Just random Garden shots

At the start!

And in Time

Conservatories and Chairs

CONSERVATORIES 

A correspondent of mine, Sean Gallagher from patchwork veg has just started a new venture.
Sean is a real 'get up and go' guy, I've always admired his drive and innovation.
When the slump in the building trade hit, rather than despair or give up - he got on with things, he started up patchwork veg. It was, at the time, a niche market and something that was new to Irish horticulture, but he made a go of it.

More recently he has gone back into building and the results look very impressive.

The new company is Gallserv so if you are considering extending or moving into the garden I would recommend Sean, not just because he is an obviously skilled builder, but also, as a kitchen gardener, he would look at the extension differently to a builder in that this is not more space to furnish in a house, this is part of a living garden.

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CHAIRS

OK - it's a folding bench table, but I write the blog, therefore have editorial control, and always like a bit of onomatopoeia.

I've got to say, I saw this table on facebook, and the only way I can describe it is Sexy - I must be getting old or developing a furniture fetish.

Terrible I know, but I think it is brilliant. A garden bench/kitchen table in one - those clever Dutch buggers.

http://www.tiptopprojecten.nl/

Cost is 200 EUR (VAT etc is included in the price) and delivery is 78 EUR - all the way from the Netherlands!!

 

Jerusalem Artichoke recipe thats not soup!A Simple French stapleTopinambours à la BarigouleA great winter dish.

One of the perennials I planted back in 2011 has kept going strong with no attention whatsoever - as has the cordoon etc.

With this meal, unfortunately I left my stick with photos at home, so I will upload some on my return.

You will have to make do with the rather pretty botanists painting above.

There are many variations, this is simple, peasant food - but once it starts to caramelize, it starts to become the food of Kings. First time I saw it was on a UK site from a Welsh lad called Alan Refail - so thanks to him, I have something other than a soup or puree option.

Jerusalem artichoke is hardy, and is suited to the Irish climate. After it was established it has required no weeding or care.

In terms of sourcing tubers, after my experience, I would, unfortunately, not recommend Mr Middleton's.

Try looking about, or contact me. I have quite a stick of them.

Mind you, when I did put it in, a lot of seaweed and manure went in as the base of the bed.
Since then I have had strong, healthy plants.

The fresh tuber tastes like a water chestnut and is used in salads. They are better cooked though as they will give you wind if raw - and I really mean that  - as did John Goodyer in 1621 when he was quoted as having said "which way soever they be dressed and eaten, they stir and cause a filthy loathsome stinking wind within the body, thereby causing the belly to be pained and tormented, and are a meat more fit for swine than men."

Dont let that put you off, it is a bit harsh. The flavour of Jerusalem artichoke is kind of sweet and smokey. If lifted and stored for any length of time, they become sweeter - so if using this recipe, dig the tubers up a few days in advance, it really helps with the caramelizing process.

This recipe Topinambours à la Barigoule, is a staple of Provence in the south of France, it's cheap, easy and different.

I like to keep it simple, and the recipe here is fantastic with roast pork.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
500 grams Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and peeled
1 Lemon
100ml white wine

100ml of water or stock
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
12 Black olives, stoned
Handful of Parsley

Chop up the Jerusalem artichokes and cut into about 1 inch / 2 cm pieces.
Put them in a pan that just fits them and add two or three tablespoons of rapeseed or olive oil, the juice and grated zest of a lemon, about a dozen black olives, 100ml water (or veg/chicken stock) and 100ml of white wine.

Add water to barely cover them tightly, bring to the boil then simmer till the artichokes are tender. 

Uncover and let the liquid evaporates and the artichokes are just starting to caramelize. 

Season with pepper, no need to use salt normally the olives are salty enough.

Add a good handful of chopped parsley before serving.

Great side dish - enjoy

As always, please take the time to comment - I really appreciate the time and effort.

January: Irish Kitchen Garden tips and advice

Well, its time to start a new year and plan ahead.
One feels that growing your own food in 2013 will be even more important in the times we have.
Oil prices are high, so food is set to become more expensive.
Even a container or fish box can give you salads, herbs and other easy to grow crops so do give it a go. Home grown food is going to be fresher, I believe healthier and certainly more rewarding than plastic shrink wrapped or frozen equivalents. The flavour difference between frozen and fresh veg is huge.

