In article ,
"Jayne" writes:
| You should try them roasted - cut them lengthways into 4, scoop out the
| seeds, sprinkle with olive oil & roast at 180C for about 1/2 hour or so.
| Delicious with lamb dishes. Also great on the BBQ - cut in half, de-seed,
| oil & season (you can stuff them with tomatoes etc if you like), wrap in
| foil & bake.

They are STILL sickly! I agree that roasting improves them, but
I don't like their texture and I don't like that level of sweetness
with no corresponding 'bite' (whether acid or something else).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Jayne" wrote in message
...
You should try them roasted - cut them lengthways into 4, scoop out the
seeds, sprinkle with olive oil & roast at 180C for about 1/2 hour or so.
Delicious with lamb dishes. Also great on the BBQ - cut in half, de-seed,
oil & season (you can stuff them with tomatoes etc if you like), wrap in
foil & bake.


Cut in half, roast on BBQ , scoop out the middle, mix with stilton and
toasted pine nuts put back into the skin, place back on BBQ to warm through.

Mark

On Tue, 13 May 2003 23:15:42 +0100, Sue & Bob Hobden wrote:

I think Sacha and Ray are rather nice too. :-)

Curried, barbecued, or stir-fried?

What kind of sauce?

With noodles, rice, or spuds?

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

"Jayne" pushed briefly to the front of the
queue on Wed, 14 May 2003 09:53:05 +0000 (UTC), and nailed this to the
shed door:

^ You should try them roasted - cut them lengthways into 4, scoop out the
^ seeds, sprinkle with olive oil & roast at 180C for about 1/2 hour or so.

You mean naked? (Yes, the squash, not the chef). Only I'm still trying
to do one at the moment - I cut it in half to deseed it, filled the
little cavity with a few sliced fried mushrooms, reassembled and
wrapped it in silver foil, and put it in the oven in a dish at 180C...

45 minutes later, it's hot, but still completely uncooked.

^ Delicious with lamb dishes. Also great on the BBQ - cut in half, de-seed,
^ oil & season (you can stuff them with tomatoes etc if you like), wrap in
^ foil & bake.

Breaking news - After 2 and a quarter hours, it was definitely cooked.
Over-cooked, actually. But not terribly overcooked. So I reckon maybe
an hour and a half compared to your half an hour. Hard to believe that
the difference in the two ways of presenting the squash in the oven
can account for a factor of three in cooking time - did you really
mean half an hour?

Andy

--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk

"Personally, I would rather share the road
with a good driver with 80mg/l
than some of the clowns I see every day cold sober"
Martin Dixon, uk.rec.sheddizen

"Andy Spragg" wrote in message
...
"Jayne" pushed briefly to the front of the
queue on Wed, 14 May 2003 09:53:05 +0000 (UTC), and nailed this to the
shed door:


Breaking news - After 2 and a quarter hours, it was definitely cooked.
Over-cooked, actually. But not terribly overcooked. So I reckon maybe
an hour and a half compared to your half an hour. Hard to believe that
the difference in the two ways of presenting the squash in the oven
can account for a factor of three in cooking time - did you really
mean half an hour?


Definitely only takes half an hour on the BBQ


Mark

"Nick wrote in message
"Dwayne" writes:
| Have you tried growing sweet potatoes on your own? It is a challenge
and
| rewarding when you dig them up and find that you have suceeded. I
still
| have some and some butternut squash from last fall in my storage room.
|
| I grow both on raised rows. Easier to keep watered, weeded, and they
dont
| suffer from too much moisture.

You're not posting from the UK, right? Our problem is that our summers
are usually cool and the period of high light is very short, which
means that it is already getting dark by the time that squash set
fruit.

Sweet potatoes are virtually impossible, as they need a long growing
season, and even winter squashes are borderline.


Marshalls do sell slips of a sweet potato that has been bred to grow in
cooler climates like ours. I tried them last year and unfortunately they
were delivered over one month too late. Did get some small SP's but the
slugs holed them all, even worse than normal spuds. I haven't bothered this
year.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

In article , Andy Spragg
writes
"Jayne" pushed briefly to the front of the
queue on Wed, 14 May 2003 09:53:05 +0000 (UTC), and nailed this to the
shed door:

^ You should try them roasted - cut them lengthways into 4, scoop out the
^ seeds, sprinkle with olive oil & roast at 180C for about 1/2 hour or so.

You mean naked? (Yes, the squash, not the chef). Only I'm still trying
to do one at the moment - I cut it in half to deseed it, filled the
little cavity with a few sliced fried mushrooms, reassembled and
wrapped it in silver foil, and put it in the oven in a dish at 180C...

45 minutes later, it's hot, but still completely uncooked.

^ Delicious with lamb dishes. Also great on the BBQ - cut in half, de-seed,
^ oil & season (you can stuff them with tomatoes etc if you like), wrap in
^ foil & bake.

Breaking news - After 2 and a quarter hours, it was definitely cooked.
Over-cooked, actually. But not terribly overcooked. So I reckon maybe
an hour and a half compared to your half an hour. Hard to believe that
the difference in the two ways of presenting the squash in the oven
can account for a factor of three in cooking time - did you really
mean half an hour?

I find wrapping in foil really lengthens cooking time. That and
reassembling it, and adding the margin of error associated with the
words 'or so' and you could easily turn half an hour into an hour and a
half!

And maybe your squash was bigger than hers ;-)
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article ,
Sue & Bob Hobden wrote:

"Nick wrote in message

Sweet potatoes are virtually impossible, as they need a long growing
season, and even winter squashes are borderline.

Marshalls do sell slips of a sweet potato that has been bred to grow in
cooler climates like ours. I tried them last year and unfortunately they
were delivered over one month too late. Did get some small SP's but the
slugs holed them all, even worse than normal spuds. I haven't bothered this
year.

