This entry is a few days old now. You know how it is, you come home from a long trip away and there is so much to do, it takes a while to get back into the swing of things.
After 9 weeks away, do you know the first thing I did after arriving home? Well, the first thing was actually to ring my loved one to tell him I was back. So what was the second thing I did after an overnight flight? Was it to take a shower? No, I didn't even put my bags inside, I rushed to my picking basket and headed for the patch. Here was the result:
And the joy of the first home cooked meal with your produce. I took advantage of the pick and made this veggie dish to accompany a rack of lamb and roasted roots.
Cabbage fennel and chilli (* from the garden)
equal quantities of fennel* and savoy cabbage* sliced thin
garlic cut fine
a little chilli* sliced thin
olive oil
splash of lemon* juice
black pepper
Add chilli and garlic to olive oil in pan and cook on. Add fennel and cabbage and wilt and mix with other ingredients. Keep it slightly crunchy to serve. Just before you serve, squeeze a little lemon juice over and a grind of black pepper.
Take a look at Daphne's Dandelions for harvests from across the globe.
After 9 weeks away, do you know the first thing I did after arriving home? Well, the first thing was actually to ring my loved one to tell him I was back. So what was the second thing I did after an overnight flight? Was it to take a shower? No, I didn't even put my bags inside, I rushed to my picking basket and headed for the patch. Here was the result:- two enormous fat fennel bulbs
- lots of chillies
- the last of the yellow green chillies
- two small savoy cabbages
- a big pile of snow peas
- a few limes
- some broccoli side sprouts
- some small beetroot
- a basket full of lemons
Oh the joy of a heavy basket, the first pick after a long time away, the pleasure of dirty hands!
Come to think of it, most days the garden inspection is the first thing I do when I come home. It's a great way to wind down a stroll thru the patch. Do you dive into the patch when you get home from work?
And the joy of the first home cooked meal with your produce. I took advantage of the pick and made this veggie dish to accompany a rack of lamb and roasted roots.
Cabbage fennel and chilli (* from the garden)
equal quantities of fennel* and savoy cabbage* sliced thin
garlic cut fine
a little chilli* sliced thin
olive oil
splash of lemon* juice
black pepper
Add chilli and garlic to olive oil in pan and cook on. Add fennel and cabbage and wilt and mix with other ingredients. Keep it slightly crunchy to serve. Just before you serve, squeeze a little lemon juice over and a grind of black pepper.
Take a look at Daphne's Dandelions for harvests from across the globe.
I do like the idea of that cabbage dish - yum. Now I just need cabbage.....oh and fennel.....
ReplyDeleteI spend quite a lot of time pottering in the garden - particularly when Mr 2 has just done something particularly horrendous and I want to pretend it hasn't happened...also to avoid cleaning my house.
Oh, I get the house cleaning avoidance!
DeleteWelcome home! Good job with the broccoli too - I wish mine was ready for harvest already.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Its great to be back.
DeleteI cant explain the gret broccoli this year. I always grow it and have always had sucess, but this year it IS early and spectacularly good. I guess its the weather and just overall improved soil quality?
But you wait till you see the 'failure' blog on the caulis coming son!
What a lovely big harvest! It all looks wonderful. The fennel makes me curious since I've never grown it before, may have to give it a try once cool whether sets in.
ReplyDeleteI really like fennel. it is so easy to grow - never has any problems and makes so many nice dishes
DeleteYour fennel looks amazing. I planted fennel the first year I had my garden and it never looked like yours. It came back each year but this was the first year it did not. My bulbs were always a light green color and didn't taste as good as the white bulb kind. From what I understand there are various kinds of fennel and I think I got a different kind then what I was used too. Everything in your harvest looks amazing. So colorful! The meal you had sounds so good. I will have to give it a try. Nothing better then good veggies and produce from the garden. Glad to hear that you came home to such a great bounty.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.growitathome.wordpress.com
Joelle
Hi Joelle, thanks so much. It was great to come home to this, you are right! There are different types of fennel. The stuff that you sometimes find growing by the roadside is a fennel but it doesn't bulb up. The type you want for the whitish bulbs is Florence Fennel.
DeleteI'll take a look at your site.
Just had a look at your site... are those fennel in your blog header the ones you are talking about? They are fine, they look exactly like Florence Fennel! They are just young. The older they get the fatter they get and the whiter too. Also dont forget that fennel grown in summer will look greener than fennel grown in winter.
DeleteYes, the fennel in the photo is the fennel I was talking about. Thanks for the information. Maybe I wasn't letting it grow enough. Also my fennel was grown in summer. I think we get to cold during the winter to grow it here. I think I will try it again next year. I love fennel! Everything from the bulb to the flowers are edible and I love a plant like that.
DeleteThanks again for the information!
http://www.growitathome.wordpress.com
Joelle
it will be awhile before I have cabbage and fennel, but I will have to remember that recipe, sounds very good! What a great harvest. And yes the first thing I do when I get home is make the rounds, check the poultry yard and walk the garden!
ReplyDeleteWhile we are all so busy in the garden it is easy to forget one of their greatest benefits is not to our stomachs but to our minds as a supreme relaxer.
DeleteLove your cat!