For the love of Produce...

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Replies

  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,976 Member
    I was wrong.

    I found a ripe fig while I was out watering some shrubs. Just one. I pruned the plants heavily last year, so the first (breba) crop will be small. The main crop comes later on this year's new wood, while the breba crop is on last year's new wood. We never get many from the main crop. They rot before they get ripe because, well, that's our climate. At least for now. It was delicious, and I can't even find one more.
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  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    My dad's previous property had a large fig tree. I think they were usually ripe around 4th of July??? I loved it when the next door neighbor would make fig jam and homemade honey wheat buns!
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    My fig tree is enormous this year but everything is still green. I got half a dozen ripen about a month back but it's still working on the rest.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,878 Member
    Jealous of all the homegrown fruit. We do have some store bought peaches and persimmons of my favourite type. Best eaten standing over the kitchen sink.
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
    w20lfwae0vzy.jpeg

    Tonight. Finally made pretty food.

    Butter lettuce, watermelon radish, roasted warm cauli, herbs (cilantro, mint) crescents of deseeded Persian cucumber. Miso dressing, the one I guilty pleasure. Weird oils in it.
    Seed crunch stuff. Capers.

    Then unceremoniously dumped a tub of cottage cheese on it. Cottage cheese is many great things. But not picturesque, IMO.
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    Jealous of all the homegrown fruit. We do have some store bought peaches and persimmons of my favourite type. Best eaten standing over the kitchen sink.

    Yesssss.
    My whole garden croaked. Too hot. Also poor soul and a vengeful 🐿
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    I was wrong.

    I found a ripe fig while I was out watering some shrubs. Just one. I pruned the plants heavily last year, so the first (breba) crop will be small. The main crop comes later on this year's new wood, while the breba crop is on last year's new wood. We never get many from the main crop. They rot before they get ripe because, well, that's our climate. At least for now. It was delicious, and I can't even find one more.
    qj3e8v5wg4jk.jpg



    So jealous!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,878 Member
    Not fresh produce but I discovered chick pea flour fries and really like them. I do them in the air fryer but they would work under the broiler or shallow fried.
    https://olivesfordinner.com/2018/07/chickpea-fries-with-yogurt-tahini-sauce.html
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,878 Member
    I love fresh broadbeans but cannot believe the edible parts to waste ratio, especially if the skins are leathery and you need to double pod. We have some frozen broad beans too. I have never double podded frozen ones before but wondering if they are as painful to do.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I have so many small globe tomatoes that I can't keep up. It's only 1 plant, but I am only 1 person. So they are globe tomatoes, shaped like a slicing tomato, but about the size of roma tomatoes. Which makes them not the best for sandwiches. I am getting tired of slicing them on top of avocado toast or having tomato and cucumber salads. Using a few later this week in hummus veggie pasta but I have no clue what else to make with them!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,878 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I have so many small globe tomatoes that I can't keep up. It's only 1 plant, but I am only 1 person. So they are globe tomatoes, shaped like a slicing tomato, but about the size of roma tomatoes. Which makes them not the best for sandwiches. I am getting tired of slicing them on top of avocado toast or having tomato and cucumber salads. Using a few later this week in hummus veggie pasta but I have no clue what else to make with them!

    I don't have a have a garden but bought a 5 kg box of so-so tomatoes from the green grocer very cheap when there was a glut. Roast tomato sauce is an option if the weather is not too hot to have the oven on. I gave a third of the finished batch to the girlfriend who came to help make this. This was the portion that went into our freezer.

    If your tomatoes are really good you won't need to roast them, which is a more manageable way to make tomato sauce for freezing in hot weather.

    cohnn4u1pa4s.jpeg
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,792 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    Athijade wrote: »
    I have so many small globe tomatoes that I can't keep up. It's only 1 plant, but I am only 1 person. So they are globe tomatoes, shaped like a slicing tomato, but about the size of roma tomatoes. Which makes them not the best for sandwiches. I am getting tired of slicing them on top of avocado toast or having tomato and cucumber salads. Using a few later this week in hummus veggie pasta but I have no clue what else to make with them!

    I don't have a have a garden but bought a 5 kg box of so-so tomatoes from the green grocer very cheap when there was a glut. Roast tomato sauce is an option if the weather is not too hot to have the oven on. I gave a third of the finished batch to the girlfriend who came to help make this. This was the portion that went into our freezer.

    If your tomatoes are really good you won't need to roast them, which is a more manageable way to make tomato sauce for freezing in hot weather.
    (image snipped for length)

    One of the beauties of roasting tomatoes, though - besides the rich, concentrated flavor - is that they get quite a bit smaller, thus requiring less freezer space. I love them roasted a bit further than sauce consistency (but not all the way to dry or leathery) and mixed with pasta plus just some nice grated aged cheese and some minced garlic or freshly garlic-ed good oil.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,976 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I have so many small globe tomatoes that I can't keep up. It's only 1 plant, but I am only 1 person. So they are globe tomatoes, shaped like a slicing tomato, but about the size of roma tomatoes. Which makes them not the best for sandwiches. I am getting tired of slicing them on top of avocado toast or having tomato and cucumber salads. Using a few later this week in hummus veggie pasta but I have no clue what else to make with them!

    Let them get REALLY ripe, slice them, and dehydrate.

    If you slice them REALLY thin and dry them until they are uber crispy, they are so intense with flavor. I call them "tomato chips." Then you can save them for later in the year when you can't harvest them.

    I have six tomato plants. What the ocelot was I thinking? Sungold - always yum. Estrena - allegedly a better version of sungold. Green tiger -- a football shaped thing that seems like it has some roma in it, but it's small, and it's green with stripes when ripe. Cosmonaut Volkov - have grown before, and they do well here. Valencia - orange, small slicing tomato that I hope is really good. Berkely Pink Tie Dye - heirloom tomato that I don't actually expect to perform well in our climate, but I loved the name. As a one-person household, I am going to have to find some fun things to do with the bounty. For now it's cucumber season.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,878 Member
    Hubby came home from the market with cherries. Wow. Must remember to get more while they are in season.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,878 Member
    I can't believe the hubby found samphire (aka salicornia) in the supermarket, something I love but haven't eaten in about 12 years. Grows in salt water tidal marshes. so a pre salted vegetable.
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  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    I can't believe the hubby found samphire (aka salicornia) in the supermarket, something I love but haven't eaten in about 12 years. Grows in salt water tidal marshes. so a pre salted vegetable.
    7hhj4if2w6xj.jpg

    Tesco’s have been stocking Samphire for quite some years now, in fact.

    I first came across Samphire when I lived in Norfolk where it was available, in season only, from the wet fish stalls in Norwich Market. At that time (20+ years ago) it pretty much was only growing in The Wash - North Norfolk/Lincolnshire coast.

    I can only imagine from the easy availability these days in Tesco (and Morrisons - but that’s less reliable a source) that’s its being farmed rather than gathered wild semi-locally. I’ve just realised your pack says ‘Morocco’!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I have been on a fruit tear lately after realizing that not going to the farmer's market was meaning I was missing out on my usual summer fruit. Been eating apricots, peaches, plums, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries. My own blueberries went from almost ripe to missing, so some animal is eating them (probably squirrels, which have been an issue this year).

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