Any Facebookers out there?

Hi I don't know if anyone is interested or uses Facebook, but I've set up a Facebook group to chat, share tips, growing successes and fails! Plus anything else growing related. Please pop along and show us you gardens and plots, share your blog or just say hi!

Grow your own gardens and allotments UK

A few pictures from the plot...

I've been really busy at the plot over the last few weeks, but it's just so exciting to see everything growing! I have tomatoes outside, peas in, chard growing, broad beans flowering, runner beans in, various squashes growing, globe artichokes(green and purple), seeds down for sugar snap peas, carrots, parsnip, spring onions, my leeks are just about over but I have just seen for next winters crop, garlic and onions are swelling, potato stalks are quite large now, strawberries are in flower.... probably lots more too, so here's a few pics, I'll do another update towards the end of the week  

First job of the day - Thai sweet chilli sauce

Now I don't know about anyone else but this sweet, sticky, spicy sauce goes down a storm in my house, even my 8 year old likes it! 

My plans for this started way back at the beginning of the year when I planted chilli seeds, they grew, they flowered, they fruited - hoorah!

Thai sweet chilli dipping sauce is delicious to dip your prawn crackers in, poured over spring rolls, or even a yummy salad - my hubby likes it over a king prawn salad, I like it slathered over a chicken and tomato salad - it turns what could be a boring salad into something to look forward to. 

So after a little research with my friend Google I've come up with my own version, which even if I say so my self is very tasty, here's what I did - i'd love any comments if you try this yourself. 

Sarah's dippy-chilli sauce

Ingredients 

6 cloves of garlic

4 chillies (heat level of your choice, I like them hot, but you can make it milder by removing the seeds)

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

1teaspoon salt

2" root ginger

2 tablespoons corn flour

4 tablespoons of water 

Method

Firstly add all ingredients apart from the last two to a food processor and process until everything is small enough for your sauce. 

Transfer the blitzed up sauce to a pan and bring to the boil. 

Keep stirring and simmer for 5 mins to soften all the ingredients. 

Mix together the last 2 ingredients - then add the water/cornflour mixture slowly whilst stirring, simmer for another 30secs. 

Remove from heat and pour in to sterilised jars - this makes enough for just over 500g jar. 

Enjoy!