Absence makes the heart shrink and Spicy Green Tomato Chutney

So much going on... lots of posts written, blogging legs lost, inability to hit the publish button. How do you start blogging again when you've been absent for so long? Feelings of inadequacy, in limbo, gone off taking pictures of food all the time. Need to lose weight but continue to feed the children great food, can this work alongside food blogging??? Quandries, quandries...

Little starts back at school this week. During the school holidays he's learned to swim unaided, has been allowed to start cooking HOT things (it's okay we had the emergency services on standby) he's even had a few golf lessons with a pro. I know, I know, how to ruin a good walk, the shame of it...

Small starts school for the first time this month too. I cried and cried when Little started school. I'm guessing there'll be a few tears this time too. Does every mum feel like that? I always feel like I've lost part of me when the holidays end. The end of an era, both children will be at school. There's possibilities of me working - this will be an immense shock to the system. There's still the possibility of a dog too, though I'm realising that this could be a mistake if I am going to be working....

Veg Patch News: We're still getting strawberries every day. The blueberries had all gone by the time we returned from an extended trip to Spain. We got one apple from the little fledgling tree that was planted earlier in the year - we shared it between the four of us! The carrots are delicious! The potatoes are great, though they've all got something called scab. Sounds and looks disgusting but it's only on the skin and once you peel them they're superb. Definitely a case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We threw away over 5 kilos of green tomatoes yesterday - they'd all succumbed to blight. This was after darling hubs had made copious amounts of delicious green tomato chutney. It's such a horrible feeling when so much hard work and effort has gone into planting your own veg to have it fail. Still I'm hoping the pumpkins are going to be a winner and that the corn grows a tiny bit more. We've also put some radishes and lettuce in which germinated within 4 days, the lettuce should be ready within the week.

Spicy Green Tomato Chutney (makes approx 8 or 9 x 250g jars).

1 kilo Green Tomatoes, washed and chopped
500g Dark Brown Soft Sugar
1 kilo Onions, peeled and finely sliced.
250g Raisins
250g Sultanas
Handful of dried apricots, chopped
1 litre Malt Vinegar
1 inch Fresh Ginger, peeled and finely grated
Seeds from 10 Green Cardamon Pods (gently crush the pods and remove the seeds)
2 teaspoons Mild Chilli Powder
2 piri piri chillis, finely sliced
2 tablespoons of salt

We placed all the ingredients in a very large, heavy based Le Creuset saucepan, brought it up to the boil and then turned down to simmer for 1.5 hours. It still seemed a little runny so we let it simmer for a further 30 minutes. On tasting Hubs also felt it needed a little more sugar, so he added some light brown soft sugar (approx 3 tablespoons) and a little more chilli powder. Decant into sterlised jars, we did this by putting them in a warm oven for about an hour (we forgot about them), best to look up how to sterilise jars properly as we're no experts here and botulism is a serious thing, cover and leave to cool before putting a lid on.
You can play with the seasonings. Add cumin maybe, or more chilli or don't put the chilli in. We like things with a kick, hence adding more part way through cooking. It's excellent served with a mature cheddar & wholemeal crusty bread - speaking from immediate experience...

Getting tomato blight feels like the dementors from Harry Potter have arrived, slowly seeping into your thoughts, sucking the happiness and soul out of you. Should you get tomato blight , google it and learn all sorts of horrible crabby facts. My lovely friend Fiona is always good for these sorts of things, try her post here, which has some links to other sites too.. Ensure you dispose of the infected plants using special chemical biohazard suits, do not under any circumstances touch it with your real human hands as touching other things could then spread the disease. Dispose of the soil they were grown in, again carefully and without infecting the land around you, you could try calling some bio-hazard company or possibly the goverment. Do this as quickly possible and then hit the gin. It's the only cure to restore happy thoughts or soul after having a very large cry that is!

Tomato blight looks like this!

Little Foodies Veg Patch

It's been a while since I posted about the veg patch. Yesterday, Hubby picked 4 tiny strawberries from the hanging baskets and dutifully handed them over to Little and Small, they were gone in seconds. I don't think there will be any more and I think four in one go is a record as during the traditional picking and eating period we only seemed to get one or two a day.

The following pictures are of chillies grown in the garden, harvested last week. We thought at one point they wouldn't ever grow or ripen and that it would be another waste. However we were wrong, they grew and they grew very well. The red ones are fiercely hot, these have not been handed to the children to eat raw.


Thanks (infact very big thanks) to my husband I have a new macro lense. Need to play a bit as the pics are a little blurred. My hands shake when I take pics so should start using the tripod, the macro lense doesn't seem so forgiving as the old one.) Thank you darling, I do know that it was for you, aswell as for me though!!! ;) xx

What are we up to this weekend... Dressing the house for Halloween, we wont be going for it in the same way as our friends across the pond but we'll do our bit and... having a little tea party for Great Nanny.

