Autumn and Winter Vegetables - 2 - Spuashes and Pumpkins

Winter Vegetables – 2 – Squashes and Pumpkins

I have come to this group of vegetables late in my life and late in my growing experience. My daughter and a neighbour on my allotment field have introduced me to the delights of them. My favourite vegetables are brassicas, closely followed by the allium family and potatoes. After that come the legumes (beans and peas). So, you can see that those fruiting vegetables come a long way down my hierarchy of favourites. Of course I grow tomatoes and peppers and chillies. I use them, dry them for use in the winter or freeze them for dishes in the winter.

I have given up growing aubergines. I did produce some excellent crops of these in my poly tunnel in warm years but, I found that I was not seduced by them and gave most away. I don’t dislike them but, when they are available there is so much more stuff I prefer.

Until last year, this same principal applied to squashes and pumpkins. It was a challenge to grow lots of different varieties but, somewhere along the line there have been some varieties I have learned to love , want to grow because I want to eat them and hope to store them for winter eating.

My favourites, by a long way are Butternut Squash – there are several different varieties of these and all of the ones I’ve grown have been excellent though, disappointingly, each plant produces – for me anyway, no more than 2 fruits. Okay, I can plan for that but, last year my germination rate for pumpkins and squashes was definitely not good – no more than 30%. And when you consider that in each packet of seed you get no more than 5 or 6 seeds, this is definitely not enough to see me through the winter.

Last year, I was totally impressed by pumpkin ‘Baby Bear’ which produces smallish fruits suitable for eating in one meal – I loved them but, this spring the germination rate was 0%. Instead I had ‘Hooligan’ which were similar in size but had much harder skins. They were similarly prolific – each plant producing 4 or 5 fruits. Their skin is unbelievably tough but, the flesh is excellent. I’ve also grown Justynka – not amazingly prolific but it does produce a range of sizes for medium to small and is quite delicious.

Already I have bought a range of different seeds for next year, including those which have not done so well this year. 2011 was a difficult year so I feel it is important to grow a range of vegetables which might be successful. Long range weather forecasters are suggesting that we might be into an extended period of unpredictable weather so, it is probably in our own interests to plan accordingly.

Anyway, do try some delicious and seasonal recipes for squashes and pumpkins:

Butternut Squash  Soup

1 Medium to large butternut squash ( well this depends on the average you have produced on your plot)

 2  Large potatoes ( the floury variety)

1 litre ( 2 pints) chicken or vegetable stock

1 medium Chilli pepper ( my choice is for Joe’s Long, I find them reliably medium hot even in cool years)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely chopped coriander

 2 – 3 cloves of garlic

150 ml ( ¼ pint double cream) if you wish you can add milk to deduce the fat content.

A dollop of crème fraishe to garnish.

Method

·         Wash and cut the squash in half lengthways. Remove the seeds.

·         Peel the garlic cloves and put them in the seed spaces of the squashes to raost.

·         Roast the squash – oven 180ºC  no 5 gas for 25 to 30 mins.

·         In the meantime, wash, peel and cut the potatoes into cubes.

·         Put the potatoes into a large saucepan with the stock, chilli and seasoning and bring to the boil. Simmer gently.

·         When the squash is cooked and soft, scoop it (with the roasted garlic), into the saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for 10 minutes or so to blend the flavours.

·         Put through a blender or blitz with a hand blender until smooth. If you don’t have electronic equipment, just mash the ingredients well.

·         Correct the seasoning to taste and serve.

·         Garnish with chopped coriander and a dollop of crème fraishe

·         Serve with hot crusty brown or white bread.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Roasted Potatoes – this recipe came from Philip Drew, but I can’t find his original so this is my take on his idea

1 – 2 medium onions - red onions for preference – peeled and cut into chunks

½ kilo suitable roasting potatoes – washed, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 medium butternut squash – sliced, peeled and deseeded then cut into chunks

1 garlic bulb – separate the cloves and skin them

A good dollop of top quality olive oil

A good sprinkle of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Some sprigs of rosemary

Method

·         Prepare the vegetables.

·         Heat the oil in a roasting pan until hot - 200ºC, No 6 gas

·         Toss the prepared squash, onions and potatoes in the hot oil.

