EATING IN SEASON | pumpkin, carrots & courgette in october

MOROCCAN VEGETABLE TAGINE

{ Green Kitchen Stories }

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 The tagine (or tajine) is similar to a large clay pot with a conical lid. I am not a scientist, but as far as I understand the moist and flavors that evaporates from the food stays within the lid and – thanks to its shape – drips down back into the food. So the food is steamed in it’s own vapors and cooked/baked at the same time, isn’t that just groovy!? The result is incredibly tender vegetables filled with flavors.

A few simple secrets to a successful tagine.

1. Always balance the sweet (apricots, raisins and cinnamon) with the spicy (harissa or chili).

2. Think big. No need for fine chopping, use large chunks of vegetables. Looks better, tastes better.

3. Don’t stress it. Let the vegetables sweat for a long time on low heat under a lid.

4. No peeking. If you lift the lid the steam will vanish. If you however have to lift the lid, make sure that the vapor under it drips back into the pot.

5. Stir carefully. After a while the vegetables will be very tender and you don’t want to crush them.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

//Serves 4 

You can use almost any kind of vegetables in this stew, it’s perfect for emptying the fridge.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, minced (or 1 tsp grounded)
1-2 tbsp grounded cinnamon 
1 tsp cumin
salt
2-3 tsp harissa paste (or dried harissa)
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
1 lemon, juice and zest
a handful fresh cilantro1 small pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces1 zucchini, cut into 2-inch pieces10 dried apricots1/2 cup chickpeas/garbanzo beans, pre boileda handful raisins

Serve with: white quinoa or couscous, roasted almonds, fresh cilantro and fresh mint

In a clay pot: Heat olive oil in a large clay pot and sauté the onion for a few minutes until it softens. Add garlic, ginger and the spices and stir around before adding harissa, tomatoes, lemon juice and fresh cilantro, Bring the tomato sauce to a boil and then lower the heat.
Add pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, zucchini and apricots. Stir around, make sure that all vegetables are somewhat covered in tomato sauce. Put the lid on and simmer for about an hour. Stir carefully once or twice, otherwise leave the lid on.

In a tagine: Prepare the tomato sauce according to the instructions above. Transfer it to the tagine. Add the vegetables, attach the lid and put in the oven on low temperature for at least an hour. When the vegetables feel tender, add chickpeas and raisins and let everything simmer for 5 minutes before removing it from the oven.

Serve the tagine in bowls together with cooked quinoa. Sprinkle with almonds, lemon zest and fresh spices. ::

UPCYCLE | wine cork plant marker

{ Shine your Light }

1 | Save the corks.
2 | Write the names of your herbs on them with a permanent marker.
3 | Push wooden skewers into them.

REVIEW | open day #2

green gym.

finger food potluck - chatting - willowbank squirrel.

What a great success!

Even weather wasn't looking promising by 2pm, rain really took a break from 3 to 5pm and drew students, Willowbank residents and garden enthusiasts into the garden.

What a great pleasure to see you all gathering, enjoying food and hot tea, working out in the green gym, the children romping around and planting bulbs.

Please apologise that workshops for the kids were cancelled and no contact list was provided.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to make this community event happening!

Many thanks to all Willowbank residents coming down on Sunday afternoon,
you gave us a cheering feedback!

Willowbank, we can do it! ::

INSPIRATION | keimzelle, hamburg

And again the city of Hamburg shares some more inspiration on urban gardening with us. The Keimzelle {germ cell/ nucleus/ seedbed} is operating since May 2011 and calls itself  a "wee social urban garden".

    

Another inspirational take on turning wooden pallets into raised beds.   

Probably the cheapest planter ever…

REMEMBER | perennial vs. annual

{ via lexicon of sustainability }

Wes Jackson has been domesticating intermediate wheatgrass at the land institute since the 1970s.

Workers separate seeds form the chaff of intermediate wheatgrass samples using a dehuller. These will be carefully analysed by researchers. Each successive planting brings Wes closer to his goal, that of replacing annual wheat with more sustainable perennials. According to Wes, the domestication of wheatgrass is expected to take ten to twelve years, after which a commercially viable wheatgrass will become available.

