Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Michael Kelly

From the Garden Midwinter is the time to grow veg in containers and to make root veg pie

This is a delicious, warming and healthy pie that utilises those vegetables that are still available in early January, writes Michael Kelly.

APART FROM OCCASIONAL trips to grab some food for the table, I am not spending much time in the veg patch at the moment – the garden is generally speaking a cold and uninviting place at this time of the year and this January is no exception.

Luckily my absence won’t do much harm. The work I did getting beds cleared and covered down with compost or seaweed in November and December means that the veg patch is pretty much in lockdown, enjoying its winter slumber.

Later in the month, I will sow some seeds for early polytunnel crops – carrots direct in the soil, and beetroot in the potting shed for later planting out.  I have some fruit tree and bush pruning to do, and a bit of repair work on the veg patch gates. There are also still some crops to be cleared from the veg patch that I really should have done by now.  

But there’s nothing madly urgent or pressing – so I am relaxing (sort of), ignoring the monkey mind that tells me to get up and do some work.

Thankfully there’s still an abundance of food to be had from the garden and in stores. We’ve plenty of squashes, pumpkins and chutneys in the kitchen; carrots, leeks, sprouts and parsnips in the ground outside; kale, spinach, chard and oriental leaves in the polytunnel; and some swedes and beetroot in a box of sand in the garage.  

Really it is only spuds and onions that let me down badly this year – I am out of stock of both and having to buy them. Booo! Apart from that little hiccup, life is good.

The Basics: Container Growing

Using containers, GIYers can grow great vegetables on decks, patios, terraces, flat roofs, balconies, conservatories, or even on a kitchen shelf or windowsill.  Pretty much any container can be used to grow vegetables in – pots, trays, troughs, window boxes, grow bags, wheelbarrows, old watering cans, tyres etc. 

They should be a minimum of 6-10 inches deep and there must be drainage holes in the base. Put in a 1cm layer of small stones to aid drainage.

Most vegetables will grow well in containers – try lettuce, carrots, radishes, spring onions, cucumbers, swiss chard, courgettes, beetroot, chillies, aubergines, strawberries and tomatoes.

Recipe of the Week: Root Vegetable Pie

This is a delicious, warming and healthy pie that will utilise vegetables that are still available in the early January vegetable patch like carrots, celeriac and squash.  You don’t need to stick too slavishly to the recipe – use whatever root crops you have and experiment.

 Ingredients:

  • 1 quantity shortcrust pastry – 350g

  • 300g potatoes

  • 300g celeriac

  • 300g squash or pumpkin

  • 4 medium mushrooms

  • 1 red pepper

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

  • 300g fresh ricotta (I’ve used feta too and it’s lovely)

  • ¾ cup grated cheddar or goats cheese

  • ½ cup grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  To the make the filling place the potato, celeriac, pumpkin, mushrooms and pepper in a baking dish and toss with the oil and rosemary – season well.  

Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Leave to cool. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a pie dish, trimming away the excess. Mix the vegetables with the ricotta and cheddar, and then fill the pie dish. Sprinkle the parmesan over it.  

Bake for 35 minutes until the pie is golden. Serves 4.

Michael Kelly is an author, broadcaster and founder of GIY.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fiona O'sullivan
    Favourite Fiona O'sullivan
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 12:39 PM

    Sympathy to the poor woman, but serious sympathy to the poor truck driver, this is becoming all to frequent in this country, he was only doing his days work, minding his own business.

    573
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Adrian O'Donnell
    Favourite Adrian O'Donnell
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 12:00 PM

    That poor woman. Her whole life turned upside down on a morning where we all should be just enjoying the sunshine and then this happens. Devastated for her.

    452
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Deirdre Mac Mahon
    Favourite Deirdre Mac Mahon
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 2:19 PM

    This is utterly horrible. Poor young mum. Poor wee kid. Words fail me

    199
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fiona Larkin Ryan
    Favourite Fiona Larkin Ryan
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 1:54 PM

    So tragic. How is that mother ever going to get over this. Rip little man. Watch over your mam.

    194
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mary Walshe
    Favourite Mary Walshe
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 3:04 PM

    Looks like it was deliberate. I could be wrong but it looks like attempted murder of the woman and murder/ suicide of the child and man. I know that road well and if he was from Lattin he would know it well too and would know not to overtake. Rip to both and my utmost sympathy to the mother of the little boy.

    145
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Pat Walsh
    Favourite Pat Walsh
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 1:20 PM

    He’s not eastern European, his parents are Italian, but he was born and raised here,

    132
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Steve McMahon
    Favourite Steve McMahon
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 1:49 PM

    Don’t like the look where this story is going

    85
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ricky Grimes
    Favourite Ricky Grimes
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 3:28 PM

    It’s easy to condemn but the poor man must have been in a very distressed state of mind to do something like that.
    RIP.

    85
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sinead Hanley
    Favourite Sinead Hanley
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 9:38 PM

    Fcuk him. He just destroyed a mothers life and murdered her son. If he lives we would all be saying he should be locked up. But now that he died we feel sorry for him. And don’t get me started on the funeral service for this fella where the priests says “it’s a dark day”.. This man just murdered his son and attempted to murder his partner. S(umbag

    69
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sinead Hanley
    Favourite Sinead Hanley
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 9:39 PM

    Ricky.. Most murdering b@stards are in a distressed state of mind

    32
    See 4 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ricky Grimes
    Favourite Ricky Grimes
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 11:19 PM

    When a mother murders her children society reaches out the hand of compassion and understanding.
    Why is it not the same for fathers?

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sinead Hanley
    Favourite Sinead Hanley
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 11:44 PM

    Ricky. Murdering mothers are worse than mothering dads

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ricky Grimes
    Favourite Ricky Grimes
    Report
    Jul 20th 2016, 12:15 AM

    Just think about what happened here for a moment………and reflect on how this situation spiralled out of control to this point. The human tragedy involved.
    Can we truly say we understand it and as such are in a position to make a judgement call one way or the other?

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gwen Denny
    Favourite Gwen Denny
    Report
    Jul 20th 2016, 10:10 AM

    Sinead I hope you are never in a situation where your mind is so badly messed up by depression that you are not thinking rationally. Obviously this man was out of his mind doing this and it breaks my heart that a little boy has died and his mother had to go through such an assault, but nobody knows his circumstances and shouldn’t be quick to judge that he was ” evil” . I’m not saying I agree with what he did because I don’t , but with serious mental health problems a while back myself I know that your mind does not think normally . I certainly hope this is the case with him because I’d hate to think this WAS an act of pure evil

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jumperoo
    Favourite Jumperoo
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 4:49 PM

    Oh no. That poor little boy. Whether the crash was an accident or deliberate, no child deserves that.

    76
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute tonymcc
    Favourite tonymcc
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 5:12 PM

    So sad, too much detail re the crash. Horrible set of circumstances

    32
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Rusty3578
    Favourite Rusty3578
    Report
    Jul 19th 2016, 6:40 PM

    It’s just so sad to be hearing about theses suicides , people should always realised that life is 2 step backwards and 1 step forward , this carry on could be avoided… RIP to the little lad … So sad !

    27
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds