Tuesday 22 March 2011

Plantings

I've just put in Serpette Guilotteau peas, on the windowsill, and All the Year Round lettuce, and Spanish Black carrots, under cloches.

All the Year Round is mentioned in Christopher Stocks' 'Forgotten Fruits', which is mainly about vegetables despite the name. It was around before 1856, and it's a selection from an 18th Century variety, Tennis Ball. This used to be pickled in brine. I've heard of pickled cabbage, but never of pickled lettuce!

3 comments:

  1. I wonder if the pickling would produce something like sauerkraut or even kimchee. Might be worth trying if I have good lettuces this year.

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  2. All I know is a brief comment in 'Forgotten Fruits': 'The tight little heads [of Tennis Ball] were often picked in brine.' It sounds as though they were done whole.

    There are a lot of links to 'pickled lettuce' out there if you gooogle, so you could probably find a recipe with a bit of persistence.

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  3. All Year Round is still a good do-er to this day. It is one of my favourites. It does exactly what it says on the tin!!

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