Squirraling away free fruit and berries

Now is the time of year to fill your boots with fruits. Its been such a wet year that even the normal reliable local trees for apples are thin on the ground so I'm also aware of the need to ensure I leave plenty of food for wildlife and not plunder the natural sources.
What does seem to be in abundance is blackberries. I think the economical cut backs has meant less money spent on vegetation control by the local council allowing them to grow and blossom.
There is still a good two weeks of fruit left on the bushes so I need to get busy preparing storage.
The easiest way to store blackberries over the winter is to 'jamify', no specialist equipment required just fruit and jam. I don't even go for the measurement, using a rule of thumb 'half the amount of sugar to fruit' by eyeballing it. Then just boil away on stove top until you get big glistening bubbles on top of the mix or the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon without slippage.
Alternatively you can juice your berries and either freeze the result or add a squeeze of lemon juice and keep in the fridge for later. As a special treat add some juice to some soya or almond milk!

Lentil bake (with vegan parmesan perhaps?!)

There's a small pleasure to be had from soaking your own pulses at breakfast for your evening meal. Knowing you are going to return home to some bulging split peas or beans that are going into your late summer supper is far superior than opening a tin of pre-cooked beans and far more economical.
I love the spontaneity of getting up and randomly soaking some pulses or beans in the morning, whilst all day in the back of your sub-concious that small part of your mind reserved for epicure and kitchen creation works away at some recipe for them to feature.

Well here's tonight's result following the day soaked yellow split peas:-

Split Pea Bake

1. I had an onion, half a squash left over from polents night and a courgette that I cubed and began roasting with a sprinkle of oil,herbs and salt in an oven-dish.

2.Meanwhile my pre-soaked yellow.split peas were simmering away on the stove top until tender.

3. I drained the peas when tender and ready in preparation of combining with the roast veg,.a handful of spinach and a tin of chopped tomatoes.

4.After combining everything together I returned the oven-dish to the oven topping the lentil-veg combi with thinly sliced potatoes.

5. The dish was cooked until the potatoes browned and crisp and then sprinkled with garlic oil for extra lush flavours.

Serve with a simple salad of leaves.or if you can barter some vegan parmesan for a skill why not grate a little over top. If you are struggling to get a friend to part with their precious cheese substitute why not try mix up the following as a vegan  parmesan style sprinkle:

Take equal parts of toasted dessicated coconut, ground almonds and yeast flakes. Put in a clean jar and shake thoroughly. Sprinkle as you please!!

Squash, polenta and all that!

Polenta is a great and cheap carb fix
that is such a good base for flavours and sauces.
I quickly put this together yesterday using half a squash, a handful of frozen peas, a few leftover mushrooms and a tin of chopped tomatoes.
Polenta flour weighs in around 99p for a kilo and for two you just need two good tablespoons or there abouts, so plenty left out of a £1 for many good meals to come.
I've been foraging for herbs so my flavours were free as the breeze with my pickings of wild marjoram, rosemary and thyme.

So how to make the polenta:-
1. Put some oil in a pan and heat and then add your polenta flour (two tablespoons) and briskly stir.
2. Gradually add water a bit at a time until you get the consistency of porridge a its thickly bubbling away
3.Add salt a good dose of herbs for flavour and stir well.
4.Pour the polenta porridge in to a sandwich box and cool for a couple of hours.
5. When ready to make the dish, turn the polenta out and slice or cut into cubes and reheat in an oven or on a griddle whilst the sauce is being cooked.

Now the sauce:
1.Cube half a squash and a whole onion and sweat off in a heavy based pan with oil, pinch of salt and pepper.
2.When the squash starts to soften stir in a cup of frozen peas and a couple of chopped mushrooms.
3.After a further 2 minutes add a tin of chopped tomatoes and continue cooking until the whole medley reduces into a thick sauce.

Serve immediately by spooning the sauce over the reheated polenta.

Remember 'national sprout a lentil day' ? Well I serve the polenta dish up with some sprouted lentils and vinegar toasted peanuts. For you peanuts just dry toast them in a pan and at the last minute drizzle some nice vinegar in along with a pinch of salt and sugar to give them a vinegar caramel coating.