Eat your fruit and veg! But beware of bad apples…

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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has announced that apples are once more at the top of its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of agricultural produce with unacceptable levels of pesticide residues.

According to EWG research, apples with no organic certification are the most heavily contaminated produce followed by celery, sweet bell peppers, peaches and strawberries and nectarines. These were closely followed by grapes, spinach, lettuce and cucumbers, with the last two slots taken by blueberries and potatoes. Some of the pesticides they detected are linked to skin cancer, brain toxicity, lung irritation and hormonal disruption.

EWG also had to add this year two more vegetables – green beans and leafy greens (as in kale and collard greens) – that did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen ™criteria but were commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some food crops.

Commodity crop corn used for animal feed and biofuels is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption. Since GMO sweet corn is not labelled as such in US stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn.

For the list of “Clean 15” (lowest in pesticides) go to EWG website – http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

So if you are willing to start buying organic but not sure what to go for first, start with the first items on “Dirty Dozen” list and try to grow some of them yourself!

Seasonal recipes – courgettes

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Courgettes with Pasta (from Fork to Fork by Sarah & Monty Don)

600g (1lb 5oz) yellow courgettes

100ml (3 ½ fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

600g (1lb 5oz) fresh spaghetti

100g (4oz) shelled fresh peas

Sea salt and black pepper

Bunch of fresh basil leaves (torn) or lemon thyme (chopped)

100g (4oz) pecorino or similar hard cheese, cut into almost translucent slices

Serves 6

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Slice the courgettes into 10mm (1/2in) rounds. Cook them quickly in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, whilst cooking the spaghetti in the boiling water. Add the peas to the courgettes to heat through. Drain the spaghetti, mix with the vegetables and season. Serve with the cheese and herbs scattered over the surface, and the rest of the oil drizzled over.

 

Courgette Frittata (from Fork to Fork by Sarah & Monty Don)

600g (1lb 5oz) courgettes

6 tablespoons olive oil

4 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

12 eggs

50g (2oz) Parmesan, freshly grated

Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

Sea salt and black pepper

Serves 6

Coarsely grate the courgettes into a colander, salt them lightly and leave to drain for 30 minutes. Press out the moisture.

Heat half the oil in a frying pan, and cook the garlic gently without colouring it. Add the courgettes and fry for about 5 minutes. Take from the heat and allow to cool.

Beat the eggs in a bowl, and stir in the courgette mixture, the Parmesan, the torn basil leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the rest of the oil in a large frying pan and, when hot, pour in the egg mixture. Lower the heat and cook slowly, stirring as the egg begins to set. When the mixture is firm, except for the top, finish by placing it under a preheated hot grill until it is slightly browned.

Place a plate over the top and carefully turn the frittata out onto the plate. Serve warm, cut into wedges.

 

Courgette Fritters (from The Garden to Kitchen Expert by Judith Wills & Dr D.G. Hessayon)

4 courgettes (approx. 800g / 1 3/4lb)

1 small onion

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

2 tbsp fresh chopped chives

3 eggs

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

Salt and black pepper

100g (3 ½ oz) grated Parmesan

200g (7oz) plain flour

100ml (3 ½ fl oz) vegetable oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Serves 4

Grate courgettes and press in a clean tea-towel to remove moisture. Mix with finely chopped onion, parsley, chives, beaten eggs, paprika, cumin and seasoning.

Stir in cheese and flour, then leave mixture to stand for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a large frying pan, then drop in large spoonfuls of the mixture and fry over medium heat, turning halfway, until golden on both sides: approx.: 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve sprinkled with lemon juice.

 

Courgette Cake (from The Garden to Kitchen Expert by Judith Wills & Dr D.G. Hessayon)

 

Use peeled courgettes or marrow for this recipe – the vegetable makes the cake really moist.

100g (3 ½ oz) sultanas

100ml (3 ½ fl oz) apple juice

225g (8oz) courgettes

225g (8oz) butter

225g (8oz) caster sugar

2 eggs

1 dessert apple

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

Makes 8 slices

Soak sultanas in apple juice for approx. 15 minutes. Grate courgettes, then press them in a clean tea-towel to remove moisture.

Cream together softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, then gradually beat in eggs. Stir in drained sultanas and courgettes. Peel and grate apple and add to mixture.

