Autumn Recipes

It's now time to pick the last of our crop - the runner beans are nearly finished, ditto the courgettes and beetroot.   We didn't grow a great deal this year as it's our first summer since David built the veggy raised bed.  It's 3 metres by 8 metres, so a pretty good size.

We also grew some spinach which has been good but the broccoli were taken over by the cabbage white butterfly caterpillars before I got round to netting them.

I've picked the last of the tomatoes which are still green, and we're rather short of chutney so this year will make chutney.  Last I fried them to have as an accompaniment to our meals.
We haven't grown any pumpkins or plums but have included recipes here as there such a mark of the passing of the seasons.  It's lovely to buy a couple of large pumpkins before they're all removed from the shops after Halloween.


Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin recipes from Jamie Oliver:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/search/?s=pumpkin
Baked Pumpkin
1 kg pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunky slices
3 medium onions, sliced
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
black pepper
2 tbsp flour
150 ml olive oil

Heat oven to 200/6.
Arrange pumpkin sliced in greased roasting tin.
In large bowl massage the salt into the sliced onions with your hands.
Mix in the tomato paste, pepper and flour.
Scatter over the pumpkin.
Drizzle with oil and bake 30 - 40 mins until onions are starting to brown and pumpkin is tender.
Serve hot or warm.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/11840276/Baked-pumpkin-with-sun-dried-tomato-paste-and-crispy-onions-recipe.html

Pumpkin and Ginger Teabread
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1018/pumpkin-and-ginger-teabread
Green tomato Chutney
250g green tomatoes, sliced
100g onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp salt
500g sultanas
500g cooking apples
500g light muscavado sugar
1.14 litre jar spiced pickling vinegar

1. Slice the tomatoes (you can skin them if you want, but I don’t usually bother). Finely chop the onions. Layer both in a large bowl with the salt. Leave overnight.
2. Next day, chop the sultanas using a large, sharp knife, then peel, core and chop theapples. Put the sugar and vinegar into a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the sultanas and apples and simmer for 10 mins. Strain the tomatoes and onions in a colander (but don’t rinse), then tip into the pan and return to the boil.
3. Simmer for about 1 hr, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick and pulpy. Transfer to warmed jars (see Know-how, below) and cover with lids.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2865/green-tomato-chutney



Plum Liqueur
750g plums
3.5 cups gin
400g caster sugar

Put plums into freezer overnight to soften.
Defrost. Put in large container along with the rest of the ingredients.
Leave two to three months.
Strain and bottle.

I'm looking forward to trying this one!

And here's a recipe for plums with vodka and vanilla which also sounds good.
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/21971/plum-liqueur.aspx

stuffed peppers

Autumn is when peppers are at their best, and we have lots of tomatoes, courgettes and apples from the garden, so here are a few ideas.

Stuffed Peppers
from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/stuffedpeppers_82902

4 red peppers
4+ tbsp olive oil 
5 oz peas
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
5 oz breadcrumbe
1 egg
s&p

1. Preheat oven to 180/350/4
2. Cut around stalk and remove tops of peppers.  Remove any seeds.
3. Heat oil and saute peas, onion and garlic.
4. Soak bread in water for a few minutes.
5. Add breadcrumbs and egg to pea mixture.
6. Stuff the empty peppers with mixture and replace their tops.
7. Place on baking tray and season and drizzle with oil.
8. Cook about 20 - 30 minutes until soft and cooked through.

The downsides of this recipe were: the mixture was rather crumbly and there was too much pepper to eat.  

My variation of this would be to add another egg to the mixture and use fewer breadcrumbs.  Then cut the peppers lengthwise, lay on a dish, heap on the mixture and possibly cook with a little grated cheese on top.

And some other ideas:

http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/526229/baked-stuffed-peppers

http://sortedfood.com/#!/stuffedpeppers/

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4404/easy-stuffed-peppers

Far from a nuisance, fallen autumn leaves should be treasured as a future soil improver.  Make the most of this seasonal dividend

Dealing with fallen leaves is synonymous with autumn.  Most gardeners who are lucky enough to have deciduous trees will be well versed with in the practice of collecting them, although many may not make the most of this valuable resource.
Leaf litter is a source of free organic matter - and should be used to replenish the garden - either left where they lie, where appropriate, or collected and made into leaf-mould.
If we take our cue from nature and look to deciduous forests, leaf litter there provides a blanket that enriches soil as it breaks down.  The eventual result is crumbly dark humus.

Leave (haha!) or remove?
In a garden, the needs of other plants and fauna must be considered when deciding whether to collect or leave in situ.  Fallen leaves will provide a habitat for overwintering animals - such as hedgehogs - but also for slugs; and if leaves are left on lawns they may kill the sward beneath.
Mediterranean plants such as lavenders do not appreciate the humidity leaf litter provides, and it can lead to fungal problems.
When it comes to making leaf-mould, all leaves are not equal.  Oak, beech and hornbeam work best.  Thicker leaves such as plane and horse chestnut take longer to decay, so shred first.  Evergreen laurels and holly do not make good leaf-mould.  And lastly, pine needles, though slow to rot, once decayed are an ideal mulch for acid loving-plants.

