Garden Tips and Seasonal Recipe For May

May Garden Tips and Seasonal Recipe

TASKS FOR MAY

o Keep hoeing weeds

o Put straw around strawberry plants.

o Monitor weather for frosts and heavy rain (both can cause damage to young tender plants).

o Don’t forget to harden off plants before planting out

o Mulch soil to retain moisture. If ground is very dry irrigate before mulching.

SOW OUTDOORS…

Beetroot, cabbages (autumn), calabrese (main crop), carrots, cauliflowers (autumn/winter), chicory, courgettes, French beans, lettuce, marrows, peas, pumpkins, radish, runner beans, spring onions, Swedes, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, squash.

PLANT OUT

Leeks, transplant any seedlings brought on in a green house

WHAT YOU COULD BE EATING THIS MONTH…

Asparagus, cabbages (spring), rhubarb, lettuce, radish, rocket, borage.

CREATIVE KITCHEN

This a lovely simple dish served ideally as a starter or perfect for a light lunch with dressed baby leaf salad

Cold Herb Omelette Pancake with Asparagus and Soured Cream

16-24 spears of English asparagus, trimmed and peeled
Salt

For the omelette “pancakes”:

4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped herbs (tarragon, chervil, parsley and chives)
2 tbsp double cream
Butter

For the sour cream dressing:

tsp English mustard powder
Pinch of caster sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice
4 tbsp soured cream
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp snipped chives

Fill a large pot with water, add plenty of salt and bring to a rolling boil. Drop in the asparagus, return to the boil and cook them until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Lay out on a tea towel to dry.

To make the omelette pancakes, beat together the eggs with seasoning and herbs and then stir in the cream. Melt a tiny amount of butter in a small frying pan (non-stick for ease) over a moderate heat, add 2 tbsp of egg mixture and gently swirl it around the pan in one thin layer. Allow it to set for several seconds, flip it over, count to 5 and slide it onto sheets of kitchen paper. Continue until you have 8 omelettes. Set aside until needed.

To make the dressing, simply fold the ingredients together in a small bowl. Spread the dressing evenly over the 8 omelettes and place the asparagus spears in the middle of each. Roll up the omelettes quite tightly and press gently together with the tips of your fingers. Serve 2 per person, together with offering s of thinly sliced brown bread and butter handed at table.

Food Fight

!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>? FOOD

What is your fav food and why?

I love lobster. I find it easy to prepare and easy to digest. In addition, I like making meatloaf and really enjoy cold meatloaf sandwich with mustard the next day. Turkey is a great and versatile, and I can have leftovers all week. Turkey fried rice, hot turkey sandwiches, sandwiches to name a few. Sometimes I'm in the mood for cabbage rolls in tomato sauce.