Empty supermarket recipes

[BernardSmith]

I think you can sprout beans even more simply, Green Aura. You soak the beans as you did , although I might soak them for two or three days. You want to be sure that they have taken up all the moisture they can to awaken the enzymes that will bring them out of dormancy, and then drain them and cover the top of the jar with some cheese cloth or a scrap of cloth that you fasten with an elastic band. Invert the jar over a saucer to allow the water to drain out. Each day you wash the beans with water and again drain them and invert the jar. The more air they get the better they will grow. So you want as large a jar as possible. After a few days they will begin to sprout but the secret is to wash and drain the sprouts two or three times a day and when I say wash them, I mean really wash them. You are not simply providing them with a few drips of water to keep them moist you are washing off all kinds of harmful bacteria and other compounds that would inhibit growth. Bean sprouts are delicious.

[ina]

I mostly sprout lentils.

[Green Aura]

Yes, Bernard, I do a lot of sprouting that way for salads and garnishes. I was particularly talking about bean sprouts as used in a lot of SE Asian cooking. They're fat and juicy and pale and fabulous in stir-fries. Mung beans are the usual type but you can use aduki beans too.

[Odsox]

I used to sprout a lot of alfalfa once upon a time. Lovely in lots of ways, but favourite was in cheese sandwiches.
Haven't done any for years, although I did sprout some peas when I saved too many a year or so ago.
Broad bean sprouts are rather nice too.

[Green Aura]

We had nettle, ground elder and sorrel soup for lunch.

I picked a handful each of nettle and ground elder tops, and sorrel leaves. Washed,drained and chopped and then added to an onion and garlic sauteing in a little oil. I added chicken broth, but veg stock or even water would be fine, salt and pepper and, after it came to the boil, a couple of handfuls of oats. Simmered for 10 minutes then blitzed with a hand blender. I added the juice of half a lemon, checked the seasoning and finished it off with some cream.

Absolutely delicious and so easy. Garden to tummy in less than 20 minutes.

[Weedo]

Movement restrictions relaxing a little (bold & underline "little") so, amazingly, shelves are filling and remaining full. I am hearing that there seems to be a stable general increase in purchases of pots & pans etc. and in storage items (mostly plastic unfortunately). Tupperwares (Oz) website crashed from over-subscription late last week and their annual clearance sale that usually lasts a month was over in 4 days. Perhaps a glimmer of hope that people are rediscovering cooking?

[Green Aura]

I'm always stunned by how few people cook. For a while it seemed to be a badge of success to proudly announce someone's kitchen was never used!

So if people are learning to grow, prepare and cook their own food there might be a small silver lining to this horrible time. I wonder if it will last?

[ina]

I'm always stunned by how few people cook. For a while it seemed to be a badge of success to proudly announce someone's kitchen was never used!

So if people are learning to grow, prepare and cook their own food there might be a small silver lining to this horrible time. I wonder if it will last?

Considering how many people are really excited about McD's opening up again - and the long queues I read about somewhere for Costa, although it was just takeaway - I fear it won't last.

Odsox - "Broad bean sprouts are rather nice too."
Really? Would never have tried that... I have a lot of dry broad beans from last year, which I didn't get round to picking. Some of them are growing again (bumblebees busy on them this morning!), but I have far too many left. Do they take long to sprout? Do they need a longer time soaking, maybe? And can you eat them raw?

Questions, questions...

[Odsox]

Yes broad bean plants are hard to kill and will keep on re-sprouting. I have never left them for more than one more crop, but I suspect they taper off eventually, otherwise it would be common practice.

Sprouting BB seed is fairly fast, about 2 weeks I seem to remember. Soak overnight to start with and then treat like any other sprouting seeds.
At all stages they have a strong fresh broad bean taste and are nice raw or cooked, and of course you can eat the tops of the ones in your garden, including the flowering parts. I had some broad beans in the tunnel that were in the wrong place this year, I had to pull them up, but cut off the top 4 inches and stir fried them (with other things). Any further down the stems start to get stringy, but the leaves are still OK.

[Green Aura]

We had the soup again today but replaced the sorrel (still quite tiny plants) with the flowering tops of the perennial cabbage. No lemon juice.

We now have a dilemma. OH, who asked for the soup again as he enjoyed yesterdays so much now prefers todays version. I prefer yesterdays, liking that lemony edge.

[ina]

I bet it'll be different every time you make it!

[Weedo]

Fly spray now! - shelves are empty everywhere but not sure if this is general or just our district - we are having a bush fly plague at the moment. Yesterday I left the ute windows down while working and the flies settled like a bee swarm on the inside; I had r to resort to an air compressor to clean them all out

[Green Aura]

Sounds distinctly unpleasant. Nearest we get up here are midges.

[Brewtrog]

Fly spray now!

Must be getting desperate if you're eating the fly spray
Or do you just use it to collect the flies and then et them?

[Weedo]

Its baaaaack!!!! - One state in Oz has had a significant spike in positive cases following some relaxing of the rules and has gone into high levels of quarantine and movement restriction again. Within 2 days the toilet paper, rice, flour etc. had disappeared off the shelves nationwide