Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: LotuSeed on April 09, 2015, 02:04
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Last year during strawberry season I bought some rhubarb at Whole Foods, but couldn't bring myself to cook or eat it. It looks too much like celery. Does it have the consistency of celery? The stringiness I mean?
What do broad beans taste like? Are they anything like lima beans? I've only ever seen them IRL on one occasion. Are they sweet like peas?
What the heck is a gherkin? I kind of understand the concept, but are they anything like pickling cucumbers?
Lastly, leeks. Are they like a cross between a potato and an onion? Or something else entirely?
Obviously the easiest way to find out would be to try them myself, but aside from the leeks, they're either not a common part of American cuisine and thusly not readily available or they aren't in season.
Thanks in advance for help with answering these burning queries of mine☺️
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Hi LotuSeed,
Rhubarb is gorgeous. If it's stewed it has visible fibres, but these are soft, not stringy. If it's roasted it holds it shape and is soft. I absolutely love it and while it grows like billy-o for most people I have a miserable track record so far in getting anything close to even a measly harvest. :(
Broad beans are fava beans. They are sweet when they are young, and more 'meaty' when bigger. OH loves them, I am starting to like them the more I have them. We make felafel & pesto with them, as well as using in risottos etc.
Yes, gherkins are pickling cucumbers - picked small for cornichons and larger for pickling as mini cucumbers.
Leeks = onion family. Peppery but a bit gentler and more earthy than onions or garlic.
Am surprised most of those aren't staples over there with you guys. Though I do remember my friend taking rhubarb seed over with her to the states when she moved.
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I echo what Surbie has said.
Rhubarb is delicious. You do need to cook it with sugar and it is wonderful in pies, crumbles, cakes and a variety of jams. It is traditional British fare with custard.
Broad beans also make up into lovely summer salad with lemon, garlic and olive oil, and a light houmous.
Leeks are also widely used here in so many ways. Leek and potato soup is traditional too.
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Gherkins are like Marmite you love them or hate them. :D
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With Gherkins it depends on the pickling liquid, whether I like them or not.
I like them in the less acidic dill pickling mixes - rather than the one used for pickled onions!
I like baby leeks in a salad, as they're milder than raw onions.
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If your buying gerkins we love the lidl ones with chillie and come in a range of sizes.
chrissie b
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Lotuseed,
if you lot hadn't have been so snotty and ditched that tea into Boston habour (note the correct spelling of HARBOUR), all these facts would have been second nature. :lol:
No then, what the heck are GRITS?
Cheers, Tony. :) :) :) :)
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Lotuseed,
if you lot hadn't have been so snotty and ditched that tea into Boston habour (note the correct spelling of HARBOUR), all these facts would have been second nature. :lol:
No then, what the heck are GRITS?
Cheers, Tony. :) :) :) :)
HMM :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Grits are coarsely ground maize or corn which is boiled with milk or water to a porridge. ;)
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Surbie, maybe it's a generational thing. My grandmother is very familiar with it and said they used to call it "pie plant".
Gherkins are like Marmite you love them or hate them. :D
What's Marmite???? The comparison is only useful if what the thing that's referenced is known to me! Baaahhhhh 😳 lol
If your buying gerkins we love the lidl ones with chillie and come in a range of sizes.
chrissie b
I don't know that I've ever actually seen them in grocery stores before. Now I'm curious.
Lotuseed,
if you lot hadn't have been so snotty and ditched that tea into Boston habour (note the correct spelling of HARBOUR), all these facts would have been second nature. :lol:
No then, what the heck are GRITS?
Cheers, Tony. :) :) :) :)
Grits are a Southern food. I'm a Northerner. I don't mind about the tea, I prefer coffee anyway.
