Happy Christmas!

Hot, hot, hot.........Ginger, lemon and honey

Sorry to keep harping on about cold cures but there seems to be a lot of it about in our house at the moment-I have a fierce sore throat so have made this amazing soothing drink-it's utterly delicious-it warms your mouth, your throat -well everything really.


Take a big nobble of fresh ginger wash then roughly slice-put into a pan with 1 pint of water boil then simmer for 20 mins-with the lid on or you end up with a very small amount ! Turn off the heat and add half the juice of 1 lemon, strain then add a good glug of honey to taste.

It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

Bath herb soup...NOT for drinking!

For a gorgeous hydrating bath to sooth that dry wintry skin why not try making a herb bath soup!


Place a handful of fresh herbs from the garden in a pan - I'm going to use-rosemary, thyme, oregano and bay. Cover with water and add 1-2 tablespoons of cider vinegar. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes then strain and pour into your bath.


Enjoy x

Something I'd been meaning to do for years...

.. I've always fancied foraging for mushrooms and have loads of great books on the matter. I'm really bad at identifying them and wouldn't dream of trusting myself to pick anything edible. So I found a mushroom foraging day with the Dean Heritage centre. It was a little weird-a few passionate old guys with baskets turned up and of we went, all 30 of us through the woods. Bit bizarre but once we got into it it was great fun. We didn't really find anything that exciting or indeed that edible but  I do feel slightly more knowledgeable about funghi now than I did-still don't trust my identifying skills though so will sadly still be buying tastless specimens from the shops!

The latest hangover cure...

I read in the paper yesterday about a new hangover cure - it's main ingredient is a bit of a surprise and not to everyone's taste - the sprout. Italian chef Felice Tocchini has developed a delicious smoothie using sprouts, orange juice, carrots, ginger and cinnamon.


I think I'll stick to having them steamed gently served up with a roast ....love them.


By the way if you have any alternative hangover cures please leave a comment - thanks

rosehip cold cure

My poor  boy has a horrid cough and this is a great natural way for getting rid of those nasty toxins:


Its  amazing that a single rosehip has 20 times more vitamin C than an orange.


To  make rosehip tea:


take 2-3 washed hips, top and tail them then leave them to soak overnight. 
Fill a pan with 1 pint of water and bring to the boil. 
Add hips and simmer for 30 minutes. 
Strain the mixture into a cup and a little honey to sweeten. 
Drink the tea throughout the day.


Now the challenge is to make him drink it!!!

Spicy stuffing with lunch at Cranford

What could be more wonderful after a great night out with friends on Saturday than a good old roast dinner on Sunday with the kids? 


We're having a chicken with all the usual veg plus a great stuffing recipe made up by Dean. Beautiful Kate has done all the prepping. Its cooking nicely in the oven as we speak. It smells so good my mouth is watering and my tummy rumbling. So here it is a stuffing with a bit of a kick.

Serves 6.    Put all the following into a large bowl with a glug of boiling water   4 slices of white or wholemeal bread made into breadcrumbs 3 medium onions finely chopped (in a blender it takes seconds). 5 good sausages. Any will do. You need to to remove the skin. I just slash with a knife and pull of the skin. A hand full of sage leaves from the garden. Finely chopped Half a teaspoon of curry powder Half a teaspoon of Paprika Seasoning - a good pinch of sea salt   Squidge is all up with your hands and make into 6 big balls.   Place on a greased baking tray or a cup cake tray and put in oven 180C for 40 - 50 mins until nice and crispy.   Great with chicken Sorry if there are any typos I've had a glass of mulled wine-We've just put the Christmas tree up so feeling a bit christmassy

The best gardening book I own

If you're looking for a really comprehensive but readable vegetable gardening book this is by far the best I own and I have a few.


It's beautifully photographed and well written. It describes how, when and where to plant each vegetable. It has tips on how to cultivate, store and cook.


It's on Amazon for £9.34 with free delivery.

I don't normally like mulled wine but....

... we spent a fab morning in Dartmouth on Sunday and came across a lovely market selling handmade felt hats, knitted jumpers etc and mulled wine. There was live music playing and thai food cooking. The sky was blue and the sun warming.


The mulled wine was delicious- Christmas has arrived early -normally I try and resist till at least the weekend before the big day.


So last night I made a bit of mulled wine-it's a Jamie Oliver recipe.


In a large pan put-the peel of 1 lemon, lime and 2 clementines. Add 250g sugar, 6 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 bay leaves and 12 gratings of nutmeg. Pour over just enough wine to cover and simmer till sugar is dissolved then boil till thickened. Turn down the heat and add 2 bottles of red wine (preferably chianti or some other Italian red) warm through then ladle into glasses.

