The delay in planting wasn't too serious but there's always the danger that early sowings (parsnip, beetroot, carrot, spinach and mixed salad) will never actually manage to germinate. I'm being philosophical about it but I did hold off with the potatoes 'til the clocks went back. A new issue is the planting (sowing? spreading?) of the nematodes. These are minute (12 million per pack) worms that are mixed with water and spread on the ground to kill slugs. They can be kept for a while hibernating in the fridge but this time I had to keep them for a month and, what with them being minute, there's no way to tell if they're still alive. I'm not that concerned about nematode welfare but they are fairly pricey and I get grumpy about wasting the money. Hey ho.
We've just started advertising Drumbuidhe on the workaway website which pairs hosts and volunteers looking for a working holiday. Our first volunteer was a young Hungarian who coped brilliantly with mud, potatoes, Highland cattle and the isolation. Thanks to him I got the potato beds cleared, dug with seaweed and planted. K and friends had visited from Devon over Easter and had spread the collected seaweed all over the vegetable beds (note to visitors, think once, twice and then telephone me when C suggests you do anything in the garden). It doesn't rot down fast enough and forking it is like wrestling with damp wigs so it all had to be picked up (yes, by hand, truly filthy work) and put in its intended location, under the potatoes.
If everything goes according to plan I should be starting a local authority energy job in the next week or so which meant I had to sprint back from potato planting for a crash course in energy monitoring software. I'll be heading back next week for some more vegetable fondling but in my time in Glasgow I did manage to squeeze some mezze from the fabulous Ottolenghi. Since I couldn't find any tahini in the Partick supermarket I had to use my Japanese pestle and mortar for its correct purpose (grinding sesame seeds) for the first time in 20 years. Definitely worth it. So for those who have a suribachi hanging around here's my version of roast carrots.
1kg carrots
1tbsp coriander seed
1tsp cumin seed
1tbsp rapeseed oil
1tbsp honey
cut the carrots into thick sticks (I cut them into eight pieces each); toast the coriander and cumin in a pan 'til they just start to smoke then crush in the mortar; stir together the spices, carrots, oil and honey and spread evenly on a baking tray; roast at gas 6 / 200C for roughly 40 minutes 'til browned and smelling lovely
1 cup greek yoghurt
1/2 cup sesame seeds
juice of half a lime
salt
toast the sesame seeds 'til they just start to colour then grind in the mortar 'til you have as fine a powder or paste as you like; add to the yoghurt, lemon and salt; pour over the roasted carrots and serve.
I'm afraid I ate this with my fingers.
