Monday, July 4, 2011

Caffinated

This week, in the garden:
While buying the large quantities of chocolate and coffee at our local cafe/sweet shop, my husband has set up a deal with the shop owner, where he gets all the used coffee grinds from their busy coffee machine for our garden.
He is collecting two large bags twice a week, so that now our veggie patch has about an inch covering of coffee grinds over the surface.  Any snail problems have ceased instantly.  And the broccoli is sprouting hugely, so that we have 3 big servings a week, and there is a risk of stuff remaining going to seed.  I noticed when planting out some seedlings that the the soil seems to be improving a lot too.


Also harvested this week:

  • Beetroot leaves for a salad, along side spinach and lettuce, nice for the colour.
  • Coriander, mint, parsley
  • Radish
One school holiday activity will be to set up a structure around the broadbeans to allow them to keep growing upwards.


In the kitchen this week:
When my parents were over for an impromptu dinner, I had roasted brussel sprouts as in this recipe.
My dad was delighted.  My husband and mother were horrified.  Apparently, Mum had never made me eat them, and was shocked that I'd dish them up for her.  The dissenters politely tried them, but clearly were forcing them down, being watched by an amused five yo, exempt from the experiment.  Dad thought the brussel sprouts were lovely.  Everyone else declined to comment.  I thought they were great, and I've never even liked them.  The outer leaves blackened and went crispy like thin chips, so there was a mix of soft vegetable and crunchiness that was fantastic.
I tried cooking them again on Sunday night, again with my folks over, this time adding bacon to the mix.  The diners were far happier with this, with the bacon flavour infusing with the vegetable even appreciated by my semi-vego husband, but all the fabulous crispiness was lost, so I wasn't a huge fan anymore.  Everyone is a critic.  


I think that I'll revert to the original recipe and just make them when my dad is coming over.



1 comment:

  1. I've never actually minded brussel sprouts myself (although, I *do* have to dip them in tomato sauce. Weird?!). I think what you made sounds quite nice, either with or without the bacon!

    ReplyDelete