Now Christmas and the New Year celebrations are over, and we are now all wondering where all that money went, there is one consolation – Spring is on it’s way! The winter solstice, the shortest day, almost passed unnoticed on December 21st, but this is also a day to be celebrated – the days start to lengthen, by about 15 minutes per week, and by the beginning of March we will have 2 hours more daylight. The summer solstice, June 21st. is the longest day, when you can work on your plot till 22.30, and weather permitting, can invite a few friends over for an impromptu barbecue.
The weather in December was devastating to gardeners and farmers alike, and I hope it will not extend throughout January. Crops such as carrots may be ruined. Parsnips should be okay, but as soon as the weather starts to warm up (and you can finally get them out of the ground!) they will start to ‘bolt’. Get them out, a.s.a.p., and roast them, boil them, grate them into salads and even make your own crisps. Alternatively, freeze them.
Here is a recipe for blanching parsnips. They will keep for 1 year in your freezer.
Half fill a pan with water, and heat rapidly.
Scrub, trim, peel and remove central core from older parsnips, then cut into narrow strips or dice.
When the water is boiling add the parsnips. Wait until the water comes back to the boil, turn down to a simmering boil and blanch for 2 minutes.
Sieve off the parsnips and put in iced water to cool. When cool, spread on trays. (I would recommend a clean tea towel or cling film on the tray; otherwise you may have a problem scraping them off). Open freeze and bag as soon as they are frozen hard.
Blanched parsnips are no good for crisping, salads and are doubtful roasters, due to the water content, but can still be used boiled (10 mins) or in soups and stews.
If you want to know more about how to freeze other vegetables and fruit (including those difficult ones, cucumber, courgettes, pumpkins), which are generally considered unfreezable, please contact me through the website, and I’ll tell you how to freeze just about anything from Apples to Zucchini.
Happy New Year to you all
Joan
The weather in December was devastating to gardeners and farmers alike, and I hope it will not extend throughout January. Crops such as carrots may be ruined. Parsnips should be okay, but as soon as the weather starts to warm up (and you can finally get them out of the ground!) they will start to ‘bolt’. Get them out, a.s.a.p., and roast them, boil them, grate them into salads and even make your own crisps. Alternatively, freeze them.
Here is a recipe for blanching parsnips. They will keep for 1 year in your freezer.
Half fill a pan with water, and heat rapidly.
Scrub, trim, peel and remove central core from older parsnips, then cut into narrow strips or dice.
When the water is boiling add the parsnips. Wait until the water comes back to the boil, turn down to a simmering boil and blanch for 2 minutes.
Sieve off the parsnips and put in iced water to cool. When cool, spread on trays. (I would recommend a clean tea towel or cling film on the tray; otherwise you may have a problem scraping them off). Open freeze and bag as soon as they are frozen hard.
Blanched parsnips are no good for crisping, salads and are doubtful roasters, due to the water content, but can still be used boiled (10 mins) or in soups and stews.
If you want to know more about how to freeze other vegetables and fruit (including those difficult ones, cucumber, courgettes, pumpkins), which are generally considered unfreezable, please contact me through the website, and I’ll tell you how to freeze just about anything from Apples to Zucchini.
Happy New Year to you all
Joan