I'm fortunate too to live in one of this country's (Canada) fruit baskets where fresh fruits and vegetables are only an orchard or garden away. It would be sacrilegious not to take advantage of that.
    Besides like you said it is heavenly to open a jar of sweet cherry apricot jam in the middle of a snowstorm and smell the aroma that is released bringing the promise of another Summer season waiting ahead.
    Your garden still looks so green, mine is beginning to die off as I'm sure that even though we are in the middle of a very humid week the cool nights have signalled to what is left growing that time is coming to an end. There's just the squash, a few peppers and tomatoes left.
    Susan

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    1. Susan - Do you use or discard your tomato skins? If you discard, have you thought of dehydrating them and then grinding the skins into tomato stock powder? It's delicious :)

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    2. I am sure it is some primeval instinct that keeps us storing food for winter - but agree it seems a shame not to. The garden is gradually going over, the beans have stopped producing, the tomatoes are finished (I still have loads ripening on the window sills) but they will all get used up no doubt about that.

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    3. For Dani,
      I cook the skins right in the sauce. It is a chunky pasta sauce and the best of the vitamins lie in that layer between the skin and the flesh. Roma tomatoes skins seem thinner than the traditional tomato and cook down quite well.
      Thanks for the suggestion though.
      Susan

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  5. You do seem to keep very busy with canning and sowing etc. Its so nice to have home made sauces and jams etc. So many people solely eat processed stuff with all the chemicals and who knows what in them.

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    1. I do try and see if I can keep something going over winter - lettuces particularly are quite good at surviving in the greenhouse - not that salads are top of my list of things to eat in winter!

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  6. Yes, I agree with you that there is something deeply satisfying about preserving your own harvests for later use. Home-grown stuff is just so much nicer than shop-bought stuff, even if the latter is readily available. And have you seen what rubbish goes into a jar of commercial chutney??? Where did you get that book for 1p?

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    1. To read the list of ingredients on the back of a jar is quite frightening and I'm not sure necessary either. I got the book from Amazon just paying the £2.80 postage - not sure how they make a profit just selling them for 1p - but glad that they do.

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  7. Great blog and great harvesting,Elaine x

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    1. I have been over to your blog Catherine but not sure if you are still posting on there - do you have another site?

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    2. Elaine, I have been a bad blogger recently. I have not posted there in ages. I mostly just post in my veggie page on F.B. and a garden group there as well.

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  8. You will remember all your growing and preserving as you are munching your way through it in the winter and remembering the sunshine of summer!! xx

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  9. I've used the Christopher Lloyd book loads in the past (his description of pastry making is great), but somewhere along the line I lost my copy. Your post has reminded me that I should try to replace it... and that I should be sowing some more seeds for winter crops before it's too late.

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    1. Everything seems to germinate so quickly at this time of year - it's well worth having a go I think. I have only glanced through the book so far but I like the down-to-earth feel about it - nothing fancy, but somehow you trust what he says.

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    2. I have just had a look through to find out what he writes about pastry. Is this what you mean- "the whole process takes little longer than a minute - and should be done with a faraway look in your eyes while you contemplate eternity. A great moment. I love it.

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    3. That's the bit - it's the only recipe for pastry that I've found with such poetic instructions!

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  10. Lovely post plus I like to give some away as Christmas presents

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    1. People always like something home-made for a present don't they - no doubt I will be passing some on this year.

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  11. A most enjoyable post and lovely photos. Flighty xx

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  12. I'm sure if we calculated the real cost of our preserves we'd have to think twice but of course it's the satisfaction, which is enormous. It also feels like the final stage in the process.

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  13. I agree but the satisfaction more than outweighs the cost.

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  14. Reading this had me dying for a bowl of that soup.....gosh, what a lot of jam you have, and so many varieties too!
    I just love to cook home grown food, you can't beat it, and it's so nice to get it out of the freezer during autumn and winter.xxx

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    1. The soup wasn't bad but another time I will have to work on getting a bit more flavour in it. You're right - there is a lot of jam - far too much jam - as usual. I am going to have to chuck some of the old stuff out I think.

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  15. You'll enjoy the contents of those jars in the depth of winter Elaine. Will be interested to see how your onions do.

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    1. It's a good job I like jam and chutney - I think I have enough to keep the village going. Yes, I have never grown onions overwinter so I don't really know what to expect.

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  16. I bought the book a few years ago in the hopes that the chutney on sale at Great Dixter was based on the recipe in this book. It isn't, but that didn't stop me enjoying reading the rest of it! I'm doing a lot more pickles this year as I quickly run out of freezer space. Also when preserving you can create more unusual flavours than those found in the shops - and without all the chemicals and preservatives! I'm looking forward to some beans pickled in warm spiced vinegar which I put up last night. First tastes were promising!

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    1. I made some runner bean chutney from a recipe in a magazine this year - totally delicious.

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  17. I miss all the canning. This year my veggie garden was a bit of a flop. I am already looking forward to next years garden. I love that with gardening we can always have a fresh start! Your gardens and blogs keep me inspired!

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    1. Some years are better than others in the veg garden - lack of rain this year has been a challenge. But as you say - there's always next year.

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