PERENNIALS HAVE LARGER ROOT SYSTEMS

1 | Improved soil stability = less need for tillage & reduced erosion
2 | reduced fossil fuel consumption
3 | better managed nitrogen
4 | reduced need for pesticides
5 | less labour intensive
6 | increased soil water storage
7 | better carbon fining
8 | greater biodiversity

::

EATING IN SEASON | parsnips & celery in october

BEAN CHILI WITH WALNUTS & CHOCOLATE

{ Green Kitchen Stories }

::Soooo tasty that I cook it once a week at the moment. Replacing chocolate by cocoa/cacao powder also works well!::

//Serves 6-8

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ghee or coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
1  fresh chili, minced (more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bell pepper, red & yellow, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and finely chopped
2 large stalks of celery with top greens, finely chopped
150 g raw walnuts, very finely chopped
800 g cooked mixed beans (adzuki, kidney, black eye, borlotti)
2 x 400 g cans whole plum tomatoes1 cup (240 ml) water2 tsp salt1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine or balsamic vinegar1/2 cup coffee (optional)70 g 80% dark chocolate, broken in pieces

For serving
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 lime, quartered
4 corn tortillas, toasted

Start by preparing all vegetables. Heat oil in a large thick-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, cumin, chili, paprika and oregano, and let fry for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the spices smells fragrant. Be careful so they don’t burn. Add bell pepper, carrot, parsnip and celery, let cook for another couple of minutes. Add walnuts, beans, tomatoes, water and salt and let cook for 30 minutes more. Now add red wine, coffee and chocolate, stir around carefully and let cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve in bowls with a dollop of yogurt, fresh cilantro, lime and toasted corn tortilla. ::

UPCYCLE | plastic bottle funnel

{ Real Simple }

Simply bisect a plastic bottle and keep the top half to use as a funnel.

REVIEW | work session #08

compost crew - overview - bird feed.

Lucky Willowbankers, we were blessed again with sun during this Sunday's work session. Getting the compost ready for the open day - moving, sawing, hammering. Many thanks to the Willowbank compost crew for all the labour they put into the project! Compost is now hungry and cannot wait to be introduced to and fed by the wider Willowbank public on our Open Day. Chalkboards were turned into signs finally, birds will be fed for the next weeks. Chatting to a Willowbank mum who came down to the garden with her two children who are very excited about growing food. Nice day again. Thank you all for coming down. Good job Willowbankers!!! ::

INSPIRATION | neuland, cologne

{ credits to Stefano Chiolo }

Another source of inspiration from Germany, this time from Neuland {uncultivated land} in Cologne.   This mobile urban garden has sprang up on the brownfield site of former Dom brewery in July 2011 in order to turn an underused, decaying inner city site into productive space.

Raised beds from wooden pallets.

I really like the idea of building a wooden construction for the white carrier bags. We could do this for Willowbank, too… given that a carrier bag is sitting on the pavement and that we do know where to source pallets from by now.

Reusing sauce buckets from catering to grow sunflowers. jejeje…

 ::

REMEMBER | urban farmer

{ via lexicon of sustainability }

Novella Carpenter says, "50% of people live in cities. In places like my neighbourhood, they're never going to be able to afford local, organic, sustainably raised food. We live in a society where supposedly you can vote with your fork, and you can change the system just by buying local food, but the thing is, if you look at our society, that's great for people who have money … but there are people who don't have access to ANY food. You look around here, it's a total food desert. It's like malt liquor is all that's available so that's what people are going to buy." ::

EATING IN SEASON | carrots in october

THAI CARROT SOUP

{ Happyolks }

3 sweet onions

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp red chili flakes

3 spoonfuls coconut oil

2 tbsp cumin

dash of nutmeg

2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped

1.5 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped

1 can full fat coconut milk

5-6 cups chicken broth

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

3 tsp salt

4-5 thai chiles, de-seeded

handful fresh basil

3 limes, juiced

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, saute roughly chopped onions with grated garlic, ginger, red chili flakes, and coconut oil until softened but not terribly browned. Add apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pot. Add cumin, nutmeg, lemongrass, and carrots. Stir to coat. Add coconut milk and the broth. Combine. Simmer on low with a lid for 30-40 minutes or until the carrots are completely softened.

2. Pour contents of pot into a high-powered blender in small batches with the fresh thai chiles. Blend until completely pureed. Add water or stock to adjust the thickness. Pour into individual bowls and top with juice of fresh lime and chopped basil. ::

UPCYCLE | cereal box organiser

{ family fun }

1 |Cut the flaps from one end of each box.

2 | Stack the boxes. Some boxes, such as those from FedEx, have flaps that add thickness to the back of the box. To make your stack level, use scraps of cardboard as shims in between the front edges of the boxes.

