No more growing pains

This summer at the Examiner office we've had courgettes, beetroot, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, rhubarb and blackberries flying around. People are growing fruit and veg like never before and theyve been put to very good use when they've passed into my hands!
Whether it's the credit crunch or just a new hobby that's taken off this year I don't know, but it's more than welcome to people who love food and cooking. I say new in the loosest of senses, as people have had alotments around the area for years and years but people seem to be really catching the bug (and hopefully their produce not!) in recent months.
It's great that people are sharing their produce too, it's like going back in time.
A fantastic courgette which was the size of a marrow, was brought in by a friend, "I'd never seen one as big as that before!", I took it home hollowed it out and fried the flesh with some onion, garlic, chorizo sausage and red pepper. I mixed that in with some cooked cous cous, added lemon juice and parsley and shoved it back in the casing, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and whacked it in the oven for ten minutes at 180 degrees. It was gorgeous. Thank you Karen!
Another colleague brought in a bag of the sweetest tasting cherry tomatoes I've ever had. He says he never has to buy any through the summer just picks them off his plants.
The one's that survived the day at work were put to good use, I made a tart base using ready made puff pastry, and added the halved tomatoes, some onion fried with a dash of balsamic vinegar and pieces of goat's cheese. These were baked for twenty minutes (180 degrees) and a few sprigs of basil added on top and they were fantastic. Cheers Dave!
My mum also made one of her fantastic rhubarb crumble with the help of some more home-grown produce. If I told you the recipe for that I'd have to kill you!
I've vowed to grow my own potatoes when the next time to sow them comes, you can do them in a bucket or bin by all accounts and although I've had limited success growing my own garlic and chillies, I'm pretty confident I'll end up with a bumper crop...reckon it's something in the air (or should I say soil!)