Pea Shoots: ready to use in less than 14 days!

 

In only 14 days, these shop bought dried peas have germinated and grown. With a little sun and water, they are now the perfect size to use as salad leaves, or as a garnish on top of other things. In fact, the first meal is going to bee an addition to a salmon dish. I cant believe how simple these are to grow – and am fairly sure that on a sunny windowsill, you could do it all year round. Imagine that, fresh pea shoots in the middle of winter. Not seasonal, I know, but when you’re only growing them for the shoots, rather than the fruit, it really doesn’t matter.

Why not try them over my Scallops with Chorizo and pea puree, hot-smoked trout or mackerel pate, or on top of a risotto to add a new texture and fresh flavour. Delicious!

Pea shoots – grow and cook!

Having been an avid watcher of The Edible Garden over the last few week, I couldn’t wait to try growing your own dried peas! I bought a box of Bachelors ‘Bigga’ Dried marrowfat peas at just 39p from the local supermarket, and prepared my bed. I’d just bought a set of boxes from Wiggly Wigglers and couldn’t wait to find a use for them, so this idea seemed perfect. I lined it with a bag, and cut a few slits in the bottom for drainage, then packed with compost. Next, I spread the peas along the surface and pushed each one down abut a centimetre and watered in.

Now they’re sitting pretty on the kitchen windowsill and all I have to do is cross my fingers and hope they grow!

Spring Cleaning in the Garden

 

Having had two weeks off over the Easter period, and my OH having also taken one whole week away from work, with the idea of training for his up-coming Iron Man competition later in June, we finally got to work on the long-needed task of tidying up the garden!

He began on cutting back the clematis and climbing rose from the top of the summer house as it was getting very overgrown, too heavy and was making the inside damp. So, after several scratched arms, and two days, that was finally done!

 

I set to work on the decking and summer house interior. I cleaned and scrubbed the walls, washed the barbeque, inside and out, and re-carpeted with an old bit left over from the house. Meanwhile, the OH replaced the window pane that had lost its grout and fallen out in the middle of the winter months! The temporary cardboard and plastic replacement was on its last legs. I then began cleaning the decking; something I instantly regretted. Four hours later, still on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush, I finally finished. Note to self - don't clean it in future, just stain over the top of the dirt. Absolutely knackering, and a bit like when you clean a mark of a wall - once you've started and cleaned a bit, you have to do the rest.

Next day, the new garden furniture was on its way, but the 'Bali Hut' where it was going was filthy. We let down the 'blinds / awnings' on each side and they were covered in mould and mildew. I could feel another attack of 'the scrubs' coming on! One by one, I took them down and attacked each side with biological washing powder and hot water - it was really the only way. Letting each one hang to dry fully in the sun, the mould and mildew had gone, with only a little 'staining' to see; it was quite a pretty pattern actually but I think they'll fade in the sun anyway. When they were fully dry, I rolled them back up, ready for the table and chairs!

 

Next on the list was the hot-tub which we inherited with the house. In the year and half we've been here, we haven't emptied it, and having not used it at all in the Winter months, it really needed clearing and, yes - you've guessed it, more scrubbing. So, having emptied it, the OH got into the filters and gave them a wash through while I got in the empty tub and gave that a 'bicarbonate of soda and hot water' rubbing down!

The benefits are, however, well worth the efforts. The garden looks very neat and tidy, and everything is spick and span, ready for the summer - hurrah! We're just waiting for the hot tub to re-heat the water in time for the sun - at this rate, it might not happen!

And, the blue-tits have definitely returned and are, at present, literally feathering their nest!

 

Spring has Sprung!

           

Everything is just beginning to grow and now is the time to plant things out! So far I’ve done the garlic and onions, way back in December I think;

The cabbages then too…they’re under there, I promise!

Early March saw sowing of Perpetual Spinach.

The original broad beans were blackened by the snow, so a new set was planted and they’ve begun to grow…

A second row of parsnip was laid in early March, along with  a second this week, and the first of the carrots. All this successional sowing is far more phaff. but a result of me realising last year that everything was ready at once. I still forgot with the cabbages though.

Indoors has seen the return of the ‘kits’ for peppers, chillies and tomatoes that worked so well last year.

Oh yes, the tits are back looking for a place to nest.

Lex - Found Purse

LEX,

Many thanks for your comment - I only hope you're still 'checking in' on this site!
If you still are, and still have the purse, please contact me at direbonappetit@hotmail.co.uk

Many thanks in advance,

Merlotti x

How to Plant Asparagus

        

Ok, now, I admit it: I didn’t think this through properly, growing asparagus. Only after I’d ordered it and it had arrived did I seriously think this idea through. Having researched what the heck I needed to do with it, I finally realised there was much work involved.

I looked in several books, and online, to see if there was a quick and easy shortcut to all the watering, digging, soil preparation and planting malarkey that  was apparently needed; it appears that there isn’t!

Firstly, the soil preparation seems to be one of the most important factors. You need to dig trenches that are at least 15cm deep, then excavate the sides so there’s a raised ridge down the middle: this is to keep the main root and sprouting thing on top, or something!

Then you have make sure it’s well manured and fertilised.

Whilst doing all this, the crowns should be in a bucket of water so they don’t dry out.

 

Spread the roots out and ensure the sprouting thing is on top.

Finally, push the soil back around each crown so the shoot is still visible. As it grows, pile the soil up around it ‘til it’s eventually level again.

The best thing to do before you go about this is to watch the BBC’s Gardener’s World video!

And the phaff has not finished yet: after all this hard work, you can’t even pick the asparagus for another year at least. In fact, it’s recommended that you leave it this year, and next, and only begin to pick for a very short season in Year 3! Oh well, I just hope all the hard work was worth it! Guess I won’t find out until 2012 – I’ll let you know then!

 

Garlic from the Garden

One thing that grew particularly well in the Cabbage Patch this year was the garlic. So much so, in fact, that I planted about 30 this year, so I’m thinking if we eat 0.58 of a bulb / head a week, it’ll last all year! That’s the theory behind it anyway, so I was very upset to notice that although my onions are doing particularly well, despite their crushing by the snow, the garlic shoots weren’t even up. Until, that was, James Martin commented on the fact that the garlic shoot season is just beginning, and, sure enough, when I ran up the garden to see, the tiny little purple shoots had just poked their heads up above ground!

If you’d like to find some recipe ideas using this delicious ingredient, look no further than Bon Appétit!

From The Cabbage Patch 

From The Cabbage Patch