Have you ever bought fruit and vegetables from your local supermarket and tried to pass them off as your own home grown produce? Well, I have to admit that I was very tempted to do such a thing today. Rest assured though that I didn’t go through with my original plan!!
At the allotment yesterday, I managed to harvest some turnips, potatoes, a small cabbage and some leeks. The recipe ideas were flowing thick and fast – turnip and potato dauphinois and a steamed, buttery shredded leek and cabbage dish.
Sunday morning in my kitchen, preparing the said vegetables for what was to be a truly marvelous Sunday Lunch, my enthusiasm was shattered. When preparing home-grown veg, I am always very aware of insects and creepy crawlies that may be lurking beneath the leaves. Trimming the roots and outer leaves of my first ever grown leeks, introduced me face to face with the offspring of the onion fly! Little white grubs had burrowed their way into the leaves, heading towards the centre of the veg! I was appalled that these tiny little creatures had put my dinner menu into jeopardy.
After disposing the contaminated veg to the compost bin, and making a mental note to keep next years crop under a fine enviromesh covering, I headed to my local supermarket for leek supplies in order to resume my cooking plan. Inside I was fuming that I had to buy leeks rather than eating my home grown, but the meal was half way prepared and I needed the leeks to continue with my plan.
Could I really get away with passing these veg off as my own? Would I be able to hide the outer cellophane wrapping and keep a straight face when my hubby told me how impressed he was with them? These were some of the questions that passed through my mind, but alas no, I came clean!
But there was method in my madness – my hubby will just have to get creative now and build me some more protective frames for next years veg!!!
Happy diggin’
Debb
digginwivdebb 
Haha – does he know this yet?
Yeah. I fessed up!!
Debbi Love.
I meant the work you have lined up for him ;).