Thursday 8 March 2012

The Hungry Gap...What's left?

From the bottom they were:
Romanesco... we ate those, Black Tuscan and Red Russian kales...
then Chard [covered], Tenderstem Brocolli, Red Cabbage, Celery and Celeriac...
finally Carrots, Beetroot and Chicory [still green!]
This is the current state of the potager... the devastation left by the 'big freeze' has taken out all but one of our kale,  all the red cabbages [but they weren't the best this year], all the celery, almost all the stumps of the Stonehead cabbages but... not the chard! We had put a cloche over that to protect it from the frost...but not the freeze... and it got covered in a good layer of snow before the freeze started and looks as though it has survived.

The Leeks don't look very well either, but there is greenery and, therefore, probably enough to make a large amount of potato and leek soup.... yes, not leek and potato soup! Them leeks will be cut up and frozen [again] to be used to flavour potato and other soups... the hungry gap is upon us... we have plenty of potatoes and pumpkins. We haven't looked at what's left underground... haven't dared really.

Just about recognisable as Leeks!


In the freezer we have Runner beans, French [string] beans and Peas... along with Parsnips and re-frozen cabbage... and more pumpkin! In the cellier we have plenty of dried beans... but the only really fresh greens we have was one cabbage that was in the kitchen... and the chard, once it gets going again.


We've also got some dried peppers, shallots, etc., so soups and stews look to be our diet until salad crops get going.

Later....

Carrots... Autumn King


Underground report... have picked a swede... still OK and tasty... and a couple of carrots... fine! Haven't tried digging up the Jerusalem Artichokes yet though... and there's only one Celeriac left... but it feels nice and firm... so there may be hope there?

7 comments:

Jean said...

It sounds like you have plenty to keep you going for a few weeks yet. We love soups and a recent favourite is parsnip, carrot, apple and ginger, using bags of veg that are being sold off at the supermarket.

It makes you wonder what exactly people would be eating now in the days before freezers and bottles (and supermarkets).

WV is astedur abd tteduses - maybe that's the answer - some kind of wierd ancient vegetable.

Tim said...

Astedur abdtteduse sounds like the Latin name for some sort of Daisy... Jerisalem Artichokes are a member of the Daisy family... perhaps things were a lot windier in those days?

And before bottles there were pottery pots with pot,cork or wooden stoppers... and clamps for root veg and spuds... and things in barrels and brine... and thins under fat... and once the spice trade came, you could eat things that you would have found just a trifle unpleasant!

Tim said...

For Jerisalem in the last comment... please read...
Jerusalem

Tim said...

I hate it when you can't edit... also in thye same post 'thins under fat' should read 'things under fat'... a bit Freudian that one I think!

Tim said...

And in that last comment... oh! Forget it....

Susan said...

The wild sorrel is nice at the moment. Our chard survived unprotected in the potager - it's good local stock from Louisa's garden, so maybe completely acclimatised. We've eaten all your cabbage. Our leeks are much smaller, but look in much the same shape as yours. I was distressed to lose my celery up at the house - I've never grown it before and it was looking great after the drought...

Ken Broadhurst said...

Our potager looks about like yours. I started tilling it up today. The chard is growing, the leeks look sickly.

I too wonder how people ate before canning and freezing came along. I guess they could keep potatoes, cabbages, and carrots in a cellar.

I also wonder what people ate before American plants — potatoes, tomatoes, courgettes, green beans — were brought back to Europe.