Vegetarian Winter Salads Made Easy

Eating locally grown foods is one of the most sustainable ways you can feed yourself and you get bonus points if the ingredients don't need to be cooked.  In the summer it is easy to make salads but this may seem more challenging in the winter and with supermarkets supplying all type of fruit and veg all year round it can also be difficult to know what is is season and what has flown halfway round the world to grace your dinner plate.  Help is at hand.  Below is a list of salad friendly vegetables and fruits that are in season in winter and with so many great winter veggies to choose from you won't miss tomatoes, avocado and cucumber etc.  One point of note though, even if you are buying from this list do check where the produce is from as supermarkets will still often import from far away if it best suits them.

20 Brilliant Rhubarb Recipes

I love rhubarb and we grow loads at Eco-Gites of Lenault.  Crumble is a perennial favourite but each year I try to find some new ways to serve this vegetable we always think of as a fruit.  In case you are in need of some inspiration I have put together a range of ideas you might like to try.

20 Brilliant Rhubarb Recipes

- Puddings and Cakes -

1. Strawberry rhubarb crumble from Erin at Oregon Girl around the World is a crumble variation pairing strawberries with rhubarb.

Home made foods > 4. Plastic packaging > 0.

July is Plastic Free July which aims to raise awareness of the problems with single-use disposable plastic and challenges people to do something about it. As part of the challenge one of my aims has been to make more foods that I might otherwise buy and which comes in plastic packaging.  So what have I managed ... 

1. Tortillas Wraps

Not only are these plastic wrapped*, they also contain a shed-load of additives AND palm oil.  This recipe for home-made tortillas from My Make Do and Mend Life popped up in my Facebook timeline and I am please do report that they were easy to make and tasted delicious.

* I do reuse the plastic bags they come in - they are great for helping to keep lettuces fresh in the fridge and make good string packages for sandwiches and my own home-made bread.  But overall I would rather not have them and he fact the tortillas contain palm oil ensures they are no longer on my shopping list.

Weekly Green Tips #34 - 7 Foods in season at Christmas

Week 34 - Christmas Food with Seasonal Ingredients

Christmas is a great time for sharing some lovely food with family and friends ... and there is plenty of seasonal  produce to choose from.  Here are my top 7 seasonal Christmas foods and some great recipe ideas.  Foods in season relate to the UK and northern France.

Oven Dried Chillies

I have had a fabulous crop of chillies this year despite trouble getting them to initially germinate back in the spring.  I ended up with 9 plants plus one ornamental chilli I had overwintered.  So now I have a lot of chillies to deal with.  I usually freeze them which is fine for many recipes but sometimes I want chilli powder or flakes and for that I need to dry them.  I have air-dried them before but I find they collect a lot of dust so this year I have had a go at oven drying my crop.

Veg, Fruit and Foraged Foods in Season in November

What is seasonal food? 

If you grow your own vegetables the packet will tell you when you can expect to harvest the crop and this is when it is in season.  If you see vegetables for sale outside of this time then they are not in season and may well have been imported or grown under heat in a greenhouse.

Why eat seasonal food?

Food that is in season has many advantages over imported food or that grown under cover:

• It will have the best and freshest taste.
• It will have a higher nutritional value.
• It is good for the environment as it will have low food low miles and less energy will have been used than glass-grown plants to produce it.
• As a result it will be cheaper.
• Finally, as a consumer, you will get seasonal variety and the excitement of the first taste of a just in-season food is hard to beat.  A strawberry in winter may look appetising but it has minimal taste compared to a summer one.

Veg, Fruit and Foraged Foods in Season in October

What is seasonal food? 

If you grow your own vegetables the packet will tell you when you can expect to harvest the crop and this is when it is in season.  If you see vegetables for sale outside of this time then they are not in season and may well have been imported or grown under heat in a greenhouse.

Why eat seasonal food?

Food that is in season has many advantages over imported food or that grown under cover:

• It will have the best and freshest taste.
• It will have a higher nutritional value.
• It is good for the environment as it will have low food low miles and less energy will have been used than glass-grown plants to produce it.
• As a result it will be cheaper.
• Finally, as a consumer, you will get seasonal variety and the excitement of the first taste of a just in-season food is hard to beat.  A strawberry in winter may look appetising but it has minimal taste compared to a summer one.

