Parsley

Years ago I always grew parsley from seed every year - that was when I was growing herbs for sale. More recently I've just been buying a pot from the supermarket each spring.

 Usually Parsley grown in one year dies back with the frosts over winter and then comes back a little in Spring before running to seed.

It's been so mild this winter that my parsley is still looking green and healthy and very usable.

It was way back in May last year when I bought this sad looking pot of parsley from Aldi at half price of 39p. Supermarket parsley in a pot is always dozens of seedlings rather than just one plant. I stood the pot in water for a while, divided into three and potted up two thirds putting the other third in the garden with that frame over to protect from neighbours cat digging it up. Poor cat was killed on the road not long after this but I didn't bother to move the framework.

39p pot of sad parsley!

I was able to cut plenty to use for potato salad last week - very useful.

According to the book "The Garden Apothecary" there are other uses for parsley apart from the well known. The Romans used it as a breath freshener after a meal rather than in the meal and it was grown as a fodder for horses and only became a culinary herb in the Middle Ages.

Culpepper the C17 herbalist said

The leaves of parsley laid to the eyes that are inflamed with heat, or swollen, doth much help them, if it be used with bread or meal and being fried with butter, and applied to woman's breasts that are hard through the curdling of their milk, it abates the hardness quickly, and also takes away black and blue marks coming of bruises or falls.

I seem to remember that years ago it was just used as a garnish on a plate - never eaten. Seems odd to say that  now.

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Compost Jelly

 I'd been saving apple and pear peel for about 6 weeks and popping in the freezer, until I had a big bag full. I  added the bag of raspberries that were put in there last summer before I found the dry weather had made the raspberry seeds very hard. My jam pan was full . 

When everything defrosted and settled down in the pan I added about a pint of extra liquid and cooked until it became a pulpy mixture.

Then strained through a jelly bag all day. The basin of juice was put in the fridge overnight and next day warmed  up, sugar added and boiled until setting point. It didn't make a huge amount but as I have no jam it will be handy.

 I'll use some of the jelly when I make scones soon - for Easter perhaps- and get some clotted cream to go with them for a treat.........sounds like a plan!

I made this a couple of years ago using blackberries and peel, I  think the original idea for this came from Sue in Lancs - Thank you - it's a fun make.

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Food of Many Colours

 I like colourful food.

I thought that I'd done a post about colourful food not long ago but when I searched it turned out to be back in May 2024, so nearly two years and I'm still eating colourful, mostly made from scratch, food..

I thought this meal looked very colourful. It was a home made Scotch Egg, using own dried breadcrumbs and baked in the oven rather than fried. A handful of orange sweet potato fries cooked at the same time as the scotch egg. Then lots of green salad leaves, celery and mini plum tomatoes with a small splodge of mayo.

Not so pretty but very tasty........Leek and bacon pilaff with a chunk of home made focaccia bread, which I'd pulled a piece off to eat while I was waiting for the rice to cook !

I buy the very cheap bacon pieces from Asda (£1 for a 500g pack) and divide up into 5 portions before freezing. So bacon 20p, leek 58p, rice and a stock cube =pence. (At the opposite end of the spectrum - I only ever buy the locally produced sausages from Lane Farm. Two chipolatas of theirs, in the freezer since Christmas, were skinned and flattened and used to wrap the egg for the scotch egg)

Warm pasta salad includes peas, baby plum tomatoes, olives and feta cheese and a spoonful of mayo.

A quiche made using one portion of that cheap bacon mentioned earlier, onions and cheese and 3 eggs feeds me for 4 days, twice with carrots and broccoli

and twice with home made potato salad and mixed salad leaves, celery and olives.

Lots of colour in a chicken stir-fry below. The veg were carrots, onion and chopped cabbage leaves. I buy the pack of  British chicken mini breast fillets for £3.99 for 600g from Aldi - these were bought in February- and were divided up into 5 portions before freezing.

Carrots and cabbage again this time with my penultimate piece of nut roast made several weeks ago - probably just before Christmas and some quick gravy.

 
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