What's left in your fruit and veg store?

My work colleague Neil Perry described the experience of tasting my blackcurrant jam as being "like an angel crapping on your tongue".

Thanks Neil! I guess that's a thumbs up ...

It reminded me of another of those many posts that falls into the "things I've been meaning to write for weeks" category: what's left in your produce store?

Here's a summary of my remaining allotment harvest.

My potatoes, pumpkins and onions are finished, but the shallots and squash are still going strong. In the freezer, the last batch of gooseberries became a crumble, the last shavings of horseradish was whipped up into some horseradish cream with a roast beef dinner, and I am still valiantly working my way through my personal frozen  blackcurrant mountain, ie churning out jam. The only other freezer occupant is a bag of courgettes that I don't really know what I am going to do with - tip into a vegetable stew, probably.

I am also hoarding the last two specimens from the haul of delicious Bramley apples we bartered for a squash earlier in the year. They're sitting on a table in the garage next to the squash, robed in newspaper.

Then of course there's the fresh stuff: when I get around to updating it, my "now harvesting" list includes florence fennel, chard, cavolo nero, brussels sprouts, Romanesco cauliflower, and some very persistent chicory. That's despite the fact that my plot is looking rather down in the dumps at the moment: waterlogged, weedy and sad. I am hoping the weather will cheer up soon - I need one of those crisp winter days to get some serious tidying up done.

Comments

[Mel Rimmer]

I just took stock of the freezer. We're up to our necks in runner beans and pumpkin puree, with lots of blackberries, damsons and sloes which are planned for a big batch of hedgerow wine as soon as I get round to it. A nice surprise was a couple of tubs of homemade cherry pie filling I'd forgotten about.

[Clare]

We've recently just used the last of our pink fir apples. I was surprised by how brilliantly they kept. We still have some onions and squash in the pantry and some french beans in the freezer. And we're just down to our last clove of garlic. I shall be bereft when we've finished it and have to buy some!

[Kim]

Hello, I've just found my way to your blog via wild burro.

A courgette suggestion for you:

If you are growing beetroot or have a local supplier, I was trying out new ways of cooking beetroot and made a simple but tasty veggie dish that we had with fish and it was really good.

Inspired by veg rattatouile that we eat all the time in the summer, I sauted equal quantities of cubed fresh beetroot and sliced courgette in a little olive oil with red onion, garlic (I love the flavour and use quite a bit!), red chilli and thyme until the beetroot was softened but still had a good bite too it. Before serving I stirred through a knob of butter.

The whole thing turns a bright beetroot colour with the fresh green skin of the courgette peeking out.

It might give you a reason to dig a couple of courgettes out of the freezer?! :)

Great blog by the way - I will be linking it to mine and will definitely be back to read more :)