The Swede Challenge

Supermarket shopping
It has been another challenging week in the kitchen for me.  I realised that I have been trying to cut down on my supermarket visits to go only once per month, but I had only decided AFTER my last visit.  That means I have been forced to be creative with the food I find locally, but whilst running out of some store cupboard essentials such as pasta, tinned tomatoes and Arborio rice...a big ask in anyone's book!  This month I will be really organised in my monthly visit to the farmer's market so that I can buy more food to help me achieve this once-a-month goal.  That way, I am enjoying seasonal, local food and benefitting our local economy, as opposed to the supermarket shareholders. 

Challenges
So, the challenge last week to make a meal with 1/2 swede and squash to feed a family of four?  I wanted to make a risotto, but knew that it would look fairly bland, and the flavours from the two vegetables wouldn't be strong enough to make it interesting in flavour either.  I always cook my risotto in the oven.  This is a technique I learned when my kids were younger.  The results are not as creamy but it means I get 20 minutes of my day back each time I make one because I don't have to stand over it and stir.  As the oven was on anyway, I chopped and baked the two veg after tossing them in olive oil and paprika.  I then sprinkled them over the top of the risotto at the table.  This meant it looked and tasted much better: bringing out the sweetness of the veg which complemented the paprika well.

Preparing for salads
I am desperate to start eating more salads so I have begun using my sprouter.  I have started with alfalfa because they sprout in just a few days.  Seeds and sprouters are quite easy to buy now (try unicorn-grocery.co.uk), and the results can be used either sprinkled on top of a salad or used in a stir fry.  It is an easy job to soak them overnight then rinse them a couple of times a day.  I find it a great source of protein. 
A new idea I am trying this week is microgreens (try any large seed company for packets of these).  These are grown in a similar way you would grow cress at home - on a windowsill.  I am trying broccoli and rocket.  They will add a punch of flavour and loads of essential vitamins to my salad meals when cut at the size you would eat cress.

Gardening
Where I turned the soil over at the allotment a few weeks ago, the weeds and grass have rotted down to make lovely loam.  A quick rake over and a cover of plastic sheeting is allowing the soil to warm up ready for seeds to go in.  In my garden at home I have planted a couple of herbs - marjoram and fennel, and a new one on me: hyssop.  (An impulse purchase I have to admit!)

If you have any ideas what to do with hyssop, suggestions welcome please!

Lisa Reid