In the spotlight - Pumpkins

It wouldn't seem quite right to let Halloween pass by without highlighting pumpkins. It also follows on nicely from Thursday's post about food wastage. How many people do you think buy a pumpkin to carve and then discard the flesh afterwards? My bet would be most people. I think the problem lies in the fact that a lot of us don't know what to do with pumpkin. Making soup is perhaps the obvious choice and if we were playing Family Fortunes and asked the audience, I reckon most would give this answer. However, hopefully you'll see from this post that there is more to pumpkins than lanterns and soup!

A few pumpkin facts:

• Pumpkins are a fruit! They belong to the same family as melons and their name comes from the Greek word for "large melon".
• Last year in Wisconsin a pumpkin was grown that weighed just over 129 Stones!
• They are a good source of potassium, B vitamins and Vitamin A, C & E.
• Pumkin seeds are rich in essentail fatty acids and can make a nice addition to cereal, salads, homemade flapjacks and bread.
• The tradition of carving pumpkins actually came from Ireland - it was common for Irish people to carve turnips, but when they emmigrated to America, they discovered pumpkins, which were so much easier to carve that they never looked back.
• Make a temporary plant pot from the shell of your pumpkin.

Now for some recipes:

Sweet pumpkin loaf

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.
• Add 200g (7oz) plain flour, 1.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1tsp cinnamon and 0.5tsp nutmeg into a bowl.
• Add 250g (9oz) pureed pumpkin, 200g (7oz) brown sugar, 110ml (4 fl oz) buttermilk, 1 egg and 2tbsp margarine to the bowl and mix well.
• Pour into a loaf tin (23cmx12cm or 9"x5") and bake for 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• If you are unable to buy a whole pumpkin, tins of pumpkin puree are available to buy in larger supermarkets and more specialist food shops.

Pumpkin and butterbean tagine

• Pour 1 pint of boiling water into a large pan and crumble in 1 vegetable stock cube, along with 0.5tsp corriander, 0.5tsp cumin and 0.25tsp tumeric.
• Add 200g (7oz) sliced leeks and 200g sliced parsnips, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add 600g (21oz) cubed pumpkin, 400g (14oz) sliced courgettes and 1 sliced red,yellow or green pepper, then bring back to the boil. 
• Add 100g (3.5oz) chopped dried apricots, a drained 400g can of butterbeans and 0.25tsp chilli powder. Stir well and season with pepper if desired.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the veg are tender.
• Garnish with fresh parsley or corriander if available.
• Serve with rice, couscous or bulgar wheat.

Cutting back on wastage

Shockingly nearly a third of all food produced is wasted and not surprisingly fruit and veg account for the largest portion. Food waste does not only means that you are out of pocket, but the costs of production, packaging, shipping and waste management, both financially and in terms of energy use, are huge. However, it does not have to be this way. If you’re already doing your bit to prevent food wastage, then keep up the good work. But if you know that you can be guilty of throwing away some fruit and veg each week, try the following ideas:

• Plan your meals. If you know what you’re going to make each week, you know how much fruit and veg you need to buy.
• Try using frozen and tinned fruit and veg as an alternative to fresh. They are still a good source of nutrients and in fact when fruit and veg are frozen, this locks in their vitamins, so they can actually be a better option than fresh versions, as who knows how long ago it was they were harvested.
• Store your fruit and veg appropriately to prolong its life. Many last longer if placed in the fridge, though there are exceptions. Potatoes, onions and squash all keep best stored in a cool, dark, dry place. Nectarines, peaches, plums, pears, avocadoes and unripe bananas should be kept at room temperature. Although apples, apricots, figs and melon should be refrigerated, they release ethylene which hastens ripening of other fruits, so they are best kept separately.
• If you do find that you have cooked too much veg, could it perhaps be used in a meal the next day? What about making a veggie soup or adding it to a stew or curry? Or doing the traditional thing with leftover veg by making bubble and squeak?
•  If fruit has gone soft, it can still be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Whiz up banana and berries with some fruit juice, milk or natural yoghurt to make a smoothie. Apples, plums, blackberries or any fruit for that matter could be turned into a crumble or pie. Pears poached in red wine are also nice.
•  Invest in a composter. Should you find that despite your best intentions some fruit or veg has gone off, it can go along with the peelings and generate some compost for your garden. This is a far better option than sending it off to landfill.

Veg in October

A number of green leafy veg are in season in October - savoy cabbage, brussel sprouts, spinach, spring greens and kale - but the seasonal veg I've chosen to highlight this week are white cabbage, carrot and cauliflower.

