What’s the weather like today? Answers in the UK this Spring would be either ’ changeable’ or ’ rainy & windy.’ Those who work on the land, in gardens, allotments or in agriculture have needed the option of a protective environment for young plants and seedlings.

We built a greenhouse from recycled plastic bottles on the new site of the Hemel Food Garden.

This thriving community project was a collaboration between MoreSouth, RES and Sunnyside Rural Trust.

I asked Emma Norrington of Sunnyside, the local charity which is responsible for transforming this land on the edge of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire  how this ecological bottle-house came into being. She described how the pile of bottles were first washed, then cut, then threaded on to bamboo canes and placed into wooden frames.

(Photo – Graham and Sheila, environmental services officers from Dacorum Borough Council)

Emma: ‘We were amazed by how many bottles we were able to use in the project, and the realisation of just how many more must be used and discarded each day.’

Question: What was the next step in the building process?

Emma: ‘The bottles in frames formed the wall panels, and then roof panels were built in the hangar before being brought out and put on top – quite a moment!

I’m amazed how beautiful it looks too. People shown round the site are fascinated by our bottle house, and all take photos, vowing to construct their own.’

Question: What will you use the greenhouse for?

Emma: ‘First of all for as many tomatoes as we can grow in there! The Hemel Food Garden team is really looking forwards to seeing the plants and fruit growing (and glowing) through the bottle walls. We have applied for planning permission for a local food shop on site.

We are extremely grateful to Haim and Mischa from MoreSouth mediterranean catering who worked on the project from start to finish. Haim developed the design and oversaw the sourcing of the waste bottles.

And we  certainly couldn’t have done this without local renewable energy company  RES , who took it on as a Corporate Social Responsibility task and worked with other local volunteers.’

So –  all that are needed are time, willing helpers and a couple of thousand  plastic bottles, as well as wood for frames and  a door. No special engineering skills are required – just a willingness to think creatively about waste materials.  Purists may be happy with the air circulation that comes from  gaps in the structure, otherwise it is possible to use a bit of old bubble-wrap and silicon to fill in.

And remember, glass can smash in stormy, variable weather,( appart from being quite expensive these days) whereas reserach has already shown that ‘plastic fantastics’ last for at least several years.

 On May 11 the Hemel Food Garden will be officially opened   when 90 guests will be invited to have a tour and enjoy a buffet lunch provided by MoreSouth.

 What have you made for your garden out of recycled materials?

Mystified by mezze? It’s the mediterranean meal deal otherwise known as tapas, hors d’ oevres or the good old British starter. Oh, and Americans say appetizer, while the French adore their entrées.

 Wait a minute! First we need a  quick french  fanfare  (courtesy of  Wikipedia!)

”The word entrée is French. It originally denoted the “entry” of the dishes from the kitchens into the dining hall. In the illustration from a French fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript of the Histoire d’Olivier de Castille et d’Artus d’Algarbe, a fanfare from trumpeters in the musicians’ gallery announces the processional entrée of a series of dishes preceded by a covered cup that is the ancestor of the tureen, carried by the maître d’hôtel.”

Britain made some good moves in this direction with the Cocktail Party and Canapé Reception.

 Mezze is a prelude to a meal or evening together. And in Persian it simply means ‘a pleasing taste.’

But what if you just want to stay with the starters trying tantalising little mouthfuls of what-you-don’t-yet-know-you-fancy? You’re not in the mood for old favourites; you want to be suprised and enticed to choose Something New.

Discover Mezze

Perhaps you’re not even very hungry after the steak and chips lunch but you really don’t need another packet of the salty stuff with your glass of vino?

Fresh mezze

 Or you’re looking forwards to welcoming a houseful of friends for the evening and don’t want to do  the trumpets of a 4 course dinner party but you do love to eat great food?