Leaves best collected

• Leaves that have fallen onto evergreens such as conifers, evergreen azealeas and silver-leaved plants should be removed promptly before they cause foliage underneath to decay.
• Those that fallin to plants which suffer from winter wet, such as yuccas.
• Those on gravel gardens, paths, drives  and drains.
• Those on lawns (and in/on ornamental grasses).
• Ponds and water features will rapidly become clogged if leaves are not removed.

Tools for the job

• Rakes: on a lawn this can be a light plastic or a metal spring-tine rake.  Thin spring-tine rakes are great for getting in between plants in beds.
• Leaf blowers now come in various guises, they can even be connected to a solar-powered battery which are lightweight and quieter, in addition to the environmental benefit.
• Use two flat boards held in either hand to scoop up large piles of leaves.  Leaf vacuums can be used to suck up piles of leaves.
• On a larger scale, a mower can be used to collect leaves with the added benefit of shredding at the same time, which speeds up the decomposition process.

Using fallen leaves

Once gathered, leaves can be added to the compost heap to counterbalance a mass of green material such as grass-clippings, or kept separate and converted into precious leaf-mould.

Leaf-mould is a great soil improver, either mixed in or as a surface mulch.  It will help break down heavy clay; aid sandy soils to retain moisture; and increase worm and micro-organism activity in both situations.  The natural place to apply leaf-mould is around trees, shrubs and woodland bulbs.  It is also useful in aiding drainage in potting-compost mixes.

Making leaf-mould

Depending on the scale and space available, the easiest way to make leaf-mould is to collect leaves into a bin bag, loosely tie the top and then pierce holes in the sides.  The leaves need to be moist, so add a little water if necessary.  These can then be stacked out of the way for 12 - 18 months, in which time the leaves will break down.  On a larger scale, a cage can be created using chicken wire and the leaves placed in this.  Shredded leaves will break down more quickly, so it can be worth going over piles with a mower first.

When to leave in place
An alternative to removing leaves from areas of rougher grass is to use a mower without a collection hood to finely chop up the leaves directly back into the grass.  Similarly, in orchards it is fine for fallen leaves to rot down into the grass during winter.
In woodland plantings, shade beds or at the backs of borders, the easiest method is to let any fallen leaves decompose directly onto the bed (after all, we're not looking for work!).

From the that invaluable mine of information, the Royal Horticultural Society (http://www.rhs.org.uk/).
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK's leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening.  Our goal is to help people share a passion for plants, to encourage excellence in horticulture and inspire all those with an interest in gardening.

Another use for leaf mould:  to 'lighten' for soils such as John Innes No 3, loam-based compost which is recommended for permanently container-grown shrubs, perennials and lilies which, without some sort of organic addition can become rock-like.  When two years old or more, leaf mould can be sieved and used, 50/50 with sand, to make fine potting compost for seeds and cuttings.

The Merits of Seaweed

Why did I get damp and smelly down at the beach this week?
Well, it was all for the good of the allotment as I found out recently that seaweed's invaluable to improve the soil and the crop of vegetables and fruit because:

1. When spread upon the soil and 'rained upon' the salt permeates the soil, thus discouraging slugs and snails; 
2. Once the salt has been leached out the seaweed will be superb as it improves the water-holding quality of the soil (vital here by the seaside); and 
3. It will add many nutrients, although temporarily (about 15 weeks, with dried blood or loam speeding up this process) there'll be less nitrogen so Autumn is a good time to apply seaweed. It feeds the bacteria in the soil.  According to organic farmers it contains lots of nutrients: vitamins, all trace elements (in a form acceptable to plants), growth hormones, also disease- controlling qualities.  
4. It's sustainable and renewable.  

WOW!!

• Some people apply the seaweed at the depth of a spade or two at the rate of a barrow-load per square metre.  
• If putting on the compost heap, mix with woody or fibrous material, or paper such as newspaper, to help it avoid it becoming slimy. 
• Or can use as a mulch but this may become rather smelly (it's certainly been smelly in the car!).

However, there's no public right to collect it, unless you own the beach.  I should have thought we had the right to collect it because:

1. It would save the Council money by them having to clear less from the beaches; and
2. Surely we've paid towards it in our (high) Council Taxes and our (also high) Water Rates, which cover keeping our coastline clean.

Incidentally, at this site: http://www.giapo.com/blog/sea-weed-salad/, there's a recipe for Seaweed Salad Sorbet!  Also: http://www.oceanvegetables.com/seaweed-recipes.html.  Full of nutrients!