I just managed to get my Borlotti Beans in before the weather turned all wet and soggy (it’s tipping it down outside as I type). I harvested the lot, probably about 25 – 30 pods from one wigwam and only four plants. Apparently, that’s not bad in Borlotti terms as they tend to yield less than the same number of Runner Bean plants.
About 75% of these were perfect for fresh eating (the best way to save that lovely, Potatoey-and-yet-also-Beany flavour). You can dry them, of course, and use them over winter but I wanted to use them fresh in order to ‘really’ taste them, if you know what I mean.
The only problem was that, since I’ve never grown Borlotti Beans before my stash of recipes for this type of vegetable amounted to, erm, none. So I was stuck with a beautiful crop of Beans but not a clue what to do with them. I went on the hunt for some recipes and found such a lovely selection that I thought I’d share them here – in case you were wondering what to do with yours too. Oh and also, don’t forget to cook your beans before using them in a recipe. Simply boil them for 20 minutes until they are soft.
Here’s goes:
- Fresh Borlotti Bean, Tiger Prawn and Chorizo Horneado – I’m not a big fan of Chorizo so might replace this with sausage or similar but this just looked gorgeous and very hearty on an Autumn’s day too.
- Borlotti Beans braised with Onion, Tomato and Cime di Rapa – for those of you at a loss to know what Cime di Rapa is (me included) it is described here as being a Brassica a little like the leaves of Turnip. You could maybe substitue Chard or Cabbage leaves but this would give the dish a different flavour.
- Borlotti Bean Mole with Roast Winter Squash – one thing I like about this recipe is that it includes chocolate. Beans – good, Squash – good, Chocolate – good!
- Sausages with Fresh Borlotti Beans – As I suspected Borlotti Beans go well with sausages. Delicious magazine confirms all my suspicions.
- Borlotti Beans in Tomato Sauce with Creamy Polenta – ooh creamy polenta sounds like a good accompaniment to my Beans. This recipe is from a book called Heirloom Beans which looks pretty darn good too.
- Cranberry Bean “Fool Mudammas” – apparently Borlotti Beans are called Cranberry Beans in certain parts of the world – I did not know that! This recipe looks so fresh and crispy with its layer of Radish on top. Great to go with something warm and spicy.
- Cowboy Beans – one for the kids. These pot beans can be cooked the day before and warmed up on the day. You could even make them on a camping trip over the fire.
- Borlotti Bean, Chilli and Pine Nut Bake – A good bake is always a winner in our house. And with the added benefit of pine nuts this is guaranteed to go down well.
- Italian Bean and Tuna Salad – this uses a mix of Italian Beans but I bet you could use all Borlotti Beans and it would taste almost the same.
- Borlotti Bean and Courgette Hummus – wow! a recipe that uses up two end-of-the-summer gluts? Can it really be true?
So there you have it, my favourite Fresh Borlotti Bean recipes. I think I’ll be making the Bean and Courgette Hummus.
Nothing says, ‘England’ to me like an early Apple harvest. The fresh taste of cold, sweet but a little tart, Apples is the taste of Autumn in our garden. My espalier Apple tree is now on its fourth tier and this year it has produced 33 good-sized eating Apples (last year we had 17).
It’s a Queen Cox, a self-fertile tree that does well in our damp climate. The taste is sweet, but not too sweet, with just the hint of a tang on the green side of the Apple. It’s perfect. If I had the room I would have a garden full of Apple trees, trained as espaliers, and cordons and over arches (because I like the challenge of training them). But sadly I don’t have the space.
One day (yes one day) I will have an orchard. And just like they do at Granchester I will sit on deck-chairs and have afternoon tea from delicate china. Until then I’m happy with my one Apple tree. But that doesn’t stop me wanting to go to the myriad of Apple Day’s coming up and tasting as many single different varieties as will fit in my mouth.
Here is a brilliant list of Apple Days in the UK
And there are quite a few popping up on the UK Veg Gardeners network too.
Once I’ve eaten all my own fruit I’m tempted to buy a selection box of heritage varieties, just so I can savour the different tastes.
Happy munching!
We just got back from a weekend away at a popular resort in the forest. Yes, we went in the swimming dome and yes we ate pancakes at the Pancake House. But what the whole experience brought home to me is that when you’re two and half ‘everything’ is exciting! And sometimes the most simple of experiences mean the world to you.
The trees, the cycle trailer, the fact that you get your own helmet that is red! The two baby deer that we saw, the fighting squirrels, a pine cone – what’s a pine cone? The den that some other boys had made in our back garden, not one but two sticks! the sunshine through the trees, the log covered with moss, mushrooms, strange-shaped mushrooms everywhere – I want to eat them.
