The weather has been hot and just recently humid. In the cooler parts of the day I could get some work done. There was weeding but also the last of the beetroot had to be transplanted. Backbreaking, but rewarding. The silver lining of gardening is the feeling of accomplishment and of course, harvesting. Last night before coming home, I heard the bride dryly state from the veggie plots, that we would be stopping by the store on the way home. I said , "Oh yeah"? She said , "Well, don't you want a bit of shipped cream and cake to go with these"? She was dangling two great strawberries back with a grin from here to Rome. Well, I put down the trug of harvested spinach and fairly bounded over to take one of the red beauties. As I ate the sweet little thing, I was already taking the securing pins out of the netting and rolling my side back for a harvest. You should have seen us--grinning and cackling with every pluck. We did not get an enormous amount but it was more than enough to display decadent behaviour after supper. Here the harvest: the neighbour lady un-phased by our strawb display brought a new cauliflower to show-off with. After she had had sufficient press time..and to add insult to injury-- she announced that the cauli was for us. Oh good grief!--What is that woman like. Here the cauli resting easy on a bed of freshly picked spinach leaves. It was the third harvest. I was well chuffed. Well, this thread is actually about cooking, but I just I'd give some background. The cauli was used with some spuds to make alu gobi, an indian dish...and then to go with that the bride made some sticky chicken. She just picked a couple of recipes off the internet for guidance and set about throwing these dishes together. I got to assist by cleaning and cutting the cauli florets. then mixing up the sticky sauce with our honey, brown sugar, soya sauce, garlic, sambal oelek, cayenne and tom catchup. Here they are on the plates: These two dishes do not technically go together, but I liked it together just fine. The meal was really deliciolus...but of course waiting in the wings were the strawbs.....Polish off yer eyeballs and look at this: Strawberry, short cake and whipped cream. Youngens, it don't get much better than this!!!
Hold on there Mart - I'm coming with you!! Anyone else fancy a trip to Holland with us? Sjoerd you better watch out for a mass invasion. Don't eat all that lovely food until we get there!!
We have cauliflower, we have potatoes, and pretty soon we'll have alu gobi! I love the new recipes, new ideas, and new uses for veggies that one gets on this forum 1
Right then MART---Do you want the upper floor to live on or the lower one--the views are the same.. chuckle. Uh-oh....You will be coming as well, EILEEN. That will be fun. I shall have to exercise an enormous amount of restraint not to eat all the veg before you guys get here. I will do my best. Glad that you liked the posting, JANE--It sounds like you are well on the way to harvesting an alu gobi meal for yourselves. We had the left overs last night as well as some sag (spinach) Thanks CAROLYN.
Baby, you gottit. Chortle. We are beginning to eat better and better (when we have time), as the veg is beginning to come in. The fruit on the trees are swelling and ripening. Bracing myself for Round Two.
Tasty looking Alu Gobi dish,..which i would gobble down quick in order to get to the Strawberries and Cream ,..seeing everyone else is heading over i might hop in the boat,..you can look out the window Sjoerd,..leave a candle burning in the window to guide me
Woo-PEEEEE ! This is going to be great...I can't wait until you all arrive. I'll set a candle in the window, PHILIP. I'll be delighted to see your countenance appear here, CAYU.
That looks sooo good! Wish I could visit too but it sounds like it will all be gone before I arrive! Maybe there would be some strawberries and cream left if I hurried though.
The berries look delicious Sjoerd! I love strawberries and have tried to grow them twice. They just don't do well here and I decided to give their garden space to more productive plants. They look sweet enough that I don't need the cream
Hello 2OF--If you hurrrrrrrrrrrrry.......... Oh NETTY--they were, I am sorry to hear that your strawbs did not work for you. I have also had several failures on the road to finding ones that I really like. Now that I have found those, I just stick with them. What are you now growing in the old strawberry bed?
I haven't decided yet! Area seems to be overrun with weeds right now ... I may tarp for the summer to kill off weeds and then decide next spring