I do not put ads on my blog but do have a counter that shows me how many visits the pages get. (The stats. count is just there so I can see if I am 'talking' to myself, luckily so far this has not happened.) By continuing your visit here you are consenting to the stats. counter tracking cookies. Cookies, that sounds like something nice to eat but not that exciting.

Growing Your Own Fruit and Vegetables

We grow our own fruit and vegetables for our meals for as much of the year as we can. Without a greenhouse we have to buy shop food in the winter months but in the spring, summer and autumn we often have enough to share with family and friends.

Read about growing your fruit and vegetables here on my growing your own food pages.

Sunday, 20 January 2013

Parsnips, the good and the ugly, not bad.

The ugly home grown parsnips turned into a beautiful winter soup, and the better looking ones made great roast parsnips too.

That sounds almost like a fairy tale but it was not a magic wand that transformed them, it was just a bit of time and patience. Some of the parsnips from the allotment were grown in an area that had soil we had not yet got around to improving. When they were dug up for use they looked like an alien version of a parsnip with whiskery roots sprouting out in all directions and twists and turns in the main part of the vegetable.

It was our first attempt at growing parsnips and I think the combination of an un-worked area of soil that had not had the benefit of compost on it in past years and the problematic weather that they had to struggle with gave them this unpromising look. If they had been put on sale in a shop no one would have bought them, but as we had grown them we felt compelled to use them in some way.

The surprise was that after cleaning them up and cooking them up into a thick parsnip soup, they really were worth the time spent as they made a tasty and filling meal when served with spelt bread.

The better looking parsnips from different area of the allotment were roasted and were equally tasty. However there was a greater sense of triumph in turning a vegetable that some might have discarded for the way it looked into an enjoyable meal.

By the way,  the way that I make parsnip soup it is very easy to make. I will add details soon.

a healthy potato plant in flower

a healthy potato plant in flower
photo of potatoes in flower

home grown carrots.. grown from seed

home grown carrots.. grown from seed
photo of my first bunch of carrots 2009

Even a small batch of mixed fruit can be useful

Even a small batch of mixed fruit can be useful
Home Grown Fruit can be made into delicious compote