My Garden

Idle chat

Last post 22-11-2009 1:24 PM by EvaInNL. 4424 replies.

• 03/11/2009 06:30 PM

  In reply to

  miranda Location: Oxfordshire Joined on: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 2,976

  Reply | Contact Gladiolus murielae is now the official name, according to the RHS, Sue. I also had it down as Gladiolus callianthus 'Murielae' -  kind of annoying, that. As bad as all the software updates. You just get used to it and then it all changes. Honestly, I don't know where you put all those puddings, Sue. We should be able to roll you along with the amount you eat, but you must burn it all off as soon as you've eaten it.

• 03/11/2009 07:03 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200	Reply | Contact  Thanks for that Miranda, at least I can still call my plants by the name I bought them as instead of learning another one Yes, from the amount of sweet stuff I eat, I should be like a barrel so I must have hollow legs. sue1002

• 03/11/2009 07:59 PM

  In reply to

  richardpeeej Location: Leicester Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 808

  Reply | Contact  I can see that you found another way to use your apples Sue-in your apple pudding with toffee sauce-sounds tasty and just the job as your son likes it also! I have just woken up from a little snooze after our evening meal-we had some gammon and egg with pineapple and potato wedges with some coleslaw that I made. I put some grated parsnip as an addition in the coleslaw this time, and wish I hadn't, as it tastes strange in there-my son didn't like it much either but we will still ate it-I won't be doing that trick again! -yerhk!! Richard

• 03/11/2009 10:03 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200	Reply | Contact  I've never tried raw parsnip Richard so I can't comment on that one but the rest of your meal sounds good. It's pretty nippy here tonight, glad I moved the spud buckets into the greenhouse earlier on as we could be getting a frost. sue1002

• 04/11/2009 08:28 AM

  In reply to

  EvaInNL Location: Holland Joined on: 25 Sep 2009 Posts: 60

  Reply | Contact After reading Richard's post I just had to taste the parsnip I had lying around, also raw: and I have to agree: yuck! Won't try that again in a hurry! On a more positive note with regards to cooking veg in non traditional ways, I made roast (romanesco) broccoli last night and that was absolutely lovely! I'd never cooked romanesco broccoli before and had never roasted either regular broccoli or cauliflower before but I think roasting beats cooking them any day! I paired the broccoli up with potato wedges, garlic still in the skin and chicken thighs, a quick brush of oil with some thyme, rosemary, chili and salt, plonk it all on a baking sheet and bake for 45 mins at 180C, turning everything every now and then. Easy, tasty and no washing up pots and pans! I used to do the same thing with cooking pears (gieser wildeman, cut in halves), so now I have a new variation... As for shopping, I went a bit mad this weekend and bought loads of seeds in the local garden center. When I looked at the design I'd made for my alotment (it'll finally be mine January 1st!) I came to a rude awakening: I had not taken into account how much room everything would actually need, or for that matter what the yield will be! A beginners mistake if ever there was one! LOL.. So it's back to the drawing board for me, quite literally, but hey, I have till January to figure it all out and with the books, websites, etc that I've already collected I'm sure I'll get there! What are some of the beginners mistakes you've made and have you found yourself blushing when you figured them out like I was last night? Eva PS: I hope you don't  mind me butting in to the conversation!

• 04/11/2009 08:54 AM

  In reply to

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200

  Reply | Contact  Morning all.  It looks like it's going to be a nice day here, the sun is out although it is a bit on the chilly side. Welcome Eva, there's no need to apologise for joining in with the conversation here, the more the merrier  I wouldn't have thought about roasting broccoli or cauliflower either so I will try that one. With regards to beginner's mistakes, there was a thread a couple of years ago which you might find interesting.  I've just read it again and it doesn't seem that long ago  http://mygarden.rhs.org.uk/forums/t/6525.aspx?PageIndex=1 I'm using up some of the apples today and having a go at plum and apple jam, and doing it the lazy way in the breadmaker sue1002

• 04/11/2009 09:02 AM	In reply to
  EvaInNL Location: Holland Joined on: 25 Sep 2009 Posts: 60	Reply | Contact Thank you Sue! I"m not always sure what the etiquette is on forums like this... What a great idea to make jam in the breadmaker, would never have thought of that!

