Grow Your Own Magazine

Love chokes, but trying to find new things to do with them.
Has anyone ever used them with beans?
Ive grown butter beans for the first tiem this year. great harvest considering the floods &certainly better than either flageolet or borlotti for yeild.

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Jane

Hmm Articholes AND beans. I hope your windows open wide!

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Butterbean & CELERIAC Soup I can help you with? So no reason why not substitute the Fartichoke for the Celeriac.
Butterbeans are Trousers's favourite so I'd like to grow them next year too. Where did you get your bean seeds from ?

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With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

http://hollycottagegarden.blogspot.com
BLOG UPDATED Sunday 2nd November at 19.30hrs

Ah hadn't thought of that. A one man methane factory?

can't remember off hand, hang on a tic while I go down stairs & read the packet....erm T & M. from their 'authentic Italian range. I remember being surprised when i found the packet cos I'd always had it in my head 'can't do butter beans in GB.
they're labelled: Fagioli rampicanti / climbing bean corona ( Spagna Bean)

But to me they're butter beans. If they look like a duck, walk like a duck quack like a butter bean & taste like a butter bean ( only much nicer cos I grew them & they didn't come wrapped in cellophane) then they are a butter bean. Did the best of all my beans in lake worcestershire this year.
Germinated easily but weirdy as the plants came up with multiple stems. Grew like vigorous runners. flowers white in bud, pale yellow at maturity & a little on the small side. Pods like short fat runners. Beans EE-NOR-MUS white beans. smooth compulsively tactile.The biggest were just over 1 1/2" long. Tried some of the unripe ones raw..yum yum. Though know you shoudn't eat bean s raw really. just soaked & boiled up a few as a taster today & even H said Wow!
Was planning to dig up a choke plant to stew with them but if you could do me a recipe for the celariac I'd love to give that a whirl.

definately going to grow them again next year, but hopefully in soil rather than swamp.
Just read that you're planning to move to france. ForesT of Dean not pretty enough?
I've a friend who wen 2 yrs ago. describes herself as living like a pig in poo.
Can certainly see the attraction.

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Jane

Jane,
Hope my recipe comes in time for your "I've ogt some of these due off the production loine shortly so would be most grateful for a brief recipe. please", as I was 99.9% sure I never said that?!!
So, here it goes:

BUTTERBEAN & CELERIAC SOUP

Serves 4
Freezing Recommended

500g fresh butterbeans
1 litre vegetable stock
2 onions, chopped
1 teasp caraway seeds
2 tblsps chopped fresh parsley
up to a pint milk, as needed for consistency required for finished soup
S & P

Saute the onion, celeriac, caraway seeds & parsley.
Add beans & stock & simmer till beans tender.
Allow to cool a little then puree the soup. Add milk, adjust seasoning. Reheat gently but don't boil if serving now, or just bung in freezer after the adding milk & S&P stage.
Oh, and I'd add Creme Fraiche or Cream at the last minute for extra richness......
Et Voila!

Thanks for the Butter Bean T&M info. You're a star!
Will PM you re: France!

__________________
With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

http://hollycottagegarden.blogspot.com
BLOG UPDATED Sunday 2nd November at 19.30hrs

Dear Wellie, thankyou v much.
Have made a batch & it's absolutly lovely & really quite different from 'ordinary' veg soup.

The other recipe I tried is Nigel Slater's Jerusalem A'choke & mushroom hot pot. It feels good & meaty though is actually veggie & not too calorie packed. If you're interested I can post it up here or PM it to you or you can find it on the BBC website in their recipe data base.

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Jane