Using winter vegetables & preserving

Suddenly having loads of winter vegetables from your garden or allotment that are all ready at the same time is a joy  , but  how do you find enough recipes to use them all to the best advantage.How do you preserve them if you have a glut?This year I have such an abundance of red cabbage , savoy cabbage and leeks.

Winter warmers

Well here we are again at the time of year when all we want to do is eat warming, comforting food that fills us and makes us feel contented.Years ago that would have meant a lot of stodgy food made with suet and fats.If it was anything like my poor mums cooking it would have been very heavy going.

Things have changed thank goodness and we can eat loads of wonderful food with out feeling like a lead balloon.Take a look at a few of my recipes that will maybe tempt you.These recipes can also be made and left to their own devices at a time of year when we don’t have a lot of time to spare.

Sauces

Every good meal deserves a good sauce.A few years ago there would only have been a couple to choose from but now with the world getting smaller there is no end to the sauces you can make.

Read further on to see my small collection of sauces to go with pasta and other foods.

FAT TO THIN

It was January 2006 and I had a birthday bash to go to.I could not believe I needed a size 20 dress.I went to the party and felt a frump,everybody said how nice I looked but it did not mean a thing …That was when I decided enough was enough I had to bite the bullet and seriously change my eating habits.I had always been big but two years previously I had given up smoking and piled on 2 stone so I knew that had to go and more….

Casseroles & stews

It is the time of year when we need to eat warming food that makes us feel good and are easy to prepare , bung in the oven and leave while we do other chores.Of course you do not have to stick to the original recipe,just add other ingredients you may have in the store cupboard…This type of recipe is never the same twice!

Vegetarian recipes

Having an allotment there is no shortage of vegetables.

Sometimes you have to wonder how you are going to use them all,as nothing is wasted.Something always comes to mind though. These recipes are great even if you do eat meat and fish.You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy them.

Pasta the oldest fast food in the world

Many families have a lot of fast food ready meals with not a lot of nutrition these days, not realising that pasta dishes are probably the fastest meals you can cook and really enjoy.Try a few of my favourites recipes all are quick and simple to make.They cover meats,vegetables,seafood and just plain pasta.Whether you want to conjure up a fast simple meal or make a great feast pasta covers it all.

More good old fashioned gardening tips…

As these old gardeners tips are so popular I thought I would add a few more that I have found. It is surprising how many of the tips from years ago are really not to be scoffed at as they have a lot of truth in them.My grandfather was a great allotment holder in his time and he believed in a lot of these.

Update on allotment

The weather yesterday was not as good as it has been recently but we managed to go up for a couple of hours..even though it was quite damp and windy.At least we managed to blow away a few cobwebs.

Using the middle of a Halloween pumpkin

 After you have painfully taken the middle from the pumpkin and made the face which  seems to have taken you  ages and the knife was never sharp enough!…What next? It seems such a waste to throw away the flesh and you can even use the seeds for my recipe for pumpkin seeds …nothing wasted.