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Started by Mozart, August 21, 2009, 03:28:29 PM

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Pohjolas Daughter

#560
Quote from: Irons on August 16, 2024, 06:18:35 AMMany thanks for link, PD. I am putting it out on our whatsapp group. Discussions at a committee meeting just last Monday problems raised with nine empty plots. The land is worth millions and not good to give Council excuse to sell for development.
Sign me up for one!  Any modest-sized houses nearby for sale [One with a good living room for listening to music is a MUST though]?

PD

p.s.  Though how far away from me would my friend Lol be?  :(

Edit:  @Irons How many allotments are there total?   It sounds like (perhaps) that nine might be a lot?

Irons

#561
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on August 16, 2024, 06:56:56 AMSign me up for one!  Any modest-sized houses nearby for sale [One with a good living room for listening to music is a MUST though]?

PD

p.s.  Though how far away from me would my friend Lol be?  :(

Edit:  @Irons How many allotments are there total?   It sounds like (perhaps) that nine might be a lot?

Over 150 PD. It is a lot and figures of empty plots heading in the wrong direction. Not so long ago a healthy waiting list. We see it time and time again when a new arrival in a burst of enthusiasm appears for a couple of weekends and then we don't see them for weeks or in some cases months. Your link does highlight faults in the way we operate though. Not enough emphasis in the social side of things. 
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Kalevala

Finally, I (with a friend's help) moved two big plants into my basement.  One of those, my lemon verbena, I cut back really hard (hopefully not too hard).  A few years ago, I had thought that it was toast; I had left it outside too long and it snowed and a major branch was fatally damaged, so I thought that that was it and just wanted to get the pot out of the way and inside for winter, so (to make it easier to move), cut it WAY back (figuring that I'd pull it out roots and all come springtime).  Well, guess who went dormant (with limited lighting--all natural) and minimal heating?  The following spring, I saw new growth emerging from the old stems.

Mother Nature is certainly a way better gardener than I am! 🙃😂 ❤️

K

Mandryka

Do you cook with the lemon verbena, @Kalevala? I used to have a plant, it became very big and unruly, and I could never think of anything to do with the leaves, despite the lovely fragrance.  I'm not a great one for tisane.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Kalevala

Quote from: Mandryka on December 04, 2024, 09:53:07 AMDo you cook with the lemon verbena, @Kalevala? I used to have a plant, it became very big and unruly, and I could never think of anything to do with the leaves, despite the lovely fragrance.  I'm not a great one for tisane.
I've used it to make herbal teas during the summertime (along with other bags of herbal teas).  I really should try and use it more in terms of cooking.  Must admit, the smell is heavenly!  :)  Bet that it would be good used dried and ground up (I often do this with my hands)...maybe mixed with some dried thyme (think in terms of plants "lemon thyme") as a coating on a chicken to roast (with olive oil and s&p).  Or maybe over some vegetables that you are roasting?

I should/need to do some more googling.

K

Kalevala

@Mandryka  You might want to check this article out.  There are links to some recipes though there will probably be a paywall.  https://www.foodandwine.com/how-to-use-lemon-verbena-8669727

K

Mandryka

#566
Quote from: Kalevala on December 04, 2024, 10:35:12 AMI've used it to make herbal teas during the summertime (along with other bags of herbal teas).  I really should try and use it more in terms of cooking.  Must admit, the smell is heavenly!  :)  Bet that it would be good used dried and ground up (I often do this with my hands)...maybe mixed with some dried thyme (think in terms of plants "lemon thyme") as a coating on a chicken to roast (with olive oil and s&p).  Or maybe over some vegetables that you are roasting?

I should/need to do some more googling.

K

One thing I wanted to try but never did is this (favourite), substituting the verbena for the lemon rind.


Take some broad beans (I use frozen, you can get very good frozen ones here.)

Add them to a pan in which some oil and sage leaves and whole garlic cloves have been simmering a little. Note that garlic cloves are about the same size as a broad bean, and they lose their fire rapidly when cooked.