Easy mezze

Heard of the Mediterranean Diet? It’s about the sun,  the colours of the earth and what’s in season. You go to the market. You choose what delights you. Half an hour before eating you cut selected vegetables into bite-sized pieces and serve with toasted pitta bread or focaccia, and a dip.  

 If you love aubergine (& garlic & olive oil) you will love this mediterranean smoked dip.

Aubergine Dip (Baba Ganoush)

You will need 2 aubergine,  tahini,1 lemon, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, paprika and fresh parsley.

• Chargrill the aubergine on the barbecue or on your gas ring until the skins are completely blackened, and it is soft.
• Rinse under cold water, while discarding either end, and scraping off all the skin.
• Mash with a fork (doing this electrically spoils the texture… don’t be tempted!), and add 3 tbs of tahini.
• Add the lemon juice and olive oil slowly until you have a pleasing ‘dippable’ consistency.
• Add salt, 2 cloves of garlic and black pepper.
• Spread with circular motions on a flat plate, leaving a slight dip in the middle in which to drizzle olive oil.
• Garnish with sweet, red paprika and fresh parsley.

And if you have a Pomegranate tree in your garden by all means feel free to garnish with these jewel-like seeds.

Here’s another recipe  for a mediterranean style dip.

What is your preferred way of preparing a meal to enjoy with friends?

By guest writer, Virginia Webb

There is one day a year when I categorically won’t go to a restaurant, however much I love dining out – and that day is Valentine’s.  Because even if you are truly, madly and deeply in love, there is something deeply cringe-worthy about sitting there surrounded by a clutch of other doe-eyed couples.   Valentine’s day is one day when you should cook your way to someone’s heart.
Imagine coming home to a delicious meal, with your partner having taken time think of what you love to eat?  All you’d have to do is dive into a glass of well-chosen wine before feasting on simple, but delicious flavours – now wouldn’t that utterly gorgeous?  Or, if you both like cooking, you could do a course each and spoil each other.
As for the aphrodisiac qualities of certain food, it might be fun to include a few items that have a reputation for certain effects on Valentine’s, but don’t take that aspect of the food too seriously, otherwise you’ll be too focussed on the result rather than enjoying the moment!

Here are a few ideas of Mediterranean ingredients that could be fun to use this coming Valentine’s, which are a little less clichéd than oysters and chocolate:
Honey – eating honey is a sensual experience in itself, but it also provides a shot of natural energy.  Known as ‘The Nectar of Aphrodite’ and created from the nectar of flowers it embodies ripeness and romance.
Chili Peppers – seems an unlikely food to have an amorous effect, but the eating of spicy chili releases natural painkillers, endorphins, which end up making us feel good.  Make sure your beloved likes them as much as you do though!
Basil – a wonderful, zingy flavour, fresh basil is a feature of many Mediterranean dishes, but did you know that in Roman times basil was a symbol of love? 
Pomegranate – in mythology, this stunning red fruit was the symbol of Aphrodite and has long been held to have aphrodisiac qualities.  Be that as it may, it’s packed with vitamins and antioxidants, and is a fabulous addition to both sweet and savoury dishes.
Figs – Apparently eating a fig in front of a loved one is the ultimate sensual act!  Linked with love and temptation, it’s been suggested that the fig was the original forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.  Why not end a meal with fresh figs and great cheese, which coincidentally has ten times the amount of the feel good chemical PEA than chocolate.
Whatever menu you choose (or persuade your partner to cook for you!), the important thing is that it really is a labour of love, served with verve and in an atmosphere of sensuality and indulgence.  So go on, cook up a storm this Valentines!

About Virginia

Virginia Webb recently founded The Good Fork after a varied career which has involved studying and working in Italy, France and Portugal. She has had a life long interest in good food, starting as a child at her mother’s side baking biscuits and intensified by cooking and eating her way round most of Italy, working in Paris as a waitress, and latterly hosting a local Supper Club.

