Home grown tomatoes in Brittany

Growing tomatoes in rather easy and sometimes you get some unusually weird looking ones like this one on the photo! 

I think it is a beefsteak tomato.

Growing kiwis in Brittany

2015 is going to be a good year for kiwis! Even in Brittany we can grow kiwis.........

Fresh quails eggs

When you live in the countryside in France, you always end up swapping excess fruit and veg or other things with your neighbours !

Last week, we got a dozen of fresh quails eggs (oeufs de caille). Our neighbours just had new additions to the farm, a couple of quails! A few days earlier we had goose eggs. Not quite the same size!

I served the quails eggs with other nibbles with the aperitif. I simmered the eggs for 5 minutes and they were perfect – that is what the guests said as I didn’t get a chance to taste them! They disappeared very quickly!

No doubt, I will get more from my neighbours very soon so if you have interesting recipes with quails eggs, please feel free to add them to this blog.

Storing pumkins for the winter

After a whole week of rain, I have manged to go back to the garden this afternoon to see what could be eaten or stored.

I have picked my pumpkins and butternut squashes to store for the winter.

It is best to put them away before the cold weather. The frost would 'kill' them.

I am quit proud of my crop this year!

Anyone who has recipes with pumpkins, please feel free to contribute!

If you are looking for some seeds in France, butternut squashes are called Noix de beurre.
They are unusual in France so it might be easier to get a packet of seeds from the UK.

If you live in Brittany, I would be happy to share my seeds with you.

How big are the mushrooms in France?!!

My neighbour gave us 2 mushrooms last week. He found them in his fields where he keeps his cows! They are ok to eat - so he said!!

They are called 'Vesse-de-loup géante' in French.

The Latin name is 'Calvatia gigantea'. They were as big as a rugby ball. A lot lighter though.

Unfortunately when we cut them they were off. The middle was yellow. We were looking forward to a mushroom omelet!! Next time!

When you move to France you might find a new hobby: Mushroom picking.

If you are unsure about eating them, you can take them to a chemist in France and they will tell you if they are ok to eat.
It is best to be safe than sorry!

Giant runner beans

When you move to France you might find some spare time to grow vegetables!

One vegetable that I can recommend is the Giant Runner Bean!!

It is 35 to 40 cm long. You only need 1 or 2 per person without sounding too mean!

They are rather easy to grow and you will a good crop. When I get too many, I chop them in small pieces and freeze them so I can enjoy them in the winter.

If you live in France, you might have difficulties to find seeds so get a packet next time you visit the UK.

I got my seeds from an English friends who lives in Brittany.

Grow your own veggies Part 2

If you don’t have the time or the patience to grow vegetables from seeds, you can cheat! Last week I visited Dinan market and bought some cabbage plants (see photo) from a local producer.

Plants are usually cheap. The cabbage ones were €3 for 25 plants. As it is for the 2 of us, I only needed half! I got 12 (I actually got 15!) for €1.50. A cabbage is about €1 to buy so it is very cost effective to grow them yourself. In addition, you know the vegetables haven’t been sprayed with any insecticides or pesticides. They are truly organic.

According to the producer, the plants are too tough for the slugs so hopefully they won’t get eaten before I can enjoy them!

See this link here for Part 1.

Grow your own veggies Part 1

Once you have moved to France and renovated your house you might find you have plenty of free time and more importantly less money than when you came over!
Let’s face it, spare cash at the moment is nowhere to be seen! So here is my way of saving money….

I grow my own organic fruit and vegetables. I am not a very knowledgeable gardener. I just enjoy picking my own produces knowing they are safe to eat as nothing has been sprayed on them!

Today was the first day of gardening for the 2010 crop!

As you can see from the photo I grow vegetables from seeds. If you are thinking of growing your own vegetables for this first time, here are my tricks to save money:

Don’t go to the garden center as you could easily get carried away! Recycle!

Start by going to a local market around 1pm (more or less at closing time). Look for the fishmongers and take the polystyrene boxes that he/she is throwing away. Watch it! They will smell so make sure you have some bin bags to put them in otherwise the boot of your car will stick for a long time!

Hose them down once you get home and the smell will disappear. You have done the worse bit!

Get a bag of compost (terreau) from any French supermarket or garden center. It will be cheaper from a supermarket. Fill the boxes with some compost and lay some seeds on the compost. Cover slightly with compost (the layer of compost should only be as thin as the seeds). I collect the wooden sticks from ice creams. They make great free tags! Write on them what you are growing. I then put my boxes on the floor near a radiator and wait until something start growing! As simple as that!

I will take some photos in a few weeks and keep you updated!


See Part 2 here.