Merry Christmas everyone.

I hope you all have a great time with family and friends.

BAJ

I used to have a 'go to' recipe for Refried Black Beans (I think I mentioned I have been enjoying Mexican most, recently )

Thing is, whilst I can remember most of the ingredients, I wanted to check the qty's and.. I have searched the WWW for the last few days.. can't find it...

So, maybe, not everything lasts forever on the Internet...

Should we be worried about that here? Is it a 'recently viewed' thing, with older stuff 'dropping' off search results and eventually unavailable altogether?

Some great threads on here with discussion about methods and practices, not just recipes.

I am currently experimenting with making my own 'Ghee'.  Will post when I get consistent results... sometimes it is better than Retail and sometimes not.

BAJ

I have had a very successful grow of Cherry Tomatoes this year. Even though only 9 of 13 plants survived the hot Spring/Summer, I am still gifting the last of the harvests to friends and neighbours.
I am however for the first time in a few years (we moved house 18mths ago) without any Chilli grows and feeling it in my cooking.

I know it is kinda counter-intuitive to grow in the Autumn/Winter seasons but anyone got any suggestions for Hardy types (I have grown Chillies that grew well for 18months off a single plant, with feeding, direct sunlight even in Winter and a constant heat source)? I don't have the indoor space I used to, until I build the new shed/greenhouse next year (Spring/Summer 2026) but I can maybe plant a half dozen over Winter '25/26.

Hot's are more likely Spring seeding and prolific's later again.. was just wondering if anyone had any experience of growing earlies... outside of dedicated greenhouse?

Regards,
BAJ

My son likes 'my' curries.. made from all of your recipes, that I have learnt to try cook over the years on this site.. I still can't get back to the originals I remember (95p Keema, 3 chapatis, side salad and raita) and other dishes, though I try..

He has no experience of this and so when he comes home from a late shift and when I am only in the initial stages of the base gravy and says 'he is going to enjoy what is to come..'...

More recently, he is maybe starved of BIR as he has just returned from Thailand (for the 3rd time/business) and I have been making too much Mexican (or as my limited skills allow) but his request was to make him CH's Eastern Tandoori Chicken Patala.

Feels good to have him back again and he wants to eat my (CH's) curry

BAJ

Hi Bob. Good to see you back. I am envious of your garden. Isn't that well over half an acre? Huge! I would need a tractor to keep on top of it. I post too many photos. Guess I just hope it helps a little to keep the forum ticking along. Thanks for your comments. Don't be put off though. Good lighting, loads of oil, and food colouring!

Rob

No Bob, feels huge compared to what I have always had/been able to afford but did have to hire a rotavator for 4 days over the May B.H. to turn it all over.. turned out to be only 60% of it and still hard work. Top 20% I had already planted Salad potatoes in (harvesting now) and bottom 20% I spent 3 weeks, in the height of the heatwave May/June digging out a pond (approx 12ft x 4ft / 3.5m x 1.2m).  Some days could only start working on it after 8pm... neighbours were tolerant but not so happy at me chipping away for an hour or so, with a garden spade (wrong tool for the job but only one I had) through upto 4ft (1.2m) at the deepest, sloping to just a few inches. Top soil, then gravel, then chunks of Yorkshire stone (some sort of patio I think) over a layer of coke, coal, cinders, glass and pottery shards... and then I hit tree roots.. at that point I gave up digging much deeper.

Yorkshire Water and I must have been the only ones at that point that were praying for rain.. and for a while I was happy but now the pond is full and I need my outdoor Tomatoe's on the patio, to continue growing and to ripen even if YW want it to rain for the rest of the year!

With the harvesting of the Potatoes well in hand (neighbours all around are happy to accept some and a little more forgiving atm) I have ordered the Lumber for the 4x vegetable beds.  Need the Salad potatoes out (I know, will never get them all) so I can put winter potatoes in. Need the beds built, fully filled with fertiliser (local horse stables - free) and compost on top, ready for crops I need to plant in Autumn, like Garlic and Spring onions. Rest of the beds will be for other seasonal produce such as beetroot, beans, turnip, sprouts and leeks, etc.

Anyway, got a pan of curry base made tonight and will try a few dishes with it over the coming days.  A certain dish was requested by my wife's colleague but since they are off for the next 6 weeks, seems like a good time to practice a few dishes again.

Hope you all are doing well and I will check back again soon(or later )
BAJ