I'll see if there's a way to bump up the volume next time! And thank you...I'm glad you are enjoying the films. Given no cheese, booze, sugar for you I feel I ought to suggest another pairing or two - with apples (especially a sharp crisp variety), on tomatoes, with scrambled eggs....sparingly at first.
I love sweet cicely too, and was thinking it might be the next herb, so you may just have tipped things in it's favour, thank you
I’m going to be wrapping my cheese in a bit of lovage from now on… if only I could grow it! I’ve tried - once- and to be fair, the failure could have had something to do with a large puppy truffling through the newly-sown seed. Any tips on that stage at all please?
Start with a plant! As much as I love sowing and the (still) incredible impossibility of a plant resulting, there are times when it's good to shortcut things and this (assuming you wish to keep the puppy...) may be one of them
Hi Mark. I live in Montreal, Canada and I love you videos and thoughts about gardening! I have never grown lovage or sweet cicely for that matter but I always like to try new herbs.
I agree with Maggie that your sound is very low on your videos....hopefully you can speak up a little.
Hello Linda, and thank you for commenting. Even after all these years, the thought that someone so many miles away reads a book of mine, or makes a recipe, or enjoys these words seems impossible. The radio is still a magical mystery to me! I hope you’ll try those herbs and like them. The volume of the films is a bit of a mystery as in half volume listening in my phone they sound perfectly loud, but you can’t both be wrong, so I will try to up it next time without feeling unnatural when I talk
A hardy Scot sounds like a useful addition and it has been a while since we've had any lovage in the garden, Mark, but I do like the flavour. A summery, melon salad is the first thing that springs to mind, or a punchy sauce vierge.
Wrapping a whole cheese in lovage would be a long process with their relatively small leaves but I do like to tinker with the flavours when making quince cheese. Fennel, basil and rosemary have made the grade in the past but last year's bay is the clear winner to date. A recent cake bore that theory out quite nicely and I have a few tubs left, too.
With that in mind, lovage could well be sitting in the bottom of this year's moulds. :o)
Great ideas Ken, thank you. Melon and lovage sounds v special - I shall try it this weekend. The secret to wrapping the cheese is pick a good stem and keep the leaves attached...wrap them around the cheese and tie that in place with greaseproof. I should've been clearer!
Ah. Wrapping with a whole stem makes sense and sounds much easier. I was envisaging something along the lines of Cornish Yarg. Thank you for that top-tip, Mark.
As for the melon salad, yes, the contrasting warmth of the lovage compliments the fruit nicely. Raw courgette, a simple dressing, still-warm roasted nuts, your cheese of choice, good bread and a glass of natural, wheat beer. That sounds like a plan.
The generic idea of a melon and nut salad came from a summer holiday with our German friends. The salad may change but a cold, wheat beer tells me that summer has arrived.
Speak up Mark! Had to whack my volume right up to catch your gentle tones - but worth it. You speak so lovingly about the plants it's a joy.
Alas, cheese, vodka and sugar play no part in my life now but live on in sweet remembrance in my imagination.
Another liqueur I have made in the past is with Sweet Cicely roots, when that grew too invasive. Very aniseedy - tasty!
I'll see if there's a way to bump up the volume next time! And thank you...I'm glad you are enjoying the films. Given no cheese, booze, sugar for you I feel I ought to suggest another pairing or two - with apples (especially a sharp crisp variety), on tomatoes, with scrambled eggs....sparingly at first.
I love sweet cicely too, and was thinking it might be the next herb, so you may just have tipped things in it's favour, thank you
You’ve both reminded me of the brilliance of Sweet Cicely.. and it’s fabulously ornamental too- great for brightening up a dingy(dingey?) spot
Really beautiful and happiest in shade/dinginess as you say. Sweet cicely next it is
I’m going to be wrapping my cheese in a bit of lovage from now on… if only I could grow it! I’ve tried - once- and to be fair, the failure could have had something to do with a large puppy truffling through the newly-sown seed. Any tips on that stage at all please?
Start with a plant! As much as I love sowing and the (still) incredible impossibility of a plant resulting, there are times when it's good to shortcut things and this (assuming you wish to keep the puppy...) may be one of them
I mean re germinating, not re the puppy
Hi Mark. I live in Montreal, Canada and I love you videos and thoughts about gardening! I have never grown lovage or sweet cicely for that matter but I always like to try new herbs.
I agree with Maggie that your sound is very low on your videos....hopefully you can speak up a little.
Looking forward to your next post.
Hello Linda, and thank you for commenting. Even after all these years, the thought that someone so many miles away reads a book of mine, or makes a recipe, or enjoys these words seems impossible. The radio is still a magical mystery to me! I hope you’ll try those herbs and like them. The volume of the films is a bit of a mystery as in half volume listening in my phone they sound perfectly loud, but you can’t both be wrong, so I will try to up it next time without feeling unnatural when I talk
A hardy Scot sounds like a useful addition and it has been a while since we've had any lovage in the garden, Mark, but I do like the flavour. A summery, melon salad is the first thing that springs to mind, or a punchy sauce vierge.
Wrapping a whole cheese in lovage would be a long process with their relatively small leaves but I do like to tinker with the flavours when making quince cheese. Fennel, basil and rosemary have made the grade in the past but last year's bay is the clear winner to date. A recent cake bore that theory out quite nicely and I have a few tubs left, too.
With that in mind, lovage could well be sitting in the bottom of this year's moulds. :o)
Great ideas Ken, thank you. Melon and lovage sounds v special - I shall try it this weekend. The secret to wrapping the cheese is pick a good stem and keep the leaves attached...wrap them around the cheese and tie that in place with greaseproof. I should've been clearer!
Ah. Wrapping with a whole stem makes sense and sounds much easier. I was envisaging something along the lines of Cornish Yarg. Thank you for that top-tip, Mark.
As for the melon salad, yes, the contrasting warmth of the lovage compliments the fruit nicely. Raw courgette, a simple dressing, still-warm roasted nuts, your cheese of choice, good bread and a glass of natural, wheat beer. That sounds like a plan.
The generic idea of a melon and nut salad came from a summer holiday with our German friends. The salad may change but a cold, wheat beer tells me that summer has arrived.
Keeping beer in or out of the fridge is really the difference between summer and not isn't it. And thank you...that melon salad is going to be made