My squash crop
…eating it – well for me.
I don’t have a problem eating vegetables, or fruit, I love them. My problem is that I am a creature of habit and routine and I am rubbish at doing things differently. I am getting better at going with the flow generally and don’t have panic attacks as I did many years ago when I was first on my own with two small children. Whilst I have more or less conquered this problem I still find it hard to remember to cook different things and try new recipes.
I do like cooking but you know how it is when you work full-time in a demanding job – when you get home you just want to rustle something up quickly without much thought. The idea of trying something new after a long day doesn’t really appeal but I am going to have to get to grips with it or the whole point of having an allotment and growing my own will be lost.
One of my many cabbages
I have managed it before when I had a veg box delivered and when I have been on a diet so I know I can do it but whenever I stop trying I slip back to my standbys off ratatouille. Ratatouille is fine in the summer when there are home grown courgettes and tomatoes but in November when I have a pile of squashes . shallots, garlic and kale sitting waiting to be eaten, with cabbages and Jerusalem artichokes lurking in the wings it does seem to be the wrong approach.
I did take the approach when planning what to grow to only grow things I like to eat or think I would like to eat. However my unoriginal eating habits mean that if I only grew what I ate my allotment would only be productive for a few months with tomatoes, courgettes and salads. I am determined for the allotment to be productive for as much of the year as possible so I need to change my ways.
Black Tuscan Kale - which I need new ways to cook
So I am now on a mission not to eat ratatouille until my squashes have run out and I have to resort to using the courgettes I hid in the freezer. Tonight I made my first squash risotto and it wasn’t too bad. I won’t share the recipe here as it was a bit hit and miss as I desperately need to do some shopping for essential ingredients. However, thanks to my twitter friends I have a number of pasta and risotto recipes to try over the coming weeks as well as a wonderful soup recipe.
I need to find quick and easy alternatives to my favorite pasta, risotto and stir fry recipes so any suggestions will be welcome and I will be pouring over the recipe books over the coming evenings. Who knows I might be sharing recipes on the blog one day.