Bamboo Pea Support
Lentil & Bacon Soup
Ingredients:
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1 finely chopped onion
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4 cloves of garlic, chopped
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500 grams of carrots, chopped
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500 grams of tomatoes, skinned and chopped – or can of tinned chopped tomatoes
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500 grams red lentils
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250 grams of smoked streaky bacon, chopped
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50ml tomato puree
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30ml curry powder – I used a mild Madras
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1 desert spoon of ground black pepper
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1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
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1 teaspoon of salt.
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2 litres of vegetable stock (I used stock cubes, chicken or pork would do as well)
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Good slug of olive oil or vegetable oil
Method:
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Skin the tomatoes using boiling water and roughly chop. Chop the onion, garlic, carrots and bacon.
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Make up the vegetable stock in a pan so it's hot and ready to add to the soup.
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Take a large saucepan with a heavy base and add enough oil to well cover the base. Heat this up and then add the curry powder.
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After a minute add the bacon, let that start frying and then add the onions and garlic. Keep stirring for a minute so nothing sticks.
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Then add the chopped carrots, tomatoes, tomato puree and lentils. Stir around to coat everything and add the cayenne and black pepper.
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Pour on the stock and add the salt. With some stock cubes you may find they're salty enough anyway. Best to be cautious as you can add more seasoning at the end if needed.
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Bring to a good boil and then turn the heat right down, put a lid on the pan and simmer for about half an hour until the lentils are mushy.
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Blitz with a hand-held blender in the pan or use a food processor. If it's too thick for you, add some more stock to thin out. Check the seasoning is OK for you and add more if you wish.
The use of bamboo to support runner and other beans plants is a common practice. Bamboo wigwams are also ideal for climbing peas. For climbing plants, such as garden peas and green beans his teepee type support is simple, easy to assemble and dismantle.
Materials
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Timber
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Ten 5' or 6' bamboo poles
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Ten 6" Nails or tent pegs
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Rope, wire or cable ties
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Rubber band
Tools
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Stanly knife
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Wire cutter
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Hammer
Assembly
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Bundle the bamboo together, wrap the rubber band around the top of the bundle. and spread the bottom out into a teepee.
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Space the poles equally apart and push them into the ground around its perimeter.
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Push one nail or tent peg into the ground perpendicular to the end of each pole.
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Secure bamboo to the nails or tent pegs useing the wire, rope or cable ties. this helps secure the wigwam to the ground.
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Trim any excess wire, string or the tail of the cable tie.
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Wrap wire, rope or a cable tie around the top to reinforce the rubber band.
Ingredients:
3 lbs (1.4 kg) ripe tomatoes
8 oz (225 g) onions
2 teaspoons salt
2 cloves
0-12 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
½ pint (290 ml) distilled white malt vinegar
3 oz (84 g) sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
2-3 teaspoons chilli powder
Method:
Chop the tomatoes (there's no need to skin them), peel and finely chop the onions. Crush the peppercorns.
Put the tomatoes, onions, salt, cloves, crushed peppercorns, bay leaf and vinegar in a pan and simmer for around an hour until cooked and well blended.
Sieve, return to the pan and boil rapidly until thickened.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour into a hot sterilized bottle.
Makes about 1 pint (570 ml) of Sauce.
Note: This sauce will require sterilizing or it will only keep for 2-3 weeks.
To do this place the bottles in a deep container with a false bottom, making sure they do not touch each other or the sides of the container. This can be a purpose-built sterilizer complete with false bottom and thermometer, a large preserving pan or the base of a pressure cooker. What is essential is that it needs to be deep enough to contain a false bottom, a wooden or wire rack is ideal, and still hold enough water to completely cover the bottles. The bottles must not come into direct contact with the pan or they will crack.
If you are using corks, tie them down to prevent them blowing out during sterilizing. Screw tops should be tightened and then given a half turn back to loosen them slightly.
Add enough warm water to come up to the bottom of the corks or screw tops and then gradually bring the water up to 77ºC/170ºF and keep at this temperature for 30 minutes. If you’ve not got a sugar thermometer, raise the temperature slowly until there are tiny bubbles rising up from the bottom of pan and maintain at this stage for 30 minutes. In total it will take you about 1 ½ hours to complete the process. Use tongs to remove the bottles, tighten the screw tops or push in the corks.
Spicy Tomato Sauce Recipe
Ideas and Recipies from the Allotments.
We all derive enjoyment from our allotments especially when the fruits of our labours reach the plate. If you have recipies or useful tips or ideas you would like to share please email them to digbyvaa@gmail.com.