I'm coming home in a few days to make a start on this years crops. It will be interesting to see how the garden has coped in my absence.
Last October I advised as to winter crops and jobs.

But if this is a start its still a good time to get the spade or hoe out and start turning the garden.
Frost and rain break up the soil and help disrupt weeds.
Turn over fairly big clods this allows the frost to break up the ground for you, helps kill off pests and aerated the soil.
Also, it provides some extra food for the birds, they will pick away at pests and bugs.
Don't forget to put out some feeders for our little feathered friends - they guard your garden.
Only February is colder and only December has shorter days. Its a good time to clean things up.
Wash and sterilize propagators. sharpen tools and tidy stuff away.
If you do not already have a compost bin, build one now.

Start putting down traps, especially on new ground for wire worms and beer traps for slugs.
Its never too early to make a dent in their populations - although at the moment its probably too cold for nematodes.

If you live near the sea January was the traditional start of the seaweed collection period. For new potato beds lay out seaweed - and be generous

VEGETABLE TIPS JANUARY
Its time to order and browse seed catalogs and plan the garden, what goes where etc.
It is a great way to start to get past winter, reading up on those occasionally poetic and frequently funny veg names, its a reassurance of spring and growth and a new season on dark, cold and wet nights.
Save egg boxes as they will come in handy for potato chitting next month - whats an Irish veg patch without a few spuds?

Source your seed potatoes if you have not already done so.
When you’ve got your seed potatoes, set them in a light, cool, frost-free spot and leave them to sprout. Make sure you put the tubers with the 'eye' end - where the sprouts will grow from - upwards

You can already make a start on other vital crops - its getting a little late but get garlic cloves into the ground in a sunny spot.

On your window sill plant onion seeds in seed trays.
Indoors or in a shed for early crops eg: lettuces, summer brassicas (e.g. cabbages and cauliflowers), spinach, salad onions and turnips.


Stake or earth up Brussels sprout stalks and kales that look leggy and vulnerable to wind rock.
Pick the biggest sprouts from low down the stalks first.


Force chicory / witloof to produce plump leafy heads.
You can start forcing rhubarb, seakale and chicory in January.

Rhubarb is forced by placing an up-turned bucket/pot over the plant to exclude light.
The warmer the environment the quicker it will grow; you can place manure or straw over the top to encourage growth of the pale, sweet shoots.
Seakale is forced the same way, only there is no need for extra warmth.

FRUIT TIPS JANUARY
Apply winter washes to fruit trees and bushes. Ensure tree stakes and ties are firm and sound.

Prune gooseberry, currant and autumn raspberry bushes.

Prune apple and pear trees - but not stoned fruit trees like cherry or plum.

Plant bare-root trees and bushes, as long as the soil isn't frozen.

Apply a top dressing of sulphate of potash to all fruits and nuts.

Thanks for reading, if this is your first year growing your own food - stick with it, its fantastically rewarding, and if your a returning reader, thanks for sticking with my erratic blogging.



Again, Please do take the time to comment - I really do value and appreciate the feedback.
Please also let others know about the blog, its nice to think it is of help to others.

All the best for 2013 - Simon (the one in the middle)

Beetroot and Blackberry salad

This time of year in Connemara, the hedgerow briars come forward with a luscious crop of blackberries - but blackcurrants work equally well.

We see fig, orange and pomegranate based salads on TV but our own homegrown earthy sweet of beetroot and the zesty sweetness of foraged fruit sing of late summer and early autumn.

It is a great seasonal treat, and you really don't have to forage all that many - its only 200 grams, about a tea mug full.

As an unusual but the delicious combo I would go so far as to call it an almost exotic dish from a small garden plot.

and yet the food miles are minimal for most home gardeners as most of us have a few beets and an onion somewhere in the beet patch.

Great as an appetizer but really, really, really good with cold roast duck, pork or game.
Also, if you freeze a few blackberries now and store some beets, its great with cold turkey just after Christmas.

Iphone pic - slight variation using strawberries and loganberry-applevinegar

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch baby beetroot.
About 200 grams of blackberries or blackcurrants.
Half a small red onion, diced or very finely sliced.
Tablespoon honey - local if you can find it (or caster sugar if you like)
Beet leaves, Bay leaf or mint to garnish

Lightly scrub the beets, remove the leaves - they can be used as a garnish
Boil the beets in lightly salted water

Rinse your blackberries
Melt the honey down in about a tablespoon of water
Gently warm the blackberries in the warmed honey-water until they start to release their colour and soften.