·         Add the seasoning, herbs and garlic and return to the oven.

·         Cook for a further 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are golden brown and crunchy ( this will depend on the size you have cut them.

·         Serve immediately with any roast meat or with a nut roast.

Note – an excellent choice for Christmas dinner

Squash and  Chicken Breast Parcels

This is a low fat main dish par excellence, but very, very tasty and satisfying.

Per person you will need:

1 chicken breast – without skin – left whole

3 slices of butternut squash (1cm thick - ½inch) skinned and sliced – OR - use the flesh from a range of squashes or pumpkins instead with excellent results

1 piece of fruit – a pear, apple or peach / nectarine – washed and sliced – leave the skin on.

3 – 4 medium mushrooms – wiped and sliced

3 – 4 mini tomatoes or one regular sliced

Herbs – be generous (my choice is for a mixture of lemon thyme, tarragon and marjoram with parsley, but do use you own favourites)

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

A knob of butter – if you must!

Method

·         You will need a sheet of tinfoil or greaseproof paper for each portion. Spread it out and add the prepared ingredients – it really doesn’t matter what order you add them to the pile.

·         Season well and add your chosen herbs.

·         Close the parcel and put in an oven proof dish.

·         Bake in a preheated oven 180ºC,  No 5 gas for about an hour.

·         Remove from the ‘parcel’ onto the plate and serve with mashed or baked potatoes and green vegetables.

Note  This makes an excellent supper party dish wrapped in greaseproof paper where each guest has their own parcel.

·         The flavouring ingredients can be changed – spices and chillies, peppers, curry spices, a different range of fruit, grated lemon or orange rind, etc. You can put sliced or tiny potatoes into the parcel. They will take longer to cook and will absorb the juices from the ingredients making a drier dish but, the upside is that the whole dish is cooked together.

Using and cooking Winter Vegetables - Leeks 1

Using Winter Vegetables – 1

Well, I plan all year for what I will need to eat in the winter. The last 2 winters have let me down somewhat as, being so harsh and cold, my brassicas stopped growing and other vegetables like parsnips and leeks were so firmly frozen into the ground that they were not available. The shame of it! However, my heart went out to the wild life, especially the birds which were struggling, not only for food but, also for water. We aren’t there yet this year but, last year I would take some bottled water to put in a ‘dish’ for them each time I went to my plot – only to be frozen solid each time I went back. I can’t feed or water birds at home as I have 4 cats!

This year has been peculiar as I was not able to plant out my brassica seedlings when I should have – the ground was solid following an extremely dry late spring. Those brassicas I have planted have produced unseasonal results. My Brussels Sprouts have been spectacularly disappointing. Although the plants have grown healthily the ‘sprouts' have been open or very small. I was so relieved to hear in James Martin’s  Saturday Kitchen, this weekend that Brussels Sprouts tops can be used as a vegetable – cut up and cooked like cabbage – horray! My bed of Brussels will not go to waste.

As I was so afraid of not having enough leeks – again, because of the peculiar late spring weather(I think) my leek seeds more or less failed and I was grateful for the young plants my daughter gave me. I now have two well established beds of leeks, all ready for use between now and springtime. I love leeks as a vegetable – sweated in butter with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper but, I have lots and need to have a variety of winter vegetables to eat.

Do try some of these leek recipes: -

Leek and Potato Soup

3 good-sized leeks – trimmed, washed and sliced( a personal taste – I like some of the green part in as well

About ½ kilo (1lb) potatoes – use fairly floury potatoes,(I’am using Sarpo Mira or Sarpo Axona)

2 – 3 good sized garlic cloves – peeled and chopped

1 litre ( 2pints) vegetable or chicken stock

A good tablespoon of butter

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Chopped parsley or coriander

A few spoonfuls of single cream

Method

·         Melt the butter in a large pan and sweat the leeks and garlic, until soft – don’t allow them to brown.

·         Wash and peel the potatoes then cut into smallish chunks.

·         Add the potatoes and seasoning to the pan and stir in with the leeks.

·         Add the stock and seasoning and bring the soup to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until all the vegetables are well cooked.

