Incredible Edible Ramsbottom

It's odd when something you grew up with becomes famous. When you see it on TV, read about it in books, when your head Gardener asks you if you know about it. That's how I feel about the Incredible Edible Towns.

Seriously

Incredible Edible Todmorden was the first, and the most well known but the Incredible Edible movement is spreading to many of the North West towns of my childhood. I knew that I had to visit at least one Incredibly Edible town as I stayed with my Dad. Ramsbottom won out. Mainly because of the bad weather and my Aunt who lives there having a new puppy.

Sleepers to match to local steam trains

We took the grown up dogs on a quick tour. Stopping by the raised beds outside a closed pub and the fire station. Peering over backyard fences to peek at Chickens (with permission of course) Even in the winter there where plenty of edibles about. Strawberries and Artichokes getting ready for the new season. Hardy Herbs and over wintered Chard. A public compost bin and a place to swap veg. Taking a look at the events calender gets me excited too. A wassail is to come and, last year, an event celebrating my favourite foraged food; ramsons or wild garlic. After all that's what Ramsbottom is named for. What, did you think it was dirty?

Bins For The Incredible Leftovers

A town I visited almost every week as a kid has placed itself on the front-line of the battle to produce healthy, cheap, local food. And to honour the importance of labour and community as well as fabulous food. I couldn't be more in awe.

Because I couldn't get away without showing you the pup

New Toys In The Lunch Box

Last weekend I went to London. I assure you that sounds more exciting than it was. Way more exciting. Let's try again. Last weekend I went for a meeting in London. I saw the inside of a meeting room and, trains and a replacement bus service. It was a great meeting, but it was a meeting. 

I had just about time for a mooch around a few shops. Muji (why did they close the one in Manchester's corn exchange? I love Muji stationary, now I can only pick up their awesome pencil crayons when I visit London) Liberty and possibly Japan Centre. After consulting a map I decided to start with Japan Centre. It took me an hour to find it. It was pathetic. I was walking up and down Regent Street for what felt like forever... before I realised I'd misread the directions. What can I say, I'm dyslexic and I'd been up since four in the morning. I just had time to find Japan Centre, pick up a few things on my hit list and just make it to Paddington before the train left. 

Bunnies and Butterflies, there is some food in there somewhere too

One thing on my hit list? Bento picks. And cutters. I got a spring themed cutter set and 'diamond' picks. Both I used to decorate the vegetable mix-ins that go with the curried noodles. So that is curried noodles with red pepper, edamame and broccoli, with a cup of apple and grapes.

Leafy green lunch, I hope that isn't a cabbage white

The picks came out to play again for this box. Rolled up tortilla with cream cheese and spinach, kale crisps and a few apple bunnies.

I can't look at this picture long enough to write a caption, makes my mouth water.

But this box? This is my favourite. Since I heard of it's existence I knew I had to try Inarizushi. Rice in a deep fried sushi pocket? Sign me up! But I had no idea just how delicious they would be. I'm totally in love. They are topped with sesame salt (for no reason other than it taking up space in the fridge) and packed along with orange carrots (from Just Bento Cookbook) and grapes. If you want to try some Inarizushi in the UK you can buy the seasoned pockets from Japan Centre. They do a couple of kinds but this one is veggie. And fabulously delicious.

Veg In the Sky: Late February

Planting out the shallot sets on the late February edition of Veg In The Sky. I even find a mystery mushroom.

The Power Of A Freezer Stash

This week my Lunch Box adventures have taught me two things. One is the importance of freezer stash. The other is the importance of broccoli. Let's rewind to Monday. I started going to yoga classes to give me a bit more strength and flexibility when I'm working. It was great, I'm listening to my body more and stretching out all the kinks that pushing a wheelbarrow around puts into it. However by Wednesday yoga + wheelbarrow = no desire to move. And I had a meeting on Wednesday evening so lunch prep time had gone out of the window. Luckily I'd been adding to my freezer stash. But, again, let's rewind to Tuesday so I can take you through the lunches.

Lovely hearty veggie packed lunch... served cold

On Tuesday I filled my Aladdin insulated lunch box  with Smoky Tempeh and Greens Stew from Appetite For Reduction and a 'lid' of brown rice. It was lovely and tasty but, by lunch, not terribly warm. After about half an hour of food sitting in the box you can warm your hands on it. That doesn't exactly say much for it's insulating properties. Neither does the fact that it is on the cold side of lukewarm by lunchtime. Even after following the packing directions exactly.