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Marmite is a yeast extract spread used in sandwiches or on toast over here LotuSeed. Some love it and others think it is the food of the devil. Opinion is completely divided and there is no middle ground on that one at all :lol:
Gerkins are similar to pickled cucumbers. They are smaller and have less seeds inside, so they are a bit firmer in texture. Over here, they are usually pickled in straight vinegar, so the taste is a bit stronger than with a dill pickle :)
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Marmite is a yeast extract spread used in sandwiches or on toast over here LotuSeed. Some love it and others think it is the food of the devil. Opinion is completely divided and there is no middle ground on that one at all :lol:
You might have come across Vegemite - from Australia? not that disimilar - both savory yeast based spreads.
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Gerkins are similar to pickled cucumbers. They are smaller and have less seeds inside, so they are a bit firmer in texture. Over here, they are usually pickled in straight vinegar, so the taste is a bit stronger than with a dill pickle :)
Ah ok. I can see how being pickled in straight vinegar could be unappetizing. Can they be eaten fresh like a cucumber?
Marmite is a yeast extract spread used in sandwiches or on toast over here LotuSeed. Some love it and others think it is the food of the devil. Opinion is completely divided and there is no middle ground on that one at all :lol:
You might have come across Vegemite - from Australia? not that disimilar - both savory yeast based spreads.
Never seen Vegemite here either 😧.
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You can eat gherkins fresh, but I pickle mine like dill pickles and they are gorgeous -- our latest craze is to have them in pastrami sandwiches :nowink:
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Lotuseed This about sums it up
LyIzcg06pKA
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lol love it add
my oh works on the usaf base so translates for me :lol:
I believe we are the only country who eats parsnips too
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Cad, OMG the look on the little boys face at the end! I love how they blurred out the dog's face to protect his identity lol.
Madame- yeah, never had a parsnip before and don't personally know of anyone that has either. Lol. I have however seen them for sale in the grocery store.
It's funny you mention the need for translations lol. Took me forever to figure out what runner bean is 😄
Also, never had a rutabaga either or kohlrabi or celeriac. I have tasted beets before, but haven't eaten them voluntarily since I was a kid. 😝
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There used to be a shortage of runner bean seeds in VA, Lotus, but I think that's changed now!
I only started growing kohlrabi and celeriac in the last couple of years, and while they're pretty good, this year we're only into growing more of the things we really like and also can freeze!
Now if I could grow grapes like they do in Barboursville..;0)
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Rutabago is a swede here which is confusing enough but up north the call them turnips which is completely different :wacko:
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Good afternoon lotuseed,
we (the memsahib and I) are hoping to come over the pond to the colonies to see the total solar eclipse from Hopkinsville in Kentucky in 2017. What kind of local consumable delicacies shall we expect to 'enjoy'? :wub:
Cheers, Tony.
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Are we really the only country to eat parsnip?!
LotuSeed, you're missing a treat if you've not tried honey roasted parsnips :) Are you able to source some seeds to try them out over there?
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Are we really the only country to eat parsnip?!
Nope. Had it several times in restaurants when I lived in Germany. Don't think it's as common as here though.
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Well Growster, if you liked them that much, it's probably a good thing you can't as you'd likely be significantly less productive after enjoying the fruits of your labor 😜
Rutabago is a swede here which is confusing enough but up north the call them turnips which is completely different :wacko:
That is confusing. Here a turnip is a turnip and a swede is a rutabaga, not that it matters much as nobody really seems to eat either of them!
There weren't any parsnip seeds at the grocery store, but they did have actual parsnips. I didn't buy any though. I wouldn't know what to do with a parsnip if it cooked itself in front of me!
