Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: Smudgeboy on May 27, 2007, 14:46

Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Smudgeboy on May 27, 2007, 14:46
Hi all

My rocket and salad leaves went mad this early spring - I have enough to cater for a small army regiment on salad rations!

They're showing signs of bolting any minute now.

Does anybody have any idea how I can harvest and store them? Obviously freezing wouldn't work for salad leaves, but I don't want to throw too much away.

Any thoughts (apart from "don't blooming sow so much next time, y'eejit!")  :wink:

Ta, Smudge
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: WG. on May 27, 2007, 14:47
don't blooming sow so much next time, y'eejit!
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Dawn in the North on May 27, 2007, 17:11
Hi there,

You could make rocket pesto, it's brilliant :!:

Make the same as you would for basil pesto, but obviously replace basil with rocket.

You could also try doing a half rocket/half salad leaves pesto for a milder taste.

Regards
Dawn
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: corndolly on May 28, 2007, 09:46
Dawn, your pesto idea sounds nice , especially the one that includes salad leaves ,can you give me instructions and how do you store it ?
Thanks.
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Dawn in the North on May 28, 2007, 22:59
Hi,

I really just started to experiment last year.  Like you i had a glut of rocket and salad leaves, especially lambs lettuce.

You can do a really simple pesto recipe, I use a tiny food processor and put in 2 (large) or 3 (small/medium) garlic cloves, 2-4 table spoons of green stuff (rocket/salad/basil/coriander, etc), or as much green stuff as my food processor will take, give it a wizz, push the stuff down, giv it a wizz, and then start to add oil - I use extra virgin olive oil - about 2-3 table spoons, all the while wizzing the food processor while adding the oil - you will know the pesto is right when it goes round smothly. There are two other common ingredients - pine nuts (1 teaspoon) and Parmesan cheese (about 1 table spoon).  The adding of the pine nuts and cheese makes the flavour milder and smother, without it these the flavour is quite intense, and I like it.

I have kept in the fridge for about a week to 2 weeks, and I think you can freeze it.

If you have alot, you can experiment and find a balance you will like.  The tiny food processor I have I found to be brilliant for this kind of thing, as you can only put so much in it!

Regards
Dawn
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: liz from the fizz on May 29, 2007, 09:57
I have frozen home made basil pesto before and it turned out ok.
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Aunt Sally on May 29, 2007, 10:17
102 recipies  :roll:

http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=rocket
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Smudgeboy on May 30, 2007, 22:45
Quote from: "whisky_golf"
don't blooming sow so much next time, y'eejit!


Don't think that just 'cos I'm ignoring you, I'm not watching you, mush!  :wink:
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: WG. on May 30, 2007, 22:54
Quote from: "Smudgeboy"
Quote from: "whisky_golf"
don't blooming sow so much next time, y'eejit!


Don't think that just 'cos I'm ignoring you, I'm not watching you, mush!  :wink:

I have spies.  You'd never get past Carlisle without me hearing about it!  :wink:   (that is about half way incidentally)
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Smudgeboy on May 30, 2007, 22:59
Oh, and Aunt sally, thank you thank you thank you!
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Aunt Sally on May 30, 2007, 23:02
You must love rocket  :!:
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Smudgeboy on May 30, 2007, 23:02
Quote from: "whisky_golf"
Quote from: "Smudgeboy"
Quote from: "whisky_golf"
don't blooming sow so much next time, y'eejit!


Don't think that just 'cos I'm ignoring you, I'm not watching you, mush!  :wink:

I have spies.  You'd never get past Carlisle without me hearing about it!  :wink:   (that is about half way incidentally)


Where I'm coming from, if Carlisle's halfway, you must be on a boat off the NW coast of Scotchland!
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: WG. on May 30, 2007, 23:24
Only going by your profile which says Kent.  :D

Lets try.  According to Expedia, my shortest road route to Carlisle is 260 miles.  Quickest is 274 miles.
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Smudgeboy on May 31, 2007, 13:07
I was drawing a straight line as the Crow flies.

We should probably let this one wither on the vine now . .  :D
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Smudgeboy on May 31, 2007, 13:10
Quote from: "Aunt Sally"
You must love rocket  :!:


Not especially so - I just made the rookie mistake of sowing loads all at once, instead of in two-weekly intervals.

See also, 30+ thriving tomato plants, enough coriander to open a small Indian takeaway, enough salad leaves to cater a large wedding etc etc.

Sad thing is, I'll probably do the same thing again next year!  :roll:
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: fatgit on June 07, 2007, 13:50
I have a similar problem, as I opened a packet of seeds and it split, all over a raised bed, and i now have about 20 rocket plants, and I'm the only person that eats it :)

The pesto idea sounds perfect though, I could make a load up and sell it at the summer fair to raise funds for the community association :tongue2:
Title: Surplus rocket and salad leaves
Post by: Beanzie on July 06, 2007, 23:19
Quote from: "Dawn in the North"
Hi,

I really just started to experiment last year.  Like you i had a glut of rocket and salad leaves, especially lambs lettuce.

You can do a really simple pesto recipe, I use a tiny food processor and put in 2 (large) or 3 (small/medium) garlic cloves, 2-4 table spoons of green stuff (rocket/salad/basil/coriander, etc), or as much green stuff as my food processor will take, give it a wizz, push the stuff down, giv it a wizz, and then start to add oil - I use extra virgin olive oil - about 2-3 table spoons, all the while wizzing the food processor while adding the oil - you will know the pesto is right when it goes round smothly. There are two other common ingredients - pine nuts (1 teaspoon) and Parmesan cheese (about 1 table spoon).  The adding of the pine nuts and cheese makes the flavour milder and smother, without it these the flavour is quite intense, and I like it.

I have kept in the fridge for about a week to 2 weeks, and I think you can freeze it.

If you have alot, you can experiment and find a balance you will like.  The tiny food processor I have I found to be brilliant for this kind of thing, as you can only put so much in it!

Regards
Dawn


Looks interesting _ I'll need to give it a go