tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post7101304574939497578..comments2024-03-18T16:49:08.253+11:00Comments on All the Blue Day: Food Isn't Always About EatingJohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17803297366197086152noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-20894014683971470752017-05-07T22:07:13.023+10:002017-05-07T22:07:13.023+10:00Gretchen Joanna, I did not know that the fruits of...Gretchen Joanna, I did not know that the fruits of the strawberry tree are edible! Although it has such an edible sounding name. I will look out for some. I remember seeing some.. somewhere. Isn't it fascinating finding out what we can eat that grows all around us? So much more than we think..<br /><br />Chris, I love your last comment. It is so true, and it is that power that I am trying to prune out of my life. There is no reason at all to hand that kind of power out to entities that have absolutely no interest in my well-being..Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17803297366197086152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-4884659184606300502017-04-28T22:29:05.097+10:002017-04-28T22:29:05.097+10:00Hi Jo,
Lovely stuff! Your culinary heritage was n...Hi Jo,<br /><br />Lovely stuff! Your culinary heritage was not great, but honestly who wasn't raised on the occasional meal (a bit more often in my case) of the single lamb chop and over boiled vegetables (honestly, the water used to boil the veg ended up green and that was just wrong)? How good was the marrow too? The 70's were not good for food.<br /><br />You've led an interesting life. And to be honest, even now some of my jams turn out a bit runny - blackberry seems to be the worst for that. Alas for the lack of pectin. Anyway, runny jams become fruit syrups (as you quite rightly pointed out) and that is very tasty on fresh bread. What a great idea with the feijoas - I see those trees laden with fruit in Melbourne (they're a bit slower growing up here in the mountains). Incidentally Benson sounds like one happy (and the perhaps also very sleepy) puppy! Go Benson.<br /><br />The summer sun here is slightly harsher than your location so lettuces are a tough ask in high summer. What a cornucopia of produce you have growing.<br /><br />That is an astute observation about the organisational challenge. I hear you. I make mistakes too and lose produce, but then sometimes I have to save seed for the following season - like the delectable Chilean Guavas which I had the choice to either eat or save the seeds, but alas both were not possible.<br /><br />Well said! I tell you a little secret: You know what big corporations fear most? They have only the power that we give them over our lives. So who then does have the power? That is the important question.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />ChrisFernglade Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06950962122594709186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-15716069436591562282017-04-26T10:55:38.981+10:002017-04-26T10:55:38.981+10:00I loved this line: "...almost everything you ...I loved this line: "...almost everything you make is generally edible, but sometimes you have to relabel it." That's what I've been doing my whole life!<br /><br />I live in the kind of place where food can be grown for much of the year, and truck gardens and back yard gardens abound. Farm stands and CSA's everywhere... <br /><br />This year I've been eating snow peas, last year I had kale. Soon I hope to have green beans and tomatoes and basil. And I have flowers :-) I just noticed that one of my ornamentals, the Strawberry Tree, <i>arbutus unedo</i>, is absolutely loaded with immature fruits. Last year I discovered that they are tasty and good to eat. Do you grow those down there?<br /><br />Thank you, Jo, for your celebratory and inspiring words and example in the realm of food.GretchenJoannahttp://www.gretchenjoanna.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-26218875691290340122017-04-25T10:29:16.506+10:002017-04-25T10:29:16.506+10:00Anna, well, you have completely convinced me to pu...Anna, well, you have completely convinced me to put in some asparagus. I love vegies which thrive on neglect! I will prowl around to find a suitable spot for it.. Haven't read Fast Food Nation, but it is now on my library holds list :)Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17803297366197086152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-40651409385885769662017-04-25T07:02:23.478+10:002017-04-25T07:02:23.478+10:00I'm with you 100% on this Jo. I have enough la...I'm with you 100% on this Jo. I have enough land to potter on but I don't have enough TIME, so I've cut it back to basics until I retire (in about 3 years) when I really want to get into organic gardening. I threw some asparagus into the ground about 8 years ago and through total neglect I now am growing asparagus. Tomatoes are fabulous and also courgettes, but I can't wait to get more into it. We don't have such wonderful growing conditions as you do but I look forward to doing what I can later. And talking about the power of the big corporations, there is a very good book called "Fast Food Nation" that I read many years ago - it really brings home how we are all held hostage. AnnaTreadershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08613671137557939083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-22204674060700072392017-04-24T10:22:08.376+10:002017-04-24T10:22:08.376+10:00Debbie, I must admit that I am also eyeing off a p...Debbie, I must admit that I am also eyeing off a pressure canner.. we could provide moral support for each other in this endeavour. I am a little afraid of the potential for it to explode all over the kitchen!<br /><br />Tracy, oh, yes, you reminded me of the pineapple patch! And we also had paw-paw trees at one of our houses. But I never could like paw-paw. It felt a bit too slimy for me. Although now it is the new superfood, so I guess all that paw-paw that I ate in the fruit salad made me immensely healthy :)<br /><br />Pam, thanks :)<br /><br />Margaret, if I had eight children I would be serving frozen dinners too! I don't think everyone needs to be fabulous cooks. My mum and I both think that other people cooking is an excellent idea. We are truly appreciative of this world's enthusiastic cooks! However we both push through and feed our family with homecooked meals and make them eat vegies everyday because that's what mums do.. I love the gardening side, but like your mum, have to work hard on the cooking side. <br /><br />The best thing about garden cooking, is that the food is so good you don't need to do much to it. I am jealous of your asparagus glut now! And you are so right - how happy you will be to see the back of the asparagus and tuck into the peas:) That is the joy of eating from a garden.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17803297366197086152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-29959868033307848182017-04-24T00:49:41.588+10:002017-04-24T00:49:41.588+10:00Hi Jo,
