Monday 23 December 2013

Harvest Monday - 23rd December 2013

Well, it's Christmas week, but I've still managed to harvest a couple of things from the garden. First, some Parsnips:

Parsnip "Gladiator F1"

These were the ones served alongside the Roast Partridges we at a few days ago.

Parsnip "Gladiator F1"

As well as the Parsnips I also managed to get two small Curly Endives.

Curly Endive

They were not really 100% mature, but I felt it was justifiable to pick them because we were having Rack of Lamb with Gratin Dauphinois, a very favourite meal of ours, with which we traditionally eat Endive dressed with French Dressing. This meal is just not the same without the Endive!


I normally like to blanch the Endives for a week or ten days before harvesting, but this time I had not foreseen the requirement.

Here are the Endives after preparation (the outer leaves are always a bit tough and tatty, and need to be discarded):


What remained was still a decent-sized serving for two people, nonetheless.


That's it for this week then. Let me finish by wishing all you Harvest Monday people out there a happy holiday. I'm sure that many of you will be making plans for what to buy / build / sow / plant for next year, so I wish you sweet dreams on that score too! :-)

10 comments:

  1. The garden is frozen solid. Nice to see you harvesting. Merry Christmas to you, Jane and your family.

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  2. It is a beautiful harvest for this time of the year. I wish I were picking something fresh this week. Merry Christmas!

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  3. I've only got one thing left to harvest and that's parsnips. I shall be packing Hubby off to the lottie tomorrow to do some harvesting for Christmas lunch. No Christmas dinner is complete without parsnips.

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  4. I thought when first reading this that I had never tried endive. But it looks like a lettuce that is served in mixed green salads. Am I right? If so I need to start growing it!! Im not as familiar with a lot of veggies because for so many years I battled sensory dysfunction and pickiness. It's the main reason I finally started to garden. Better late than never huh? lol

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    1. Karrie; Yes, endive is often included in mixed salads. It is the "frizzy" one. It has a firmer texture than most lettuces, and a slightly bitter taste (easily removed via blanching if you don't enjoy it). And yes, it's never too late to start liking and growing veg!

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  5. The endive looks wonderful, not battered at all, and it sounds like a delicious meal. Wishing you both a happy Christmas.

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  6. Beautiful and fresh endive! Look so appetizing

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  7. Parsnip is not a commonly eaten vegetable in the US. I should buy some!

    Happy Holidays, and thank you for giving everyone a glimpse into your garden.

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  8. Wishing You, Jane and your growing little family a happy a Christmas holiday. Thank you as always for your kindness and genuine warmth you have shown me over the years. Happy Christmas x

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