Add just enough milk to cover. Bring to the boil, simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

Grate some lemon rind over and serve as a bruschetta or with baked potatoes, liberally drizzled with the most expensive olive oil money can buy.  .
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Kalevala

Quote from: Mandryka on December 04, 2024, 11:02:59 AMOne thing I wanted to try but never did is this (favourite), substituting the verbena for the lemon rind.


Take some broad beans (I use frozen, you can get very good frozen ones here.)

Add them to a pan in which some oil and sage leaves and whole garlic cloves have been simmering a little. Note that garlic cloves are about the same size as a broad bean, and they lose their fire rapidly when cooked.

Add just enough milk to cover. Bring to the boil, simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

Grate some lemon rind over and serve as a bruschetta or with baked potatoes, liberally drizzled with the most expensive olive oil money can buy.  .
Are broad beans the same as fava beans (which I haven't eaten before)?  I've had (and like) lima beans.  Interesting that milk is used in cooking them.  Do you strain them before serving them over bruschetta and/or potatoes?

K

Mandryka

#568
Quote from: Kalevala on December 04, 2024, 11:30:29 AMAre broad beans the same as fava beans (which I haven't eaten before)?  I've had (and like) lima beans.  Interesting that milk is used in cooking them.  Do you strain them before serving them over bruschetta and/or potatoes?

K
They are the same as fava beans. You only add enough milk to cover, and somehow it reduces or gets absorbed by the bean, so makes a nice sauce.

I think it came from here -- it's an excellent book anyway

https://www.amazon.com/River-Cafe-Pocket-Books-Vegetables/dp/0091914388/ref=sr_1_1?crid=T9DD6X44286J&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UfHw0-IKScge2TGPtYIAjQ.J_kGCW5Kvwoldw35gSx_qTf_bYVidBV2wNuZWWAOhHo&dib_tag=se&keywords=0091914388&qid=1733345268&sprefix=0091914388%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-1

The River Cafe is my favourite London restaurant

https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Kalevala

Quote from: Mandryka on December 04, 2024, 11:43:23 AMThey are the same as fava beans. You only add enough milk to cover, and somehow it reduces or gets absorbed by the bean, so makes a nice sauce.
So, you don't need to add anything like flour or cheese, etc. to thicken it?

K

Mandryka

Quote from: Kalevala on December 04, 2024, 11:47:28 AMSo, you don't need to add anything like flour or cheese, etc. to thicken it?

K

Nope. It's perfect as it is, with the lemon rind and olive oil, the garlic, and the sage.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Kalevala

Quote from: Mandryka on December 04, 2024, 11:43:23 AMThey are the same as fava beans. You only add enough milk to cover, and somehow it reduces or gets absorbed by the bean, so makes a nice sauce.

I think it came from here -- it's an excellent book anyway

https://www.amazon.com/River-Cafe-Pocket-Books-Vegetables/dp/0091914388/ref=sr_1_1?crid=T9DD6X44286J&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UfHw0-IKScge2TGPtYIAjQ.J_kGCW5Kvwoldw35gSx_qTf_bYVidBV2wNuZWWAOhHo&dib_tag=se&keywords=0091914388&qid=1733345268&sprefix=0091914388%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-1

The River Cafe is my favourite London restaurant

https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/
Their menu looks yummy [exclusive gourmet term]!  Years ago, I bought a cookbook by Rogers and Gray called "Italian Country Cookbook".  I forget how I heard about it and the River Cafe.

K

Mandryka

Quote from: Kalevala on December 04, 2024, 12:15:09 PMTheir menu looks yummy [exclusive gourmet term]!  Years ago, I bought a cookbook by Rogers and Gray called "Italian Country Cookbook".  I forget how I heard about it and the River Cafe.

K

Best panna cotta in the world. 
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Kalevala

@Szykneij So, how are your plants in your basement doing now?  I have a lemon verbena and thyme plant overwintered there...fingers crossed.

