• A Little Bit About Me

wellywoman

~ A Life in Wellies

wellywoman

Tag Archives: Otter Farm

A Forgotten Fruit

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by wellywoman in autumn, Fruit, Recipes

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

'Blenheim Orange', 'Pitmaston Pineapple', Brogdale, Otter Farm, quince, quince crumble recipe

Quince

Quince (Cydonia oblonga) are an odd fruit, shaped like a knobbly pear, skin the colour of school custard with a downy covering similar to that of a baby bird. And yet, despite being easy to grow in the British climate they’re a bit of a rarity. You won’t find them in supermarkets where a myriad of exotics flown in from abroad are easy to come by. If you’re lucky to have a greengrocer nearby who really knows their stuff you might catch a glimpse of the fruit and it’s unmistakable, almost radioactive, yellow glow.

I first came across this forgotten fruit a few years ago. I’m lucky to live not far from an amazing farmers’ market where twice a month a wealth of locally produced food goes on sale in the village hall. One of the suppliers is an organic fruit grower. He has introduced us to jostaberries, yellow raspberries and an impressive selection of apple varieties including ‘Pitmaston Pineapple’ which does have a pineappley flavour, and ‘Claygate Pearmain’. Then one October Saturday I spotted a tray of quince and I had to snap some up. I wasn’t sure what to do with them but I figured there would be some recipes lurking in my collection of recipe books.

Quince used to be popular here in Britain. It’s ability to work as an accompaniment to meats and cheeses as well as a dessert meant they featured significantly in medieval cooking when the distinction between sweet and savoury food was much more blurred. One drawback though is they can’t be eaten raw when grown in our climate. The flesh is hard, like an unripe pear. Perhaps this explains why quince fell out of favour as our eating habits changed. Cooking softens the flesh and provides the opportunity to add something sweet to reduce the sharpness of the fruit. Quince might not provide the perfect quick snack on the run, like an apple or banana, but the need to spend a little time preparing it isn’t a negative for me. They form part of the bounty of autumn, a time when colder weather and darker nights lend themselves to slow cooked food. A bowl of strawberries wouldn’t satisfy me as it did back in summer, now I crave a crumble, and so far this is my favourite way to eat quince. It’s also rather lovely roasted in wedges with pork chops or you could add it to tagines instead of apricots, like they do in Morocco. Use it in jams and pickles. It’s even a popular flavouring for a fruity brandy in the Balkans.

You can get an idea of the flavour of the fruit from the aroma they emit. Forget those artificial plug-in air fresheners, put a few quince in a bowl and they will fill your room with a beautiful citrus scent until you use them. They last well too, so leaving them in a bowl for several weeks is not a problem. As for the taste, well there’s definitely apple, a hint of orange, the astringency of lemon and a touch of the floral, but not in a parma violets, soapy way. it’s that floral note that elevates quince to a higher fruity level.

Quince are native to western Asia, the area around Afghanistan, Iran and Georgia but they spread into the eastern Mediterranean too and they have been cultivated there for many centuries. The Spanish make dulce membrillo, a fruity paste known as a cheese which goes perfectly as an accompaniment to cheese of the dairy kind. They adapt surprisingly well to growing in our climate, so if you would like to guarantee a supply of the fruit the best way is to grow your own. They are hardy but a warm, sheltered, sunny position is best to protect the blossom from frost and to help the fruit ripen. They are self-fertile so one tree is sufficient and will provide even the most ardent quince-lover enough fruit to get them through the winter. The RHS recommends the varieties ‘Meech’s Prolific’, ‘Vranja Nenadovic’ (AGM) and ‘Portugal’. You might also come across ‘Serbian Gold’ which used to be known as ‘Leskovac’ and is said to be the hardiest and the variety most able to cope with a wetter climate. One of the latest additions is ‘Krymsk’, an introduction from Russia which is said to ripen sufficiently on the tree to be eaten fresh. If you’re tempted then try one of the specialist fruit growers for advice on the best rootstock and which variety would suit your conditions. Otter Farm, Carrob Growers and Brogdale all sell a selection of quince. If space is tight there’s even a patio quince, ‘Sibley’s’, that can be grown in a pot.

You should be able to find quince for sale right through into November so if you can track some down here’s my Spelt, Apple and Quince Crumble recipe.

Ingredients – Enough for 2 but Wellyman does have a big appetite.

  • 80g spelt flour for a nutty flavour
  • 30g butter
  • 20g golden caster sugar
  • 1 medium size apple – I like ‘Blenheim Orange’
  • 1 quince
  • a sprinkle of sugar for the fruit

Making

  • Preheat your oven at 180C or gas mark 4.
  • Wash the downy bloom from your quince and place whole in a pan with boiling water.
  • Cook on a high heat for 10 minutes or until a fork goes into the flesh easily. Then remove from pan and allow to cool.
  • Rub the spelt flour and butter together until you have a breadcrumb type texture.
  • Stir the sugar into the crumble mixture.
  • Cut the quince into chunks, removing the core. You can rub off the skin if you want but it isn’t necessary.
  • Prepare your apple, cutting into small chunks and removing the core.
  • Add the quince with chopped apple to a baking dish and sprinkle with sugar. Dessert apples are naturally much sweeter than the traditional cooker, ‘Bramley’s’, so you won’t need to use as much sugar. As the quince has a natural sharpness a sweeter apple variety works well in the recipe.
  • Then cover with the crumble topping. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Advertisement

Something a little bit different

12 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by wellywoman in Herbs, In the Garden, On the plot, Sustainable gardening

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

A Taste of the Unexpected, Lippia dulcis, Mark Diacono, Otter Farm, RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, River Cottage, Yacon

Mark Diacono's Hampton Court Stand

Mark Diacono’s Hampton Court Stand

One of the highlights of my visit to Hampton Court last week was the chance to visit Mark Diacono’s forest garden stand. Mark has a smallholding in Devon called Otter Farm, where he grows the more unusual and a few forgotten plants. Experimenting to see what he can get to grow in the British climate, he has a vineyard, orchards planted with quince, almonds and apricots and a variety of plants most of us have never heard of, let alone contemplated eating.

He has written several books for the River Cottage Handbook series and in 2011 A Taste of the Unexpected won the Guild of Food Writers Food Book of the Year award. I can vouch for all the books being great reads but it is the latter that I found the most fascinating, challenging my ideas about what I should grow on my own plot. Mark believes that it makes more sense to grow the exotic and unusual, the food that tastes great but is expensive to buy and that is often transported half way around the world to reach our kitchens rather than the staples of our diet like onions and potatoes that are so cheaply and readily available from the supermarket. As a result the fields of Otter Farm are filled with mulberry trees, Asian pears and white cherries, Szechuan pepper trees and Egyptian walking onions.

One area has been established as a forest garden with plantings of mirabelle plums, dwarf peaches, mints and bladdernuts. No, I hadn’t heard of them either. Forest gardens are a form of permaculture which mimicks nature and the upper, mid and lower storeys of vegetation in a forest but uses edible crops instead.

Mark used his stand and his talent for cocktail making at Hampton Court to educate his audience a little to his ideas. Was it his cunning plan to get his audience tipsy and then get them to buy plants? Well I came away with 2 plants, a yacon and a Lippia, so it wasn’t a bad plan.

Lippia dulcis

Lippia dulcis

Lippia dulcis or Aztec sweet herb from the verbena family is a tender perennial from Central America. It’s a low growing and spreading plant, with pretty foliage and small white flowers on stalks. It’s not for its looks that you grow it but for its incredibly sweet leaves which can be used as a natural sweetner. Mark used it, and the yacon, to sweeten his strawberry and thyme syrup cocktails.

Yacon

My yacon waiting to be moved to the plot

Yacon originates from South America and its name ‘water root’ in Inca, alludes to the juiciness of the tubers which, according to Mark, resemble a jacket potato when dug up but taste more like a pear. A tender perennial, it produces large tubers which should be ready to harvest in late autumn and smaller tuberous roots which you can lift and store for planting next year, just as you would with dahlias. The sugars in yacon are indigestible to humans and, as a result, they have attracted the attention of scientists, particularly in America where they are increasingly being grown to provide natural sweetners for diabetics. For more information about yacon take a look at this fascinating article Mark wrote for The Guardian.

Well, it was dry enough this morning for me to get out and plant up the Lippia in my herb planter and take the Yacon up to the allotment where I managed to find a home for it. Growing your own means many things to many people. Some, like the plot holders next to me, simply grow potatoes, carrots, cabbages and leeks wanting to be self-sufficient in the crops they eat the most. I prefer a mix, with some staples that I know will have been produced organically, with a variety of the more unusual such as purple mangetout, yellow french beans and tayberries. I might not be ready to give up on growing new potatoes, peas and broad beans but I do like Mark’s ideas. As humans we tend to be very conservative in what eat, preferring to stick to a quite narrow selection of crops. Who knows how climate change will actually affect the weather and crop production in the future but we will probably need to be more open to new ideas about what we grow and eat. Bananas, for instance, the world’s fourth most important food crop, are at risk from extinction due to their narrow gene pool and vulnerability to pests and diseases.