Don't boil your wine-all the alcohol will burn off  !!!

Spicy butternut squash soup recipe

hmmmm........ this is one of my all time favourites for winter. I cheated and bought a Butternut Squash from the greengrocers this morning for £1.30- I have grown them in the past and they are delicious but they took up a lot of ground space!


So - chop up 1 onion and gently fry in olive oil. Add 2 sliced garlic cloves. Meanwhile dry toast-1 tsp of coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin and 2 tbsp of sesame seeds- crush in a pestle and mortar then add this to the onion pan along with 1 tsp of honey and 1 tsp of lemon juice. Then add 1.5 litres of chicken stock and 4 tsps of curry powder. Place 1 chopped up butternut squash ( chop to about 1 inch square) I use a vegetable peeler to skin it first then scoop out insides with a spoon*. I had a few spare sweet potatoes lying around so I peeled and chopped those too-in the pan they go.

Boil for about 10 mins then simmer till soft. Allow to cool slightly then blend with a stick blender (less washing up). Season to taste.


*I've also experimented with roasting the butternut squash inner fleshy bits and seeds for the plump little Robin that feeds at the bird table-looks quite nice - I'll let you know how that goes!

-9 on the thermometer this morning!

The fog has been hanging in the air for a couple of days and the temperature hasn't been above about -2. 


Today has a very eeery feel-all the trees are frozen, the cobwebs are thick with ice crystals. It's amazing that any plants survive, my olive tree surely prefers a more balmy climate! 


The poor little sparrows are foraging for food but the ground is so hard they are having a tough time. I've loaded my bird feeding table with food. Might make some fat balls for them later. 

Recycling attractive tins

It's a great time of year to hang on to good looking tins especially around christmas when you might buy something a bit more exciting. I like the ones with Italian writing on or a nice picture. Olive cans are usually a good bet-you need the ones with stuff printed directly on the can!


I turn them upside down and bang a few nail holes in the bottom for drainage then in the spring when your seedlings are ready to be planted on they have a pretty home to go to. 


These are my basil seedlings in an olive tin-bit weeny I know but they did grow into heavenly plants and looked great on the windowsill!

Granny's garden-the start of Easypeasy

This was the start of Easypeasy vegetable gardening. It was spring 2008 and mum's veg plot was seriously out of sorts. "We'll come over and sort it" I volunteered brightly.


So one Saturday we got to work-Dean on greenhouse rebuilding duty and Alfie and me on weed clearing, digging and sowing.


It was back breaking work but 10 hours later mum had the veg plot she'd been seeking. Alfie had mud everywhere and I had aching limbs! This is why I decided to use raised beds in future and not try and regenerate existing derelict plots.


Alfie if you read this today I'd just like to say Happy 10th Birthday today!

Hot soup for the coldest November in 104 years!!!

Brrrrrrrrr.... This is the perfect lunch for today's weather.


Fennel soup


Serves 4


Ingredients:


60g butter
2 chopped fennel bulbs
2 chopped onions
1 pinch of Chinese 5 spice
1 litre vegetable stock




Melt the butter in  a large saucepan. Pop in the fennel, onion and Chinese five spice then cook for about 20 minutes (it needs to be soft but not browned).


Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.


Blend until smooth. Stir in a dash of double cream if you don't mind the calories. It's just as yummy without though. 

A garden makeover

This is a very beautiful garden in Winchcombe set in the grounds of a lovely old house. 

'Easypeasy transformed our own shambolic veg patch into a beautifully planned area of raised beds with neat bark chip paths. Jane's planting plan combined all our requests in a very attractive design, and within a week or so of her planting seeds, the children were excited to see shoots poking through.

 A few weeks on, we are enjoying daily delicious fresh salad crops with the promise of beans, peas, carrots, beetroot and courgettes still to come. The children are still enthusiastically watering, picking and eating the veg - even spinach! I would wholeheartedly recommend easypeasyveg. Professional, reliable and creative. They did all the hard work and we are enjoying the easy and most pleasurable part of the process.'

Francis House

Competition

For your chance to win this beautiful trowel and fork set by Spear and Jackson simply tell me in no more than 30 words what your favourite piece of garden equipment is and why.


Please send your answer along with your name and address via the contact page on the website at www.easypeasyveg.net or email me at jane@easypeasyveg.net


Goodluck


See website for terms and conditions.

My garden diary

There's something wonderful about writing a garden diary. It's a great way to keep a record of everything you've planted. When you planted it and where you planted it. If your crop was hugely successful or a big flop!


It's wonderful to look back over the years and see what you were up to.... and what the weather was doing.


