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Why we should grow to love the food made in our own back gardens
Clare Latimer calls on shoppers to turn away from imports stocked by supermarkets and investigate local produce for fresh vegetables
MANY of my friends in Camden have allotments or grow vegetables in their gardens and I am being offered cucumbers, beetroots and runner beans on a daily basis.
I am so horrified when I go to a supermarket and all I can see are beans from Kenya and Egypt at this time of year so I think we should eat local and ‘ban the bean’ that has flown half-way round the world.
Your local farmers’ market and greengrocer can supply your needs.
We have not got much longer for summer vegetables, so keep searching and buying.
Most years I grow vegetables in among my borders of flowers and not only do they taste much better than bought ones, but also look really attractive and are money-saving as well.
My chickens also love the trimmings.
The recipes below are cooked in the same way, but with sauces from different parts of the world.
You can choose the flavours you like best and perhaps do some mix and matching.
Eastern bean casserole
This is so easy and will please the vegetarians especially.
Runner beans are so often just sliced into shreds, but I prefer them served in the chunky way which gives more texture and flavour.
Ingredients
Serves 4
400g runner beans
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped finely
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
10ml olive oil
200g tin kidney beans, drained
1 tablespoon soy
sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame seeds 1 small lemon, juice only
½ tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
225g rice or noodles
Method
Strip the long edges off either side of the runner beans with a potato peeler and then snap into 6cm strips, pulling off any remaining stringy bits. Remove top and tails as you go.
Put the onion into a frying pan with the olive oil and garlic and cook gently for about five minutes or until soft. Add the runner beans and the kidney beans and stir well. Add the soy sauce, honey, sesame seeds, lemon juice and the fresh ginger. Stir well. Cover and cook for a further five minutes or until the runner beans are just cooked but still a little crunchy.
While the beans are cooking, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the rice or noodles and cook as instructed on the packet. Drain when cooked and serve hot with the mixture.
Blushing bride
This is another casserole-type meal using fresh vegetables but with a different spicy sauce. You can use other vegetables so have a go with the flavours that you like best. I would either serve with new potatoes or, on a chilly day, dolloped into baked potatoes.
Ingredients
Serves 6
450g fresh beetroot, washed and tops removed
450g fresh carrots, washed, tops removed and chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 desp soft brown sugar
Juice of 2 fresh oranges
Grated rind of 1 orange
½ teasp ground cinnamon
½ teasp ground nutmeg
Method
Cook the beetroots whole in boiling salted water for about one hour, rinse in cold water and then remove the skins, which will come off easily. Cook the carrots in boiling salted water for 10 minutes and drain.
Put the ginger, sugar, orange juice, orange rind, cinnamon and nutmeg into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
Reduce the heat and add the vegetables.
Cook for about five minutes stirring occasionally. |
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