Stormy Weather

[Anna]

It got up to 30° here, the weather station's Humidex showing it felt like 36.5°, not the weather to have a disaster involving part of a tree and thick ivy bush falling and blocking the lane, neighbours and myself out with saws, etc., clearing the worst branches so traffic could get through. Highways have just been with chairnsaws and cleared most, rest is coned off for machine to deal with on Monday. Must check the local news at 6.45 to verify temps, it would have been ok if there had been the slightest hint of a breeze

Neighbour has kindly given me a homegrown cucumber plucked straight off the vine which I will have with salad. Funny sort of day.

[BBMmk2]

Yuk, Anna! Me no likey salad! Well not lettuce anyway. Cucumbers, tomatoes and the rest ok. Went to some friends of ours, yesterday evening and they had salad and they know I dont like that!! But the rest of the food was very nice!

A few Shepherd Neame Spitfire Ales were quaffed during the evening as well!!

[Nick Armstrong]

Yuk, Anna! Me no likey salad! Well not lettuce anyway. Cucumbers, tomatoes and the rest ok. Went to some friends of ours, yesterday evening and they had salad and they know I dont like that!! But the rest of the food was very nice!

A few Shepherd Neame Spitfire Ales were quaffed during the evening as well!!

At least the Spitfire helped wash down those pesky leaves And blot out the memory too!



(Looking forward to Anna's reply to your 'salad-dodger' post, Bbm! )

[BBMmk2]

So am I, Caliu! be quite interesting! :)

Strange, I was feeling rather lousy yesterday, what with the weather and asscociated other distractions that go with it, and as soon as I had a few beers, I feel a lot better, more than what anteb's can do!! :)

Hmmm, is there a magic potion that Spitfire has that other ales dont!?!?!

[Anna]

(Looking forward to Anna's reply to your 'salad-dodger' post, Bbm! )

You called?
I do know some people whose memories of salad go back to school dinners – they tell me it consisted of limp lettuce, overcooked hardboiled eggs (with that awful dark ring around the yolk), a flabby tomato, thin sliced watery cucumber and beetroot that bled into everything, plus, unbelievably a scoop of mashed potato!

A lettuce can be a wonderful thing,

At the moment I’m eating Romaine (Dolce Verde) which is tightly packed, flavoursome and crisp (they are quite large and keep very well in the fridge for over a week), but next perhaps I’ll have a mix of Lollo Rosso and Oak Leaf, perhaps watercress or Tat-Soi. Little Gem is also good of course for cooking with fresh peas (there is also a Ruby Gem), Radicchio and Batavia some find too bitter but I like them and have only recently embraced Rocket. I think BBM needs to experiment,

As to what else you include with the lettuce – one of my plain and simple no fuss favourites is grated carrot mixed with raisins and salted peanuts plus (homemade) potato salad with lots of chopped chives or spring onions.

A salad (as a mains, not a side) is whatever your imagination can conjure up. I wonder what combination BBM’s friends served him?

Ontopic: It's 25°, a few clouds

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I do know some people whose memories of salad go back to school dinners – they tell me it consisted of limp lettuce, overcooked hardboiled eggs (with that awful dark ring around the yolk), a flabby tomato, thin sliced watery cucumber and beetroot that bled into everything, plus, unbelievably a scoop of mashed potato!

Yep: that was the North-East Lancs school meals service idea of "salad", too - but with the additional garnish of a slice of orange. Incredibly bitter orange: my tooth enamel is trembling at the very memory.

[ahinton]

You called?
I do know some people whose memories of salad go back to school dinners – they tell me it consisted of limp lettuce, overcooked hardboiled eggs (with that awful dark ring around the yolk), a flabby tomato, thin sliced watery cucumber and beetroot that bled into everything, plus, unbelievably a scoop of mashed potato!

A lettuce can be a wonderful thing,

At the moment I’m eating Romaine (Dolce Verde) which is tightly packed, flavoursome and crisp (they are quite large and keep very well in the fridge for over a week), but next perhaps I’ll have a mix of Lollo Rosso and Oak Leaf, perhaps watercress or Tat-Soi. Little Gem is also good of course for cooking with fresh peas (there is also a Ruby Gem), Radicchio and Batavia some find too bitter but I like them and have only recently embraced Rocket. I think BBM needs to experiment,

As to what else you include with the lettuce – one of my plain and simple no fuss favourites is grated carrot mixed with raisins and salted peanuts plus (homemade) potato salad with lots of chopped chives or spring onions.