10 Cracking Courgette Recipes

Are you beginning to get fed up of the site of home grown courgettes? 

Every year I await with great eagerness as the first small fruit swell at what seems such a slovenly rate and then - BOOM - such a short time later you are suddenly drowning in courgettes accompanied by howls of "Not more courgettes" from the boys at every meal!  If that is you or you simply fancy ringing the courgette changes here are some recipe you might like to try  .... and one additional use for these summer beauties.

Weekly Green Tips #9 - 7 Ways To Not Waste Bread

Week 9 - 7 Ways to not waste bread

Did you know that in the UK alone 24 million slices of bread are thrown away EVERY day?  That is an obscene amount of waste that landfill cannot keep taking.  Now I know we all fall victim to that odd slice of bread that gets left in the bread bin and gathers an interesting population of mould but overall I am not talking about that.  I am talking about the millions of slices of slightly stale and/or dry bread that are chucked away when, with a little imagination they could be used to create tasty meals.  There are also some simple things you can do to reduce how much stale bread you end up with.  Read on for my 7 tips.

Veg, Fruit and Foraged Foods in Season in May

What is seasonal food? 

If you grow your own vegetables the packet will tell you when you can expect to harvest the crop and this is when it is in season.  If you see vegetables for sale outside of this time then they are not in season and may well have been imported or grown under heat in a greenhouse.

Why eat seasonal food?

Food that is in season has many advantages over imported food or that grown under cover:

• It will have the best and freshest taste.
• It will have a higher nutritional value.
• It is good for the environment as it will have low food low miles and less energy will have been used than glass-grown plants to produce it.
• As a result it will be cheaper.
• Finally, as a consumer, you will get seasonal variety and the excitement of the first taste of a just in-season food is hard to beat.  A strawberry in winter may look appetising but it has minimal taste compared to a summer one.

Veg, Fruit and Foraged Foods in Season in April

What is seasonal food? 

If you grow your own vegetables the packet will tell you when you can expect to harvest the crop and this is when it is in season.  If you see vegetables for sales outside of this time then they are not in season and may well have been imported or grown under heat in a greenhouse.

Why eat seasonal food?

Food that is in season has many advantages over imported food or that grown under cover:

10 Brilliant Blackberry Recipes

The blackberries around Eco-Gites of Lenault are absolutely fabulous this year - I have never seen so many or so large and they taste fabulous.  I am picking loads and whilst I love them stewed with apple on top of my breakfast porridge and have come up with a Blackberry and Apple Cake recipe I have been searching for more inspiration. Below you'll find the 10 best blackberry recipes I have come across from fellow bloggers.  Read, enjoy and then head out and pick some blackberries!

10 Brilliant Blackberry Recipes

1.  Individual Baked Blackberry Cheesecakes from Caroline at My Family Ties.  Perfect for a summer party.

Image with permission from My Family Ties

2.  Self Saucing Blackberry and Apple Pudding from Sarah James writing at Tales from the Kitchen Shed, a fabulous warm pudding for when the nights draw in.

Image with permission from Tales from the Kitchen Shed

3.  Blackberry Breakfast Pops from Elizabeth blogging at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary up in Shetland.

Image with permission from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

4.  Blackberry Lollipops are sure to be a big hit with children (and possibly quite a few adults too!) and are brought to you from Jane Sarchet at Hedgecomers.

Image with permission from Hedgecomers

5.  Blackberry and Apple Crumble is a favourite of mine and this is a fabulous recipe I reckon you'll make time and time again from Julie at Julie's Family Kitchen.

Image with permission from Julie's Family Kitchen

6.  Blackberry, Elderberry and Damson Jelly is such a treat on hot toast at any time and this recipe is from Ness at JibberJabberUK.

Image with permission from JibberJabberUK

7.  Blackberry Liqueur is another great way to preserve blackberries and this recipe comes from Nicky who blogs at Colour it Green.