Don't stir the pan, just shake it to avoid crushing the fruit.

Add a little more water by the tablespoon if required, you are looking to create a very light syrup.

When the beets are cooked, drain them and slip the skins off as soon as they are cool enough to handle.

Slice into the beets into rings and arrange on a shallow plat.
Sprinkle over the onions and season to taste.

Spoon over the fruits with a slotted spoon and reduce the syrup a little further.

Pour over the syrup and leave the  dish to cool

Serve with cold game or pork, and maybe use the beet leaves as a garnish.
And as I said before, it makes a great post Christmas accompaniment to turkey or ham

Comments are, as always, most welcome - photos will follow, but it may take a while, left camera with pics at home without downloading them - if someone wants to send some in please feel free to do so.

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER 2012
These pictures were taken in Holland, a slight variation on the original. I used strawberries - and instead of water, I used a lovely Swedish vinegar - lingonberry and apple cider vinegar - available at Ikea - but it does demonstrate the colours you can expect. There are other fruit vinegars more available in Ireland. Experiment with what fruit you can grow or forage.

Enjoy!

Beetroot Timbales with a cool yogurt dressing

This is a great two for one - Beetroot is a great veg which, like turnip, can be harvested for leaves and the root.
The notion that beetroot takes hours to cook is an exaggeration.
Small summer beets need about 20 minutes.
Large late season beets take correspondingly longer, but only 10 -15 minutes.
Simply by dicing them and fast boiling in a little salty water cooks them in no time at all - yes they will bleed, but after 15 minutes they will be as tender and beetrooty as you wish, with all the colour and flavour.

Combining beetroot with fennel and lemon in this dish gives great contrast and taste.
It's a great, cool, fresh 
The use of Carragheen or Agar-Agar with veg stock makes this suitable for vegetarians but you can if you wish of course use meat stock and gelatin - but I prefer the freshness of the veg stock and seaweed combo.

This is served normally served with a little sour cream - but I find a simple sweet spinach raita to balance the earthy sweetness of the beetroot - or a standard cucumber, chive, mint and yogurt raita, the classic Indian condiment.

INGREDIENTS
for the timbale:
175g cooked beetroot (retain the leaves)
1/2 Tsp or more of Fennel seeds
1 tsp of squeezed lemon
250ml stock*
Good sprig carragheen.

* When I say veg stock, do use the cooking liquid of the beetroot as a base and make up a simple stock.

For the Raita:
200ml / 7fl oz. Glenisk natural yogurt
About 15 small spinach leaves
12-15 raisins - roughly chopped
Pinch of Paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.

METHOD
FOR THE RAITA
Cut the spinach into fine strips
Blanch in boiling water
Drain and whisk into the yogurt
Add the raisins, seasonings and spices and mix in well
Serve chilled.

FOR THE TIMBALE
Bruise the fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon to release their full aroma and steep in the stock.
Add the carragheen and bring slowly to the boil
Reduce and simmer with the lid on for about 10 minutes stirring now and again.

Strain off the liquid and season with a little salt and a good belt of pepper.
Add the lemon juice to taste.
You now have a liquid gel, so be fairly quick.
Bear in mind the earthy sweetness and lemon sharpness are muted by chilling.

Ideally you will need 4 small ramekins or wide mouth glass' to prep this.
You could also use a muffin tray or something similar.
Pour in a little of the liquid gel to cover the base of each mold.
Peel and dice the cooked beetroot if you have not done so already.
Divide the diced beetroot between the molds, mixing in the rest of the liquid gel as you do.

Chill for about 2 hours or until the gel is set.

Loosen the beetroot timbales by dipping their molds into hot water and turn out carefully.

Place onto serving plates, and put a little raita on the plate, or use a bowl with a serving spoon to share  - I have always felt it really adds to the enjoyment of any meal to share.

Arrange a little salad around the edge of the plate - peppery watercress or slices of buttery avocado are my favorites but best of all are the leaves of the beetroot around the edge of the plate.

Comments are, as always, most welcome

Enjoy!

