Wednesday 6 April 2016

Seedlings ahoy plus rhubarb and ginger compote

'Oh the weather outside is frightful...' with a chill in the air and regular rain/hail downpours; it's just plain miserable. But luckily the seedlings in the greenhouse are doing grand and all those little green dreams are coping well. The cold nights have necessitated a little bit of literal thinking and Andrew has deployed extra large tea lights (from Tesco) which burn for 8 hours; it's saved the babies on a few occasions by upping the temperature by a couple of degrees, compared to the shed.
leeks, broccoli, mangetout, purple sprouting broccoli, chard and cosmos
What a delightful sight it is out there with trays upon trays of tasty crops-to-be (more than pictured here). Plus I just adore how leeks germinate bent in half firstly and then growing tall :)

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Due to such terrible weather I have been cleaning the kitchen and cooking! 

We are really trying hard not to waste any food this year and gluts will be tended to more creatively this year. Today I made a rhubarb and ginger compote. It follows the same recipe as my plain rhubarb compote but with a little twist. Making it tangy with a touch of heat :)

* instead of the half cup of orange juice - I added 2 teaspoons of diced ginger (in it's own syrup) and
* instead of the half cup of brown sugar - I reduced it to a quarter.

Rhubarb and Ginger Compote
rhubarb and ginger compote - 'growourown.blogspot.com' ~ an allotment blog
making delicious rhubarb and ginger compote
Later I shall also be tackling the leek glut by simply cleaning, chopping and bagging them up individually to be frozen. I just learnt today that they do not need to be blanched first :)

Love and hugs
Carrie

11 comments:

  1. I was given a pumpkin when we lived in Porterville.
    I looked at it in horror, and said we will never eat all that!!
    Lady told me kindly to chop it up and freeze it in portions.
    No need to do anything else.

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    1. Yep, Pumpkins are another great freezing food. It can get a bit sickening when that time comes and they have been so long anticipated and you have too much.

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  2. I think I'll add a little root ginger to our rhubarb compote this year.

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  3. Oooh, I do like the sound of rhubarb and ginger -- must try it! I've only made a crumb cake (coffee cake with crumb topping) with rhubarb before, rhubarb not being a commonly eaten food here.

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    1. Rhubarb crumble cake, naughty but so nice! I'm trying to not make cakes (cos I'd only eat them!). You can also make wine with it?!

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  4. The seedlings are looking good. I'm not that keen on rhubarb although I do eat it stewed or in a crumble. Take care. Flighty xx

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    1. Thanks, I bet you too are in a little haven of green seedlings. I never even tried rhubarb before growing our own, now I'm trying to find things to do with it all :)

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  5. Thanks for another lovely blog. I'm always pleased to see that you feel well enough to share your adventures and suggestions. Take care & enjoy any sun we get.

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  6. I've made rhubarb vodka.....oooh it's lovely!! Chopped rhubarb in a large jar, cover with vodka and chuck in some sugar. Shake daily. Two weeks and its lovely, just made some more and will try making it a long drink with soda to make it last longer hic!

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