Szechuan pepper tree

A Szechuan pepper tree on Mark’s stand

Mark’s ideas about growing Asian pears, Chilean guava and blue honeysuckle may seem a bit out there but most of us think nothing of adding a few blueberries to our cereal or a fruit salad and they were only introduced to the UK in the 1940s. As a child of the seventies and eighties I don’t think I ate an aubergine or peppers until my late teens and yet now I can’t imagine not using them in cooking. And, although we are more adventurous with our food, trying different cuisines when we eat out, many of us have yet to take the leap to growing the more unusual on our plot. But I’m determined to be a bit braver on my own plot. With recent purchases of myrtle, lemon verbena and French tarragon for the herb planter and plans to add a dwarf quince to the plot this autumn, I just need to dig out the recipe books for some inspiration now.

To find out more about Mark Diacono and Otter Farm go to otterfarm.co.uk where you can sign up to his blog, which I can highly recommend for posts as varied as, the opening of his own wine, to close encounters with Kylie’s bottom.

An Unexpected Treat – RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

06 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by wellywoman in Out and About

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Franchi Seeds, Mark Diacono, Monty Don, Otter Farm, RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace (copyright Ian Curley)

Of all the RHS flowers shows Hampton Court Palace is the one I’ve wanted to visit the most. Held in the grounds of the historic royal palace, once home to Henry VIII, it is the world’s largest flower show and known for its relaxed, friendly feeling. So far I hadn’t got round to going, that is until yesterday. It was all rather unexpected though. A friend had been given some tickets but wasn’t bothered about going so he asked us if we’d like them. Free tickets to Hampton Court, I couldn’t quite believe it. So here’s a bit of a round-up of our day.

The weather – Left home in Monmouthshire on Wednesday at 7.30am, rain, rain and more rain. Arrived at Hampton Court to dull skies and drizzle and stepped out of the car into what felt like a sauna, the humidity was so high. By lunchtime the sky was blue and the sun was shining but the humidity kept on rising.

Hazards of the day – Firstly, the mud. It was squelchy and slippery in places and I narrowly missed an embarrassing slip. Fortunately, I didn’t have to spend the day with a muddy backside. Secondly, there were a couple of ladies stood behind us at one stand who were a little overexcited at the prospect of meeting Monty Don, I hope he survived the experience.

Hampton Court Palace

Trifolium ochroleucon (copyright Ian Curley)

Most Popular Plant of the Show – It had to be Trifolium ochroleucon or giant clover as it became known on the day. It was everywhere, used in the show gardens, on the nursery stands and in trolleys and bags all over the showground.

Mark Diacono

Mark Diacono about to make cocktails (copyright Ian Curley)

Purchases of the Day – With so much to choose from and an empty car boot I think I was very restrained, or maybe reality has finally set in that my garden cannot take any more plants. I did bring home a Tanacetum ‘Flore pleno’ or the double flowered feverfew. I’ve been looking for this plant for several years now but hadn’t come across it until here. There were some Franchi seeds of an Italian broccoli and several packets of seeds from a great stall in the ‘Growing For Taste’ marquee. I’ve never come across the organic seed company Beans and Herbs before but they had a great selection. And finally, I succumbed to the charms of Mark Diacono at his ‘edible forest garden’ stand. Mark has become known, in recent years, as an exponent of growing more unusual edible plants at his nursery Otter Farm. To show us the taste sensations of some of the plants he grows, he was making and serving cocktails from his stand. We timed our visit perfectly to experience a thyme syrup and lemon verbena cocktail which used some unusual plants to add the sweetness and flavour and then as we were leaving we were passing his stand again, just as his second session was starting. It was a coincidence, unless it was Wellyman’s cunning plan. So we stuck around for his strawberry cocktail, well it would have been rude not to. The cocktails were gorgeous and I fell for the idea of giving something a little unusual a go and came a way with a yacon plant and an Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis). I’ll post in more detail about these plants another day. All I can say is, it’s just as well he’d sold out of the Szechuan pepper trees.