Sorry, but no. They are bred to grow in cooler climates, but not like
ours. That means (say) 40 degrees north, as distinct from where they
are normally grown.

Marshalls are usually a bit less economical with the truth in their
blurb.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , says...


Marshalls are usually a bit less economical with the truth in their
blurb.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


But what customer service. My wife sent a gift to our son up at university in
London in an old Marshalls jiffy bag. For some reason the Royal Mail declined
to deliver it (well it is a student household) and returned the item to
Marshalls. I was called today at work about it and they are going to return it
to us at home. I'm impressed.
--
Jonathan Ward
Remove the 'X' when replying

In article ,
(Jonathan Ward) writes:
| In article , says...
|
| Marshalls are usually a bit less economical with the truth in their
| blurb.
|
| But what customer service. My wife sent a gift to our son up at university in
| London in an old Marshalls jiffy bag. For some reason the Royal Mail declined
| to deliver it (well it is a student household) and returned the item to
| Marshalls. I was called today at work about it and they are going to return it
| to us at home. I'm impressed.

Oh, they're a good company, make no mistake. And their blurb is
usually accurate if sometimes a bit purple. Not in that case,
though!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Dwayne" writes:
| Have you tried growing sweet potatoes on your own? It is a challenge
and
| rewarding when you dig them up and find that you have suceeded. I
still
| have some and some butternut squash from last fall in my storage room.
|
| I grow both on raised rows. Easier to keep watered, weeded, and they
dont
| suffer from too much moisture.

You're not posting from the UK, right? Our problem is that our summers

I live in Kansas. My butternut squash have sprouted and will go into the
ground in about 10 days. They will be ready to pick in August or Sept.
They taste better if left on the vine until the stem has died and got
completely dry.

If my sweet potato slips hurry up, I will pull them and plant them about the
same time. I leave them in the ground until just before the first frost.
If your growing season is short, they may be smaller, but it would be
interesting to try.

Normally peanuts, artichoke, sweet potatoes, and celery are not grown in
Kansas. I have all of them planted (celery and peanuts are in the garden,
they rest are in pots or the hot house and will go out by the first of
June). My aunt said that my grandpa used to raise peanuts here, and I know
my mom raised sweet potatoes from slips she bought. I raise my own slips
(you can to).


are usually cool and the period of high light is very short, which
means that it is already getting dark by the time that squash set
fruit.

I have seen a lot of stuff that was grown in Alaska that I couldnt believe.
It is worth a try at least once. All else fails, plant the sweet potatoes
in pots or buckets and bring them inside if you have to till tiem to pick (I
have done that also - one potato grew per pot).

Have fun. Dwayne

Sweet potatoes are virtually impossible, as they need a long growing
season, and even winter squashes are borderline.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
"Dwayne" writes:
|
| I live in Kansas. My butternut squash have sprouted and will go into the
| ground in about 10 days. They will be ready to pick in August or Sept.
| They taste better if left on the vine until the stem has died and got
| completely dry.

Quite. Now compare your latitude (which affects the amount of light)
and average temperatures in June, July and August with the UK.

| If my sweet potato slips hurry up, I will pull them and plant them about the
| same time. I leave them in the ground until just before the first frost.
| If your growing season is short, they may be smaller, but it would be
| interesting to try.

It isn't JUST that it is short, but it is also cool, and often dark.
Spring and autumn are warm enough to grow many plants, but too
dark for the high-altitude subtropicals to thrive. Don't ask
about the winter :-(

| are usually cool and the period of high light is very short, which
| means that it is already getting dark by the time that squash set
| fruit.
|
| I have seen a lot of stuff that was grown in Alaska that I couldnt believe.
| It is worth a try at least once. All else fails, plant the sweet potatoes
| in pots or buckets and bring them inside if you have to till tiem to pick (I
| have done that also - one potato grew per pot).

Sweet potatoes? It might surprise you that Alaska's summer in the
more populated areas is not that much colder or darker than the UK.
The differences are in the winters.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...


Sweet potatoes? It might surprise you that Alaska's summer in the
more populated areas is not that much colder or darker than the UK.
The differences are in the winters.


When you mean darker are you refering to the amount of light (as in it's
allways cloudy) not actually the daylight hours as in the further north you
go the more you get (in the summer)?

Mark

In article ,
"Mark" writes:
| "Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
| ...
|
| Sweet potatoes? It might surprise you that Alaska's summer in the
| more populated areas is not that much colder or darker than the UK.
| The differences are in the winters.
|
| When you mean darker are you refering to the amount of light (as in it's
| allways cloudy) not actually the daylight hours as in the further north you
| go the more you get (in the summer)?

The former. But, despite the longer days, you lose out even in
summer, because the angle drops. However, the insolation in the
UK in high summer is not bad - the problem is that means the latter
half of May, June and July, and things like squashes don't START
ripening until the sunlight has become very weak. The same applies
to Alaska.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Mark" writes:
| "Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
| ...
|
| Sweet potatoes? It might surprise you that Alaska's summer in the
| more populated areas is not that much colder or darker than the UK.
| The differences are in the winters.
|
| When you mean darker are you refering to the amount of light (as in
it's
| allways cloudy) not actually the daylight hours as in the further north
you
| go the more you get (in the summer)?

The former. But, despite the longer days, you lose out even in
summer, because the angle drops. However, the insolation in the
UK in high summer is not bad - the problem is that means the latter
half of May, June and July, and things like squashes don't START
ripening until the sunlight has become very weak. The same applies
to Alaska.


So what are the chances of growing them in a south facing conservatory in
"Sunny" Shropshire, and if so how early would they need to be started.

Mark