Kleftiwallah you'll probably see a lot of typical American fare like hamburgers and fries (they are absolutely not called chips lol, what you guys call "crisps" we call chips. There are also joe-joes which are thicker, wedge shaped fries usually with the skins still on. You'll also likely see a lot of latin cuisine or "Tex-Mex" (which aren't necessarily the same thing); things like fajitas, tacos, beans and rice etc. a lot will depend on the demographics of the area you're visiting. If there isn't a large Hispanic population you'll be less likely to find Latin food. Kentucky is "country", not "Deep South" like Georgia or Mississippi but I think a fair amount of the cuisine is southern-comfort type. Grits of all kinds, fried chicken or fish (especially catfish), biscuits (not the sweet things you may be thinking of, those are called cookies, greens cooked with fat-back (usually collards or kale) and lots of barbecued meats. They take their barbecue pretty seriously! You may also have the pleasure of running across chitterlings as well *cringes*. Pudding here is not the same as British pudding, unless it's prefaced by the word bread or rice. Beans or green beans are what you refer to as French Climbing Beans, not runner beans. We just call 'em green beans. Oh almost forgot black-eyed peas-nothing like English peas at all. You'll probably not see a single broad bean, because nobody eats them and they're called fava beans anyway lol. Baked beans you may come across as well but they are brown, not green and have a texture similar to black eyed peas. If you forget any of that, a general rule is that we do everything the opposite of how you do it. We weren't joking around when wd pushed that tea overboard!
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Rutabago is a swede here which is confusing enough but up north the call them turnips which is completely different :wacko:
We're a confusing little nation like that!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Always swedes (big orangey/yellow bulbour roots) in Cornwall - wouldn't dream of putting turnip in a paaaasssttyyy :D
Turnips are the cute lil' purple and white bulbous roots ;) :)
Not sure I could liv in the US without marmite and vaguely decent chocolate! :lol: :lol: :lol:
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What is a pasty?
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I love the Moosewood cook books
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I'll let the Devonion member tell you all about pasties, but they are awesome, traditional or quite a few newer flavours - I choose the veggie versions myself these days so swede helps with the traditional flavour :)
Here is a pretty simple but fab recipe for parsnips: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/honey_roast_parsnips_80898 (http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?action=seored;u=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5iYmMuY28udWsvZm9vZC9yZWNpcGVzL2hvbmV5X3JvYXN0X3BhcnNuaXBzXzgwODk4)
You wouldn't ordinarily have them on their own, they would be a side dish to a roast. Most definitely worth the effort, especially if they are home grown.
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What is a pasty?
Ummmmm A real traditional one is like the kiss of an angel, but better DBG explain in depth
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I rather liked the enormous pretzel with mustard, which we had in that cafe in the middle of The James River...
Not readily available here!
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Rutabago is a swede here which is confusing enough but up north the call them turnips which is completely different :wacko:
I'm from oop North & a swede is a swede in Doncaster,we used to carve them for Halloween, that's why we is called ard :lol:, have you tried carving a lantern from a swede, non of this namby pamby pumpkin stuff for us. In fact it wasn't for Halloween it was for mischievous night we didn't do Halloween
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What is a pasty?
Pasties are fab - if you find a good one ;)
Short crust pastry circles filled with beef, potato, swede and a little onion, then wrap the pastry over to form a crust (the crust causes some controversy - some say over the top, others say it should be around the side) ::)
They were supposedly made for the Cornish tin miners - they could eat the pasty by holding onto the crust with their dirty hands and discard the crust (which is a terrible terrible, terrible waste as far as I'm concerned :ohmy: :lol:)
There is also rumour about a pasty that is sweet one end, savoury the other so you have your meal anx pudding in one dish.
Gross idea frankly! :D
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I'm from oop North & a swede is a swede in Doncaster,we used to carve them for Halloween, that's why we is called ard :lol:, have you tried carving a lantern from a swede, non of this namby pamby pumpkin stuff for us. In fact it wasn't for Halloween it was for mischievous night we didn't do Halloween
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Us Southerners carved our lanterns from swede too, Snowy. I think it is more likely to be an age thing as pumpkins were not available when I was young. :D :D Us Eastenders is 'ard. :lol: :lol: Well real Eastenders. :lol: :lol:
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What is a pasty?
