2017 A year in review.

I’m trying to plan the layout for my polytunnel and what I’m going to grow this year and have been looking back through some of my pictures so I thought I’d do a quick round up of what I have grown so far and how much we have achieved on our journey to self sufficiently. 

Putting the cover on the frame

It took us 2 months deciding where to put the polytunnel 

We bought the frame second hand and made the door ourselves out of decking boards we had saved

It’s withstood snow & storms 

We got the polytunnel up in mid July so we were late planting but I bought a few plants and seeds and thought I’d see what happened! 

Courgette, tomatoes basil, spinach, chives, rocket, lettuce

Lettuce, rocket, spring onion, tomato, yellow cherry tomatoes

Cooking apples. This tree was a cutting from an apple tree in gerards grandas garden he’d taken about ten years ago. It was basically a twig, and has been moved and replanted three times but it had a bumper crop this year. These are just some of the windfalls

My mum and dad got us two apple trees as a wedding present. They are the juiciest eating apples 

We had 18 tomato plants given to us by a family friend, they were small and only starting to flower when we put them into the tunnel in grow bags with some rather ropey makeshift scafolding staging

We sent lots of visitors home with goodie bags

We grew our own pumpkins 

We grew the three green one’s. I’ve plans for a big pumpkin &  squash patch this year

There still is a lot of work to be done, I’m not sure where I will find the time to do everything I want, but I’ve realised it’s a way of life I am looking for. I don’t need nicey laid out paths and an insta worthy veg patch (yet 😉) I need to enjoy the journey I am on. 

Cucumber, tomatoes, chilli’s, rocket, lettuce, runner beans

I bought a pepper plant for 50p in b&q in August. We got two peppers!

There were lots of tomatoes

Runner beans flowers 

I want to grow more varieties of tomatoes next year

The chilli’s were unbearably hot!

I picked the last of the tomatoes in December and ate the last one in a turkey sandwiche on boxing day!

The Last of the apples

We got 21 runners off two pots of strawberry plants. They were basically dead whe we moved them into the polytunnel

And I can’t forget the 5 blueberries

One of Emma’s first tastes was apple & blueberry puree all homegrown! The recipe is here 

Growing my own fruit and vegetables is is my release. It’s my time to be me. Cooking with them is my passion and something I’m looking forward to doing more of this year 

There was a lot of tomato sauce made

And tomato salsa

And tomato & chilli chutney

I made sun dried tomatoes

Tomato & spinach Crustless quiches 

I nailed the tomato soup

Tomato soup and tomato &  brie croissants

Venison lasagne with our own tomatoe sauce & venison shot by gerard

And bolognese with salad

The peppers didn’t ripen on the plant but this wee trick worked a treat 😉

Then came Apple crumble season

I’ve more apple recipes here 

We foraged blackberries & made jam

And blackberry gin

You can find the recipe here 

Rosehips & sloes

And some toffee apples for our porridge

We grew thyme, coriander, spinach, lettuce, parsley &  celery and have cabbage, brocolli, carrots & parsnips in now but they’re not ready 

Tiny carrots and parsnips

Mummy’s wee helper

Growing my own fruit and vegetables is my way to find some me time. . .  To find something other than mum. . . To help me relax.  I’ve been suffering with post natal depression I spoken about it before here and some days are hard.  The struggles of daily life with two young children when you’re sleep deprived (I’ve not had more than a 4hr stretch in 10 months) have meant I’ve not got as much done as I would have liked by now but I am going to accept that everything won’t be the way I want it without me making the time and putting the work in, but sure, can’t we all say that about something? The jeans we strive to fit back into, the relationship we’re chasing, the business were trying to grow?  I won’t get what I want if I don’t work for it, and I need to make the time to do it, for myself mentally aswell. The last few months when I haven’t been out as much I’ve really noticed my mood dip so I’m excited to see the first signs of spring and to see what we can achieve this year!  