Image with permission from Colour it Green

Not all blackberry recipes have to be sweet.  Here are some savoury examples I love:

8.  Blackberry Garlic and Bay Vinegar will bring a really interesting zing to your salad dressings but can also be used as a glaze and with the pulled pork recipe below, both from Ema and Peter at De Tour Coeur Limousin:

Image with permission from De Tout Coeur Limousin

9.  Blackberry Pulled Pork  - blackberries go well with pork so don't just save them for dessert.

Image with permission from De Tout Coeur Limousin

10.  Grilled Chicken and Goat Cheese Salad with Blackberry Vinagraitte is anther lovely savoury recipe using blackberries from Danae Halliday at Reciperunner.  It's healthy too!
 

Image with permission from Reciperunner

I hope I have given you at least one recipe, here, to tickle your taste buds.  I have tried 6 of them or at least very close variants but I want to try all of them now.  I suppose I'd better get my basket out and go and pick some more blackberries then ...

Do you have a favourite blackberry recipe or any unusual twists on the ones given?  Please do let us know in a comment.

From Eco-Gites of Lenault

Home-made roasted tomato Passata

When you have a glut of tomatoes, passata is a great way to preserve them and this way of making it is really easy.  Passata is a thick purée of raw tomatoes, known in Italy as passata di pomodoro and a basic store cupboard staple of every Italian cook but I make my own cooked variety.

Passata

Ingredients

• Ripe tomatoes (Plum tomatoes do make the best passata in my view)
• Onion
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Herbs (optional)

 

Method

1. Cut the tomatoes in half (or quarters if very large).
2. Place in a roasting tray together with one chopped onion.
3. Season well and add 1 flat tsp sugar.  Add herbs if liked (basil, thyme, marjoram and oregano all work well) and mix well.
4. Cook at 180º for about ½hr until they are soft and their juices are flowing
5. Allow to cool a little and then blend roughly (this makes the next stage easier).
6. Press the blended tomatoes through a sieve.  I use a wooden darning mushroom to help push them through but the back of a large spoon would also work.

The resulting passata can then either be used fresh or for future use it can be frozen or bottled in preserving jars.

Roasted tomatoes

Making passata

Sieving the blended tomatoes to produce passata

I find passata an invaluable ingredient to have to hand and I use it in so many dishes:

• Base for pasta Sauce
• Added to mince when making lasagne, chilli, moussaka etc
• As a base for soup
• In vegetable bakes
• In curries and stews
• Tomato base for pizzas.

Have you any more uses for passata?  I make loads so would love to know new ways of using it. 

Strawberry jam - that sets!

I am sure if you asked 100 people what their favourite jam was then strawberry would be up there in the top three. However for makers of home-made jam, they will know it is one of the harder jams to make as it is a devil to get to set.  To make a jam that sets easily the fruit in it needs to have high levels of pectin and strawberries do not.  You can of course add commercial pectin but that puts up the cost.  You can also add lemon juice but I have found that often this flavour of lemon overpowers the strawberries or redcurrant juice, but this is not always available.  If you have an excess of strawberries crying out to be turned into jam here's how you can make strawberry jam that sets every time with nothing more than strawberries and sugar!

Strawberry Jam - that sets every time!

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• Equal weight of white sugar

 

Method

1. Remove the hulls from the strawberries then cut the bigger berries into 4 and smaller ones into 2.
2. Mix together the sugar and strawberries in a large bowl
3. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a cool place for 24 hours
4. After 24 hours the strawberries will be swimming in  a sea of juice, drawn out by the sugar.  Add to a large pan with plenty of space to rise up and bring slowly to the boil, ensuring the sugar dissolves before boiling point is reached
5. Boil for 5 minutes.
6. Return to a cool place, cover and leave for 2 days.
7. After 2 days bring to boil and fast boil (rolling boil) until setting point is reached* - usually 15-20 minutes. 
8. Spoon into hot, sterilised jars and add lids whilst hot. 

* To Test for Setting Point

Place a china plate in the freezer.  Place a very small amount of jam on the cold plate where it will quickly cool. When cold push it with your finger and if setting point is reached the jam will wrinkle slightly when pushed.  If no wrinkles appear, continue to boil for a few more miutes and test again.

