The King Edward Potatoes are producing flowers now. Click the image to
enlarge it.
King-Edward-Flower
flower-potato-KingEdward
The flowers of the King Edward Potato are purple with white tipped petals.
August 27, 2009
King Edward Potato Flowers
Comments Off
Wire Stem in Brassica
Wire Stem is a condition found in brassicas, which is caused by a fungus, Rhizoctonia.
The base of the stem becomes black and shrivelled.
Seedlings often die, and those plants which survive grow very slowly.
The stems are brittle and break off easily.
Comments Off
Look after Potato Ridges
Potato ridges need to be maintained to prevent the development of green potatoes. The lush green foliage of the potato plant protects the soil on the ridge. But when the foliage disappears, the ridge is vulnerable:
- soil is washed off the ridge by rain
- dusting birds knock the ridge down
- as the ridge dries out, it cracks, exposing tubers (potatoes)
Maintain the ridge by covering with soil. Do not wait until you see tubers, before correcting the ridge.
exposed-potato-tuber
By then it is too late, & the exposed potato will be turning green. It is vital to keep a layer of soil over the developing potatoes.
potato-ridge
Potato Row King Edward
Apple Butter
Kevin’s wife’s Apple Butter – thanks Kevin for this recipe!
1.Windfall apples (any)
2.Quarter, removing bruised and eaten bits. Keep pips cores skin intact.
3.Smallest amount of water to just covering bottom of lidded pan, this is to get juices flowing.
4.Low heat (side of range for those of us fortunate to have old fashioned range wood of course).
5.Stir occasionally lifting softened fruit to top.
6.When you have a ‘golden’ (not burnt) brown mush, push through sieve to remove skin, pips etc.
7.For every pint of puree add one pound of sugar (or metric equivalence)and one flat t spoon mixed spices.
8.Stir in sugar and spices. Set at side of range with lid, to allow sugar to dissove naturally (even overnight)Sue never hurries her preserves!.
9.Have ready warmed clean jars.
10. Place pan on medium heat, flat ended wooden spoon at the ready. Unlike ordinary jams which you do not stir, this requires moving very thick mix off bottom to prevent sticking and burning,(don’t worry if do get some stuck, fish out quick with the wooden spoon).
11.You require a ’soft’ rolling boil – movement on the top.
12.After 10-15mins check butter for its setting qualities. Place a t spoonful of mix on very cold plate. Set aside for a cooling moment. Tip plate on side, if mix wrinkles but stays put your ready for jarring. If not keep cooking and try again.
13.Add own variations of other fruit with apple as base. To keep pectin levels up probably no more than a third other fruit-consistency will vary.
Apple butter is especially nice for Victoria sponge filling as it does not run away.
Apple butter is my wife’s base recipe for apple & plum butter.
August 26, 2009
Apple and Plum Butter
Kevin has commented that he has not got enough plums to make preserves so ‘we will make traditional apple and plum ‘butter’.
The end result is a stiff, sliceable preserve. Keeps years! ideal for sponge cakes as it is fairly ’solid’, does not run.’
Thanks Kevin – that sounds good so here is a recipe for apple & plum butter:
Ingredients:
3 lb Apples
1 lb Plums
¾ lb sugar to each pint of pulp
cinnamon can be added when cooking the fruit
Method:
Cook peeled, cored & chopped apples in a little water until soft.
Add stoned plums to the apples, cook until soft.
Push the pulped mixture through a nylon sieve.
Add ¾ lb sugar for every pint of pulp.
Bring the pulp & sugar mixture to the boil.
When setting occurs and pour into heated jars or pots immediately.
Cover the pots.
Serve apple and plum butter on:
- biscuits
- sponge cake
- toast
Comments Off
Picking Plums
Three varieties of plums are ready for picking now.
victoria-plums
Victoria plums are:
- dual purpose – desert (eaten raw) & culinary (good cooked, jammed etc)
- ready late August
- the best English plum
greengage-bowl
- Czar plums
plum-czar
Czar plums:
- one of the most popular culinary varieties
- delicious flavour
- blue colour
- ready early August
Primo Cabbage
The Primo cabbage seed has grown quickly and was ready to harvest 20 weeks after sowing.
PrimoCabbage
Primo is a summer cabbage which produces very firm, medium sized heads.
The cabbage is excellent quality and has a good, sweetish flavour.
Harvesting Red Onions
The red onions have been harvested because the leaves were flopping over and the soil was very wet.
lifting-red-onions
The onions have been spread out in an open slatted box and left to dry in a very airy place. More information on harvesting onions and when to harvest onions can be found by clicking the link
Comments Off
August 25, 2009
Acrylamide in Potatoes
The Food Standards Agency have published advice on how to reduce the amount of acrylamide in potatoes.
Saxon
Acrylamide is a chemical found in starchy foods that have been cooked at high temperatures, but boiling food does not seem to produce the compound. Swedish scientists discovered acrylamide in 2002. As acrylamide causes cancer in animals there is a possibility that it may harm the health of humans.
As it seems impossible to stop the production of acrylamide, and impossible to remove acrylamide once it has been produced, research is trying to find ways of reducing the levels of acrylamide in food.
Cooking and storing potatoes
Potatoes stored in the fridge can increase their sugar levels. Higher sugar levels leads to more acrylamide being produced when the potatoes are roasted, baked or fried at high temperatures.
Therefore to reduce acrylamide levels:
- store potatoes in a cool, dry place – not in the fridge
- use boiling as your chosen cooking method for potatoes
- cook chips to a lighter colour, as the darker they are the more acrylamide they will have
- soak potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes before frying them (BUT DRY them before putting in hot oil, to avoid hot fat spitting & burning you)
- follow the instructions on the packet for cooking frozen chips – this temperature produces the least acrylamide
Acrylamide is produced naturally when starchy foods are cooked to a high temperature. Potatoes will contribute to a healthy diet when following simple guidelines for storage and cooking.
Comments Off
August 24, 2009
Hard-necked Garlic
There are two sub-species of Garlic (allium sativum):
- The hard-necked garlics were the original garlics
- The soft-necked ones have been developed from the original hard-necks over the years
Allium Sativum Ophioscorodon (Hard-necked garlics) (Ophios for short)
The name possibly originates from the Greek “ophis” meaning “snake”
- Hardneck garlics have a “scape” – stalk – which coils from the top. The scape is a delicacy used by chefs
- Hardneck garlics have fewer, larger cloves than the softnecks.
- Hardneck garlics are more colourful than softnecks
- Hardneck garlics have less of an outer bulb wrapper, sometimes none at all. This makes them more sensitive and reduces their shelf life
- Hardneck garlics are not as productive as softnecks
autumn planting Lautrec Wight
Examples of hardnecked garlics:
- autumn planting – early purple wight
- autumn planting – lautrec wight
- autumn planting – purple moldovan wight
There are three main types of hardneck garlic:
- Rocambole garlic usually has up to a dozen cloves, browny in colour.
- Porcelain garlic - satiny white wrapper; the fewest cloves in a bulb (as few as 4); often mistaken for elephant garlic.
- Purple stripe garlic has bright purple markings.
Hard-necked garlics are not usually on sale in super markets.
Comments Off
