Do you know what these are?

I can't just leave you with a 'Monday' picture for the whole of Tuesday.  That will just mess with my melon maaannn!  I am very sleepy and trying to spin without nodding off, it can be a bit too relaxing you know!   I am starting to think about what to grow in the garden again.  It is all quite exciting.   I could really do with another bumper glut of turnips!  Then I need to turn the vegetable beds into something resembling a high security prison to keep the Chicken Girlies off!  They are so helpful in the garden.
            We are 'Living off the fat of the land.'  Currently up for harvest is good old Sage, Parsley, Thyme, all good for a 'Garden Herb Omelette'. Spinach and Artichokes (but I am afraid the artichokes have stayed in the ground this year, they are not called 'Fartichokes' without good reason) and 'these' little beauties in the photograph.  Euan and I love them.  I don't think I have ever seen them in a Supermarket.  So I will leave you with a little quiz.   'What are they?'  Answers on a Postcard please, oh yeah I forgot you can just leave a comment!   If you know what they are and eat them I would be interested to know how you eat yours.  I am very impressed with their hardiness and I am amazed my garden is producing anything edible at this time of the year.  I am still getting a kick out of collecting three eggs a day too!  Not quite self sufficient but I do like to pretend.    

Green Enchilada Sauce

I am so easily lead.  I read this post Green Enchilada Sauce over at 'Sheep Spinach and Strawberries' back in March.  I had never heard of a 'Tamatillo'.  I promptly popped on Ebay and ordered some seeds.  My Dad planted the seeds and nurtured them into healthy plants.  He has had a bumper Tomatillo Harvest too and plans to make 'Salsa Verde'.  This was this mornings pickings.

This is a ripe and ready Tomatillo.  You peel back the paper lantern and inside is a tomato looking thing.  It is a bit tacky to touch.  I harvested more than I thought I would, I probably had about a Kilo.

This is what the inside looks like.  I was a bit hesitant to try one raw but I popped it in a chewed.  They are strangely pleasant.  They taste like a cross between a Tomato and a Green Pepper.

I found some dried up chillis in the greenhouse and a surprise cucumber!

I decide to make a 'Green Enchilada Sauce in the slowpot.

I put them all in the pot on 'High' with four or five chillis, four cloves of garlic, a chopped onion, salt and pepper and two tablespoons of Olive Oil.  After a couple of hours I whizzed it all together with my hand blender.

I am left with a large pot of 'Green Sauce'.  Let me tell you it is delicious.  It is very tangy.  The only key ingredient I was missing is fresh coriander and this sauce seems to be crying out for it.  I am going to freeze it in small pots and will remember to buy the coriander.
I have just had a lovely lunch of 'Cheese Enchiladas with Green Enchilada Sauce'.  (Half fat cheese, honest!)  I used Mozzarella and Cheddar.

It tasted better than it looks!

Yum!  I will definitely be growing more Tomatillos next year.

Chalky's Chipples - 'Inthesky' Style

Over at 'Chalky's World' she wrote a post about 'Chipples' an old Regional Salad Onion Dish her Grandmother used to make.  I thought it looked like a delicious recipe and in true 'Inthesky' style adapted it, as I did not have a full bunch of Spring Onions.  My Great Great Grandfather was a Market Gardener and my Grandmother told me she used to tie little bunches of onions for her Grandfather, to go to market in the 'Vale of Evesham'.
My Version of 'Chipples' included finely sliced Celery, Radish, peeled and diced Cucumber and sliced Spring Onion.  The dressing is a tablespoon of Cream, 2 tablespoons of Vinegar and a teaspoon of Sugar.  I seasoned mine with Salt, Black Pepper and Paprika pepper.
Link to Chalky's World and her chat about 'Chipples'.
My version of 'Chipples' became part of the baked potato eating ceremony with my parents.

Medha here is; A Potato baked in it's skin ( Jacket) in a hot oven until it is soft.  It takes about an hour.  You must prick it all over with a fork before you bake it, or it will burst in the oven and make a mess.  These can be eaten simply or with all sorts of fillings.

Sour Cream and Freshly Chopped Chives.

The first of the Courgettes, gently fried in butter.

Some freshly boiled Beetroot.

"Living off the fat of the land"

Digging for Victory Update

Fathers Day Offering :)  A days Harvest and some local Beer.  I love the name of the Beer.

The Little Apple Tree Looks Promising

Potatoes are taking over!  There are Parsnips and Courgettes in there somewhere. The parsley is still going strong.

Broad Beans, I can't wait.  There are also Onions, Turnips and Beetroot in there, oh and another Courgette.

Runner Beans, Kohl Rabi and Peas.

I love raw peas in the Summer.  Not many make it to the pot.  I have to stop myself from eating them like this Mangetout.

Lettuce is interspersed among this lot, I should stop photographing it and start eating it.

Note to self:  Must try harder next year with Cougettes!

Tomatoes are coming along nicely in the Greenhouse, you can't beat a homegrown tomato.  I also love Tomato and Chilli Jam.

Some of the best things in life are happy accidents (Ask my sons!)  Isn't this self seed Poppy beautiful?  It has taken up residence with the peas and beans, it will be brilliant to attract the bees to set my runner beans.

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb...

My Garden is providing, we are living off the 'Fat of the land'.  Ok I may be exaggerating but I do have Parsley and Rhubarb ready for harvesting.  I have yet to find a recipe using both so we settled for a good old 'Rhubarb Crumble'.  First pick your Rhubarb.

Trim it,  wash it and chop it into pieces.  Here is my top tip for cooking Rhubarb, I do not add any water or 'Sugar' but I mix it with two or three good tablespoons of Golden Syrup.  (If you are trying to cut down on sugar - no sugar fizzy lemonade or ginger beer is good.)  I then put it in a medium oven for about twenty minutes.  It still keeps its shape rather than stewing down to a puree. 

For the crumble topping:

175g/6oz Flour

75g/3oz Butter or margarine
75g/3oz Sugar

I rub the flour and fat together until it resembles breadcrumbs and then add the sugar.  Place the crumble topping over the fruit and bake in a medium oven for a further twenty minutes, until golden brown.  This crumble has been consumed with 'Toffee Ice-cream' or but my youngest stuck to his usual...  'Squirty Cream'.

When I was a child a comedy show used to be on tv on Sunday afternoons.  It was called 'Rhubarb, Rhubarb'.  The only words spoken for the whole show was 'Rhubarb'.  I used to find it fascinating.

Rhubarb, Rhubarb - British Comedy from the 1980s Dialogue consists only of the word Rhubarb.