Blessington baked beans

This is how baked beans really, the original American style.
On occasion, a tin of baked beans is alright, but it cannot be confused with the real McCoy - those are just a facsimile of this American classic.

It is very adaptable, chilli can spice it up - chorizo or other dried spicy sausage can be worked in - but this is just a simple, straight forward variant that is great with a dash of Tabasco after serving.

You are using a very economical cut of meat, a few bits and pieces from the cupboard and a jar of beans - hopefully ones you've grown and dried yourself. Most people grow beans as a part of crop rotation in their kitchen gardens.
A dutch oven or heavy casserole pot are ideal for making this dish - it would have been cooked out of a chuck wagon or over a camp fire back in the day.
Potatoes have become the Irish staple in a meal, but the cultivation of beans and the curing of pork predate the spuds introduction to Ireland, so this is really looking back in a way.

There was a poem the - Chisholm Trail - from a Time life book about cowboys that I loved as a kid from which I've always remembered a few lines, about bacon and beans.

I'm up in the momin' afore daylight
And afore I sleep the moon shines bright. 

No chaps and no slicker, and it's pouring down rain,
And I swear, by God, that I'll never night-herd again. 

 

Oh, it's bacon and beans most every day
I'd as soon be a-eatin' prairie hay. 

I went to the boss to draw my roll,
He had it figured out I was nine dollars in the hole.

I'll sell my horse and I'll sell my saddle;
You can go to hell with your longhhorn cattle.

This recipe is based on one best known as Boston Baked Beans - but this is a time reduced version I threw together in Blessington - easily feeds 4 hungry hearty lads.

The Boston classic uses belly of pork - I went for a mild cure bacon.

If you are using bacon don't add salt,more than enough will come off the meat and infuse into the beans.

The meal is salt and sweet - you could almost call it an American style cassoulet -beans and pork from an oven

INGREDIENTS

450 grams dried white haricot beans, dried.

1.7 litres water

Cannellini and other dried white beans are also excellent in this.

Teaspoon Mustard powder 

2 tablespoons honey or treackle

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 large onions, peeled and sliced

1 bay leaf

teaspoon ground Allspice

Lump of mild cure Irish bacon - like McGeoughs Coburger ham - pork belly is also great.

Pour the water into a heavy based saucepan - oven suitable if you have one.

Add the beans and bring to the boil for about 5 minutes

Remove the heat to a simmer and stir in the bay leaf, honey, tomato puree, mustard powder, garlic and onions

Put the bacon or ham into the pot and ensure it is near the bottom - covered with the beans.

Leave at a steady simmer for 45 minutes or until beans are fairly soft and bursting from their skin

After 45 minutes to an hour the liquid should be well reduced.

Lift the meat out of the pot and cut slashes into the rind. 

Smear on the brown sugar, the wetness of the rind should make it melt a fair bit - smear it well.

Sprinkle over the allspice at this stage.

Return the meat to the pot or oven dish buried into the beans but with the rind just clear of the liquid.

There should be enough liquid to just cover the beans - top up with a little water if needed.

Transfer the covered pot or oven dish to a pre-heated oven  on a moderate heat, about 120 degrees centigrade for 50 minutes.

Uncover the pot after 50 minutes and leave the dish in the oven for around another 20.

Serve very hot with a good larger, hotsauce and some crusty bread - and enjoy.

Beans and cured pork were staples in the wild west - as shown in a notorious scene in Blazing Saddles, a movie made in the worst possible taste - and one of my favorites. 

Winter Veg - start planning now

Well, its not been the best growing season, a dry spring and a very wet summer - but in the garden hope and growth spring eternal.

Most of us will be lifting crops in the coming 8 - 12 weeks, and its time to start planning the winter crops.

Having worked a kitchen garden you deserve to be able to take fresh, home grown food from the garden all year round.
That brings us onto the topic of winter veg.

Cabbage is named for its cropping season - not for its planting season.
Spring cabbages are usually sown in July and August being planted out in September and October to overwinter and be harvested from late February through to the beginning of June. In windy areas, earth up around the stem and compress the soil with your foot to ensure the plants are stable and don't suffer root rock.
They tend to be conical in shape and quite loose leaved, often referred to as spring greens or collards.

Heritage types I would reccommend are Baccalan de Rennes and Precoce de Louviers

If you sow now spring cabbage should be ready for transplantation to their final spot from Mid-September to the end of October.