With The Good Fork she aims to bring the fine foods of the Mediterranean within easy reach of keen cooks across the UK, and to encourage them to taste some of the delicious flavours she has enjoyed on her travels.

www.thegoodfork.co.uk/  currently features a delicious deli-box packed with ingredients on the theme of love, ‘The Lovin’ Forkful’. This contains eight fine foods from around the mediterranean and a quirky leaflet with recipe ideas, priced at 39.50.

For further information about this or the monthly deli-boxes visit the website or call 020 81661900.

What will you be cooking this Valentine’s Day?

Warm bread, torn and dipped in freshly prepared mediterranean dips are the basis of   mezze.

It all starts with the olive oil, basket of pitta or focaccia and seasonal crudités. You then add a jewel-like mosaic (try for in between 3 – 10 different dishes) of glistening colours and tastes.

  Mezze means in Persian ‘a pleasing taste.’

There are three secrets of a good mezze table:

1) Be surprising. Enhance the appetite for what is to come. Think Canapés.

2) Be sensual. Give pleasure for the eyes  as well as the mouth and sense of smell.

3) Be satisfying. Think mediterranean abundance.You should be able to eat as much or as little as you please at a buffet.

Have you tried this recipe for Houmus? A north African cousin to the Middle Eastern houmus uses broad beans (fava) instead of chick peas – or split green peas in Tangiers.

‘Byesar’ is both a vegan and gluten-free dip. Traditionally the bread is first dipped in ground spices such as thyme or za’atar.

Byesar / Fava bean dip

115g dried beans (fava), soaked overnight

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 tbs olive oil

salt

fresh mint leaves, to garnish

extra cumin seeds, cayenne pepper

Put the soaked beans in a pan with the whole garlic cloves and cumin seeds, and add just enough water to cover.

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat until beans are tender.

Drain, cool and slip off the outer skins of each bean.

Puree the beans adding sufficient olive oil and water to give a smooth, soft dip. Season to taste with salt.

Garnish with mint, cumin seeds and cayenne pepper and serve with warm pitta bread.

What is your favourite mediterranean style dip?

photo credit: stijn via photopin cc

In December we had dinner in Nazareth, close to  where we used to live near the Mediterranean. It started with mezze.

Lisa and Haim Attias run a mediterranean catering company in Hertfordshire.

Following on from my introduction to our intentions for a vegetable patch, things have slowed down some, for various reasons – not least due to the weather which does not encourage any of us to go out and dig! And not much else can happen until we’ve done that, really – there are too many weeks, I think.

What we will do is borrow someone with a rotovator and go over the lot in readiness, so that the soil can break down nicely with the frosts – or whatever it is the soil does over winter – generally has a bit of a rest, I am sure. Then as soon as the weather warms, we will start sowing and planting.

Image via Wikipedia

Before all of this we are enjoying the  planning – just what will we grow. An obvious and easy beginner choice would be potatoes, and we will grow plenty, not least because I understand it’s a good first plant for ground that has been left fallow for a while. The children are all for growing odd things, like blue potatoes and purple carrots (though it seems this was their original colour) as well as some ornamental squash. These will all certainly be included, not least as it may encourage my boy to eat more healthily!

And we do want to experiment – peas are fun – building the “twiggy pea stick” supports and almost aching to eat those first, freshest possible peas straight from the pod – something my girl loves doing – she’s happy with those instead of sweets, so has to be encouraged. Then some runner beans – again nothing better than these from your own garden, picked within the hour of steaming them. With raspberries and strawberries – few of which are likely to make it into the kitchen, never mind with sufficient for jams and the like!

My herb garden will expand too, to accommodate garlic, I think, and a large rosemary bush – that is always welcome.

So all this dreaming and plotting is all we have to report for now, and I’ll return next year with our first sowings and plantings to share with you. In the meantime, what else should we consider for our first year’s harvest? What has worked most successfully for you?