Going fast, faster Daddy, a dark, dark tunnel that is scary but amazing at the same time, bird noises, and other unidentified noises, a playground in the woods, bees and orange and white fish.
Every single new thing is amazing if you’re seeing it for the first time. Sometimes as an adult I forget that and try to over-complicate things. But really there’s no need.
I picked these gorgeous Asters from the garden today. They are from the fairly popular variety ‘Big Boy’. I sowed the seed in early Spring and they have been happily growing all summer. They began flowering about a month ago and boy do they flower? The more I pick the more they sprout. I’m getting about two or three bunches from them every week. And they look lovely teamed up with my white Gladioli that are also flowering at the moment.
As space-saving cutting flowers I can’t recommend Asters enough. I have one small row (about 1.5 metres long). And when you think about the cost of cut flowers in the shops, I’d say the £1.50 I spent on seed has been well worth it. I’ll definitely be growing them again next year. I might even throw caution to the wind and do two rows. ooooh!
I’m currently working on the next book in the Jackson’s Garden series. The first book was received really well and so I’m working on the next story that introduces tiny readers to the merits of bees! It’s not quite finished yet, I still have a few pages left to draw and paint but the story is taking shape.
I just love the process of thinking up the story, planning the layout, drawing painting and seeing the whole thing come together. I find it very relaxing, a bit like gardening really.
I picked these Hazelnuts from a tree that over-hangs my garden. The tree isn’t strictly mine (actually it’s not even slightly mine) but my neighbours like me and they said I can have all the nuts I want off the tree. So – mine!
I wasn’t sure whether to call them Hazelnuts or Cobnuts. Some people switch between the two names, but as it turns out a Cobnut is a type of Hazelnut anyway. The trick is to pick them when they have just started to turn brown but before the squirrels have abseiled in and scoffed the lot. Luckily, for me my two evil cats have managed to keep the squirrels at bay.
So anyway. The Hazelnuts are ready to be picked and I found this lovely site, Allens Farm, one of the few commercial growers of Cobnuts now in the UK. It has some good background information and crucially some recipes, since I have no idea what to actually do with the nuts now I have them in my possession!
I’m currently shopping for Tulip bulbs online. Last year I grew a variety of tall, single Tulips in different colours. They were all pretty successful and Tulips are the perfect early cut flower since they flower in May (or thereabouts) and then you can lift the bulbs and use the ground for something else.
This time I think I’ll go for a limited palette as the multi-coloured approach didn’t really work for me. I’m thinking whites, peaches and purples.
Doubles really don’t look like Tulips to me and the Parrot varieties (the ruffled kind) didn’t do well last year in my garden. So I’m sticking to your classic single. Here are some colours and varieties that I might go for:
I’ll be looking to get them planted over the next few weeks.
Anyone got any other suggestions? Or links to good bulb merchants?
I made a super-late (July) sowing of Mangetout this year and they have really done me proud. Much of the main beds (and my Pea sticks) were taken up with an early sowing of Peas this year, but once they had gone over I sowed some Mangetout.
I have never sown Peas or Mangetout this late before. They just seem like a Spring crop to me (even though I know you can grow them all summer long). But I’ll definitely be trying this again as the size of the pods is great and they’re a welcome crunchy, Spring-like snack at this time of year when everything seems to be mellowing and flopping over.
Hold the front page – we have two Melons growing in the coldframe. I only noticed them after I came back from a weekend away. I must admit I had given up on the Melons. I planted them waaaay back in May and have been madly trying to pollinate the little blighters since. It seemed that nature was conspiring against me though. A male flower would open but no female. Then the next day a female flower would open but the male flower had withered and died – doh!
So I flailed around with my pollinating brush (a paintbrush to you and I), wildly dabbing here there and everywhere and crossing my fingers that something, somewhere had hit the right spot. It had. Two spots infact, as I have two tiny Melons about the size of an egg.
I checked in my books what to do next and dutifully snipped off the plant two leaves after each ripening Melon. I am also feeding them once a week with Tomato fertilizer, closing the lid at night and opening it on sunny days. Phew! this Melon growing business is hard work.
The only worry I have, and it’s a big one, is that they pollinated too late and they are too small to ripen in time. This is the first time I’ve grown Melons so I’m just over the moon to have any at all. I think I will let them fly and see how far I get with them. No doubt there will be photos if they ever ripen. Watch this space!
More Raspberries….urgh! I can’t cope anymore. As you can see, Jackson has his own ideas but really, I need a recipe and quick. Don’t want to make any more jam, have made Raspberry Pavlova, Raspberry Muffins, and eaten about as much Yoghurt with Raspberries as I can take. Anyone, anyone?