They will be about six weeks old, between 2 ½ -3 inches (6-8cm high), and with about 6 leaves. It is recommended you water the ground deeply around the young plants the day before you intend to move them, as this will prevent transplant shock.

Lift out the young cabbage plants from their seedbed with a trowel or hand-fork retaining as much soil around the roots as possible. Pop each transplant into a 4-inch deep hole, each one approx 12-14 inches apart. Allowing 12 inches (30cm) between each of the plant rows.

The 4-inch deep holes will often swallow the plant up to its first leaves, but in the windy Irish climate it will give them deeper roots and they are less susceptible to being leggy or wind damaged.

Transplanting the cabbages encourages formation of a solid head, heart, and establish a sturdy root system. If seedlings are left to grow where the seed is sown, the cabbage heads can be of poor density.
The transplanting process toughens them up, which will help see them through the winter for fresh, early season greens in February, March and April - after harvest obviously, the spring planting season begins.

Another worthwhile crop is Wiener Runder Kohlschwarzer, the German winter cooking radish.
This over winter veg that stands well in the ground can be used like turnip or swede in soups and stews.

New kitchen garden ideas 2012 - wall gardens, gates and gutters!

Keeping a kitchen garden is as much about experimenting as it is about food - your making your own mark on a small corner of the world.

I have been meaning to better fence off the kitchen garden patch for a while.

A self closing gate as a feature as much as a function. The running gear (rope) will be spliced and tidied later in a more seaman like manner as is appropriate - but its sort of a tribute to - or perhaps a momento mori of - those who went before me.

The gate was welded up by a friend. The gate body is an old drying rack from a Stanley No.8 range my Grandmother got in around 1946.
My Granddad apparently preferred the old open fireplace, so she had it delivered and installed while he was out fishing, fait acomplis.
Hinges and pulleys came from O Malleys shop in Rosmuc, Connemara - a really great family run old fashioned business who have everything you will need from the cradle to the grave. 

The counterweight is pig iron from the old sash windows of Ardmore National school which was renovated in 1987-1988.
My Dad was headmaster and salvaged them for use as ballast in Galway hookers, but I found a few in the garden when developing it.
 They were in the windows from about 1878 until 1988. Now one is still in use pretty much in its original role about 135 years after being cast.

The self closing gate itself was inspired by a dear family friend called James Jocelyn who was an artist from nearby.
As a small child I was fascinated by a self closing gate he built for his garden - much in the same fashion.
The gate was made from materiel's associated with my family, but was certainly inspired by James.
He was a fantastic floral gardener, growing all kinds of blossoms from a hard won patch of stony ground.

I loved to visit him, and even when he was busy he put up with me - how I really don't know.
There was these old swords above the fire place that I would insist on playing with. An old RN sword and a Rapier that had been made in Dublin.

Later on in life as I turned into an adult, I picked up a lot from him about art, literature, culture and history.

James had a friendly but very extraordinarily hyperactive and loud Jack Russell called Noodles, who for some reason would swing a fishing buoy on a rope like a hammer thrower, then release and chase it - In hindsight I think Noodles may have been the origin of the word barking mad.

James was in fact a distant in-law of James Bligh - he of the Bounty, so obviously the accusations of keelhauling, flogging and spread eagling noodles were too tempting to resist. In my defence I think it was only fair in lieu of the fact he frequently told my Mother, and later me, that she must have dropped me on my head as a baby.

James was always supportive and encouraging when I chose to go to Sea as a career, so I do owe him a lot of thanks.
My 21st Birthday present made by him was a wonderful model of St MacDaras church in Connemara marble which still and will always have pride of place.

 

I think perhaps that although the idea for the gate was in train for quite some time that it did not go up until now is a little cathartic - some time back around this time of the year James passed away, he is still missed but having had his humour and intellect as part of my upbringing will always stand me in good stead.

Anyway, there are two more experiments in the garden - the first being the pea gutter.

Old guttering affixed outside the shoring I put in last year over the drain.
I had the guttering re-done last year, so had a load of old, unsightly gutters all over the shop so I recycled them this way rather than driving them all to a recycle centre.

