Inspiration needed..

[hamster]

... and mundane advice about freezing.

Right, my bf has decided that he wants to go to his mum's tomorrow, which makes sense as we were going on Saturday anyway, and we're going to a party on Fri that's nearer there than here.... Anyway, there are loads of vegetables sitting around the kitchen and there's no way we'll eat them all tonight.... We won't get another veg box till the 11th of January, so if I could think of some way of preserving them till then it would stop me wasting them and provide some vegetabley goodness in the new year without me having to go shopping, muahahaha...

I have:
7 jerusalem artichokes
1 mini swede
6 carrots
a bag of sprouts
industrial quantities of clementines
a few apples
a cauliflower
big bags of potatoes and onions, but they will be fine till we get back

I was going to make a vat of jerusalem artichoke soup and freeze it. Possibly also a clementine cake and take it as a gift. Can you freeze cauliflower cheese? What could I do with the carrots (other than soup, of course), swede and sprouts?

[contadina]

Here's a link with freezing veg tips.

http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tips ... eezing.asp

You can freeze cauliflower cheese, but why not add some of the other root veg into the mix?

I've just had a big bowl of curried carrot and lentil soup - that would freeze well and use the carrots up. It will also aid any post Christmas hangovers!

[Millymollymandy]

Check whether ma in law could use the sprouts and cauli, and take the clemmies with you anyway.

Carrots you can grate and freeze (in small batches) then throw them in a spag bol or really anything like a casserole. I'm not sure how they'd come out used in something like soup or carrot cake though after being grated and frozen.

Artichokes I'd make soup.

Apples stick in the fridge, they'll last for months.

[red]

I'd make a batch of jerusalem artichoke and carrot soup
boil and mash the swede and freeze it.. it freezes well
cauliflower freezes well, cut into florets, blanche for a min in boiling water then plunge into cold, then drain and freeze
take the fruit with you

[Green Rosie]

Whilst it won't supply fruit for the New Year you could take some of the clementines with you to pop into Christmas stockings if you have them.

And what about carrot and clementine soup?

Could you also juice the clementines and freeze the juice?

All just guesses after rather too mauch mulled wine - which makes me think you could use clementine juice in mulled wine instead of orange juice.

[mrsflibble]

frozen grated carrot works really well in cake so long as you let them defrost thoroughly and squeeze out the excess moisture.

[hamster]

Thanks guys. That's a really useful website, contadina, it is now bookmarked!

Right, I am going to:

- make jerusalem artichoke soup and freeze it
- freeze cauliflower as florets (cos we ate all the cheese!!)
- boil, mash and freeze swede
- make clementine cake to use at least some of the clementines and take the rest
- take sprouts and carrots with me, as apparently they'll be used

[Green Rosie]

Sorted then

Have a very happy christmas

[QuakerBear]

Bit late in replying, but here's a recipie for bujia or vegetable curry. (Mr. QB's favorite and it freezes well too). The essential ingredients are cauliflower and something cabbagey, so sprouts will do well. The quantities are for two people.

1. cut the vegetables into mouth size chunks.
2. finely cut an onion, garlic and some ginger.
3. measure out; 1 heaped tea spoon of cumin, 2 heaped teaspoons of tumeric, 1 heaped teaspoon of corriander, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste.
4. heat a bit of oil till its quite hot and fry your onions till they're transparent, then quite brown, add the garlic and ginger. Stir for abit but don't let the garlic catch.
5. add spices, stir them round so they roast in the bottom of the pan but don't let them catch.
6. add your vegtables, stir them round till they're coated in the oniony spice mix.
7. add either some home made tomato sauce or a tin of tomatoes.
8. add water so that the vegies are nicely covered.
9. simmer to cook the vegies and allow the sauce to reduce.
10. just before it's ready add some powdered almonds and either coconut milk or grated coconut.