Welcome to the Secret Garden South of Bobber's Mill Bridge in Nottingham

Welcome to Windmill Community Gardens, home of the Climate Friendly Gardeners Project.

We are a group of local people, who are nurturing a wonderful community garden in the heart of the city. You'll find us just South of Bobbersmill Bridge, on the allotment site at the South end of Ascot Road. The Gardens are a great place where anyone can come to find out more about growing their own food in a changing climate. We cater for all abilities and welcome any nationality or age group.

Why not come and join us?

Wednesday 29 October 2014

More Pumpkin Recipes!

So if you have followed this blog for a while, you probably realised that there are pumpkin recipes around in October, and at other times, as we really enjoy cooking with this lovely fruit. It tastes great and it's good for you!

Here are some new recipes for you to try. We think you'll like them a lot.


Harvest Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
20oz freshly-baked pumpkin diced
1 large leek, cleaned, white parts chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

½ celeriac, peeled and chopped

2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and chopped

3 ½  good-quality vegetable stock

1 teaspoon crumbled fresh sage (or ½ teaspoon dried sage)
1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

Dash of nutmeg
 

1 cup apple cider

½  cup plain greek yogurt

Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (optional)

1. Gently steam the leeks, onion, celery root, and apples in a large soup pot with ¼ pint of the stock until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Add remaining stock and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add sage, thyme, salt, turmeric, nutmeg, and a few grinds of pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
4. Process about half the soup in a blender or with a hand-held blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot and stir in the cider and yogurt. Soup should be slightly chunky. Gently heat, but do not boil. Sprinkle each bowl of hot soup with a little Cheddar, if using.
Serves 8.



Pumpkin Chocolate Cake
For the Cake
8oz flour
6oz sugar

3oz unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½  teaspoons baking powder

1 ½  teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon mixed spice

½ pint buttermilk
/ skimmed milk
1 ½ pints of pumpkin puree
5oz dark brown sugar
1 large egg at room temperature

1 large egg white at room temperature

2oz vegetable oil

2oz golden syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 150C / Gas 4 / 350F. Lightly grease a cake ring-pan (sometimes called a Bundt pan).
2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, mixed spice and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Blend milk, pumpkin puree and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat in whole egg and egg white. Stir in oil, corn syrup and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
4. Bake the cake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack, about 2 hours.
Makes 16 servings.


Pumpkin Fudge
Unhealthy but delicious!

Ingredients
      1lb 6 oz white sugar
      large can evaporated milk
      2oz golden syrup
      4oz pumpkin puree
      pinch salt
      1 teaspoon mixed spice
      1 teaspoon vanilla extract
      4oz butter
      3 oz chopped walnuts (optional)


      Butter or grease one 8x8 inch pan.
      In a large, heavy-based saucepan, mix together sugar, milk, syrup, pumpkin and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling. Do not stir.
      When mixture registers 232 degrees F (110 degrees C) on candy thermometer, or forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water, remove pan from heat. Stir in mixed spice, vanilla, butter and nuts. Cool to lukewarm (110 degrees F or 43 degrees C on candy thermometer).
Beat mixture until it is very thick and loses some of its gloss. Quickly pour into a greased eight-inch pan. When firm cut into 36 squares.




Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients
175g granulated sugar
½ tsp salt 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

½ tsp ground ginger 

¼ tsp ground cloves 

2 eggs 

300g pumpkin purée (tinned or fresh) 

350g evaporated milk 

1 unbaked 23cm/9in deep-dish pastry case
(or line a deep 23cm/9in tart tin with shortcrust pastry)



PREPARATION: 

1. Preheat oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7.
2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl.
3. Beat the eggs lightly in large bowl.
4. Stir the pumpkin purée and sugar-spice mixture into eggs.
5. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk.
6. Pour into the pastry case.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.
10. Serve immediately or chill.

Do not freeze (although uncooked pumpkin mixture can be frozen).

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