This way I am using both sides of the fence for peas and beans - maybe squash later.
Another set of old guttering added to the top of the supporting posts to grow lettuce/salad type food.
The inspiration for this came from a photo in the US I believe

I have got my hands on lots of climbing legumes so this is pretty much where they will go -
For me its a nitrogen fixer for the soil, and saves a hell of a lot of hassle putting up canes and supports - this is no maintainance once the transplants go into place.
I concentrated on types that do not require shelling like Mange Tout and Green beans, but for good measure I will add some Runner beans and Irish Green peas.

One thing that has defeated me over the years is tomatoes and basil, I dont have and dont thing I really want a polytunnel.
So, the south east facing wall of the house is well sheltered and quite sunny - no trees in the way.

The trellis' came from Aldi last year, very cheap - around €6 each.
The hanging basket brackets came from Lidl this year, €3 each
Using some timber I will be knocking up a few planter boxes for the base, about 1m x 30cm and 30cm deep.
These will be seeded with gherkins, climbing squash and delicate herbs like basil, corriander and quinquilla.
When established and the weather gets warmer they will be slotted in below the trellis to climb away for the summer - and with our short nights I have high hopes.
The black fabric behind the trellis will protect plaster and paint work from the climbers tendrils, and help absorb more heat into the wall.
The hanging baskets will be used to try a variety of tumbling tomato types, we will see which work best.

Anyway, it goes to show with even only a wall, you can still grow your own from the plot to the plate, and even if my peas are in the gutter - they are staring at the stars!

Please feel free to comment if you use any ideas or experiment with something like this

Early veg - seasons first. Witloof in mushroom sauce with chicon salad

This time of the year there tends not to be much in the garden.It is sometimes referred to as the hunger gap, the space between last years harvest and this years crop.
But with some planning you can have fresh food from the garden all year round, its just a question of working with the seasons.

In addition to spring cabbage, Kale's and leeks, last November I set up endive or chicory roots to force into Chicons.
The type was Witloof, one I am familiar with from my time in the Netherlands.
The seeds were hard to find but I finally sourced them from Garden Plants by Post in limerick.

This is a great veg, already it has provided summer greens for salads and potato dishes last summer, now it provides a salad and a hearty warm meal. Now the roots could be roasted and added to coffee! One pack of seeds, three uses over 7 months.

The recipe is based on a meal I had in Ghent, Belgium, and it is a fairly common dish there.
I had two types of chicon, one Witloof, the other radichio.
The Witloof grew very well over the mild winter despite little attention or care - the radichio was smaller.

This meal was designed to show off both of them, a warmed witloof complimented by a radichio koolsla on the side.

Coleslaw comes from the German or Dutch Kool-sla, literally cabbage salad. This is not the soggy mayonaise soaked lump we get here, but a fresh and very healthy winter salad.
As I have tried to demonstrate with other recipes and processes like zuurkool/ kapusta kizona/Chacroute there are so many more ways to work with cabbage and greens than just boiling them.

Anyway, first things first - the main part.
Preheat oven to 180, while its warming up you can get the rest ready.
Ingredients are very simple,
Some chicons - one per person,
ham slices, two per chicon.
Tsp mustard
I found and added some sea corriander, but cilantro or corriander will do.

Remove any damaged outer leaves from chicon.
Overlap two slices of ham.
Spread with a little mustard
Optional - Add finely chopped herb of choice 

Now, roll the chion into the ham, creating a wrap.
Secure with a tooth pick. Transfer to a shallow oven dish.

Next we do a quick sauce. You will need
Mushrooms
75 grams grated cheese
200ml milk
Tablespoon flour
Knob of butter.
Fresh Chives, finely chopped

Herb cutter, demi luna and board - a gift to myself from Joyces in Recess, Connemara.

Chop the mushrooms and sautee in a pot
When sweated and slightly browned add the flour and work into a roux.

Add the milk and grated cheese - reserve some of the cheese to sprinkle over the dish.
When the sauce thickens add the chives and stir in, pour over the prepared chicons, sprinkle over a little cheese and chuck in the oven for 20 minute.

ENDIVE COLESLAW
In the meantime you can get your real coleslaw made.

Finely slice your chicon.
Get the top half of a small winter cabbage - remove any part of the core, its the leaves only that you want.
Slice into ribbons, very fine.
Take a carrot, grate - or as I prefer, use a potato peeler to create broad ribbons.
Mix together.
Add some raisins or grated apple if you have it - wallnut is also very nice in the mix and this is a great, fresh, crunchy salad.With the honey in the dressing it helps compliment the slight bitterness of the chicon.

