Stock from bones has been a source of nourishment throughout the ages. Traditional remedy for the sick, treatment for colds and flu, it was also used for ailments of the gastrointestinal tract, joints, skin, lungs, muscles and blood. As base for a healthgiving soup it is invaluable: commercial tins, cubes or packets do not compare.
Making stock is easy: put bones in a pot, add cold water, a splash of vinegar, and bring to a simmer. If you have a range going, just stick it on top, for hours and hours. Or use a slow cooker. See http://bit.ly/a3ggyH.
Value those falling leaves. They’re wonderful for providing nutrients and keeping ground warm through the winter, especially if you still have root veg in there.
Leaf mold is easy to make. Drive four stakes into the ground and staple chicken netting around to make the cage. Pile in the leaves and leave them alone for a year.
Or gather up leaves (only leaves!) into a bin or bag with air holes, dampen with water and leave. Once in a while turn the contents over or give the bag a shake. After 6 months it is ready to spread on/dig in the soil.
EAT:
Jerusalem artichokes, red and white cabbage, brussels sprout tops, calabrese, cauliflower, endive, leeks, swede, beetroot, cabbage, cardoons, carrots, celery, celeriac, chard, chicory, spring greens, kale, kohlrabi, parsnips, pumpkins, rocket, salad leaves, spinach, squashes, salsify/scorzonera, turnips.
Game is at its best: low-fat, richly flavoured and as free-range as it comes. And goose is in season now - why not order one for Christmas? Think of all the lovely fat you can fry your spuds in for weeks afterwards ....
Fish: dab, megrim, crab, lobster, mackerel, mussels, native oysters, prawns, rock oysters, scallops, sea bass, sprats, squid, whiting.
PLANT:
Broad beans, round seeded hardy peas, garlic. Plant named varieties of garlic, such as Thermidrome and Printanor, rather than using left-over cloves to avoid introducing disease.
HETE BLIKSEM for 4.
This is an old Dutch winter standby, delicious for something so simple, and good to get rid of windfalls. Use floury potatoes and half sweet, half sour apples, though you can use russets for both, if sweet ones are hard to find. This is how I made it:
1.5k floury potatoes, 0.5 k sour and 0.5 k sweet apples, onion, bacon.
Boil water, put in cut potatoes, cut apples on top. Cook till soft, mash. With fried bacon and onions. The kids will love it and so will you!
GRILLED APPLE AND CHEESE SANDWICH serves 2
2 slices of bread; cheese, 1 sliced apple.
Toast both slices of bread. While waiting, slice apple and cheese. Put cheese on bread, apple on top. Place under grill until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
PEANUT BUTTER COLESLAW
Apple, cabbage, carrots, raisins, mayonnaise, peanut butter.
Scrub carrots, grate. Chop apple into small chunks. Slice cabbage finely and chop. Mix the veg. Mix mayonnaise and peanut butter. Combine, season.
CELERIAC AND APPLE BAKE serves 4
1 celeriac, 2 apples, 2 tblsp olive oil, 1 tblsp honey (optional).
Pre-heat oven to 190 C. Chop celeriac into 4 and use a sharp knife to peel the rough outside.
Slice the quarters into 1 cm slices: boil for 10 mins, until starting to soften. Chop apples in half. Remove the cores. Slice the halves into ½ cm slices. Drain celeriac. While the pan is still warm, use to mix olive oil and honey. Add celeriac, stir well. Arrange a row of celeriac in an oven-proof dish, then add a row of apple, go on like this. Bake for 30 mins, until the celeriac is soft and the apples are starting to brown. Delicious with lightly steamed green vegetables, such as broccoli or kale.
PINK MASH
6 good sized potatoes suitable for mashing, 2 medium beetroots, good knob of butter, dash of milk or cream (optional), salt, pepper.
Peel and boil beet whole. Boil potatoes. Cut beet into 1-2 cm chunks or shred. Put potatoes, beet and butter in pan and mash. The beet will stay a bit crunchy but that's the idea. Add milk and mix in to make it creamy. Season. You can add fried onion if you like.
Next issue: winter salads.