Little Foodies Veg Patch News

Hmmm. The veg patch. Hubby, Little and Small are being very resiliant. There doesn't seem to be the same emotional turmoil that they were experiencing in the very beginning. I think this is because there have been so many lows that it's now just par for the course. I don't think the rain is helping. Summer - what Summer? Ah yes, the thing we had in Spring this year. Thought I'd sneak some pics of the cats in as they're very much a part of the family too...


Qualities you need when growing your own fruit and veg for the first time.
The patience of a saint
The calm of a buddhist monk
The resolve not to be beaten by super slugs
The resolve not to be beaten by continuous rain
The ability to congratulate yourself for trying even though your harvest is exceptionally poor for the amount of work and initial outlay (of £'s, many, many of them).

If children are involved you need a steadier resolve than any of the above.

Our successes so far have included...
The sum total of about 32 broad beans. I don't mean 32 full pods, that would have been wonderful. I mean 32 actual beans.
A handful of cherry tomatoes, most of which have rings around the top - who knows why?
A handful of blueberries (whoopdeedooo!)
1 courgette.
3 strawberries (2 of which went mouldy overnight. We'd left them on top of the fireplace to show the boys in the morning!)
A few meals that have included rocket.
A lovely load of potatoes which did 2 meals. This was our favourite success so far.

Some of the lows have included losing a courgette plant which snapped at the base. Overcrowding of the carrots which has meant they are not getting good growth on them. They do however have beautiful big bushy green tops. I think this gives us a clue as to part of the problem. Not realising that you have to put purple sprouting in way before we did. The slug patrol which seem to have trained with the SAS, they are able to outwit us but we're taking notes and will come up with a much smarter defense plan for next year. If there will be a veg patch next year that is... HA! What am I saying. Of course there will be a veg patch next year.

As most people know England seems be under some sort of cloud at the moment. Literally, and it's not just one cloud there are thousands of them and they leak a lot! Hubby mentioned last night that there may still be a hosepipe ban this summer. I can't actually write what I want to about this because it includes a lot of expletives. But if they do then I think we'll put the house on the market and move to another country, because, well just because.

As a friend of mine used to say "if you can't change something troubling you, change how you feel about it..." Wise words...

Little Foodies Veg Patch First Harvest

What better veg could you have than freshly picked from the garden. Cooked straight away and served.

This was our rather poor harvest of broad beans. I did have grand plans for what we would do with our broad beans but as the sum total gave us about 8 beans each, those plans were canned! The slugs had been having a field day, literally over night, despite our best efforts to keep them at bay. There wasn't enough for one meal let alone to feed a family of four. However, that said, the beauty of watching my husband and the boys pick them was unmissable. They brought them into the kitchen, where we shelled them together. My husband then lightly steamed them for a couple of minutes. We devoured our 8 broad beans each. They were delicious and next year we know to plant more and to stay well ahead of the slugs. Our beer traps will be a lot more elaborate and sneeky, we will outsmart those beasties!

This is our rather paltry entry for this month's Heart of the Matter event, which is vegetables. Heart of the Matter is a great blog which Joanna at Joanna's Food and Ilva at Lucullian Delights began. It has lots of heart healthy recipes and is worth a look even if you don't have any heart issues. Heart healthy food is good for a lot of things, including watching your weight... Go and take a look...

Another great dish using Broad Beans is Broad Bean Soup
(This would serve 2 adults and 2 small children or 4 adults as a tiny snack in cups.)
500g of Broad Beans
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
One pint of boiling hot vegetable stock
Half a pint of skimmed milk
1 Tablespoon of olive or sunflower oil

Lightly fry the onion and garlic in a tbspn of sunflower or olive oil or less oil if you have a good non-stick pan which we don't.
Add the broad beans and a little of the stock and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes.
Add the rest of the stock and the skimmed milk and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Blitz with a hand held stick blender to the consistency that you prefer and serve.
It may need seasoning with pepper only to make it heart healthy.

Broad Beans are also great cooked with some chunks of Jamon Serrano (Spanish Ham like Italian Parma Ham) . But I don't think that's really heart healthy... Infact I know it's not, as my father in law had a major heart issue a couple of years back and he shouldn't eat it. But he does!