Pasties are fab - if you find a good one ;)
Short crust pastry circles filled with beef, potato, swede and a little onion, then wrap the pastry over to form a crust (the crust causes some controversy - some say over the top, others say it should be around the side) ::)
They were supposedly made for the Cornish tin miners - they could eat the pasty by holding onto the crust with their dirty hands and discard the crust (which is a terrible terrible, terrible waste as far as I'm concerned :ohmy: :lol:)
There is also rumour about a pasty that is sweet one end, savoury the other so you have your meal anx pudding in one dish.
Gross idea frankly! :D
The part about the tin miners reminded me of something that was mentioned on a BBC series (can't remember but it might've been one with Ruth Goodman and Peter Ginn but I'm not certain) but it suggested that the crust was thrown away in the mine as some sort of offering I think?
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What is a pasty?
Pasties are fab - if you find a good one ;)
Short crust pastry circles filled with beef, potato, swede and a little onion, then wrap the pastry over to form a crust (the crust causes some controversy - some say over the top, others say it should be around the side) ::)
They were supposedly made for the Cornish tin miners - they could eat the pasty by holding onto the crust with their dirty hands and discard the crust (which is a terrible terrible, terrible waste as far as I'm concerned :ohmy: :lol:)
There is also rumour about a pasty that is sweet one end, savoury the other so you have your meal anx pudding in one dish.
Gross idea frankly! :D
The part about the tin miners reminded me of something that was mentioned on a BBC series (can't remember but it might've been one with Ruth Goodman and Peter Ginn but I'm not certain) but it suggested that the crust was thrown away in the mine as some sort of offering I think?
It would have been covered in coal dust.
Those 2 do all sorts of historical programmes - they may have mentioned it. Never heard of it being trhown as an offering though :)
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Here you go: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4841110.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4841110.stm) It's like a Bedfordshire Clanger. Have eaten neither, but I'm willing to give it a go.
Anyone with me? Just in the interests of science/history/being bored on a sunny afternoon...
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Here you go: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4841110.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4841110.stm) It's like a Bedfordshire Clanger. Have eaten neither, but I'm willing to give it a go.
Anyone with me? Just in the interests of science/history/being bored on a sunny afternoon...
Perhaps Mrs Bee would knock up a batch in the interests of science :D
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Here you go: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4841110.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4841110.stm) It's like a Bedfordshire Clanger. Have eaten neither, but I'm willing to give it a go.
Anyone with me? Just in the interests of science/history/being bored on a sunny afternoon...
Not sure I'd agree with it being a 'healthier fast food' -= even a veggy pasty isn't truly healthy with all that pastry! :D
I still don't trust the idea...
...very impressed with the crust on top in the pic though proper way as far as I'm concerned :D
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So what have solar eclipses got to do with Bedfordshire Clangers ?
EsAyyOKoTik
I wish I had seen it - Too cloudy here, just like a rainy day :(
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Catalog that marmite video is so good. I will have to show it to my OH. HE WOULD NEVER NEGLECT HIS! :lol: :lol:
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Saw some bright red rhubarb stalks at the grocery store so bought a few to use with some frozen strawberries from last season to make a strawberry rhubarb crumble. Figured I'd see what all the fuss is about. The strawberry and crumble parts were delicious, didn't care for the rhubarb and ended up picking it out lol. Ah well, at least I can say I tried it!
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Where you went wrong was not starting at the basics - rhubarb and custard :D
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Rhubarb and ginger crumble with custard. Oh my.
Rhubarb vodka....yum!
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Baked rhubarb and ginger cheesecake. rhubarb and raspberry jam. delicious.
Did you use plenty of sugar with the fruit in your crumble LotoSeed, cos it does need a lot of sweetening.
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Didn't mind the tartness of it at all. It paired nicely in contrast with the sweetness of the crumble topping, but I didn't like the taste of the rhubarb; it had an odd sort of aftertaste :unsure:
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It can be an acquired taste. :D
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Lotusseed most of the big name supermarkets here stock marmite but it is usually tucked away in the section with other 'British' staples like marmalade, digestive biscuits and salad cream. I personally cannot taste a difference between gherkins and dill pickles other than the brine they are pickled in. The gherkins l ate in the UK always had some sugar in the brine. I can't eat the dill pickles here. Just vinegar and salt. Way too salty for me. Which makes no sense really as it has been pointed out to me that marmite is equally salty!