Planning ahead for the coming year is a crucial part of vegetable gardening. I'm sure if you're reading this you will know you need to rotate your crops for 4 years to stop the build up of pests in the soil and to stop the soil getting stripped of the same nutrients.


I often refer back to my diary which has planting plans, names of favourite varieties of tomatoes I've enjoyed and ones I haven't! Photos of the first crops appearing and the greenhouse under a foot of snow.


I hope this inspires you to do one of your own.

Happiness manifesto

Experts believe they have found the essential ingredients to make a person's life happier. In an unusual three-month experiment, six specialists from a variety of disciplines worked to improve the happiness levels of a typical  UK town. The experts tried and tested 10 simple measures in the quest for happiness.   Plant something and nurture it

Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it Have a good laugh at least once a day Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day Cut your TV viewing by half

Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day

Count your blessings- at least five times at the end of the day

....it works for me!

5.31 pm-hob action

My hob has been very busy today-boy do I know how to live! 


Top left: We've got the last of the homegrown potatoes par boiling ready to be turned into *baked rosemary potatoes at Biddy's house later, to accompany her salmon.


Bottom left: Milk infusing with clove studded onions, ready for the bread sauce that's being taken to mums for a big roast dinner on Sunday. 


Bottom right: And finally a wonderful onion marmalade made by Dean which will go very nicely with cheese and biscuits later.


* Par boil baby potatoes (allow for about 4-5 each depending on how hungry you are). Drain then toss in a good glug of olive oil and a small handful of chopped rosemary. Roast until brown-probably about 30 minutes.


My mouth is watering and my hair smells of eau de onion....time for a shower!

Delicious green beans and tomatoes with salmon

Hmmm... this is a delicious recipe that uses green beans from the garden (from the freezer this time of year) and the last of the tomatoes that are turning red on the windowsill.


Serves 2


Preheat the oven to 180c


1. Par boil the beans for a few minutes and drain.


2. Place 2 salmon fillets in a baking dish and cover each with  a slice of Parma ham. Scatter the dish with a handful of olives, a handful of baby tomatoes and a handful of pine nuts. Then place the beans around the salmon, making sure the parma ham isn't too covered up-so that it goes nice and crispy when baking.


3. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Utterly yummy-serve with Rosemary potatoes (recipe coming soon!)

Something hot on a cold day

I've just picked the last of my chillis from the greenhouse, they have been fantastic all summer long but now its getting colder the plant is starting to shrivel up and shed its leaves. 


I'll give them a quick wash and dry then place them altogether in a freezer bag (whole) and freeze. 


Next time you need a chilli just take what you need out of the freezer and chop. It's a great way to have homegrown chilli's all winter and much cheaper too!


Stay warm x

Spring 2010

This is the first Easypeasy garden I did last spring. 

It was quite a challenge but I needed to get one under my belt. So with the plot measured and planned out our work began with the heavy task of clearing the allocated space, old crumbling brick paths and sad old shrubs were dug, pulled and coaxed from the heavy clay soil. Having no upper body strength whatsover this was not an easy day-let's just say I couldn't even speak that evening!

The raised beds were then built and put in place, paths laid and gorgeous soil tipped in.

It's time for the fun bit, there's just something about planting a seed and watching it grow into something tasty that makes me happy. 

Just a few weeks later and it's like a miracle has happened-things are sprouting and sending out shoots. What could be more satisfying than popping out to the vegetable patch, picking a few ripe tomatoes,courgettes maybe a handful of basil and knocking up a salad that is still warm from the sun. No nasty cold tasteless stuff out of the fridge.

Joy,joy,joy

A magnificent ram inspired mint jelly

There was this magnificent Ram up the fields today. Wilfie and I were watching him. What can I say he was very ....macho and has a field of about 100 ewes to well....sort out. He was looking very proud and pleased with himself. Just think of all those gorgeous lambs frollicking about in the spring-which brings me nicely onto mint jelly.

ingredients

1 kg green apples
 (500 ml) water
a small bunch of fresh mint 

 (500 ml) distilled white vinegar
sugar 
3 tbsp chopped mint
a few drops green colouring (optional)

method

1. Wash the apples, cut in quarters and put in a preserving pan with the water and the bunch of mint. 

2. Simmer until the apples are soft , then add the vinegar and boil for 5 minutes. 

3. Strain through a scalded jelly bag and leave to drip for 1-2 hours. 

4. Measure the juice and return it to the cleaned pan. 

5. Add 800g sugar for each litre of juice, and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. 

6. Boil rapidly until setting point is nearly reached, add the chopped mint and colouring, if used, then boil steadily until setting point is reached. 

7. Remove from the heat, pot, and cover immediately. When cold, label and store.