·         Put the soup through a blender or ‘mash’ well to ensure all the ingredients are broken down. Correct the seasoning to your taste.

·         If you wish you can add the cream and stir in well OR pour a little cream to each bowl as a decoration to each dish before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley or coriander. Enjoy!

·         This soup freezes well but is best fresh

Leek and Stilton Flan

For the pastry                                                                      For the filling

175 gms (6 oz) plain flour                                           3 medium leeks(trimmed, washed, and sliced)

75 gms (3 oz) butter                                                    3 good-sized cloves of garlic – finely chopped

6 tsp. cold water (approx)                                           3 medium eggs

Pinch salt                                                                     sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

                                                                                    2 Tablespoons milk

                                                                                    110 gms (4oz) blue stilton cheese

                                                                                    40gms (1½oz) butter

Method

·         Prepare the pastry – sieve the flour and salt the work the butter into the flour until the texture is like fine breadcrumbs.

·         Add enough cold water to ensure the mixture binds ( approx.1 tsp for every oz of flour but, a little more may be needed – don’t add too much water or your pastry will be hard and tough)

·         Roll out the pastry fairly thinly, to line a flan dish or suitable plate (grease or oil well before putting the pastry into it). Trim. ( If you have added too much water the pastry will shrink when cooked).

·         Bake the pastry case ‘blind’ – without filling – in a fairly hot oven – Gas 6 or 200°C for 15 - 20 minutes until the pastry is golden.

·         In the meantime, ‘sweat’ the leeks and garlic in the butter until soft – don’t allow them to brown.

·         Beat the eggs, seasoning and milk together in a bowl and grate the cheese.

·         When the pastry is cooked, remove it from the oven and fill the flan with the cooked leeks. Add the egg mixture and top with the grated cheese.

·         Return to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Lower the heat and continue to cook until the filling has set and the topping cheese is golden.

·         Serve with a mixed salad and onion marmalade.

Note

This dish can be served hot or cold, is good for a main meal or in small slices as a starter, or for a picnic.

Stilton can be replaced by cheddar, gruyere or any other suitable ‘melting’ cheese.

Onion Marmalade

2 large onions – preferably red onions but, any suitable onions will be fine

1 tsp – olive oil

150 mls ( ¼ pt) vinegar – [I use malt vinegar, the flavours are so strong that finer flavours would be wasted]

3 Tbsp cold water

50gms (2 oz) sugar

Pinch salt

¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

½ tsp caraway seeds.

Method

·         Peel the onions, cut in half and finely slice.

·         Put the olive oil into a pan with the onions and sweat very gently until the onions are soft.

·         Add the vinegar, seasoning, caraway seeds water to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the temperature.

·         Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.

·         Bring to the boil and cook until the mixture has thickened to the desired consistency – remember it will thicken further when cool.

You can add further spices like chillies, if you wish, to enhance the flavour.

Leek and Mushroom Gratin

3 – 4 good-sized leeks

100g (4oz) medium sized mushrooms – white or chestnut

50g  (2oz) butter

25g (1oz) plain flour

275 ml (½ pint) milk

50g (2oz) grated cheddar cheese

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method

·         Trim and wash the leeks and cut into thin..ish slices.

·         Put in a saucepan with the butter and sweat gently until the leeks are starting to soften – don’t allow them to brown or they will be bitter.

·         Wipe, trim and slice the mushrooms and add them to the leeks.

·         Continue to cook very gently until the leeks and mushrooms are soft – a few minutes.

·         Add the flour and mix in well. Allow the flour to cook before adding the milk – don’t let it  brown.

·         Gradually add the milk and bring to the boil. Add the seasoning to taste.

·         Pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the cheese on top.

·         Put under the grill and cook until the top is golden brown.

·         Serve as a supper dish with fresh crusty brown bread or as an accompaniment to a main meal.

November on the Allotment - jobs to do

November on the Allotment

It has been wet and dreary for some time, allowing little opportunity for working on my allotment. I have only visited to feed the birds and pick vegetables and herbs for my kitchen. I even managed to freeze a last box or three of tarragon, parsley and mint. While frozen herbs do lose some of their flavour, I prefer them to the bought dried variety, I just use a bit more. However, for the last week it has been mostly dry. We have had a few showers, quite a bit of early morning fog and some rather overcast days but, in between we have had a few pleasant, sunny days. I wouldn’t say it has been warm but it has definitely been unseasonally mild.

