Garden-The Backyard.

SPRING 2015
Late September, early in the morning.
Snapshots

Monday Afternoon, Late September
Snapshots

Roses plants with their beautiful new leaves and new buds.

Lime green, the new leave of hydrangeas

 The crabapple tree is in blossom- Pretty Pink

Rayner's apple tree has a lot of flowers, maybe he will have a good harvest this time.

The flower buds of the hippeastrum are emerging.

 Latest flowering Cymbidium orchids and beautiful flowering blue bulb.

Silver Birch with white bark is so tall and beautiful, it shows off the pretty young leaves.    Potted Hoya, shows off the tiny buds, it is flowering.

Today I worked in the garden, in fact, we both worked in the backyard, and I noticed that one large red rose bud is almost open, It is the first red rose for this year.

A lot more gardening to do this spring, in October is the time for caring to the orchids, from checking general health, fertilising to repotting.

I hope everything is going well, and in early November the garden could be so beautiful with lovely flowers, and it is colourful.  Looking forward to it.

Until Next Post

Susy

Late Flowering Orchids.

My Cymbidium.
The late flowering orchids now are in flowers, and some of them are still in buds, but soon they will open up.  Usually, they bloom around October.

Only a spike on every orchid plant, but the flowers are healthy.  The Miss Muffett orchid gives me four spikes with a lot of buds.

More Budding Orchids

Altogether, there are only six plants which are flowering this year.

Remember the cymbidium with 16 flowers which I posted, well the flowering is almost over now, only a few stems are left, and I cut them to put in a tall vase, and I know that we could enjoy them still for a few more days.

A potted orchid with 16 stems flowers.

Flowering is over
No more flowers

Now it is outside, it has been repotted, it will sleep at the right space somewhere in the garden.

The new repotted Cymbidium looks good.

I am catching up with my potted plants in the garden, the weather is getting warmer and better.  So far I did my potted Hoya plants, and the Hindu Robe Hoya now has a new look.  I must show you next time on my post.

Added Today 26 September 2015

The buds of the late flowering orchids are now open up, and they look absolutely gorgeous.

Until Next Post

Susy

Stuffed Cabbage

When cabbage is in season, usually I buy a whole cabbage.  From it, I make salads, cook mixed vegetables, also stuffed cabbage rolls.  Cabbage is excellent to mix with noodles, it is a significant ingredient for Javanese bakmi goreng (stir fry noodles), no cabbage no bakmi 'almost'.  Cabbage is very versatile, in fact, simply boil the cabbage until soft and tender, serve with white sauce, and it is so yum.
Stuffed whole Savoy cabbage which I cooked last time was good too, and it freezes well.

But today I am sharing my new recipe/cooking with cabbage, which is very easy to prepare and yet it is so delicious.  And what is it???.  It is baked stuffed cabbage loaf.  What I did was:  in a terrine baking dish, layer some cabbage leaves, and fill some stuffing in between, finish it off with a layer of cabbage leaves and herbs.  Bake in a hot oven at (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes with the lid on.   Reduce to a lower heat at 150 degrees C and continue baking about 45 minutes.

Recipe and the Preparation.

The Stuffing:

The stuffing ingredients are  ready to mix
together for the cabbage filling.

500 g mince pork and veal
1 cup chopped the middle part of the cabbage*
1/2 cup chopped ham and 2 shallots
1/3 cup of rice
1 tablespoon mixed fresh herbs
1 tablespoon olive/vegetable oil, some salt
Mix all ingredients together to combine (refrigerate until ready to use)
1/2 cup stock to add to the dish before baking.
*1 cup of brandy and 1/2 cup stock to finish off.

The terrine dish is buttered generously to avoid the problem
when getting the stuffed cabbage out of the terrine.

Wash the dish and dry it properly
You don't need to line the dish with baking paper instead of butter thoroughly.
Do this prior assembling the stuffed cabbage.


Wash the cabbage and strip off the outer leaves.  Keep the middle part, chop finely to add to the stuffing.*
Blanch the cabbage leaves.

Get the blanched cabbage leaves ready
Layer the pieces jointly to one another to cover the base and the side of the terrine.  It is a little bit tricky but achievable

Put a third of the stuffing, spread and press it to cover the base. Add in more cabbage leaves over the filling.  Put the other layer stuffing, and cover with the leaves, do it for the third layer and finish it off with the last layer of cabbage leaves to cover the filling/stuffing.  Sprinkle with mixed herbs and salt over the top.

Last but not least, place some herbs, drizzle with some oil and a half cup of stock.

Cover with the lid, and it is ready for baking.

Place the dish on a baking tray for secure handling.

Remember when it is cooked, the terrine dish can be hot.

Be careful when taking the dish out of the oven.

Open the lid of the terrine dish, the stuffed cabbage is looking good and soft to touch.

*Pour the stock and brandy mixture over and place the lid back.

Keep the terrine dish on a bench until it is cold.

Take the stuffed cabbage out, place on a serving tray.


The stuffed cabbage can be served hot, warm or cold.  Slice and serve as a garnish.

At this stage, you can freeze it.  Defrost by keeping refrigerated overnight, and reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.

Stuffed Cabbage Loaf

The dish can be served with Middle Eastern flavour, this is what I did.

A sliced stuffed cabbage with baked pumpkin dressed with Fetta cheese and yoghurt.

Improvise, serve the stuffed cabbage with anything you like.

Now it is spring a new season, the time you need light meals,  just maybe the stuffed cabbage is one of them, served with a leafy salad and crusty bread is a good idea.

Enjoy the recipe.


Until Next Post
Susy