The Casablanca Steps

The Casablanca Steps (copyright Ian Curley)

Summery Moment – We haven’t had much of a summer so far, so when these moments happen it’s all the more memorable. I just loved the 1920s/1930s band Casablanca Steps, dressed like they had just stepped out of a Jeeves and Wooster book, they played in the bandstand, whilst we ate lunch in the sunshine. Perfect.

Hampton Court Flower Show

The ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ Show Garden (copyright Ian Curley)

Favourite Show Garden – Bridge Over Troubled Water. I just loved the planting on this show garden. The use of grasses and plants mingling in between, made me think of a hedgerow but with a cultivated, contemporary look. This is where I spotted my favourite plant of the show, Dianthus carthusianorum.

Hampton Court Flower Show

The ‘Light at the End of the Tunnel’ Conceptual Garden (copyright Ian Curley)

Favourite Conceptual Garden – Light at the End of the Tunnel. This garden was designed by Matthew Childs who was injured in the July 7th bombing of Edgware Road Station in London in 2005. Inspired by his experiences on that day and subsequently, I thought it felt like a garden with real substance. You entered the garden through a hole in a large stone wall where a path took you through a dark, claustrophobic feeling tunnel but as you walked down the path the tunnel gradually became more open to the sky until you were once again in daylight. It was a simple but clever way of expressing the impact his experience had on him. The planting was beautiful with shade loving plants alongside the path in the tunnel and soft forms and flowers as you left.

Hampton Court Flower Show

The colour of the show – orange (Copyright Ian Curley)

Colour of the Show – This had to be orange. Achillea ‘Walter Funke’, Heleniums, Pilosella otherwise known as ‘fox and cubs’, Eremurus ‘Cleopatra’  were all a stunning shot of colour which came to life as the sun came out.

Favourite Plant – This was the Dianthus carthusianorum used in the Bridge Over Troubled Water garden. The brilliant shot of pink from the flowers worked so well planted with grasses. With flowers similar to sweet williams but with fewer flowers on a stem, they looked quite ethereal, similar to verbena bonariensis although much shorter in height. This is definitely a plant that will go on my wish list.

Hampton Court Flower Show

The herbaceous borders at Hampton Court Palace (copyright Ian Curley)

Surprise of the Day – The stunning herbaceous borders of the palace itself. We’d only visited Hampton Court once before, about 13 years ago in January, to look around the palace. We had no idea that the gardens themselves would be so beautiful.

We left tired, with sore feet but having had a great day. Can’t wait to explain my yacon plant to the guys on the allotment.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

My latest book – The Crafted Garden

My latest book - The Crafted Garden

My latest book - The Crafted Garden

My Book – The Cut Flower Patch

My Book - The Cut Flower Patch. Available to buy from the RHS online bookshop.

The Cut Flower Patch – Garden Media Guild Practical Book 2014

The Cut Flower Patch - Garden Media Guild Practical Book 2014
Follow @wellywomanblog
Instagram

Archives

  • August 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011

Categories

  • autumn
  • Big Biochar Experiment
  • Book Reviews
  • British flowers
  • Bulbs
  • Christmas
  • Cold Frames
  • Countryside
  • crochet
  • Cut Flowers
  • Environment
  • Flowers
  • Food
  • Fruit
  • Garden Course
  • Garden Reviews
  • Herbs
  • House plants
  • In the Garden
  • Interview
  • Miscellaneous
  • On the plot
  • Out and About
  • Pests
  • Plant Nurseries
  • Plant of the Moment
  • Plastic Free Gardening
  • Ponds
  • Product Review
  • propagation
  • Recipes
  • RHS Flower Show
  • Roses
  • Salad
  • Scent
  • Seeds
  • Soil
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Sustainable gardening
  • Trees
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegetables
  • Weeds
  • Wildflowers
  • wildlife
  • Winter
  • Woodland
  • Writing

Blogs I read

  • An Artists Garden
  • Annie's Little Plot
  • Backlanenotebook
  • Bean Genie
  • Flighty's Plot
  • Green Tapestry
  • Greenforks
  • Gwirrel's blog
  • Hillwards
  • Jo's Good Life
  • Leadupthegardenpath
  • My Hesperides Garden
  • Out of My Shed
  • Oxonian Gardener
  • Plantaliscious
  • The Anxious Gardener
  • Urban Veg Patch

websites I like

  • Chiltern Seeds
  • Hen and Hammock
  • Higgledy Garden
  • Plantlife
  • Sarah Raven
  • The Organic Gardening Catalogue

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • wellywoman
    • Join 959 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • wellywoman
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...