You can have anything for dinner – so long as it includes something from the garden – even in the middle of winter!

I’ve spent quite a bit of time lately planning my summer garden, contemplating the kind of garden I would love it to be, drawing inspiration from other blogs and You Tube and sorting out my seeds.

I’ve been reminiscing over veggie gardens I’ve grown before and making a note of things I really need to remember for this year:  things like 7 Zucchini plants are 6 too many for a family of 4 especially when the kids don’t like them!  This led me to think of the gluts of the past that I have managed to hang on to – in the freezer, in jars and bottles.

Its July – we are sitting on mid-winter – although it doesn’t feel like it – it was warm enough last night not to need a fire and the spring flowers are all confused and have come out already.  June was apparently warmer than normal, as was May and April.  The only wintery thing has been the rain – only there has been so much more than normal,  I need it to dry out a little so I can mow the knee high lawns!

So here in mid-winter there isn’t a lot going on in the garden (except a little flooding), although I did find some broccoli and some cauliflower today, but the tea time catch cry:  “You can have anything for dinner – so long as it includes something from the garden” still applies.  Even takeaways aren’t immune and out comes the homemade sweet chilli sauce.

The problem is that as the months move on, the freezer is starting to freeze over and so is my brain – I am having trouble remembering what is in the freezer and opening it doesn’t help much as everything has become iced over.

I need to take action.  The freezer needs defrosting and I need to take a stocktake.

Aside from the ability to eat wonderful summer veggies that I grew myself – in the middle of winter, the need to get through everything is a bit of a necessity – I will need the space in the freezer and as many empty jars as I can lay my hands on for the summer bounty, which will be here before I know it.

In order to remember what is available when deciding what to have for dinner I have made up a wee blackboard to hang in my kitchen, so whoever is cooking dinner has no excuse to break the rules….

There is now no excuse not to use the veggies in the freezer!

Eat up family – I need the space.

Come again soon –   I need to come up with as many uses for cauliflower as possible – why did I grow so many?

Sarah the Gardener  : o )