Needs more trees

By Wednesday I was back on cold food. Polenta chips with sweet chilli dipping sauce, pasta and tomato sauce and not enough broccoli. Don't know why I was so broccoli shy this week but my lunches could have done with way more broccoli. The pasta was cooked and frozen without sauce following the instructions from Lunch In A Box. In the morning I put it in the box straight from the freezer, topped it with a tablespoon or so of tomato sauce, a grind of pepper and some fresh parsley. By lunch it had defrosted without any loss of texture. Score.

Luxurious Leftovers 

With more cups of pasta still in my freezer I had an idea for Thursday morning. One thing at least to put in my box. But I'd also been saving other leftovers. When I roast the broccoli for Wednesday's box I roast the whole head and chucked the leftovers in the freezer. A bit of defrosting the next morning did me well. Also hiding there are some leftover pizzas from back in January. Not what I'd planned but still delicious.

I Bought A Book: The Just Bento Cookbook

 My need for appetising lunches at work is really the only thing on my mind right now so it's about time it was reflected in my book shelf. I bought a copy of The Just Bento Cookbook because I adore the blog. I was a little hesitant. I don't do much buying of non-vegetarian cook books at the moment, I can't really afford to buy something I'm not going to use the hell out of, but I took the chance. Based on the blog and the cover I assumed that the meat dishes where going to be a small portion of the book rather than the main event. There are lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes in here, I'm very happy to be right.

The book is laid out in lunch boxes. Hold on, let me explain that. The recipes are grouped together into what looks good in a box together. Like books arranged in meals I don't really get much use out of the format. I'm more likely to pick a few from each section and smush them together. Here it makes sense, allowing the packing   of the lunchbox and the food combinations to be explained.

It also helps you find things. Right now I'm looking at the Chicken Kara-age Bento. It features a lively sounding Blanched Spinach with Sesame Seeds. Underneath that are the variations, five 'Quick Green Vegetable Sides'. There is also a variation section of Red, Yellow and White Vegetable sides. Perfect for quickly finding recipes when you are having a 'my lunch needs more red' moment.

Mini-hamburger Bento

I thought I that I'd better test a full box for the sake of reviewing. I went for the Mini-hamburger Bento. So I did vary it a little. I used the Vegan Black Bean Mini Burgers (a variation recipe for that box) in place of the mini hamburgers and kale crisps rather than snow peas. I also left off the cut out cheese because I still haven't got any of those little cutters and the carrots where trying my patience enough as it is.

Apart from that I was totally faithful to the recipe. Everything in it tasted fabulous but I'm especially in love with the Red Onion and Parsley Salad, which is quite like a quick pickle and the Sesame Salt rocked my socks.

Bento of things on sale in the supermarket

I've tried a couple of other recipes from the book as part of other boxes. Last week it was the tomatoes. My second box this week had Spinach Falafel, peri-peri hummus (both store bought), some pitta for dipping and a sliced apple and beetroot. This was one of the nicest lunches I've ever packed and that beetroot was a big part of it. It's the Beet Salad With Grainy Mustard Dressing, it's fabulous and packs one hell of a punch.

I promised a third box this week but it never happened. Don't worry I didn't succumb to a bought lunch. It was so cold at work that we decided to build a fire for the volunteers and cooked potatoes in the embers. A memorable lunch.

Buy The Just Bento Cookbook: Everyday Lunches to Go

Cornish Crewenna

Two questions for you. Where do people who live in the tourist town of Torquay go on their holidays, and what do they bring back as souvenirs? Last Summer we stayed at the beautiful Lamorna Cove in Cornwall. If you visit today you'll see that beauty but today I'm going to talk about it's past.

Lamorna Cove in Summer

Lamorna has a reputation for it's artists and writers. It has an industrial history of tin and stone. More importantly, to the gardener in me, it was famous for it's flowers. The climate of Cornwall made it possible to pick daffodils in January for Flower Markets in London and Birmingham. Glass houses mean that the natural climate isn't as important. Although the industry has left the daffodils remain. 

Our visit was in September, perfect bulb buying time. We bought the bulbs at The Old Mill Shop. The mill has been owned by the same family since the 14th Century. It's now a craft shop and sub-tropical gardens complete with peacocks. They had four varieties of bulbs. Early all of them. One promised to flower for November/December time. Conservatively we picked one that was a lovely buttery yellow for January flowers. Crewenna.