After last winter’s disaster with my globe artichokes when I failed to cover them and lost at least half of my plants, this year I have been ready. As soon as the forecast gave heavy frost warnings I was prepared. I know that it is always colder in the countryside than in the city centre but I didn’t plan to take any risks. Being in the city I don’t have a ready supply of straw (well, I suppose I could go to a pet shop and buy a small bale of rabbit bedding), but last year I invested in a large roll of gardening fleece (125metres). It does get torn and dirty but it will wash (don’t put it in your tumble dryer as it will melt!). Mice in my shed, where I had stored some of it from last spring have enjoyed munching it up and using it as a bed for their babies over the summer but, I’m glad to have been of service! Anyway, back to the artichokes – they have put up healthy new growth which has been lifting the fleece and in a couple of places growing through it. So much for being prepared.

I’m glad I did most of my autumn digging before now. Although, it has not rained much in the last week, the ground is very heavy and difficult to dig. I’m hoping for a few more dry days so that I can finish the job. But, if not, it can keep until springtime.

I have a long list of chores which need to be done:

·         Cutting back the asparagus ferns – I have been waiting until they start to turn yellow so that the nutrients in the stems can go back into the roots to strengthen next year’s crop. If you can, burn the prunings which will get rid of some of the asparagus beetle hibernating in the old stems. Unfortunately, many of them will hibernate in the soil and will be ready to attack your crop again next season. On an allotment, this is just one of the problems of growing. You might get rid of the pests, bugs, diseases, viruses, blights, etc, from your little area but, they will move in from your neighbours. You can use systemic pesticides on your crops but, I prefer to just pick them off, every time I see them and crush them. While I would prefer to have a crop rather than lose it, so will use non-organic methods if I’m pushed to it, I see no point in covering my crops with the same chemicals as the food we can buy in the supermarket.

·         Burning rubbish – I’ve had one major bonfire early in November, of all the prunings and organic rubbish I’ve been collecting all summer. The ash can be dug back into the ground. Any further burnable rubbish I collect will go at the bottom of one of my main compost heaps and just break down slowly. If you do have a bonfire, stick to the rules of your allotment association or council and make sure the fire is out before you leave it.

·         Compost heaps – I have two main compost heaps and a few bins. I’m not good at making and maintaining compost heaps. I just keep throwing everything in – including perennial weeds, prunings, finished brassica stems, potato haulms, damaged and undersized potatoes, etc. When the bin area is full, I cover it and leave it for a year. Anything which has not broken down in that time will go back into the bottom of the new heap to be re-started. There is no place where you will find this as a method for making compost but, so far, it has worked for me and today I have been putting out barrow loads for wonderful compost and loads of worms onto my permanent fruit and herb garden. I still have several loads to go, but then again, I still have a lot of the fruit/herb area to clear. The prunings, weedings, clippings, etc, will go back into the new compost heap.

·         I have used the last of last year’s well-rotted manure in my poly-tunnel and have just taken delivery of a new truck load. Half of my poly-tunnel still has crops growing – a few brassicas, a few leeks, a fennel bulb or two and some chilli plants which haven’t quite finished. The other half has been covered in manure and spent compost from my carrot box. It’s important to make sure it doesn’t dry out over the winter as it is difficult to bring it back to a workable condition in the spring so, just occasionally, give it a good watering. The poly-tunnel will also need to be cleaned. This may also apply to glass houses. I find I have a rich growth of green algae growing on the inside surface of my tunnel. I have only used water with washing-up liquid to clean mine but, a colleague says he uses Jeyes Fluid. I have been reluctant to do this as I’m afraid of it damaging my ground. If anyone has any thoughts on this I would be pleased to hear about it.

I’ll write another Blog soon about winter cropping vegetables which we need to plan for now and what we can plant now for next spring, next year or even for over-winter.

Creating new Fruit bushes and plants

Creating new Fruit Bushes and Plants

Buying fruit bushes, trees, canes and plants can be very expensive, especially when you are looking to establish a row of bushes or canes, or you are hoping for a whole strawberry bed.

