Grow a christmas meal

[Cutecumber]

Forget the turkey, goose and nut roast, it's the vegetables I'm interested in.

Imagine that all we have to do is grow the vegetables for a typical Christmas lunch and we have a perfect plot with perfect soil (i.e. there are no logistics of what else is growing or having enough room at the right time of year!). There's a lovely greenhouse to hand, too.

When do we start everything off, and which varieties do we grow, to ensure that all the veggies are ready for the table at the right time? Ideally, they should be fresh (unless they are better left a while like a maincrop tattie). If you want store it, tell us how.

Here's the list... what varieties would you choose and how will you ensure they'll be on the plate?

Potatoes - some for roasting (and some for salad on Boxing Day)
Brussel Sprouts - like 'em or not
Carrots - for roasting
Parsnips - for roasting
Red cabbage - 'cos its pretty
Onions or shallots - to cook in the red cabbage and for your stuffing or nut roast
Peas - for me, because I love them and I'm not a parsnip person.

If there's something special that you always have at Christmas, add it to the list.

Thinking caps on, chaps. Christmas 2008 needs planning!

[GARDENHAPPY]

We Always Take Shallots,leeks,garlic ,parsley,chives,chestnuts,mushrooms(fresh) And Sautee Them Up In Olive Oil Then Add Them To Already Cooked Rice,wild Mixture With Long Grain Brown Rice About 2 Cups,stuff It All On A Large Squash Or Pumpkin And Bake It 1 Hour,also Use Carrots Cook Up Add A Little Garlic Salt And Olive Oil Toss ,yum,yum!!!!!!!! Every Year Everyine Makes Sure We're Bringing This Dish,when Served Up Scoop The Squash Or Pumpkin Out With The Rice.

[mandyballantyne]

Think you have my perfect list, the only thing I would add is mabye some cranberries. I would then make sauce with them to go with my nut roast.

So far I think I have the potato, sprouts and carrots sorted for Christmas 07 (fingers crossed) The celery hopefully will be fine till then for the soup too.

Mandy

[FoxHillGardener]

I always insist on mashed potato - tradition or not! We usually use the same ones as the roasties, but maybe there are other special mashing potatoes?

Also like to have broccoli and cauliflower as extra veggies

[Winged one]

So we have:

Potatoes - some for roasting (and some for salad on Boxing Day) and for mashing
Brussel Sprouts - like 'em or not
Carrots - for roasting
Parsnips - for roasting
Red cabbage - 'cos its pretty
Onions or shallots - to cook in the red cabbage and for your stuffing or nut roast
Peas - for me, because I love them and I'm not a parsnip person.
cranberries. I would then make sauce with them to go with my nut roast
celery - for the soup
broccoli
cauliflower
And Garden Happy's stuffed baked squash/pumpkin.

I'll add lettuce and tomatoes (to go with the smoked salmon).
And garlic - can't have stuffing with no garlic.
I'd use most of the above (except the squash/pumpkin and parsnips - still trying to get over childhood hatred).

This year, we will have stored red and yellow onions, and garlic. And I have some brocolli frozen which has Xmas Day marked on the bag! (only froze 9 portions in total, so wanted to make sure some was safe).

A plan for 2008 is definitely in order. (No greenhouse in my raw materials though - but willing to freeze).

[SarzWix]

Potatoes - some for roasting (and some for salad on Boxing Day) I'd grow more, and spray for blight - I have no potatoes left for autumn, never mind Christmas!
Brussel Sprouts - like 'em or not I have brussels growing, not sure if I sowed them early enough though...
Carrots - for roasting Still haven't managed to grow any... They don't like my soil. Trying some in pots to overwinter in greenhouse, be a miracle if there's any to eat at Christmas!
Parsnips - for roasting As carrots above
Red cabbage - 'cos its prettyBrussels are red variety, will they do?
Onions or shallots - to cook in the red cabbage and for your stuffing or nut roast Managed to grow plenty of them, they're plaited in garage, should last til Christmas?!
Peas - for me, because I love them and I'm not a parsnip person.
Green beans are my thing, not peas. Got a pot in greenhouse, if they fail it will be frozen!

[Cutecumber]

So it looks like we're all good at eating the veg, but not entirely sure whether we'll have any on our plates...

We need those who have grown successfully in previous years to tell us how they did it.

Come on! Which Brussel will be ready at Christmas time? Which carrot roasts best?

We need the details

[shirlthegirl43]

I accidentally grew carrots for Christmas last year - planted in July and just about ready to enjoy lightly steamed with the turkey.

This year I planted them a bit earlier, with the intention of having 2 kinds for Christmas dinner.

I also have one bucket with Edzell Blue spuds just forming ping pong sized tubers now so they should be ready. First earlies are being earthed up this evening so they might be ready too.

[Mrs Dobby]

So far we've got growing for xmas lunch :-

Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Parsnips
Leeks

We've also got spuds, onions, shallots and Squash (for roasting) stored safetly, and peas, beans, mange tout and sweetcorn in the freezer!

So my hopes are that we'll have a pretty much home-grown xmas lunch here!

[veg4681]

Unfortunately I'm unable to make useful input due to lack of experience of growin enough vegetables, let alone the Christmas ones.
Hopefully I will learn a lot for next year Christmas by the end of this thread.

I think if you can make your own cranberry sauce, you should. I had a jar of an exclusive type as Xmas present and the taste/texture was just splendid...not cheap jelly-like you get from the everyday quality of cranberry sauce. Maybe a good idea to get a cranberry bush between now and spring for 2008 Christmas dinner.

For potatoes, they say Vivaldi is the no 1 best tasting tatties but it is a new potato. I tried them when they were half price at Sainsbury and got my tasters to give me the verdict (since I'm no good at telling) and they said it's a very tasty potatoes with full of flavour. I found the texture quite velvety too. So I think they make a lovely luxury item to have for Christmas 2008.

[Snadger]

But what about the Christmas Pudding!
You'll need to dry the grapes to make the sultanas and raisins, pick a few of the Lemons for there zest and peel and distill the wine you made from the rest of the grapes to make the Brandy for the Brandy sauce!

[FoxHillGardener]

...
I think if you can make your own cranberry sauce, you should. I had a jar of an exclusive type as Xmas present and the taste/texture was just splendid...not cheap jelly-like you get from the everyday quality of cranberry sauce. Maybe a good idea to get a cranberry bush between now and spring for 2008 Christmas dinner.

I make Delia's cranbury and orange relish (http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/c...sh,886,RC.html) yum!