3 | Seal the boxes together with packing tape.

4 | Cover the boxes with the wrapping paper.

5 | Line the raw edges at the front with the duct tape. ::

REVIEW | work session #07

willowbank in autumn.

Thank you all for joining Seed Freedom on George Square and our 7th Sunday work session afterwards.

After some hibernating-alike weeks it was lovely to see both familiar and new faces down in the garden. Thank you Roisin, Chris and Bernard for pushing forward this overdue work session. I was pleased to see such a big group putting so much energy in the garden today: Several palette-foraging walks in Woodlands - we secured further supplies by now; white cupboard shelves have been turned into chalkboards signs, two further drawers complete the drawer assembly on the wall, a first loose palette-compost construction, and loads of ideas for our OPEN DAY!

painting & paletting.

::

INSPIRATION | gartendeck, hamburg

{ gartendeck }

The Gartendeck is a temporary community garden in the German city of Hamburg, turning the flat roof of a parking level into a productive urban landscape. The use of orange plastic crates on wooden pallets is the project's distinctive feature.

::

REMEMBER | the edible schoolyard

{ via lexicon of sustainability }

FIVE PRINCIPLES FOR AN EDIBLE EDUCATIONby Alice Waters

I | FOOD IS AN ACADEMIC SUBJECT
Ecology and gastronomy bringing alive every subject from reading and writing to science and art.
II | SCHOOL PROVIDES LUNCH FOR EVERY CHILD
Good food is a right, not a privilege. It brings children into a positive relationship with their health, community and environment.
III | SCHOOLS SUPPORT FARMS
Cafeterias buy fresh food from local farms, not only for reasons of health, but to strengthen local food economies.
IV | CHILDREN LEARN BY DOING
Children work in the vegetable beds and on the cutting boards to awaken their senses and open their minds, both to their core academic subjects and to the world around them.
V | BEAUTY IS THE LANGUAGE
A beautifully prepared environment where deliberate thought has gone into everything from the paths to the plates on the tables, communicates to the children that we care about them. ::

EATING IN SEASON | brussels sprouts in october

WARM BRUSSELS SPROUTS TOSS WTH MAPLE AND PAPRIKA

{ the first mess }

// serves 4-5

Notes: Keep your eye on the shreds once they turn bright green! Overcooked brussels sprouts in any form are actually the worst. And if you don’t have smoked paprika, use the regular stuff! It will still be delicious.

1 tbsp grape seed or other neutral-flavour oil
1 shallot, halved and sliced thinly
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 lb (454g) of brussels sprouts, trimmed of tough outer leaves, halved and sliced fine/shredded up to the little cores
salt and pepper
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup (or dark agave)
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the sliced shallot and smashed garlic clove. Stir around until fragrant. Add the smoked paprika. Stir the shallots here and there until they are quite soft, but not browned, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the shredded brussels sprouts and a splash of water. Stir and lift with tongs quickly until the shreds start to wilt just a bit and the colour has darkened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the apple cider vinegar and stir again. When the shreds are bright green and a bit limp (takes about 3 minutes), remove from the heat. Add the maple syrup and stir to combine.

3. Transfer warm mixture to a serving plate and garnish with chopped pecans. ::

UPCYCLE | bird feeder

{ via family fun }

MATERIALS |
plastic bottle, knife, small eye screw, 2 wooden spoons

BUILD |
1. Start by drawing a 1/2-inch asterisk on the side of a clean 1-liter soda bottle, about 4 inches from the bottom. Rotate the bottle 90 degrees and draw another asterisk 2 inches from the bottom. Draw a 1-inch-wide circle opposite each asterisk, as shown.

2. Use a craft knife to slit the asterisk lines and cut out the circles (a parent's job). Insert a wooden spoon handle first through each hole and then through the opposite asterisk, as shown.

3. Remove the bottle cap and twist a small eye screw into the top of it for hanging.

4. Finally, fill your feeder with birdseed, recap it, and use a length of twine to hang it from a tree. ::

REMEMBER | pasture raised vs. cage free

{ via lexicon of sustainability }

INSPIRATION | allemende kontor, berlin

{ Kilian Müller 2012 }

 The Allemende-Kontor {commons-wholesale organization} is a community gardening project on the grounds of former Berlin airport Tempelhof which has closed all operations in 2008 due to the upcoming Berlin-Brandenburg airport (BBA) in 2013(?) . Since 2011 more than 300 creative individual beds form probably the world's biggest raised bed complex.

