Tales from the Veg Patch

Unbuyables – the class of produce only a grower has access to – are especially bountiful in early Autumn and none is more exciting than the imminent winter squash harvest. So this week, pumpkins – how to go them and what to cook with them. You can find all the recipes Kathy mentions in her cookbook, From the Veg Patch.Find the pumpkin tikka masala recipe here: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/pumpkin-tikka-masala-with-flatbreads/Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony 

It’s August so the courgette glut helpline is open and ringing off the hook. Kathy has plenty of ideas for your courgettes, plus an essay on the joys and tyranny of the bounty. This is an extract from Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch, where you’ll find all the recipes mentioned. For more info on the upcoming events Kathy mentions:https://www.daylesford.com/shop/events/cookery-school/market-garden-gather-and-cook-3https://thebigfeastival.com/chef-line-upKeep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony

This week, silence. Kathy goes on a silent nature retreat and, sitting in the kitchen garden at the retreat, discovers that silence, at least in nature, is not silent at all.The retreat was at The Sharpham Trust: https://www.sharphamtrust.org.For more tales about growing and cooking, see Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch,Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttonySee you next week!

This week: lists. Not a 'To Do' list as such, but a list of things to look out for, enjoy and, yes, get done, in the garden at the end of July and into August. Plus, a super simple courgette and lime cake recipe.Find the courgette and lime cake recipe in this episode here: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/courgette-cake-with-lime-buttercream/Plus more recipes for your harvests in Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch.Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony

Deep philosophical questions this week as Kathy ponders life as a broad bean. Plus, more usefully perhaps, tips for your bean harvest from simple vinaigrettes to chicken meatballs and bean stew.This is an extract from Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch, where you’ll find all the recipes mentioned. Keep in touch with Kathy (when she's back from holiday!):kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony

Kathy returns from holiday to a jungle of a veg patch. So, this week's episode is a bit of everything, which is just what the patch is offering now too: what to plant and harvest now, plus plenty of ideas and recipes for your pickings, notably cucumber and gin sorbet and a strawberry ice-cream recipe which are, frankly, a necessity right now. Cucumber and gin sorbet recipe: https://boroughmarket.org.uk/recipes/cucumber-gin-sorbet/No-churn strawberry and rose ice-cream recipe: https://www.kathyslack.com/blog/strawberry-rose-ice-creamPlus more recipes for your harvests in Kathy's cookbook, From the Veg Patch, Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony

In this episode, the last for a couple of weeks for reasons that will become clear, Kathy prepares for an ill-timed holiday and shares her tips on how to ready your patch for abandonment. Join Kathy at: Taste of London - Thursday 16th June at 3:30pmALSO Festival – Saturday 9th July at 2pmCornbury Wild Swim, Pilates & Picnic – Tuesday 12th July at 5pmKeep in touch with Kathy (when she's back from holiday!):kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony

This episode: gluts. Because Kathy’s first glut arrived this week – lettuces – and marks the start of months of gluts. All this abundance illustrates how restorative the veg patch can be, in ways that aren’t always about connecting with nature, but about connecting with people…Find the Braised Lettuce, Bacon and Barley Stew recipe Kathy talks through and more lettuce recipes in her cookbook, From the Veg Patch. The Chilled Lettuce and Mint soup is in Episode 5.Keep in touch with Kathy:kathyslack.cominstagram.com/gluts_gluttonytwitter.com/gluts_gluttony