Dressing is
a teaspoon of mustard,
 pressed clove of garlic,
salt and pepper
A teaspoon of carroway seed well pounded
A teaspoon of honey.
Add this to 200 ml Donegal rapessed oil and 50ml cider vinegar and shake well.
Pour over mixed salad and toss well.
With the colours, a bit of fresh chopped parsely as a garnish looks great as well

Remove the chicons from the oven, serve with the coleslaw and rice if you wish.

With this meal itself the salad tastes wonderfully fresh and crunchy with those bitter and sweet flavours, and add to that the rich, smooth warming mushroom/cheese/chive sauce with the crunchy cooked witloof.
The raw cabbage I am told is very good for you, full of fibre vitamins etc - but I really do cook for taste as opposed to health.
And, at this time of year it is incredibly rewarding to be able to produce a meal with so many veg still fresh from the garden.

As always feedback is very welcome - any suggestions for additions or ommissions are appreciated.

Mushroom Magic

Mushrooms are pretty essential in a lot of cooking, great with steak or stir fries, the simple mushroom omelet or a creamy pasta sauce are some of the quickest, tastiest meals one can do.
There are so many varieties now it can be a little confusing.
If you are into types other than white button there can also be the question of availability.
Mushrooms can be grown throughout the year – under cover as I do or in a cellar, cupboard, garage etc.

In the autumn/winter mushrooms can even be grown in a greenhouse, as they don't need to have light excluded.


Mushroom seed, or spawn, is fairly easy to source on ebay, particularly the more exotic types.
I picked up a pack of dry spawn for simple white button mushrooms from Dangan nursery centre in Galway.
The type is Agaricus, produced by Suttons and retails at €6.80

Finishing mushrooms can vary, i.e. some require daylight to finish off or get colour but getting any variety of them started is exactly the same across the board.

What you need to think about first is a cellulose rich substrata - or for people like me wood or wood product mixed in with manure to create a subsoil.

I used well rotted farmyard manure, then lots of wood bark and wood bits from under the log pile and straw from last years oats that had been left on top of the asparagus and strawberry plants over winter.

But any woody - papery type substance will do, shredded waste, paper toilet rolls, old books or telephone directories, old cotton clothes, hardwood sawdust or woodchips - whatever else you can think of.

Sweepings from under firewood storage gave me a good supply of materiel. A little gypsum is also good.

Mushroom yield will be highest with a carefully selected mushroom compost made from straw, horse manure. Some people have even been successful growing mushrooms on sawdust and waste paper. Mushrooms can even be grown on the compost heap, although results will be variable. A mixture of horse or poultry manure and straw is preferred by mushroom growers, although most types of manure are suitable.

Anyway, I used some fish boxes to mark out the area I plan to turn into a mushroom patch. It is under an old hedge in some shade so a lot of old woody bits slowly breaking down there already.

Once the area had been marked out for each area I dug in straw, as much wood bark and bits as I could and half a wheelbarrow of well rotted farmyard manure to a depth of about 10"/25cm.

I dug in about half the spawn from a single envelope, my hope is this will give a different cropping time as mushrooms come in flushes.

I compacted the manure as best I could just whacking it down with the back of a spade.

The rest of mushroom spawn was sprinkled over the developed area and pressed in with a rake to a depth of about 3"/5cm.

Then a few sheets of news paper are laid over the area and damped down.

A fishbox is then put over the top to exclude light. These will be painted black to improve light exclusion and increase heat absorption.

A few days after spawning thin white threads - Mycelia - will appear.
After 10-14 days remove the newspaper and put in a 'casing' layer.

That is simply about 3cm or 1.5" of clean moist garden soil or bagged compost over the top.
This is called the casing layer

When the casing layer is established keep it moist but not overly wet.
Mushrooms grow in flushes. To pick gently twist the cap and pull away from the bed gently to avoid damage to developing mushrooms.

Pick regularly, removing old or diseased mushrooms immediately.
Mushrooms can keep producing 3-6 months after spawning.

Ideal temperature is about 15 degrees C, avoid temps if possible below 10 or above 20