Unutterably Silly I love food porn! so...what are you craving?

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by Exer

Some people here are quite hardcore about it lol. We got folks who walk around in these brightly colored shirts/hats/hoodies that say "Alaska Grown" on them. You tend to look for that logo on food in the grocery store while shopping, just to know you are supporting your local economy, as well as knowing how fresh the food is.

The farmers markets in the summer here are just unbelievable. Alaska is such an odd place to grow things, our summers are almost pure sunshine, 19 hours of sunlight by the middle of June, so while we have a short summer we sure pack in as much grow-time as we can

Well, duh, I was only thinking about the dark winters -- I forgot about all the daylight in the summers. It makes for an odd growing season for sure, doesn't it? (And yes, Barbara Kingsolver mentions the "Alaska Grown" shirts! Have you read that book? It's pretty good.)

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Is it really big enough to keep you in fresh greens?



I'm with you! I prefer to have edible plants growing, although I do add some color here and there with flowers. 95% of the space is for food though!

Stitchawl

One thing we eat a fair bit of is chillis, so we're looking at putting a few varieties in the planter boxes along the bottom balcony. They grow quite well in our climate, and are very colourful. My sister has had to hack some down that were going a little too well, and she'll also pot up a few of the new plants for me that are springing up, before she rips out most of them.

Cheers,
Marc

[desertblues]

I like eatable things in my garden. I have an apricot-tree in the front and the backyard, an appletree in the back, some blueberry and red currant bushes.
What I love, is my little herbgarden near the kitchen, where I also grow little tomatoes and peppers.

[Stitchawl]

I couldn't cook without my herb garden. While I'm forced by nature to use some dried herbs, it's the fresh thyme, oregano, and rosemary that make so many dishes work! I wish I could keep my basil going all year but Mother Nature won't permit it.

Stitchawl

[Kindi]

I havd some bread and strawbery jam for lunch the bread is lovingley made by my husband;s bread maker it was deliscious thank you darling

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

One thing we eat a fair bit of is chillis, so we're looking at putting a few varieties in the planter boxes along the bottom balcony. They grow quite well in our climate, and are very colourful. My sister has had to hack some down that were going a little too well, and she'll also pot up a few of the new plants for me that are springing up, before she rips out most of them.

Cheers,
Marc

*glares* I am SUCH a chili-head! that is one thing I do have a rather difficult time growing here. it is also rather difficult to get good chilies here. in the southwest, there are many kinds that are even sold frozen. I've asked the local stores repeatedly to stock them, but no luck ;o(

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I couldn't cook without my herb garden. While I'm forced by nature to use some dried herbs, it's the fresh thyme, oregano, and rosemary that make so many dishes work! I wish I could keep my basil going all year but Mother Nature won't permit it.

Stitchawl

why don't you keep it going inside?

[phenomshel]

Darn that Smitten Kitchen site! Now I want this:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/02/me...ons/#more-7143

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I couldn't cook without my herb garden. While I'm forced by nature to use some dried herbs, it's the fresh thyme, oregano, and rosemary that make so many dishes work! I wish I could keep my basil going all year but Mother Nature won't permit it.

Stitchawl

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

why don't you keep it going inside?

It either bolts to seed (seemingly overnight .) or else gets too spindly. Not enough light, I guess. I probably could do it if I used that AeroGarden thing.

I usually plant 3-4 plants each spring, and they grow very well, which gives me far more basil than I can use as fresh. I freeze a lot of it, freezing some of it already chopped in ice cube trays, then wrapping individual cubes. The rest I freeze as flat leaves. Not as good as fresh basil, but better than dried. If I really need to have fresh (for feeding company,) these days I can buy it at the larger supermarkets.


Stitchawl

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

It either bolts to seed (seemingly overnight .) or else gets too spindly. Not enough light, I guess. I probably could do it if I used that AeroGarden thing.