EATING IN SEASON | pumpkin in october

Poppy Seed-Crusted Butternut Squash with Kale and Pomegranates

{ all credits to Sarah Britton }

❝ // Serves 4


Salad1 medium butternut squash
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. melted ghee or coconut oil
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds
couple pinches of sea salt

2 cups packed shredded kale
1 shallot
juice of ½ lemon
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of sea salt

Maple Mustard Dressing
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
pinch sea salt
1 tsp. pure Maple syrup
1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel the squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut into cubes. Toss with oil, minced garlic, poppy seeds, and sprinkle with sea salt. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until fork-tender, not mushy (approx. 30-40 minutes)
2. While the squash is roasting, shred the kale by slicing it in very thin strips. Add the juice of ½ lemon, a pinch of sea salt and massage into kale to wilt. Set aside.
3. Make dressing by whisking all ingredients together. Pour over kale, toss to coat.
4. Remove the pomegranate seeds. Fill a bowl with water, cut the fruit in half, then roughly pry out the seeds with your fingers and let them fall into the water. The seeds with white pith will float to the top – remove the pith as much as possible leaving the seeds, which will then sink.
5. When the butternut squash has finished roasting, remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Add to kale and mix. Toss with sliced shallot, pomegranate seeds, and garnish with lemon zest. Season to taste. Serve.❞ ::

THE WRAP | september 2012

willowbank in september.

SEPTEMBER has been an exciting month for the Willowbank Garden:

This month started with our very first stall at this year's Freshers Fair (11 & 12 Sept). Located right next to the Bute Hall staircases within the windy cloisters, we displayed easy window sill-gardening. Trowel and shovel, beans and nasturtium in juice boxes, cress in cream cheese tubs, salad and tatsoy in seed trays created some gardening atmosphere, a whole bunch of new contacts on our mailing list and new enthusiasts to be welcomed at our weekly meetings.

Followed by the Glasgow Blasda networking event on Saturday 15th Sept, our 5th Work Session on Sunday, 16 Sept to introduce the site, history and future plans, to pay our friends Vicki and Pav from Woodlands Garden a visit for tea and biscuits, and later on to plant tat soy and salad seedlings outside, now protected by bottom cut-off plastic bottles. Willowbank's first meet in cosy Tchai Ovna on Wed 20 Sept to discuss future proceedings, achievements and procurements. Joining our Food Co-op friend's pot luck on Thur 21 Sept - yum yum! Abundance Glasgow's first meeting on Sat 22 Sept which resulted in spontaneous apple picking and juicing with the apple man John Hancox in the West end the next day in perfect sunny autumn weather. Before we finally managed to set up a temporary sign in the garden at our 6th Work Session. This Sunday 30 Sept called for round two of Abundance Glasgow's apple and pear picking - this time southside'ish with LOCAVORE.

WHAT'S NEXT |

IN THE GARDEN

* Open Day #02 - expect to hear a more detailed announcement from us!
* sign painting
* bird feeders
* building a compost from wood pallets


ELSEWHERE 

* this Wed 3 Oct 2012  
Apple Picking in the Westend with John Hancox  BBC Good Morning Scotland are doing a wee feature to run on Thursday am  3pm, email John [john.d.hancox@btinternet.com] to learn about meeting point.
* throughout Oct 2012
   Black History Month
* 15-28 Oct 2012
   Creative MackIntosh Festival 
* throughout Oct 2012
   Abundance Glasgow (Facebook Event): 

• Thursday the 4th October - Jam and apple ring making at Locavore, 7pm. Booking is essentialcdue to limited space.
• Saturday the 6th October – 1-3pm fruit picking followed by juice making. Meet the Locavore hub and bring an empty bottle or container to take some juice away!
• Tuesday the 9th October - 6pm – Shawlands Harvest event, meet at the Locavore Hub at 6pm.
• Saturday 13th October – Shawlands Harvest and cookery workshop(tbc). Meet at the Locavore Hub at 1pm. 

FINDINGS | in september

* Food For Thought Poster, Scottish Education 2012

* In Season Calendar - What tastes best this month?, Greener Scotland 2012

* Fife Diet Food Manifesto, 2012

* The Hidden Gardens (Tramway) are looking for individuals who can help out with surveying bees, birds, butterflies and soil invertebrates etc. next spring. If your are interested please contact their Volunteer Coordinator Andrea Gillespie andrea@thehiddengardens.org.uk. ::