White cabbage is one of those veg that gets a bit neglected. When was the last time you bought one? What would you do with it even if you did pop one in your basket?

The most popular way to probably use white cabbage is in coleslaw. Now carrots don't need their profile raising, they do quite well by themselves, but I've chosen to pick up on them, as they too are an ingredient in coleslaw. The recipe here is a far cry from the calorie laden variety that you can buy in the supermarkets; this one is light and fresh, with a bit of a kick. So if you're planning to have a salad in the next few days, why not give this recipe a go? Too cold for salad? It would go nicely in a baked potato or to complement a hot meal.

Healthy Slaw

• Shred 1/2 head of a white cabbage, grate 1 large carrot and chop 1 onion, then mix.
• Mix 5tbsp low fat natural yoghurt, 2tsp lemon juice and 1tsp mustard in a small bowl and add pepper to taste.
• Add dressing to the veg and stir to combine.

Cauliflower gets a bad name unfairly. True it isn't great boiled to death, but can make a great addition to a number of dishes. It is particularly nice in curries, as it soaks up the spices beautifully, so is lovely and flavoursome. Why not give this recipe a go?

Aloo Gobi (Serves 4)

• Parboil 450g/1lb potatoes cut into inch chunks for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside.
• Heat 2tbsp oil and brown 1 chopped onion, then add 1 finely chopped chilli and fry for a further minute.
• Add 450g/1lb cauliflower florets to the pan with the onions and stir fry for 5 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, 1tsp corriander, 1tsp cumin, 1/4tsp chilli powder, 1/2tsp tumeric and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the veg are tender.
• Serve with salad and pickle.

Eating seasonally

We're no doubt all aware that different fruits and veg are in season at different times of year, but with supermarkets being full of all varieties all year round, we tend to lose sight of this.

There are a number of advantages to eating more seasonally:

• When in season fruit and veg tend to be cheaper, so it will save you money.
• It's better for the environment, as fruit and veg that are seasonal don't need the extra input of heating, lighting or pesticides if they are growing at the time they are meant to. It also cuts down on "food miles" if you are using more local produce that's in season or are growing your own.
• Fruit and veg are at their best and tastiest when in season.

To promote eating more seasonally, each week I'll be telling you about a couple of fruits or veggies that are in season and provide a recipe or two to get you started.

In the spotlight - Bananas

A few banana facts:

• Bananas are the most popular fruit in the world and in the UK alone we eat more than 14 million each day!
• Ecquador is the largest exporter of bananas.
• Bananas are packed with nutrients - they are rich in fibre, Vitamin B6 and C, as well as potassium.
• Not only do they make a tasty on the go snack, but bananas are great chopped into your morning cereal or served with custard for a dessert.
• Not just for eating, a banana can be made into a face mask. Mash a small banana until smooth, apply to your skin and leave for 15 minutes before washing off with warm water.

A couple of recipes you might like to try:

Banana ice lolly

• This one is a bit of a cheat, as there's no preparation or cooking involved!
• Simply peel a banana, wrap it in foil and place in the freezer. 
• After a few hours you've got a healthy snack to enjoy.  

Banana breakfast smoothie (serves 1)

• This breakfast in a glass will keep you going till lunchtime and counts for 3 of your 5 A Day.
• If you don't eat dairy produce for any reason, simply replace the yoghurt with a soya alternative.
• For any vegan followers, the honey could be replaced with syrup or simply be omitted.

• Peel and slice a ripe banana.
• Peel, core and slice a juicy pear. Alternatively use 2 tinned pear halves.
• Measure out 25g/1oz oats, 1tsp honey, 100g natural yoghurt and 150ml apple juice.
• Blend all ingredients till smooth. Pour and enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome to All Things Fruit and Veg! Thank you for finding us and taking a look.

When deciding what to blog about, it wasn't a difficult decision. Like many people I enjoy food and cooking, but I'm particularly passionate about fruit and veg.

I'm looking forward to sharing some of the joys of fruit and veg with you, so you can look forward to the following:

• Each week there will be a fruit or vegetable "in the spotlight". Here you'll find out some interesting facts, inspiration for how to include it in your meals and something a little different that you might be able to use it for.
• Finding out which fruit and veg are in season and some recipes to get you eating more seasonally.
• A bit about growing your own fruit and veg at home.
• Reviews of cafes and restaurants where veggies feature highly on their menu.
• And anything else about fruit and veg that takes my fancy!

I hope you enjoy following my blog. If you've got any ideas for anything you'd like to see covered, just let me know.