Stir salt and cinnamon into flour and fold into the mixture. Spoon into a greased 1 kg (2 ¼lb) loaf tin lined with lightly greased baking parchment and level off the top. Bake at 180®C / Gas mark 4 for 50 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and peel off parchment, and finish cooling on a wire rack. Store in an airtight tin – it will keep for a week.

 

Deep-fried Courgette Flowers (from The Garden to Kitchen Expert by Judith Wills & Dr D.G. Hessayon)

Female flowers have a small fruit behind them – male ones do not. Don’t waste the large male flowers, they make an excellent crispy snack or canapé. If you use self-raising flour, you will get a slightly lighter batter, but any flour will do.

8 courgette flowers

125g (4oz) flour

Salt and black pepper

25g (1 oz) grated Parmesan

Vegetable oil

Serves 2-4

Combine flour and seasoning in a bowl. Gradually mix in up to 200ml (7 fl oz) cold water (you may need a little less) until you have a smooth batter. Stir in cheese.

Put enough oil in a large saucepan to come no more than halfway up the sides and heat to 180®C / Gas mark 4, or until a cube of bread dropped in turns golden in 30 seconds.

Dip each courgette flower in the batter, then drop in the oil. Fry for 2 minutes, or until golden. Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Seasonal recipes – broad beans

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Broad Bean and Feta Salad (from Abel and Cole)

Broad beans are delicious combined with these flavours. Other good additions would be roast peppers. Serves 2–3.

  • 225 g / 1/2 lb fresh broad beans, shelled weight
  • 60 g / 2 oz Feta cheese, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Put the beans in boiling water for 3–4 minutes until tender. Drain well and put into a bowl. Mix together the oil, vinegar and mint and stir into the hot beans. When the beans have cooled to room temperature, mix in the cubed Feta and serve.

 

Broad Beans with Onions and Bacon (from Abel and Cole)

Serves 2 as a side dish.

  • 250 g broad beans, shelled
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 175 ml chicken stock
  • 125 g smoked bacon, thinly sliced
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Cook the broad beans in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and cool. Peel and discard the outer skins. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the broad beans and bacon and sauté for a further 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the broad beans are tender. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Broad Bean Pod Fritters (from Abel and Cole)

Did you know that you can cook (and eat) those furry little sleeping bag covers for your broad beans? A chef tipped us off on this one. They’re delicious – just as anything that is fried and dusted with salt is. Your compost bin may start feeling deprived, though.

  • 10-12 broad bean pods
  • 2 mugs of flour
  • 1 mug of milk
  • A good pinch of sea salt, pepper and chilli powder (or any other punchy spice)
  • Sunflower oil, for frying

Tear the broad bean pods along their seam. Trim any string sides off. Cut each pod half into 3-4cm pieces – if you do this at a diagonally angle it looks fancier. Place in a large shallow bowl or on a plate. Season it well. Place the milk in a separate bowl, much the same sizes.

Dredge the trimmed pods through the flour. Dip in the milk. Dredge through the flour again. You can deep or shallow fry them. Do this until golden. Let them cool slightly. You can eat them like this, but if you want them extra crispy, give them one more dip in the hot oil. They’re extra moreish this way. Dust with salt and serve. Delicious on their own. Also very yummy with a dip like our sticky Red Chilli Jam.

 

Broad Bean Salad with Bacon (from “Fork to Fork” by Monty & Sarah Don)

Serves 6.

For this recipe, use the very young tender beans, while their skins are still soft – 1.5kg (3lb5oz) of beans in pods, when shelled, yields about 300g (10 1/2oz). This is good eaten warm with a few shavings of Parmesan.

  • 100g (4oz) very finely sliced dry-cured streaky bacon
  • Olive oil for frying
  • 275g (10oz) shelled broad beans
  • Bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Lemon quarters

For the dressing:

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Sea salt and pepper

Cut the bacon into strips and fry in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes until it is slightly crisp. Cook the beans in boiling water for 4 minutes – less if they are very tiny. Drain the beans and dress them immediately with the olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add the bacon and parsley, and serve while still warm with shavings of Parmesan and quartered lemon. (Shave the Parmesan with a potato peeler).