A salad (as a mains, not a side) is whatever your imagination can conjure up. I wonder what combination BBM’s friends served him?

Ontopic: It's 25°, a few clouds

Mercifully I never experienced some of these awful sounding "salads" mentioned around here but the real thing can be wonderful! - and, for me, not just for that rarest of things, the kind of high summer that most of us are experiencing in Britain right now. There's quite a variety of lettuces including those that you mention - and radishes, watercress, cucumber, or shredded peppers or carrots, or avocados - I cannot imagine how a real salad could be boring!

[amateur51]

Mercifully I never experienced some of these awful sounding "salads" mentioned around here but the real thing can be wonderful! - and, for me, not just for that rarest of things, the kind of high summer that most of us are experiencing in Britain right now. There's quite a variety of lettuces including those that you mention - and radishes, watercress, cucumber, or shredded peppers or carrots, or avocados - I cannot imagine how a real salad could be boring!

Let's not forget a few tasty flavour-bomb additions - home-made garlicky chivey (perhaps cheesy too) croutons, anchovies, toasted pine nuts, ditto walnuts, crumbled blue cheese .. oh the permutations are almost endless

Has anyone mentioned chicory with slice orange?

Any favourite dressing recipes?

[mangerton]

You called?
I do know some people whose memories of salad go back to school dinners – they tell me it consisted of limp lettuce, overcooked hardboiled eggs (with that awful dark ring around the yolk), a flabby tomato, thin sliced watery cucumber and beetroot that bled into everything, plus, unbelievably a scoop of mashed potato!


Ontopic: It's 25°, a few clouds

Thank you for reminding me. We had these horrors inflicted upon us, usually at teatime on Sundays, with the addition of pale pink pork "luncheon meat", and an unspeakable tinned "vegetable salad".

I also remember going out for tea in the 60s to a family friend's and getting salad. For some reason this included strawberry jelly containing tinned fruit. Has anyone any comparable experience?

Ontopic, the sun is out, there is a light breeze, and the temp is in the high teens.

[Anna]

Has anyone mentioned chicory with slice orange?

Yes, I think I did on the dedicated salad thread last year (perhaps the thread should be revived?) My mum used to serve it a lot with oily fish such as smoked mackerel. Perhaps it's a Welsh thing!

I also remember going out for tea in the 60s to a family friend's and getting salad. For some reason this included strawberry jelly containing tinned fruit. Has anyone any comparable experience?

Never jelly and tinned fruit with salad but when I was small we used to have a lot of lettuce, usually Cos, which has very long crisp leaves and I used to put strawberry jam down the centre and then roll them up! Delicious (at the time, not sure if it would be now)

Edit: It was a salad dressing thread: http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...Salad-Dressing

[Nick Armstrong]

Edit: It was a salad dressing thread: http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...Salad-Dressing

There was a salad thread too which I have reactivated (with copies of salady posts from above), as well as the dressing thread!

Meanwhile: on with the weather!

Hot !

[Serial_Apologist]

Down a degree and a half on yesterday at 27 C in "upper Dulwich", probably owing to some loss of heat by the presence of large amounts of high cirrus cloud today. Big competition for the collective clothes lines here, tenants taking advantage of the rapid drying times in this heat, f'rinstance me with my winter dressing gown.

Evenings are wonderful for walks in this weather - birds singing, the scents from woodlands and gardens...

[Anna]

It's been over 28° and until just now, again not a breath of a breeze. I've had the front and back doors open all day in the hope of a through draft. So it's been rather uncomfortable and oppressive and I seem to have frittered away the day without achieving anything.
An evening walk sounds good but it would have to be much later, around 9pm when it cools (do the birds just rest up and conserve energy because it's noticeable in this heat that they are totally silent until it cools down or do they fly off to the shade of the woods?)

[BBMmk2]

Also, Cali, The General Chat Room, should be more used as well?

[amateur51]

Another very warm day here, such that I've been glad to keep my windows open and blinds down. in the early evening the oppressive heat closes down and we get a nice breeze.

Lots of barbecues hereabouts, lots of children being noisy & running around (which is, after all, what children do ) and a nice community feel, even tho' I haven't been invited over to a barbecue - I'm quite happy to cultivate a local "he keeps hisself to hisself" reputation.

If the BBC forecast is correct this hot sunny weather seems to be going on down here for most of next week and I for one am delighted