I usually plant 3-4 plants each spring, and they grow very well, which gives me far more basil than I can use as fresh. I freeze a lot of it, freezing some of it already chopped in ice cube trays, then wrapping individual cubes. The rest I freeze as flat leaves. Not as good as fresh basil, but better than dried. If I really need to have fresh (for feeding company,) these days I can buy it at the larger supermarkets.


Stitchawl

And a hanging herbgarden? Would that be doable?

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

*glares* I am SUCH a chili-head! that is one thing I do have a rather difficult time growing here. it is also rather difficult to get good chilies here. in the southwest, there are many kinds that are even sold frozen. I've asked the local stores repeatedly to stock them, but no luck ;o(
...

Sorry.

We do have a fairly large variety of chilli varieties available at our nurseries and garden centres and, while I would favour planting varieties more suitable for SE Asian cooking, there are also as often those I'd associate with Mexican and South American. They are, to my mind, quite attractive plants when fruiting, such that I know "ornamentals" are often sold (though that reminds me of an annoying, descriptive tag on said plants: "[this plant] is strictly ornamental with fruit that has a very fiery taste" - why call it strictly ornamental then describe the taste of its fruit?).

And you remind me I have to make green curry paste again today (and, unrelated, beetroot relish).

Cheers,
Marc

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

And you remind me I have to make green curry paste again today (and, unrelated, beetroot relish).

Great minds, and all that! I made a Thai Green curry for dinner last night! But I cheat. I use Mae Ploy curry pastes. Mother Ploy can do it better than I can. I discovered her when we lived in Thailand, recommended to me by my Thai friends. I buy the larger tubs of her red and green curry, and they last long enough in the fridge to be worthwhile.


Stitchawl

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Great minds, and all that! I made a Thai Green curry for dinner last night! But I cheat. I use Mae Ploy curry pastes. Mother Ploy can do it better than I can. I discovered her when we lived in Thailand, recommended to me by my Thai friends. I buy the larger tubs of her red and green curry, and they last long enough in the fridge to be worthwhile.


Stitchawl

Excellent. Making your own curry paste via mortar and pestle can be a chore, and set against a source of good curry paste (we can get Spirit House, which is better than my own) not worth the effort. I'm not a dogmatic "must make own curry pastes" person but rather one who gets a lot of meditative and aromatic pleasure from using a mortar and pestle, whether curry paste, spice grinds or pesto. I'm not the one in the house that tends to do the most dinner-preparing, but pastes, sauces, pestos, jams/preserves, relishes & pickles are some things I like making. Oddly, now I think, I've yet to make any kind of chutney...odd, since a cheese-and-chutney or devon-and-chutney sandwich was a lunchtime staple and favourite while growing up, as well as one of the standard sides for Mum's curries. I must look into that.

Cheers,
Marc

[Stitchawl]

I admit to missing my two mortars and pestles that we had in our kitchen in Thailand. A large wooden one about two feet tall cut out of a log. The cup was about 10 inches deep. We used that for curry pastes and som tam. The other was a stone mortar about a foot tall. Perfect for grinding hard spices and nuts.

I regret not bringing them with me when we left.

Stitchawl

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I admit to missing my two mortars and pestles that we had in our kitchen in Thailand. A large wooden one about two feet tall cut out of a log. The cup was about 10 inches deep. We used that for curry pastes and som tam. The other was a stone mortar about a foot tall. Perfect for grinding hard spices and nuts.

I regret not bringing them with me when we left.

Stitchawl

I want to go bigger (we've two stone ones, a smaller and medium), but they're not easy to find around here, and I suspect postage might be based on weight if I buy online. But I'll keep looking...and try find something that The Loved One is happy to leave out on the benches, so I don't have to lift it.

Cheers,
Marc

[Stitchawl]

My favorite neighborhood restaurant in Thailand used to have a waist-high tree stump mortar. The cup was only about a foot deep, but the entire unit was massive! Must have weighed 200lbs.


Stitchawl