Daffodils Are Better Than Postcards

We knew that we probably wouldn't get a very early bloom. Even a balcony in Torquay isn't a Cornish Cove. As they were planted late and have only had a few months to establish I figured that would put them further behind. However, the first bloom pushed it's head open a few days before the end of January. I was pleased. Especially as they are so beautiful.

Beginner Bento: Orange Heart Edition

Continuing with my attempts to learn to make pretty lunches for myself that I want to eat and keep me full. This was my lunch for the last Thursday volunteer day. There is a root vegetable frittata with onions, carrots and beetroots, all organic out of our Riverford box. Next to that in the garishly purple silicone cup are some baked cherry tomatoes. The recipe is a variation of the Baked Cherry Tomatoes With Pesto which itself is a variation recipe in the wonderful The Just Bento Cookbook. There is a fried rice (because I've been craving it sooo much) in the top tier with leeks and mushrooms from the box and peas from the freezer (still organic though). My fruit was a satsuma.

Love Lunch

I'm still trying to come up with ideas for my boxes. I've got a board on pintrest specially for lunch ideas. Cutting a heart out of the satsuma is on that board. Actually I wanted to do flowers but hearts are easier to cut freehand so... hearts it is. I saw it here first. I'm grateful for all the inspiration I've found and ideas I've been given. Next week I switch to part time so I'll be doing more boxes and really needing all the inspiration and ideas that can be thrown at me.

Seedy Vlog

My seeds and seedlings and other loveliness.

Seedy Saturday, 2012 edition

We attended our second Seedy Saturday in Totnes today. It was great. There was a friendly vibe, the seeds were well laid out and organised and I had a great time. There was a bit of confusion about the entry fee, the stuff I'd read online said one thing and the person on the door said another, which tripped me up a little but we got in. We also managed to make some excellent swaps.

Debating over lettuce seeds while Stephen takes secret pictures of my back

We took with us some of our leftover seeds. As balcony gardener's we have lots of leftovers, a full seed packet is hardly ever going to be used up in such a small space. I decanted them into origami seed packets made from the instructions that can be found in the preview for Gayla Trail's new book over here. They are really fun to make. I used some scrap book paper I'd bought for... well I have no idea, I'm not a scrapbooker... and I love the way they turned out. Someone else at the seed swap had made the same packets and I did a little cheer, knowing I had a seed packet sister or brother out there.

Our Seeds, packaged up and ready to swap

So what did we get? There whre some lovlies this year. I spotted an asparagus pea, although we just ordered our own so we didn't take it home, and there where plenty of interesting varieties about. I got some Oakleaf lettuce which I love for it's crisp texture and good flavour. It's a great sandwich lettuce.I picked up choy sum, some lemon balm and feverfew, none of which I've grown before. A red-cored chanternay carrot came home with us. Leef Beat, Vulkan, is red too which was developed for baby leaves but is 'also excellent' when grown on. A packet of peas which I'll probably grow for tendrils was too hard to resist but the one I'm most excited about is a Broad Bean. Grando Violetto which is listed on Otter Farm as 'unusual heritage variety - the beans turn purple when mature or when cooked although the pods remain green while they grow' Purple? Awesome.

Choices, choices.

They also sold seed potatoes at the event, per kg naturally. After we explained that we are balcony growers and only need one they sold us a single seed potato. Awwww. It's Orla which has a good flavour and is loved by organic growers as it's unfussy. We have plenty of lovely things to grow this year. I'm very excited.

The beginning of a lunch box journey...

In the next couple of weeks I'll be starting work. Officially starting work. I've been putting off mentioning it here because mentioning it means that it might fall through but I've been given the trainee position at Occombe Farm.   At the moment I'm helping out at the volunteer days but soon I'm going to start doing a few days a week and then going into full time as spring picks up. I get a qualification out of it and a nice training budget but I get paid living expenses rather than a wage.

The Three Food Groups: Green, Fruit and Pizza

Unfortunately living is expensive so I'm going to have to say good bye to indulgent lunches bought at the farm shop and say hello to lunch boxes. Fortunately I love lunch boxes. At the moment my challenge is to pack tasty, filling, nutrient packed, filling and really filling food to fill me up for a hard day of digging and playing in the garden.

So this is my starting point. The roasted broccoli, apples and mini pizzas (from Hearty Vegan) was my perfectly planned box from the last volunteer day. I wasn't overly proud of it but I wasn't disappointed either. It was a fine looking box and I looked forwards to opening it up. But I need ideas so if you have any suggestions  of blogs, or favorite packable dishes to help me on my lunchboxy journey feel free to leave them in the comments.

Cheers!