When I was first offered a fish cock in Kuopio, the capital of the eastern Finnish province of Savo, I did not know how to respond. One does not wish to be rude and impolite to the natives, but the prospect did not sound too promising. The look on my face must have betrayed myContinue reading “Blackberry cock – An Irish twist of an east Finnish classic”
Category Archives: fruit
Glögi – a Finnish Christmas drink recipe
Glögi is a Christmas drink based on grape juice and flavoured with spices, served hot with raisins and almonds. it does not contain alcohol but if a Finn wants to perk it up with extra with booze they will add red wine and vodka! In our Christmas wreath workshop we had this delicious hot drink,Continue reading “Glögi – a Finnish Christmas drink recipe”
Lemon and Rosemary Tartlets – Recipe
Rosemary is both a handsome shrub for the garden and a delicious flavouring in the kitchen. Rosmarinus officinalis, as it is named botanically is an evergreen shrub that grows to about 1.2 metres (4ft) and produces bright blue flowers in late Spring. Although it was killed by the hard winter a couple of years ago,Continue reading “Lemon and Rosemary Tartlets – Recipe”
Tom’s Tom- From red centiflor to little yellow pear
A few years ago we sowed some seed of a Tomato, the variety was called Tomato ‘Red Centiflor’. We purchased it from Irish Seedsavers Association. It grew well, a tasty little tomato. It bears its fruit in big clusters. The trusses, the fruiting branches f tomatoes, are packed with a huge mass of flowers andContinue reading “Tom’s Tom- From red centiflor to little yellow pear”
Hawthorn Tapanade Recipe
Hawthorn, whitethorn, May bush; Crataegus monogyna. You see it all around the Irish countryside, sometimes old rings of the gnarled and spiny trees are left untouched in rings in the middle of fields. For generations they have been treated with respect and superstition, this is where the fairies live. In our garden we have wildContinue reading “Hawthorn Tapanade Recipe”
Blackberry Ketchup Recipe
Blackberries are coming to the end for this year, but you might still be able to pick a kilo for this delicious recipe, Blackberry Ketchup. It is delicious with all sorts of savoury foods, use it instead or tomato ketchup. I love it with organic pork sausages that I buy at the market. It isContinue reading “Blackberry Ketchup Recipe”
Helsinki Granny’s Green Tomato Pickles
Yes, it is the end of the tomatoes, for this year. Cold nights have taken their toll. Limp leaves hang and slowly start to mould, soft under developed fruits drop to the ground and their is an air of melancholic resignation about the plants, their stems twisted around the twines. We plucked the last ofContinue reading “Helsinki Granny’s Green Tomato Pickles”
Ciaran The Gardener 