As well as investing a lot of time in our piece of outdoors, it's also cost a fair bit of course. Compost, pots, seeds and plant plugs soon stack up. The garden has also repaid the time and energy - I wouldn't have bothered otherwise. Instead, it's been a real pleasure.
Inevitably, it's the items I spent least on and that were most experimental that have come up trumps.
An itsy-bitsy £1 plug of lemon thyme has spawned two bushes I'm about to chop back to overwinter (fingers crossed they make it to the other side of spring) and has kept us in pungent herbs for more than a season. I'll be drying out what I can and dicing some up for tonight's asparagus quiche. Not my own asparagus - I'm still a beginner at this kitchen gardening lark.
But the real winner of summer 2010 has to be the jalapeno pepper plant that promised nothing for four months - another £1 Easter time plug purchase. Three extremely hot green chillies powered the North South Chilli dish I made from an excellent Moosewood recipe last weekend. Another 25 or more chillies look likely to be ready to harvest in the coming weeks. Time to get inventive in the kitchen!
My take on the Moosewood recipe involved French beans, jalapeno peppers from the garden and sweet potato rather than squash, but is otherwise pretty similar. Here's the basics
Saute two small onions in two tablespoons of olive oil until they become translucent. Add as many garlic cloves as you fancy (Moosewood suggested five), plus three jalapeno peppers, two diced green or yellow bell peppers and a diced large sweet potato. Other fresh vegetables such as green beans and parsnip also work well and should be added at this stage.
Add 200ml of water and season well - cumin, coriander and other spices can be added to taste - and allow it all to cook down.
After about 10 minutes, turn down the heat, pour in a can of rinsed kidney beans and a can of chopped tomatoes. Simmer with lid on for 10 minutes or so and add any final seasoning or garnish. Top with grated cheese if you wish.
Serve with long grain rice and a splash of sour cream. It also goes well with a thick slice or two of homemade bread slathered with butter.
Saute two small onions in two tablespoons of olive oil until they become translucent. Add as many garlic cloves as you fancy (Moosewood suggested five), plus three jalapeno peppers, two diced green or yellow bell peppers and a diced large sweet potato. Other fresh vegetables such as green beans and parsnip also work well and should be added at this stage.
Add 200ml of water and season well - cumin, coriander and other spices can be added to taste - and allow it all to cook down.
After about 10 minutes, turn down the heat, pour in a can of rinsed kidney beans and a can of chopped tomatoes. Simmer with lid on for 10 minutes or so and add any final seasoning or garnish. Top with grated cheese if you wish.
Serve with long grain rice and a splash of sour cream. It also goes well with a thick slice or two of homemade bread slathered with butter.
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