We got climbing roses as a wedding present too. I hope to grow lots of flowers this year (not just for the gram 😉) 

I plan to keep better records this year of what I’m growing and what I harvest and hope to try to grow as many different varieties as possible. And of course, there will be more regular updates and recipes on here too! 
Laura x

Celery & Pea Soup

Ingredients

1 onoin chopped 

½ bunch celery chopped 

1 clove garlic crushed 

2 potatoes thinly sliced 

1 litre water

2 stock cubes

Cup of frozen peas

Small bunch of parsley chopped

Knob of butter 
Method

Soften onion, garlic and celery in pan with butter then add potatoes, water and stock. Simmer for 20mins add the peas and parsley and cook for another 5mins, blitz & enjoy

For a richer soup add cream to finish 

Homemade chicken stock

Soup season is well and truly on us and i make a few pots of soup a week. I normally use stock pots when making soup, but I found myself with none in the larder and a stripped rotisserie chicken carcass so I decided to make my own stock for a change, and do you know what? It was far nicer, cheaper, used up leftovers, and I made enough for two big pots of soup.

Ingredients 

Stripped chicken carcass 

2 carrots 

1 onion 

2 sticks celery 

Bay leaves

Peppercorns

Water

Method 

Heat chicken bones in a large pot then add roughly chop vegetables, no need to peel, just give them a wash, cover with water, add Bay leaves, peppercorns & simmer for 90minutes

Pass through a fine sieve and your done! You can now use this stock to make your favourite soup. 

Why don’t you check out some of my soup recipes over on my instagram feed 

I don’t know why I’ve never made my own stock before? But I’ll definitely be making stock this way again as I roast a chicken every week. 

Laura x

​Goats Cheese, Tomato & Spinach Crustless Quiche

Ingredients 

6 eggs

3 tomatoes sliced 

2 spring onions finely chopped 

Handful spinach chopped 

Handful rocket chopped 

6 basil leaves torn

6mint leaves torn 

Goats cheese 

Chilli & tomato chutney (Lidl do a great one.!) 

Method 

Seperate 6eggs and whish the whites until fluffy. 

Mix the yolks with a little milk, spring onion, spinach, tomato & rocket and fold into the egg whites. 

Pour into a cake tin and top with goats cheese and tomato & chilli chutney. 

Pop in a preheated oven at 180° for 15-20mins until the egg is cooked through.

 

*we great the tomatoes, spinach, rocket, basil & mint and I served this with a salad of our own mixed lettuce, tomatoes, spring onions and cucumber

**this is also great served cold and is a firm favourite for picnics. Just add a bit of kitchen paper to your tupperwear to absorb stem if storing it whilst still warm. Picnics aren’t just for the summer! And don’t have to be sandwiches!

***try alternative fillings; bacon pieces with mushroom, Red Leicester & Brown Sauce. Ham & Cheddar. Smoked salmon, spring onion,  peas & horseradish. Caramelised onion, bacon & brie. 

Venison Quesadillas

Quesadillas. . Fajitas. . Tacos. . Pulled Pork. . Spachcok chicken. . Spicy Rice. .

I make my own spice mix and use it for them all. It doesn’t have salt, additives or preservatives,  is cheaper than the store bought sachets as you probably have everything you need in the cupboard and you can adjust it to your own personal taste. I normally make up a batch and store in a Mason jar to be used as and when needed.

Ground cumin, paprika, dried garlic, ground coriander, cayenne and crushed chilli flakes

 

I used 1lb venison mince we had in the freezer but you could use beef, pork, Turkey or Quorn mince or just extra veggies if you prefer. I fry this off until brown in a dry pan (this one was my nana’s ❤️) 

Add 3-5 teaspoons seasoning mix according to taste

Then add ½ red,  yellow & green pepper, onion, ½ tin sweetcorn & a tin mixed beans and fry for a further few minutes

Lastly I add a jar of pasatta (about 50p in lidl), reduce and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick.  If it does add a splash of water. 

To make the quesadillas I layered wilted spinach the mince mixture and a good sprinkle of grated cheese between two tortilla wraps and warmed in a dry pan over a medium heat for a few moments each side and cut with a pizza wheel

I served the quesadillas with lettuce and my avocado smash. We also like corn on the cob or sweet potato fries with this and I plan to make tomato salsa when the tomatoes and chilis are ready to harvest

Avocado Smash

A mashed avocado,  ¼ cucumber deseeded and cubed,  a chilli finely chopped (if you like it spicy), juice of ½ lime & a squeeze of mayo

 

This is a great midweek dinner serving 2-4 people, depending on sides,  can be prepped beforehand and goes down well with all the family

Laura x