Babs

How do you like your daily bread? Many cultures differ not only in bread baking  methods, but also in their  eating habits. Most bread in the mediterranean has a more flat form, – whether this be pitta, pizza ,Italian focaccia, or the flatbreads of northern Africa and the Middle East . In the west we like to slice our risen loaves, for a bit of  bread & butter, or to make  sandwiches.

Street Bread

Flatbread can be eaten warm. When we lived in the north of Israel if  I took our children to the local bedouin baker to get our daily parcel of pitta this would turn into breakfast on the run. It was so soft and delicious it didn’t need any marmalade!

For lunch I would take a few out of the tea towels I wrapped them in to keep them soft, and fill them with either houmus and tahina with fresh vegetables or a quick omelette.  If I was seeing friends in town in the middle of the day we would meet up at a Falafel stand or Shish Kebab stall. The long queue always seemed to move like lightning.

At the weekends we would drive up into the Galilee hills, stopping by the roadside when hungry to watch Druze women flipping large pittas over what looked like overturned woks. These were enjoyed rolled up , filled with Labaneh ( a soft white cheese made from yoghurt), za’atar and olive oil.

Shared Bread

Sitting around a meal table in the mediterranean, bread is torn and often dipped into a dish, rather than cut with a knife. I always found the gesture of receiving a chunk of bread from someone’s hand one of the more warm and archetypal gestures of sharing a meal.

‘Artisan Bread in Five Minutes’

…or to be more exact ‘Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five minutes a Day’ is the new book by Jeff Hertzberg M.D and Zoe Francois which has just come out in the USA – a place where things  can also happen fast!

Jeff and Zoe advocate ‘Bread in Five a Day’ and give quick and easy methods for making fresh bread at home from stored, no-knead dough. Not only that, they share a 100 recipes for all-time favourite pizzas such as ‘Sicilian thick-crust’, ‘Chicago-style deep dish’ with endless suggestions for toppings and accompaniments. There are speciality flatbread recipes with ideas for dips and even soups to make a complete meal.

I particularly loved the ‘Breakfast pizza with prosciutto, parmigiano and egg’, Always good to start early with food addictions!

Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day is published by Thomas Dunne Books.

Five Minute Bread came out last year in the UK (Random House).

What are your favourite quick-breads?

What a treat to be asked to share the story of how our veggie garden will grow…

One of the reasons for moving to this house was for the garden – plenty of room for the children to play and a perfect area that was once a vegetable garden but which has long been taken over by weeds and grass. There is a fine rhubarb plant that rewarded us with some lovely stalks after a little care and tending (roasted rhubarb with custard, anyone?), and the plum tree provided for many pots of jam and plenty of sweet eating, and we have a strong bramley apple tree too – apple pie, sponge, tart – mmm. We do also have a wondrous fig growing but I’ve no idea if the fruits are ripening or rotting – I must find out as the tree is very prolific. And the walnut trees – how sweet are fresh walnuts! I never knew.

The well-ventilated greenhouse, now that the vine has been made to behave!

As the children grow, I’d really love to encourage a desire to grow our own food. I love growing things – nothing fills me with a sense of well-being more than pottering in the garden. So, we cleared the falling-down greenhouse (with an ancient vine that had pushed out several panes of glass) and this year grew some tomato plants and a mini-cucumber which my girl enjoyed taking from the plant and eating immediately – good for her! She is definitely keen to grow things, having got involved with the school garden, not just growing but also then selling the produce – potatoes and broad beans, ensuring everyone had the chance to buy, going through the school and selling to the teachers as well as at a stall in the school at the end of the day (with others – she’s not the only enterprising one). My boy fancies growing odd things, just for the fun of it, not for the end result, though you never know – one of these days something more than the occasional broccoli and raw carrot must start to appeal

The soon-to-be veg patch, when the guinea pigs have eaten all the weeds!