Strawberries and sugar after 24 hours

Jam just about to reach a rolling boil

Are you a jam maker - have you any tricks to get strawberry jam to set?

#NoWasteFoodChallenge

#NoWasteFoodChallenge

Wild garlic and leek risotto

Posted by Rosie

Today whilst out walking the dogs I saw the first leaves of wild garlic peeping through the cold, wet soil alongside the footpath.  For me this heralds the start of the foraging season and their appearance is something I eagerly await.  I love their pungent smell yet mild flavour and for the next couple of months will be adding them to all sorts of recipes. 

Wild Garlic Leaves

Some of my favourite recipes include:

Wild garlic omelette - if you can get hold of duck eggs for the omelette they go so well with the garlic
Topping for home-made pizzas
Thrown into stews at the last minute for a sweet garlicky flavour
Wild garlic pesto

and this:

Wild Garlic and Leek Risotto

Ingredients (Serves 4 as a main course or 6-8 as a starter)

75g butter
4 large leeks
500g risotto rice
Up to 2 litre of hot chicken or vegetable stock 
Large handful wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped if large
100g cheese of your choice - grated cheddar and Parmesan are both good or a mix of whatever cheeses you have.

Method

1. Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan
2. Meanwhile cut the cleaned leeks into 3cm pieces.  You can include some of the green part as well as all the white and the remaining green parts can be used to make veg stock.
3. Sauté the leeks in the butter until soft
4. Pour in the rice and stir to ensure each grain is covered in butter.
5. Add approx 100ml of stock and stir until absorbed.
5. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked
7. Once cooked stir in the wild garlic leaves and then the cheese
8. Serve with a green salad

Foraging Tips

• If you have never foraged for wild garlic be sure that you know what you are picking. The leaves will have a noticeable garlic smell.
• If you are at all unsure do not pick the leaves. There are various leaves that are similar in appearance and some are poisonous.  In the top picture the spotty leaves at the base of the garlic are Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum) which are poisonous.
• Only pick a few leaves from any one place and only then if leaves are plentiful.
• If on private property seek permission from the owner before foraging.
• Do not pick leaves that are very close to busy roads and you may want to avoid areas where many dogs are walked!

Do you cook with wild garlic?  If so I would love to know how you use it - we have so much here it seems a waste not to cook with it even more.

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Save our Bananas - 3 brilliant banana recipes

Posted by Rosie

Every DAY in the UK 1.4 million bananas are thrown away.  

That's 511 million per year.  

That's a lot of bananas.  

Umpteen people have been involved in getting that banana to you.  Banana trees were grown and cared for, bananas harvested, weighed, packed, transported by road and sea, broken up into bunches, bagged up, put on the self, passed through the till all for 511 million of them end up in the bin.  Yet bananas are so versatile and there are literally hundreds of recipes using them on the internet.  Most people think banana cake but put "recipes for ripe bananas" into a search engine and you'll find things as varied as banana-bread, pancakes, hundreds of puddings and smoothies galore.  In most of these recipes a bit of black on the bananas you use is not problem and in many cases will enhance the flavour of the final dish.  But if you really can't bear the thought of using the black bits, simply cut those bits off and use the rest of the banana.

Are you guilty of banana waste? Here are my three favourite ideas for making sure they are not wasted:

Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 400g tin condensed milk
• 500g pot crème fraîche
• 2 ripe bananas
• a few drops of vanilla essence 

Method

1. Mash the bananas (including any black bits) thoroughly until there are no lumps
2. Mix all the ingredients together and stir thoroughly
3. Tip the mixture into an ice cream machine and set to churn.  If you don't have an ice cream maker the ice cream can be poured into a freezer container and put in the freezer.  When half frozen mix the mixture well by hand to remove any ice crystals that have formed.
4. Once the ice cream maker finishes it's cycle put the ice cream into a freezer container and freeze for several hours. 

Note - this ice cream tends to be very hard so remove from the freezer approximately 20 minutes before serving to allow to soften.

