Wednesday 6 November 2013

This and that...

First of all, welcome to my new follower Elaine Bell from Bloglovin. Also wanted to let you know that I have put a new recipe on my Wartime Cookery page.

We both managed to get out the other day, into the cold but sunny garden, to tidy up the fruit cage and remove all the weeds. As we were walking back, we came across this lonely little rose.
I have no idea what the variety is as I took a couple of cuttings from a friend and she also had no idea. We thought between us it might be Ruby Wedding but this has a very full scent and when we both sniffed the named rose, it didn't have any.

They have never really developed into nice bushes but each of them, sends up 2 or 3 long stems (4 feet high) which have a few buds on them. Despite pruning them correctly each year, they both seem set in their ways. Nonetheless, we love them and they are a lovely if sparse addition to our roses.

On a different point,  we both love swede and carrot mash but whenever we decide to try it at a meal, even in two separate pans, the carrot is always ready way before the swede.

Not to be outdone, we cooked 1lb of each in two pans, mashed them individually, mixed together and froze scoopfuls. Once open frozen, the 13 resulting blobs, were put into a snap close bag for future use.




15 comments:

  1. We love carrot and swede mashed together too (with lots of black pepper), What a great idea, will deffo pinch it !
    Gill

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  2. We freeze carrot & swede mashed together too. It makes a lovely quick veg in the winter (one of our favourites) and lots of gas saved as it is cooked all at once and frozen in portions.

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    1. Saving on continually cooking small portions is a bonus to this freezing thing.

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  3. Roses are grafted onto root stock to help control how they grow, perhaps if you take some more cuttings and plant close they will give you a bigger show. Good tip for the carrot and swede, I steam them and cut the swede smaller but I only get it right now and again. I see a tray of mash balls in the freezer soon.

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    1. We hope to make some more carrot/swede mash later on. Thanks for the tip about the roses.

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  4. Amazing how you find the odd bloom hanging on against the odds, isn't it? I make carrot and swede mash in portions for when I do mum a roast dinner-on -a-plate to take to hers. So handy to have them in the freezer, though I seldom bother to use them for us.

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    1. We have only used a couple so far. I also used to plate up lunches on M in L's own plates, cover, freeze and take down a week's worth. Her carer would remove one into the fridge each day, then re-heat it for her lunch the day after. Worked very well.

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  5. I've never tried this but it sounds really nice and a good idea to freeze it too. I've grown roses for the first time this year and not too sure what to do now. When should I prune them and how? They are in large pots and looking a bit sorry for themselves after the high winds of late. Your advice would be gratefully received please DC? Thanks.
    Patricia x

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    1. I usually give mine a prune to about half their height, to an outward facing bud, removing anything that is crossing over so prevent chaffing. I'm no expert but I know you have to take their height down to prevent wind damage. In Spring, lightly prune again to remove anything that has died over Winter (some people prune their height again but I don't usually bother, plus remove anything that crowds the centre too much. I like to have a bowl sort of shape for them to grow and bloom in. I also give them a bit of blood, fish and bonemeal in late Spring, once they are growing again.

      I passed a tree similar to yours today and I think it may well be a tree cotoneaster - frigicus cornubia.

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    2. Thanks a lot for your advice DC. I'll make a start this weekend. A few people I've spoken to thought it might be cotoneaster so I think I'll go with that. Thanks. xx

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  6. I haven't had mashed carrot and swede for ages, yet I love it. Isn't that strange? It will definitely be on the menu soon. I did have bubble and squeak made with leftover roast potatoes, carrots and broccoli yesterday though - it was delicious. Your rose is lovely - is the colour as dark a red as it looks on the photo? I still have a clematis in bloom!

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    1. Bubble and squeak, yum yum! Yes, the rose is that dark. It is dark with a velvet touch to its petals.

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  7. I like carrot and swede, but DH doesn't, but he does like carrot and turnip so we have that once in a while.

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    1. Well now, that sounds like a good excuse to make and freeze two different flavours. That way, you can both eat what you really like:)

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