I think rhubarb is one of those foods that require a few attempts to get a taste for it. I miss it and it is not even worth trying to grow in this climate. I should think it would grow well in yours.
I confused everyone talking about pudding. I am honestly amazed that two countries speaking the same language should use so many different words for things or more confusingly the same words but they mean something totally different.
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As I was preparing the rhubarb I kept thinking, "red celery, red celery" lol.
Haha yes! Pudding is cold, creamy dish, rather like yogurt, but not quite. I've had to do so much "translating" despite the fact the we're all speaking English! Lol. Took me forever to figure out that "rocket" is arugula. I decided to try growing a few fava, 'scuds me, broad beans, this year out of curiosity. I don't have high hope I'll like them (afraid they're gonna taste like lima beans) but I think the flowers are pretty lol.
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Have you moved over to the states recently allotmentann?
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Have you moved over to the states recently allotmentann?
Yes, l have not been here a year yet. I am still getting used to how different things are here. There are some really strange things here. It is a bit like going back to the fifties. All businesses (except retail) seem to shut at five, so don't have a car accident after five or on a weekend because your insurer won't be working. Forget comparison websites or changing energy supplier. Pay a fortune for broadband running slower than the old dial up. Everything is in feet and inches and yards and pounds and ounces and degrees Fahrenheit. (Actually l quite like most of the above!). Oh and people generally are far, far more polite. And of course it is sunny every single day. We had two frosts this winter and l have been in shorts since February. Killed all my seedlings by dessicating them. Two hours without water and they are beyond reviving!
Lotusseed - l have mistakenly asked for coriander, aubergines and Courgettes in the supermarket (cilantro, egg plant and zucchini) and received funny looks when saying l needed some more vests (which are apparently waistcoats). :nowink:
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I still am not sure what a "jumper" is. I think it means "sweatshirt" or maybe "sweater" but I really don't know 😯 we tend to drop the o in words and use "z's" instead of "s'". And don't forget that's pronounced "zee" not zed lol.
It's easier to change internet provider but don't bother trying to switch utility companies! Whenever I'm watching a non-US gardening video I have to translate from the metric system: not MORE math! lol Btw if you're in an area with a large Latino population, there's cilantro and culantro (similar but different). Coriander generally refers to the seeds of cilantro :wacko: Our climate here isn't nearly as warm as yours. Our winters are pretty cold, but our summers are hot. Sometimes it seems we skip spring altogether! It's supposed to be in the 80s all week! Sorry I don't know what that is in Celsius lol. Same language but very different cultures methinks.
Btw if the ground under you starts shakin' because of an earthquake, head for a doorway and stand there till it's over. (Completely serious about that one I'm afraid)
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A jumper is indeed a sweater. And we had an earthquake at the weekend. I missed it! Now l have not come across culantro but l think there is quite a large Latino population. Everything is translated into Spanish anyway. I guess your climate is a little closer to the UK but probably with better summers.
The difference in culture is a lot greater than l expected. But it makes life fun. :)
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It's amazing how much being exposed to another culture gives you a better sense of your own! And it does make life fun for sure.
Yes, Spanish language is everywhere and there is great diversity in that too. ¡Poder comunicar, o por lo menos, comprenderlo es una gran ventaja!
If I recall correctly, I think the term "sweater" is derived from the poor, uncomfortable and hot, cramped and ventilation-free conditions under which, often immigrant, workers were subjected to (around late 1800s, early 1900s I think) Hence the name sweatshop. Sweaters were the people who "employed" these laborers and subjected them to said conditions.
Oh and by the way, welcome to 'Murica! Lol
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Interesting derivation. I did not know that. But it certainly makes sense. I have not learned any Spanish yet but l am sure l will. Thanks for the welcome :D