So at home the first thing we need to do is clear the patch, which is no mean feat, however the guinea pigs are helping! We move their hutch every day or so and they nibble the greenery, clearing patchs as they go while leaving behind some “added enrichment” for the soil. I suppose we could hire a rotovator and just go over the lot in an afternoon, but we never get around to that. So we have started to dig strips and will keep the weeds from leaping into these fresh areas, ready for potatoes to start with – apparently that’s a good thing to grow first (and how easy!) but also some fun things like sweetcorn, just because we can (even if there is a field full of it next to the garden!). And fruit – raspberries would be lovely, and some gooseberries, perhaps.

So this blog will be home to a regular update on how we get on and hopefully some of you can join in, perhaps with suggestions, how you are growing your own produce, and generally exploring the whole idea of growing our own, which more of us are doing now in these lean and intending-to-be greener times.

Thanks, Haim and Lisa, for encouraging me to share this here with you. An added incentive to keep up the momentum and get digging!

Babs

By guest writer, Dan Knowlson

It was one of those days recently, I’m sure you’ve all had them. That empty feeling started up so it was clearly time for lunch, but on opening up the cupboards and fridge first appearances matched my stomach; empty!

But let’s be honest, very rarely does the average person in the UK have empty cupboards and nothing to eat. Sometimes it just needs a bit of imagination, inspiration and outright experimentation. I’ve always loved cooking so there was bound to be something to throw together, it might just not be the first thing you’d think of.

So rummaging around I managed to find a few eggs, some odds and ends of veg. and some leftover new potatoes from the night before. Aha, Spanish tortilla of sorts - although I was missing some cheese which always goes well with this type of dish. My only hope was the local corner shop, which doesn’t exactly excel itself when it comes to culinary fare. I ventured out none the less, and to my amazement they actually had some decent looking feta among the very rubbery looking cheddar cheeses.

Back home I was all set and got cracking , literally.

Ingredients

1) Crack eggs into a bowl, adding milk, salt and pepper. Whisk together with a fork, then leave to stand.

12) Put the pan under the grill to melt the feta and  brown the top, for approximately 3-4 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.

If it’s just you, (as it was  me) then eat as it is and you might make it all the way through. Alternatively, serve with a fresh salad and enjoy with friends.

This quick n easy recipe was made up by Dan Knowlson and actually tastes rather good. Dan is most definately a food lover, knows that being healthy is easy and doesn’t need calorie counting or any such nonesense. Find more of his silliness on the Elements for Life Raw Chocolate Blog where he spreads the healthy raw chocolate message to the world!

By guest writer, Angelika Davey

If you read the MoreSouth blog regularly then you are clearly interested in healthy food and hopefully eat a lot of healthy food.

So what can you do when you go abroad?

If you don’t care what you eat just try any meal in a restaurant or look around at what others eat. Maybe the meal on the next table looks absolutely delicious, so go for it, tell the waiter or even just point to it if you can’t speak the language.

If, however, there is a particular food that you would like to try, it makes sense to find out the words in the language you need. For example, if you have heard of a northwest German dish with kale and  sausage make sure you know it’s called ‘Grünkohl mit Pinkel.’

On the other hand, if there are things you really don’t like to eat, make sure you also know those words. So, if you can’t stand garlic, make sure you avoid German dishes with ‘Knoblauch’, Italian dishes with ‘aglio’ or Spanish dishes with ‘ajo.’

More importantly, if there is anything you are allergic to make sure you definately know those words. If you are allergic to, say nuts you must know they are called ‘Nüsse’ in Germany or ‘noisettes’ in French. The last thing you would want to do is jeopardise your health.

Otherwise just go for it. If you don’t have the slightest idea which meal to choose or if you can’t read the menu at all, just point to one and let it be a surprise. You never know, you may even even enjoy it.

Go on, I dare you ; )

About Angelika

Angelika is very happy to teach you some German food words before you go on holidays, and can also help you with any other German tuition or translation issues.