Grow Your Own Magazine

Being an avid radio 2 (and 4) listener, I took Terry Wogans advice and started off on a gentle simmer, our Christmas sprouts in mid June, a couple of weeks later than he reccommended.

Now, the question is, with 18 people coming for dinner on the day, will these sprouts be ready, or do I need to come up with away of catching up the two missed weeks????

Yours, a most concerned Piglet

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Give them 30 minutes or so in the microwave - that might help The topping up is a real bind isn't it

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

That was terribly cavalier of you PW! I think your only hope is to convince your guests that al dente is the in thing this year.

You'll have sprouts Piglet but they might be smaller than will make portions for 18 people. To bulk them up I like them this way
lightly boil the sprouts in chicken stock and drain well
Sautee lardons and shallots in a pan (enough to make the bulk)
Mix all together and serve.
Nicer than plain boiled sprouts anyway. Well I think.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Sounds good Alice, I also do them with lardons and add walnuts and orange zest.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

They're not done till they're pink in the middle PW. At least, they always were at school - and I'm sure they started them WEEKS in advance. Cabbage too. Well, a good boiling makes sure it's tender!

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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)

I know what you mean about the pink bits Flummery. As a child I was always convinced the pink bits were SLUGS that had been in the veg and cooked. Maybe I just had an overactive imagination.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

18 people? That's brave

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Dear Piglet, while it was most remiss of you not to follow old Tel's advice all is not lost.

We can catch up, but it will entail a couple of days hard work on your part.

You will need a welding kit 200m of high melting point angle iron steel, five plumbers brazing torches, ten 15L propane tanks, a stainless steel automated watering system, a nuclear hardened CCTV system from Maplins and a medium, or in your case medium+ sized lexan safety screen.

Construct from welded angle iron a suitable plinth to take the five plumbers torches as a ring to make a super wok style burner, install the stainless steel watering system to feed in over the top and adjust using an identical pan to the one the sprouts are currently in to ensure the water falls dead-centre of the pan. Finally add a tripod mast of securely welded high melting point steel over the burners, clearing the pan, but allowing the cctv camera to rest about twenty feet above the pan.

Set up the CCTV monitoring station, gas control valves and watering system controls behind the lexan screen, at a distance determined by your local councils health and safety team.

Don your best protective clothing, light the custom made burner and using your Snadger-tongs transfer the actively boiling sprouts from the cooker to the new burner.
Using the CCTV and watering system to ensure that they do not boil dry, gradually increase the gasflow to maximum on all five torches, one at a time to allow for connecting the second gas cylinder to each when the first runs dry.

When all 150L or propane is exhausted re-transfer the sprots to your cooker. Do not be tardy in doing this as you may end up with spouts that are several hours short of ideal cooking time.

Yours Auntie Petre-Rabbit.

__________________
Always thank people who have helped you immediately, as they may not be around to thank later.
Visit my blog at http://podsplot.blogspot.com/
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/

..or, put cabbages in on a boil setting, by the time Christmas comes around they'll be perfectly sprout sized, and will smell lemony fresh.

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Updated 30th November

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev036pr___.png

Piggy,

You haven't said if the Sprouts are Green ones or Red ones, because there's a huge difference in the cooking method between the two, don't you agree Peter Rabbit?

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With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

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

Whatever the colour, if he wants them nice and tender (!) he should really start boiling them today.

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

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

Dearest Piglet, how are the sprouts doing?
Yours, Auntie Petre-Rabbit.

__________________
Always thank people who have helped you immediately, as they may not be around to thank later.
Visit my blog at http://podsplot.blogspot.com/
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/

Dearest Auntie Wabbit,

they still feel a bit too al dente, have ordered in 10 more gas cylinders for the triple ring burner.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Are you doing them in a pressure cooker? You'll be sure they're just done by xmas day then.

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Good idea SBP, going in now.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Aaahhhh...buuuutttt....have you taken into consideration your altitude piglet?????

Will clearly make a LOT of difference to cooking times!!!!

Yeeeeeerse, but if Piglet pops the pressure cooker on the Patent Peter Propane Burner, it might just compensate for his altitude.

Alternatively, if Piglet knows anyone with an ex-RAF single seater, or a jet dragster............

__________________
Always thank people who have helped you immediately, as they may not be around to thank later.
Visit my blog at http://podsplot.blogspot.com/
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/

...then I'll be happy to escort any experiment (on cookery !) up there!!!

Ooooohhh ...aahhhhh- do you think they would explode like grenades if under pressure????

I think you could turn them from a fast rolling boil to a gentle simmer now Piglet. Just keep an eye on them in case they are still hard!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

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

Not got mine from the lottie yet!

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Never mind BW, if you start them off now, thay should be ready for next year