The thing about having a full life is that days can go by when things get neglected. Yoga class on Sunday and since then have been immersed again in Hindu philosophies – visited old yoga teacher Annette yesterday to update her on the course, she of course throws in talk of the kleishas and various other things that I have not even considered. 

Aside from a library of books about the Sutras, I come away with about a kilo of gooseberries, plucked from her prickly bush in a garden set under the Malvern Hills.

Good job, as today’s trip to allotment shows me that our baby bush has been completely stripped by the birds. Bizarrely they have ignored the final summer raspberries in favour of under-ripe green acid bombs.

Greens doing well now, pick a trug-full to cook down for freezing. And the courgettes have started to come to life – glut imminent.

On Monday, took a visit to the Stratford Road with sampad as ‘research’ for their My Route project. Most shops are shut as it’s Ramadam, so we lunch at the Soulful Bakery in Balsall Heath – Lebanese home cooking. I take the £5 plate, with aubergine baked with minced lamb and tomato; chicken with potatoes in a yellow lemony light sauce; chicken kofta and spiced rice. The stars though are the pasties – bread dough, I think enriched with olive oil, encasing a frugal filling of chopped greens, onions and what I think is chilli (deep purple rather than red, like beets). The small pizzas also memorable, topped with same green mix and also flecks of home-made feta, drier and crumblier than the shop bought version. Pasties are about 65p, the pizzas less than £2.

For supper today, veg plot curry:

Dice 1 aubergine and bake in oven with splash of sunflower oil until soft

Soften 1 red onion in butter and oil, add garlic, grated ginger, diced red chill. Add in teaspoon of cumin seeds, half teaspoon each of turmeric and group coriander, and pinch curry leaves. Add diced kohl rabi (Mother’s garden) and 1 chopped tomato, with splash of water until soft-ish.

Near end, added podded broad beans, the aubergine, handful of the cooked and chopped greens, warm through. Finish with more butter and garam masala.

Served with rice, yoghurt and pickles.