Megan Palmer

One of our favourite desserts is a french pear flan with a shortcrust pastry and almond cream filling (aka frangipane) with the fruit sandwiched between layers of the filling.

Apples, plums, peaches and cherries can be substituted for the pears.

The differences would be that a grilled cheese sandwich usually has fewer ingredients and made with sliced bread vs a tortilla with a much more substantial filling.

Our local Latin American restaurant serves a choice of vegetarian, pulled beef, chicken or pork quesadillas that are smothered in sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole with a side of coleslaw.

Not intended to be eaten with our hands and a substantial meal in themselves.

Having spent years digging out thistles from my plot at the community garden, it would be a resounding yes you will definitely regret planting it from me.

Do globe artichokes grow in your climate? They have thistle like flowers and chooks love the seed heads. Of course you can eat them yourselves too.

edited to add a photo of just one session of pulling up unwelcome thistles.

Seven years later they're still here - seeds get carried from neighbouring plots by the wind and birds despite my whacking the heads off any flower heads that I spot.

Many of the wood burners here in NZ have cast iron grates and back panels.

Without knowing the location of the brick in your firebox, would a cast iron piece fulfil the function of the brick if it can’t be repaired?

Dark chocolate and orange zest in chili con carne

There are at least 3 jars of home made chutney in our fridge at the moment - a green tomato & apple; an apricot chutney and a plum chutney, not to mention a jar of piccalilli and store bought branston pickle.

I've never water bathed my chutneys, they get put into clean jars that have been heated in the oven and when they have cooled, I pour wax over the top which prevents the lids getting corroded by the vinegar. The chutney often shrinks as its stored and the wax layer also helps to stop the chutney drying out and/or oxidising.

They keep indefinitely at room temperature but once opened, I do refrigerate them.

Just checked and it's a nectarine and apple chutney, not plum😉

Edited to add another photo

I put lavender in the chicken's nesting boxes.

Freshly cut stems are great for making lavender wands to hang in the wardrobe.

They're a bit fiddly to make but the smell is wonderful.

Lucille Harling wrote: My question is: how do I ferment already pickled sushi ginger?  Here is my method thus far: I bought a jar of already pickled sushi ginger.

Why you wish to ferment your sushi ginger?

The ginger is already pickled in vinegar and washing it may increase the chance of introducing bacteria to the kombucha liquid.

If you want to make lacto fermented ginger, it might be preferable to start with fresh finely sliced ginger and ferment it from scratch in brine.

When I make sauerkraut I add slices of fresh garlic and finely julienned ginger between layers of cabbage. If you have a batch of sauerkraut going, you could bury a layer of finely sliced ginger to your sauerkraut.

Lacto fermented daikon radishes are really tasty as are cucumbers - I usually sprinkle salt over the vegetables to draw out excess liquid and sliced ginger could be added to the brine for a natural ferment.

I can’t help with the temperature probe question, however old and what brand is your oven?

Would it be worthwhile trying to get the thermostat replaced?

Have you checked the seals - if they are loose, your oven could be losing heat.

Spare parts may still available for your oven.

An old fashioned custom amongst Chinese people was that we never visited anyone’s home without bringing a small gift, usually food - fruit, home baking, preserves etc.

My nephews who are both in their early 20’s will always bring a gift when they come to visit, usually food or drink, even if it’s just a bar of good chocolate, wine or assorted cheeses.

As children, we were taught to always greet elders when we met them, even in our own home. It was the height of bad manners to not verbally greet a person when they entered a room.

Even if they weren’t related, we always called elders by a title - aunty, uncle, grandma, grandpa.

It irritates me no end when I go into a store and the assistants don’t acknowledge our presence. Perhaps it bothers me more than others due to my cultural upbringing.