Christmas cheer

Ok, I know it's a bit sad writing a blog entry on Christmas day, but the facts are that the Allotmentboss's Boss is downstairs preparing food (and implicitly inviting me not to hover in the kitchen) and I'm upstairs testing out a USB mug warmer I got as a present [1]. So, while I have free hands I might as well.

Anyway, on with the allotment related news. This is, after all, an allotment blog.

First, there's the Brussels Sprouts. Most years we grow the variety Groninger, but this year we tried Wellington. I'm not impressed. You see, I'm the sort that likes bullet hard, tightly packed ball bearings of sprout. Wellington are anything but this. They're like little loose flower heads. I'm not sure whether its the variety or the warm weather we've been having - although we have had the frosts that sprouts are always better after - but either way its back to Groninger next year.
Next, there's the horseradish. As I've written here before, I'm partial to Jerusalem artichoke and horseradish soup. So, I dug both up yesterday to make this year's first batch.

Last year I tried grating the horseradish by hand. I'm still surprised that I came out of the experience alive, even if I have got a bit of squint now and still get flashbacks. So, this year I thought I'd try using a blender to grate the stuff. Big mistake. You see, you get nothing while the thing's whizzing away, but as soon as you take the lid off it's obvious the pain has just been stored up. The ABB found me cowering in the corner, half grated horseradish dashed across the work surface and down the floor, whimpering "make it stop".

All of this makes me wonder what was going through the minds of the first humans to try horseradish. I mean, there must have been some stage of experimentation when people didn't know what plants were edible. Surely, when trying out new plants to eat, you wouldn't persevere with horseradish? What went through that Australopithecene entrepreneur's mind - surely, in the absence of knowledge to the contrary, the sheer pain of preparing horseradish would make it a "nah, I don't reckon we could eat that"?

Still, it makes nice sauce.

Anyway, that's enough of that. I've got a day of drinking and swearing at the Queen to get on with.

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[1] I used to be a bit of a freelance scientist when I was young enough to have a full head of hair. So, armed with the knowledge that (pure) water has a specific heat capacity of 4.2 kJmol^-1, there's 100ml of water in the cup and the stated power of the warmer is 2.5W, I ought to be able to work out its efficiency using my home-brew thermometer. Life's not all sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, you know - although at times it would be nice if just some of it was.