Kitchen Travels - Little Foodies Russia

Yippeee - it's half term and though I'd planned picnics and lots of gorgeous summery type food this week I'm really pleased we're doing Russia as it's rainy and cold and we need more warming foods! I also now know why Little chose Russia. Children are very impressed by size, which is why they think it's a compliment when they tell you (or more embarrassingly other people) what an enormous bottom/tummy you have. They can then look hurt and confused when you announce that you're taking all their toys away and they'll have to earn them back by saying nice things every day for the rest of their lives! Do I sound like I've ever been told my bottom is big by my beloved children? Actually, I could have told them that but being pear shaped I don't think it reflects my overall size.... Children eh? Must teach them what you can and can't say to ladies..

Anyway I digress, Russia was chosen because it's the biggest country in the world. We've learned a few words. I think they're a bit young to be learning about the full on political history of Russia so we'll now be sticking with facts and figures, and of course the food.

We had Poached Organic English Eggs on Russian (rye style) Bread for breakfast yesterday. Debate ensued but we finally agreed they have eggs in Russia and must surely poach them sometimes. The bread was not homemade it was Organic Rossisky from The Village Bakery Melmerby (not our village just the name of the company who makes it). Written on the bag it came in, it says 'Russian-inspired rye bread based on sourdough from historic Kostroma on the Volga river'. So I now have to find out where Kostroma is and the Volga river. Sometimes ignorance is bliss! The bread went down well with the eggs though they didn't like the taste of it on it's own. Their preferred way to eat it was toasted with butter and jam. That threw up requests for more.

The boys devoured the beef stoganoff. Thankfully we weren't too greedy and had left plenty for them. Can't wait for the rest of the week. I've been checking out all sorts of websites but the waytorussia.net and russianfoods.com seem to have most things we'll need. This week we'll be having - Borsch(t) - beetroot soup, Chicken Kiev, Syrniki (cottage cheese & semolina flour patties that you fry and have as a dessert). We might also make the little filled pastries which seem to have several different names. The one thing the boys will not be having are the pickled vegetables as neither of them seem to like vinegar - shame as H and I love them.

VEG PATCH NEWS - It's coming along great, though with all the warm weather and then lots of rain I think it's maybe doing too well. A little overcrowding might be going on. I dare not mention this again... though if you're reading this my love I think the carrots could definitely do with being thinned out....

G.Y.O. Little Foodie Herb Garden & Basil Pesto

It's no bad thing to grow your own herbs. I love walking outside just before cooking and cutting a few bits of this or that herb. The scent is amazing and it just feels good. I've designed a few herb gardens over the years. Some a huge success, some not. You learn by your mistakes. Firstly I haven't had much success with growing herbs in pots outside. With hosepipe bans the norm by the end of Spring, in Surrey, it just doesn't happen for me. It's too much like hard work to keep filling a watering can, besides they're heavy! Much better to prepare a patch of garden where you can plant directly into. Not in a windy spot and they don't like acid soil! I've used both seeds and small plants. Both work well but using small plants gives you an established herb garden more quickly. There are loads of books to help with the technicalities.

When you first start off don't choose too many. If I had to pick only some, I'd choose - Mint, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, Chives, Bay and Basil. It's nice to plant nasturtiums which take over but they are beautiful. I'd like to grow some wild garlic, there's plenty of it growing locally by the river. May have to sneak out at night with a trowel and a trug. Torty as Small would say, and he's right it would be naughty.

Basil is one of the few herbs I grow in pots, because it's so vulnerable. It's best kept inside until June when there aren't going to be any more frosts. This is easy to grow from seed. Choose a medium size pot (about 10cm wide at the top). Fill the base with shingle then add a multi-purpose compost to about 3 cm from the top, dot the seeds around in the compost, sprinkle 1cm soil over the top and water. It's best to mist water over so the seeds don't gather in one place. Leave on a sunny windowsill and water every few days until it becomes established. It's best to water the soil only once it's growing or you can rot the stem.

You can FREEZE fresh basil. Cut the leaves and stems off, place in a tightly sealed bag and label. Shove it in the freezer and take out when you need to for flavouring. It breaks up really easily, just crumbles.

Little Foodies Basil Pesto
Fill a jug to about 500ml mark with fresh or frozen basil (I don't know what the approx weight would be)
60g pine kernels
1 clove garlic, crushed
60g grated parmesan cheese
180 ml olive oil

In a blender, add the basil, pine kernels, garlic and half the cheese, Using the pulse button, blend until it becomes creamy. Gradually add the oil and the rest of the cheese. Everyone I know has their preferences for how they like pesto so play with the quantities until it's just how you like it.
I made it with almonds once as I didn't have any pine kernels and it tasted delicious!

The Little Foodies Veg Patch & Herb Omellette

The veg patch is struggling and thriving all at the same time. It has the ability to have the exact same impact on my husband and childrens emotional wellbeing. It needs to flourish and fast. I'm avoiding involvement, that way I can stay emotionally detached and chivvy them up with kind words and good food when needed.

