Not long til summer...

Although the winter solstice is still almost a week away, you might be interested to know that we've pretty much reached the darkest evening of the year. The sunset times here in Reading are 1555 for tonight, tomorrow and Thursday, and then 1556 on Friday. Hurrah! :)

Sunflower seeds

Probably not for eating... probably for sowing next year. I have plans for a bit of guerilla gardening!

Sad news - the council have chopped down (or perhaps dug up) the cherry plums in Kings Road Garden. They produced such abundant sweet fruit, and were some of the first I found in Reading. Poor little trees :(

Seasonal cooking :)

Today's harvest consisted mostly of nettles and jerusalem artichokes, so I made nettle and jerusalem artichoke soup. The ingredients were onions + potatoes + artichokes + nettles + seasoning. It was ok - full of healthy goodness but a little bland. My plan for tomorrow is to add more flavour, which I've decided will come from crab apples and perhaps a bit of cinnamon. The resulting concoction will either be a work of genius or a complete disaster! I'll keep you posted...

Today's photos

Alexanders likes to grow by the sea, and there are lots of new shoots at the moment. I'm still learning about this plant, and now I've found a "patch" I'm watching (and nibbling) with interest...



Tomatoes like to grow pretty much anywhere, I think. I've often seen them poking out through cracks in the pavement, but this is about the biggest feral tomato plantation I've come across. Lots of flowers - shame it's too late in the year for fruit (not that I'd eat any having seen the source of fertiliser!)...

Chestnut roast recipe

I made a nut roast with (some of) my foraged chestnuts:

RECIPE

a few tiny courgettes (or other veg)
a few shallots (or onions)
150g chopped cashew nuts
150g chopped chestnuts (or chestnut puree, which gives a smoother texture)
1 egg, lightly beaten
100g breadcrumbs
a few drops of soy sauce (or a dash of marmite)
chopped sage (or other herbs)

Fry shallots and courgettes til soft. Remove from heat and stir in other ingredients. Squish mixture into greased loaf tin, and roast in medium oven for, um, 40 mins to 1 hour. Simples!

This recipe is an adaptation of one regularly used by my ex, Paul. He makes his version (very well indeed) with chestnut puree. The ingredients and quantities are very much open to interpretation. I'm thinking of trying one with a bit of parmesan in it :)

Foraging and allotmenteering!

Is it my imagination or are the chestnuts extra tiny this year? I've collected a few handfuls but nothing much to boast about. Shame, I love chestnuts :(
Anyway, I'm going to make a nut roast with these at some point this weekend:



I spent the afternoon (day off - hurrah!) on my allotment. It was lovely and sunny! I haven't had chance to do anything constructive up there for what seems like months, but today I started clearing beds and cutting the grass etc. I came home with a few little courgettes, quite a lot of beetroot and yet more runner beans. I think those three crops have been my biggest successes this season, and my freezer is now full of them. From just one pack of seeds I honestly think I've had about 4 years constant supply of courgettes!

Harvest Festival

Last night a few friends came over* to help me celebrate the harvest! We ate lots of yummy food including quiches, pumpkin pie, homegrown salad, tasty tomatoes, beetroot, roast veg, bread and cakes (inc experimental hedgerow muffins). We drank some very interesting cocktails too such as vodka with elderflower cordial, beech leaf noyau, rosehip syrup (which smells like tomatoes!), and homebrew wine. All in all a lovely evening, and I think it might just have to become an annual event :)



* Please don't be offended if you weren't invited - my tiny studio flat is seriously only just big enough for parties of a maximum 5 people!