K

Szykneij

Quote from: Kalevala on January 31, 2025, 09:17:05 AM@Szykneij So, how are your plants in your basement doing now?  I have a lemon verbena and thyme plant overwintered there...fingers crossed.

K

They're doing well. I jumped the gun a bit bringing them in due to a forecast that wasn't as bad as predicted, but so far so good. I'm starting to get lots of seed catalogs in the mail, so looking forward to spring. I've been getting over a cold and with the weather cold, windy and icy lately, I'm a bit stir crazy.
Men profess to be lovers of music, but for the most part they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it.  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. ~ Satchel Paige

Szykneij

Here they are, anxious for the sun.
Men profess to be lovers of music, but for the most part they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it.  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. ~ Satchel Paige

Kalevala

Quote from: Szykneij on January 31, 2025, 11:09:55 AMThey're doing well. I jumped the gun a bit bringing them in due to a forecast that wasn't as bad as predicted, but so far so good. I'm starting to get lots of seed catalogs in the mail, so looking forward to spring. I've been getting over a cold and with the weather cold, windy and icy lately, I'm a bit stir crazy.
Sorry to hear about you having a cold--no fun.  :( Glad that you're on the mend.  And the weather has been bizarre this winter!  Probably the least amount of snow that I can recall (though I know that winter isn't over); I'm hoping that I don't have a bunch of dead perennials come springtime.

You have a bunch of neat-looking plants.  Lots of which I don't recognize.  Do you have to use a dolly to move those bigger ones inside (and/or the aid of your partner or a friend?)?  And what's that herb/plant in the forefront of the second picture which is next to the bigger pot with grapes on it?  Is that tarragon?

I just gave my two big potted herbs water; knock on wood, they are still alive!  My lemon verbena plant, which I had cut back heavily, is showing new growth at the base of the stems and thyme plant has green leaves on it, so I'm happy.  :)

Seed catalogues are always fun to look at...and dream about "the perfect garden" with butterflies and birds and a bountiful harvest.  :)  ;)

K

Szykneij

Thanks Kalevala -

Your plants should do fine. The goal is to get them to just survive the winter. They're great at bouncing back once the warm weather arrives.
 
The herb you asked about is rosemary. I always make sure I have parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme growing as my tribute to Simon and Garfunkel.

Some of the plants I take inside are rescues from the offices my wife worked in that either closed or were replacing the greenery. Others were funeral arrangements from loved ones and plants I bought as tiny sprigs that have thrived over the years.

So far, I've been able to carry everything inside on my own without the help of dollies or others.

One palm, though, grew too tall this summer for the ceilings in my house. Luckily, my next door neighbor had the room and was pleased to take it. It wasn't a variety that could be trimmed back.

I'm with you with the birds and butterflies, as well as the bees. I've also made my peace with the squirrels, raccoons, and bunnies. As magnificent as they are, I'm not quite as fond as the hawks who visit occasionally.
Men profess to be lovers of music, but for the most part they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it.  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. ~ Satchel Paige

Kalevala

Rescue plant rehab:  I like it!   ;D

Do you put any fencing or netting around your tomato plants?  I remember you saying that you grew a number of them in barrels/pots.  The past couple of years, I didn't have a veggie garden--though I did have some herbs.

K

Szykneij

Quote from: Kalevala on February 01, 2025, 08:14:36 AMRescue plant rehab:  I like it!  ;D

Do you put any fencing or netting around your tomato plants?  I remember you saying that you grew a number of them in barrels/pots.  The past couple of years, I didn't have a veggie garden--though I did have some herbs.

K

No, no netting or fencing. The critters and I have an understanding. They leave my vegetables alone, and they get to visit the bird feeders and areas I leave unmowed for them. I do put guards around the trees and shrubs that need protecting from the rabbits during the winter, though.
Men profess to be lovers of music, but for the most part they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it.  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. ~ Satchel Paige