Jazzed up Banana Cake

If you have found a banana cake recipe you like why not ring the changes in any of the following ways:

Add extras to the mixture eg chocolate chips, small fruits such as blueberries or blackcurrants, dried fruit, chopped nuts, coconut flakes or your favourite seeds

Top with an icing of your choice - peanut butter icing goes well or a rich chocolate fudge topping.

Caramelised Bananas

In a pan, sauté 2-3 sliced bananas in 20-30g melted butter until soft and heated through.  Stir in brown sugar to taste (approx 2 tbsp) and stir until it starts to caramelise.  If you want add 2-3 tbsp alcohol of your choice which you can flambé for a real touch of decadence.  Serve with cream or the banana ice cream above.

Do you a favourite way to use up bananas?  Let's get sharing our best ideas and save 511 millions bananas from being wasted this year.

And for some information on why we waste food click here.  Identifying what causes us to bin food is the first step in reducing the waste.

Ginger Café Gourmand

Posted by Rosie

A popular dessert in France is a Café Gourmand, a cup of espresso (or tea/hot chocolate) served with a selection of mini desserts.  I love this way of eating dessert as you get to try more than one pudding without totally pigging out.  For the last few Christmases we have done a Christmas Café Gourmand and this year we continued the tradition but with a ginger theme.


So what did we have?

A cup of coffee/lemon and ginger tea or hot chocolate depending on taste!
A mini ginger cheesecake with rhubarb topping
Ginger cake
Ginger ice cream
Squirty cream with marrow and ginger jam.

Ginger Café Gourmand

It made a fitting end to a lovely Christmas meal, rich and creamy but small enough not to be sickly or too filling.

The cheesecake was a Waitrose recipe, the ginger cake was from my wonderful Farmhouse cookbook, the marrow and ginger jam recipe is here and the ice cream is my own invention.

Marrow and Ginger Jam

 

Ginger Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 400g tin condensed milk
• 500g pot crème fraîche
• 2 balls of stem ginger - chopped finely
• 2 tbsp syrup from the jar of stem ginger

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients together and stir thoroughly
2. Tip into an ice cream machine and set to whisk - if you don't have an ice cream maker the ice cream can be poured into a freezer container and frozen, then mixed thoroughly by hand when partly frozen.
3. Once the ice cream maker has finished the cycle pour the ice cream into a freezer container.  The stem ginger has a tendency to sink so a flatter container is the best to use.  Alternatively give the mixture a stir when half frozen to distribute the ginger.

Note - The syrup prevents this ice cream freezing solid like other home-made ice creams so it is not necessary to allow it to soften at room temperature before serving.

What did you have for your Christmas dessert?  Did you go for Christmas pudding or did you chose something different? 

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Posted by Rosie

Spiced pumpkin cake is a lovely, sticky cake with warm flavours making it an ideal cake to make for Bonfire Night.  If you happen to have some pumpkin left over from Halloween this is also a great way to not waste it.  To make pumpkin purée either steam cubes of pumpkin or boil in the minimum amount of water until very soft.  In either case once cooked drain thoroughly in a colander and then mash to a lump free purée.

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients

• 175g castor sugar
• 60g butter
• 1egg
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 125ml boiling water
• 125ml black treacle (or half and half treacle and golden syrup)
• 150g pumpkin purée

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

 Method

1.  Grease and line a 22cm square baking tin

2.  Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3.  Add the beaten egg and mix well (a small amount of the sifted flour added at this stage will stop the mixture curdling)

4.   Carefully and thoroughly fold in the remaining sifted flour, bicarbonate and spices

5.  In a large jug mix together the boiling water and treacle (or treacle/golden syrup mix), then stir the pumpkin purée into this liquid.

6.  Add this wet mix to the cake mix and stir well.

7.  Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake at Gas Mark 4, 180ºC for 40-45 mins.

When cold you can decorate the cake with glacé icing if liked.  I actually prefer it without icing but let do me know what you think.

For more food ideas which may also involve pumpkins why not have a look at some of these linkies: 

TastyTuesdays, Recipe of the Week, #NoWasteFoodChallenge and #TeaTimeTreats over at Hedgecomers.

 

#NoWasteFoodChallenge

#NoWasteFoodChallenge