It's good to share!
Posted by Catriona Ross - 15:02 on 18 August 2010
BELLADRUM festival featured a fair old feast of fresh food and drink. A fair amount laid claim to be local in some way. There was seafood from Argyll, Aberdeenshire beef, mature Highland cheeses, beer from the Black Isle and rum mojitos from, uh, the Carribean...
'Tis the season for festivals and shows, and down in Strathspey last week, the Grantown Show was a local food fans' delight, featuring mouthwatering local produce from the Farmer's Market. Enough to cheer the most sodden of spirits...
I'm half way through Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver at the moment and I have to say it's a good-going read. I'm inspired to get my act together and get myself along to Grow North - Transition Black Isle's training programme for people keen to grown their own delicious produce. It's been a pretty unsuccessful year in the garden here, neglect has taken its toll...
Apart from a glut of healthy, rapidly growing courgettes, we have a few shrivelled peas, some seriously chewed broccoli (white butterflies flapping furtively around), neglected tomatoes and some spindly leeks. Oh, and the best homegrown basil I have ever seen in my life, and lots and lots and lots of ground elder. Both basil and ground elder are good for making pesto - the Romans introduced the latter as a food plant. Sadly after its first flourish it becomes tough and bitter, focusing its energy on choking out the rest of the plants rather than anything useful.
Barbara's asparagus obsession - and her description of the nurturing of the plants and joy when the scrumptious spears finally appear - is contagious. I want an asparagus patch! Preferably one not smothered by pesky Roman weeds. Anyone have any experience of growing asparagus on the Black Isle? I understand patience and horticultural skill is required and am not totally confident that what I lack on these fronts will be made up for by enthusiasm. Advice please!
Talking about sharing advice and ideas, the forum on this website is a great place to share your experiences - or just have a rant - on a whole host of topics. Register now to join the conversation, or simply peruse the pages for topics dear to your heart.
Our recipe section is now up and running - add your own favourites to the forum and they will be published here. You can vote online for the dishes you like best. My broad beans were among the failed crops this season so I'm now just looking to buy some so I can try Chilli Broad Bean Casserole. Does anyone know where I can find some?
I've never seen a furtive cabbage white caterpillar, LOL. Think you worked in those forum links rather neatly, heheh, so head on over there folks and don't miss things like "Frodo's solution" while you're there.