Some things are getting yellow leaves which I'm sure is because they're being over loved and over watered. We do have some very inebriated slugs, they caught a whopper yesterday it was at least 4cm long. Better drunk and out of the veg patch than eating our food.

They're trying to grow:- Leeks, Onions, Carrots, Potatoes, Red Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Broad Beans, Courgettes, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Chilli Peppers, Melon, Rocket, Cos Lettuce, Strawberries and Blueberries. We also have some purple sprouting which has gone in (I know it's too late - nothing like missing the boat, hopefully it will sort itself out for next season).

I'm both embarrassed and proud to say, despite neglect my little herb patch which I started last year is thriving. I'll be making a herb omellette for supper. This is something the little foodies could prepare easily.

Herb Omelette
Herbs from the garden (thyme, oregano & chives this time) finely chopped
4 large organic free range eggs
Pinch of salt and a grind or two of pepper
Tablespoon of oil for frying

Whisk the eggs and add the chopped herbs, salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in the frying pan and add the egg mix, cook for approx 2-3 minutes.
I've never been good at doing it like the professionals and drawing the mixture into the middle. I always end up with scrambled egg, so I cheat and put it under the grill to finish it. Luckily my pan is accepting of this - please, I wouldn't recommend this for most pans.

I'll serve with a lightly dressed salad and left over potatoes from the bbq on Sunday.

Veg Patch News - Tears and tantrums

Or should that read the posher Kitchen Garden News. Having looked out of the window I think I'll stick with vet patch.

Tears and tantrums from grown man and toddler yesterday as Small kept trying to pull up the fledgling plants. Big Bad Daddy physically removed Small from the garden and deposited him in the lobby. Expletives were murmured under breath... Sob, sob crying child "Mama, Daddy is torty (naughty) he no let me play in the veg patch." Sob, more tears.

All this while I was tyring to write my blog (how very frustrating!)

I quickly came up with a solution throwing an old washing up bowl in the garden with the following advice.... "Fill it with soil, pull up some weeds & grass. Let him do whatever he likes with it. Tell him it's his special garden you don't waste any of your precious plants and everyone is a winner....." Little being 5.5 raised his eyebrows and asked why everyone was so grumpy.
My sentiments darling... my sentiments.

Calm was restored...

Tips for fraught parents trying to plant up a veg patch with a 2.5 year old hanging about pulling up everything that you put in the ground.... Don't think that you can get them to actually plant the real deal and think they wont then pull it up at some stage in the near future when you're not looking. It does nothing for good food karma - you'll end up with ugly fruit before you know it. Much better to nurture the real deal yourself and let toddlers pick them when they've actually established. Better still go to Waitrose! Joke!

Easter hols let's make a veg patch

Finally taken the leap into blogging....

The Easter Holidays are giving us some fantastic weather with lots of opportunities for playing outside.

As I type both of my Little Foodies are making and planting a vegetable patch in the garden with their Daddy. We'll update you regularly with the highs and lows and hopefully post some pics. (Thank you to Paul next door for making the wooden framework!)

Which reminds me - why I've agreed to this veg patch I'll never know. I've just remembered when Little was 2 and my lovely husband had grown some fab tomato plants. Little thought he was helping by picking the tiny tomatoes still very green and no bigger than the size of a grape. He was merrily sticking them in the soil after picking. His logic was that more plants would grow and we'd end up with even more tomatoes. My normally placid and laid back hubby decided that our lovely son was not too young for punishment and started compiling a list of things that needed to happen.. Tears were wiped away from sad child who didn't know what he'd done wrong and husband was given stern words. Have just been outside and reminded Hubby under strict instructions that this is to be a fun and enjoyable activity and that things do go wrong and mistakes happen.

We had some lovely Watercress Soup for lunch. Recipe below:

3 bags of John Hurd's oganic watercress
(or 3 bunches of any watercress I just happened to have this)
4 small to med sized potatoes
1/2 romaine lettuce that was lurking in fridge (optional)
2 teaspoons marigold swiss vegetable bouillon powder
600ml boiling water
25g butter
100ml cream

Peel and cut potatoes into rough 1cm chunks.
Gently melt butter in a large pan, then add potatoes. leave on gentle heat for 5 mins.
Sprinkle the bouillon powder over the potatoes and add the boiling water. Cook for 15 mins.
Wash and chop the watercress and lettuce if using and add this to the pan. Cook on gentle heat for 5 mins.
Take off heat and liquidize. I used my hand held blitzer thing but you have to be careful it doesn't splash up which is why I use a large pan.
Add the cream and season if you feel it needs it.

This gave us 4 bowls full, which was adequate for a lunch with some crusty bread.
Spring in a bowl!