 

Broad Bean Risotto (from “The Garden to Kitchen Expert by Judith Wills & Dr D. G. Hessayon)

You can serve this with grilled or baked chicken breast – or even add chopped cooked chicken to the risotto with the beans. Serves 4.

  • 300g (11oz) broad beans
  • 1 onion
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 300g (11oz) risotto rice
  • 750ml (1 ¼ pints) hot vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped mint
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 50g (2oz) grated Parmesan

Boil or steam beans. Sweat finely chopped onion in the oil in a large pan over low heat for 5 minutes to soften but not colour, adding chopped garlic for the last minute.

Stir in rice until coated with oil. Stir a large ladle (about 75ml / 2 ½ fl. oz) of the hot stock into the risotto and continue stirring until stock has been absorbed by rice. Repeat until all stock is used up or rice is cooked through and creamy.

Stir in beans, parsley, mint, lemon juice and half the cheese. Serve sprinkled with remaining cheese.

Beans glorious beans!

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My first ever harvest of broad beans!

Yesterday I had my first ever harvest of broad beans. Though I got them quite young, all the pods are under 10 cm long. They are to be cooked and eaten whole, probably with some fried bacon bits and spring onions. Or maybe a quick and simple stir-fry is in order? It has been so hot for a week or so here (up to 27 C), that I don’t really feel like cooking at all, let alone cooking something that requires a long time in the hot kitchen!

I also planted some runner beans last week (on May 25th to be precise). Two varieties “Enorma” and “Moonlight” were planted in a trench along the fence. The trench was filled with some food waste, then topped with vegetable compost from a bag and then the beans were planted. They should look pretty together, I think, as Enorma flowers with red flowers and Moonlight with white. I didn’t mix them together though, half a row was planted with Enorma and the rest with Moonlight. Now I am thinking maybe I should have interplanted them for a better effect…

Milla's French beans ready to go outside

This week it’s the turn of dwarf French beans to go in. Just a couple of rows, but it already seems like an awful lot of beans, especially if we take into account the fact that there are no big bean fans in the family! Oh well, we like watching them grow, they have pretty flowers and our little daughter enjoys shelling the pods in autumn – there you go, three good reasons to grow them then!

Where tulips come from (Hint: it isn’t Holland!)

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Parrot tulip (with twisted petals)

I love tulips! And there thousands of varieties, with single flowers, double flowers, fringed flowers, twisted petals, and then there are differences in colour and shape of the leaves and stems and of course petals – amazing!  And I love them all!!!

 

 

Wild tulips in the steppe

The Tulip is actually a member of the lily family. It’s a wild flower of Central Asia (where I come from) and the Middle East. It usually grows in deserts and among rocks and of course in the steppe! The steppe is where tulips come from and is the centre of the tulip diversity. The Dutch didn’t get it till the late 1500s.

Semper Augustus tulip

It was the Turks who first fell in love with tulips. They were a symbol of wealth and power.  The era during which the Ottoman Empire was the wealthiest is called the Tulip Era. The Tulip was sent over to Europe by an ambassador in the court of Suleiman the Magnificent. It was so different from other flowers available at the time, having such vivid colours, that it soon became revered for its exotic beauty. And so the Dutch mania began! It’s hard to believe it now but people were prepared to pay almost anything for the most fashionable tulips of the time. At the height of the mania, in 1636, one “Semper Augustus” bulb (a tulip with midnight-blue petals that featured a white band and crimson flares) was reported to cost 10,000 guilders – the same price as a large house in Amsterdam at the time!

Carnival de Nice double tulip

Growing tulips today is relatively easy. They are ideal for containers and, thanks to their drought-resisting abilities, are almost as happy out of the soil as in it. This means they can be planted later than most spring bulbs, and as late as January. They need to have been stored correctly, however, and away from mice, which are fond of the taste. Incidentally, parts of the Tulip, if untreated by chemicals, are edible by humans, too. The petals are said to taste mildly bean- or lettuce-like.

Our tulips on May 1st 2012

We planted ours in February and they are in their full glory now. I will leave them in the ground though as my mother and grandmother used to do back in Kazakhstan and see if they come back next spring!

For more information on tulips go to www.tulipsociety.co.uk  - who knew they have their own society?!