• 04/11/2009 09:13 AM	In reply to
  Roundelder Location: NW Cumbria Joined on: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 176	Reply | Contact It has come over forebodingly dark here and the forecast is for heavy showers perhaps with hail & thunder even... Hang on, it isn't April 1st is it? Jam in a bread maker? I am intrigued to say the least. Wide awake Roundelder

• 04/11/2009 10:05 AM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200	Reply | Contact  It's not a wind-up Roundelder, most breadmakers have a jam making facility on them (programme 11 on my very old one). sue1002

• 04/11/2009 10:38 AM

  In reply to

  richardpeeej Location: Leicester Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 808

  Reply | Contact  Hi all, its a lovely morning here Roundelder sun is shining and clear skies but quite cold. Welcome Eva its nice to hear from you all the way over in Holland-hope you are well. I won't be trying raw parsnip from now on either-good luck with your allotment. I didn't know you could make jam in the breadmaker Sue-we use our breadmaker about once a week to try different bread recipes, we only make one loaf a week and buy the other bread from Asda. Hope your potatoes are OK and you didn't get a frost. Richard

• 04/11/2009 02:15 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200	Reply | Contact  The spuds are fine now they are in the heated greenhouse Richard, and that's where they will now stay until Christmas. It's still nice and sunny here but the wind is beginning to pick up. sue1002

• 04/11/2009 03:01 PM

  In reply to

  miranda Location: Oxfordshire Joined on: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 2,976

  Reply | Contact Hi Eva and welcome!  We don't really do etiquette here - it's pretty relaxed and all friendly gardeners are welcome to join in. I like the sound of the roast broccoli, must try that - we sometimes stir fry cauliflower until it has dark bits on it and the flavour that brings out is wonderful.  Don't worry about the seeds, they will keep for a couple of years so you won't be wasting them. The silliest mistake I made was to get mixed up with my beans - ended up supporting the broad beans with long canes and the climbing beans with short ones. It was on an allotment too, so everyone saw it and I felt like a right idiot. Still, you've got to start somewhere, haven't you. That was about 100 years ago, though. Been up the garden today for the first time in a week. Another of the plastic greenhouses has been ripped apart - in that gale at the weekend, I guess -  but everything else looked okay. Had a good tidy up and pulled some carrots, parsnips and a celeriac. I'm looking forward to having that cooked and mashed with potatoes tonight

• 04/11/2009 03:41 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200	Reply | Contact  That's bad luck with the cover ripping Miranda, it's good to hear nothing else got damaged though. sue1002

• 04/11/2009 05:02 PM

  In reply to

  richardpeeej Location: Leicester Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 808

  Reply | Contact  Its nice to have some of your own veg for tea Miranda I'll bet it will be tasty. We are having a lamb casserole, its in the oven now it will take about 90mins to cook. We bought a rolled and boned joint of lamb and I cut it up into pieces myself. Sorry  about your ripped greenhouse sheeting Miranda, do you have any spare rolls of plastic sheeting to replace it? Sounds as though you are OK for potatoes now Sue. A friend fetches a sack of potatoes from the farm for us here whenever we need them so we buy a sack of them and it saves us buying small amounts, which is more economical. I had another trip up the tip this morning and put a few more boxes up the attic also-there's quite a few boxes up the attic now-I don't fancy taking them all back down if we ever move house  ! Richard

• 04/11/2009 05:09 PM	In reply to
  miranda Location: Oxfordshire Joined on: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 2,976	Reply | Contact Yes, Richard, we've still got a fair bit of the polytunnel material that we bought last year and we can make another cover with that. It's much stronger than the original covering. I'm doing a pot roast with a piece of beef and I'll put a layer of root veg under it. I love lamb stew at this time of year. All those boxes in your loft should provide some good insulation!