Yet creating your own is both cheap and easy. That said, I have not yet attempted to propagate my own fruit trees and I guess, I’m not likely to try it as I now have nowhere to plant them anyway.

But, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries are easy to reproduce.

If you already have established bushes, canes and plants this process can be done now or as soon as the plants become dormant (In the case of fruit bushes and raspberry canes the leaves will have fallen. With strawberry plants the leaves will become rather weather beaten, no new leaves will be developing on the ‘mother’ plants and established plants will have sent out runners – each runner will probably have 2 or 3 potential new plants).

Strawberries  - prepare the new bed (for my plot, I like to have an area well dug, well manured and covered by 2 metre wide woven plastic covering with crosses cut into it where I intend to put my new plants. I find that this keeps weeds under control, prevents too much evaporation and allows water filter through. I will extend the bed across the width of my plot, which will allow me an area for 4 plants x 9 plants = 36 in all. Once established, this area produces a lot of strawberries. I usually try to keep 2 beds of this size going at the same time though, established in different years. You should aim to replace a bed every three years – this is the recommended time for optimum crop production).

You will find that each established plant will produce 3 to 4 strong runners, each having 2 – 3 potential young plants. Where they can, these young plants will root into the ground close to the parent plant. Fill small pots with soil or compost and peg these young plants into the pots – use a piece of bent wire to hold the young plants in place. When they have rooted securely into the pots you can cut them free from the parent and plant them out into the new bed. Some may not ‘take’ so keep a few extras to fill-in. Strawberry runners are pretty hardy and tenacious creatures, they can be established by removing from the parent plant in the dormant season and pegging them straight into their new bed. But, be prepared for a higher rate of failure. This is not too important if you have lots of runners available.

If you don’t already have an established strawberry bed, you might like to befriend a neighbour who has, who is likely to let you take their runners.

Currants and Gooseberries – although they can be reproduced by layering this is not the easiest method. Taking hardwood cuttings is probably the easiest.

For Blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries you will need to take ‘hardwood’ cuttings. These need to be from this year’s new growth which will, by now, have turned hard. Old wood does not establish easily. You will need to cut straight, disease-free (in blackcurrants especially, check for big-bud). Using secateurs or a sharp pruning knife remove the top, close to a young bud. Cut diagonally to prevent water sitting on the cut wood and rotting. At the base, cut diagonally, close to the bottom bud.

Blackcurrants – around 8 inches ( 20cms long).

Gooseberries  - around 10 inches (25cm long)

Redcurrants   - around 10 inches (25cm long – remove the lower buds, leaving 3 – 4 for above the soil.)

Prepare a bed where the young cuttings can be established and push the cuttings into the ground leaving 3 – 4 ‘buds’ above ground. Allow 10inches, 25 cm between each cutting. Make sure the ground is moist and is not allowed to dry out. Birds, particularly blackbirds are fond of the young buds of these bushes so you might find it useful to cover them with net, along with their parent plants.

Raspberries – you will find that your established raspberry canes (as long as they have been well looked after and have been well manured), will put out suckers. These suckers will grow into next year’s productive canes. However, allow only 3 – 4 new canes for each plant, depending on the strength of the established plant. Any extras or those canes growing outside their allotted area should be cut away. (For canes close to the parent, keep only those which are strongest.)

For strong new canes which are growing 30cms or 1 ft away from the allotted area, they can be used to create new plants. They should be far enough away to avoid disturbing the parent plant. By this time of year, these suckers will have established roots. Dig down to uncover the roots and cut them free from the parent plant, through the – ‘sucker stem’.

These young plants can then be established in a new bed. Plant 15inches – 30cm apart.

Thieving magpies

I have known for some time that they were helping themselves from my gardening bag – of food that I bring to the allotment for the birds. However, I have been amused and amazed by their arrogance and cockiness. They always work in pairs (one keeps watch while the other thieves) – how they share out their spoils I have yet to see. They love cheese – which is the treat they have stolen in these photos but, I guess they are looking for high fat food to ensure their survival through the winter. Bless them, I did set them up!