Thanks for this!! My mother (of eight chi...Hi Jo,<br /><br />Thanks for this!! My mother (of eight children btw) was not a cook either. She said when she got married she knew how to make two things - scrambled eggs and fudge. We grew up eating lots of convenience food - tv dinners though usually we had the much better quality Stouffer Dinners. Boxed cereals, lunch meat, frozen vegetables - well you get the idea. In fact being the oldest she passed on making dinner to me. I was a whiz at cooking frozen dinners and of course all my siblings usually had complaints about it. My father died suddenly quite young (I was the only one out of the house) and for economic reasons she finally had a garden and actually cooked real meals and did quite well at it.<br /><br />For me I'm happy to just keep it simple most of the time. My husband's family was really into food especially meat and he does much of the cooking - well meat anyway. There is this mindset too that there must always be variety instead of using what's in season. Right now here in No. Illinois there's just asparagus but a lot of it. Funny how you look forward to it for months and then after eating it almost daily your outlook changes. I think people would be much healthier if they just ate in season. After all if you are eating much of the same food you don't tend to overeat. When you do have something different it really becomes special.<br /><br />Margaretmargfhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03435952360436872605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-48402085723355201692017-04-23T22:50:42.071+10:002017-04-23T22:50:42.071+10:00Hi, Jo!
What an absolute jewel of an essay! It is...Hi, Jo!<br /><br />What an absolute jewel of an essay! It is just superb and I love the topic and how you covered it.<br /><br />PamPam in Virginiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00895842137691734477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-72248478563474989492017-04-23T14:22:41.056+10:002017-04-23T14:22:41.056+10:00You and I grew up so similarly. My mother didn...You and I grew up so similarly. My mother didn't become more adventurous in her cooking until we lived in PNG. I think I cook more interesting food, because I hated what my Mum cooked. She is a good cook, but she doesn't like to do it, and her food is far plainer than mine. When we lived in PNG we had coconut trees in the front yard, a mango tree behind the house and the pineapple patch ended up being ripped out because of snakes. We had lemon trees and I think a very sad pawpaw tree as well. Without even trying.<br /><br />I love the idea of growing my own food, but have not the time to keep it up. Right now I have rosemary, chives and rhubarb, all of which do their thing and I just take what I need when I need it. That's my kind of gardening I suppose. And the couple who clean my house almost always leave me something from their garden...pears and figs are sitting on my bench right now.Tracyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07511855282323456046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-65778125396799535802017-04-23T11:52:34.801+10:002017-04-23T11:52:34.801+10:00I love to forage for free food and to also share t...I love to forage for free food and to also share the food that we have grown in our garden. I am hoping this year to do more canning. In the past I have done jams and pickles but this year I want to try pressure canning. Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16449564619872452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-64414273597551268052017-04-23T10:50:05.879+10:002017-04-23T10:50:05.879+10:00Fran, :)
Lucinda, if I had more money than time I...Fran, :)<br /><br />Lucinda, if I had more money than time I would definitely spend it on all the gourmet goodies at the farmers' market and all the brilliant food made by small companies sold in all the yummy small food shops. There is so much great food around made locally everywhere you are. If you can afford it, that's fantastic. Me, I choose time over money, which means I have to grow and make my own.. and no, no freezer, because money and space constraints, but I am learning all sorts of other preservation techniques, which is a crazy carnival in itself..Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17803297366197086152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-19924286628857152772017-04-23T09:02:28.558+10:002017-04-23T09:02:28.558+10:00Beautiful words. So much has resulted from our nee...Beautiful words. So much has resulted from our need/desire for convenience and foods out of season. Not least the impact on the environment and the corporatisation of our food supply. <br /><br />While I don't enjoy cooking, I do love the effect so I cook. Soup from a can. Never! But I do make too much use of prepared ingredients which I could make from scratch. And starve the supermarkets. It's time I need. <br /><br />Growing up we always had fruit trees or a veggie patch. One of the regrets of the busyness of my job. I have no energy to do gardening. <br /><br />Do you have a freezer, Jo? Could you freeze your garden produce?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838234360213313454.post-59128672446051816352017-04-23T06:57:01.475+10:002017-04-23T06:57:01.475+10:00Just lovely. 'Amen!' :)Just lovely. 'Amen!' :)fran7narfhttps://serendipityrevisited.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com