A Taste of the Camino back home in Australia

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Everywhere we travel in the world we come across a dish or a wine whose taste will forever bring us back to that place. For the Camino it was a plato of pimientos de Padrón, charred and salted, simple fare but oh so delicious and oh so memorable and oh so addictive.

As hubby and I live in a country that rightly protects its biosecurity (we'll leave aside for the moment our atrocious treatment of other arrivals), we are very careful what we bring home with us. We managed to source some packets of pimiento seeds with all the right identification and descriptions in a small tienda along the Way. Through the red line on arrival to declare our bounty, we discovered - for future reference - that this was the correct approach but unfortunately NO pepper/capsicum or tomato seeds are allowed into Australia

So... after much searching we discovered 2 suppliers here and promptly ordered multiple packets I'm very pleased to announce that several have done very well in our climate and through our crazy spring and summer and that we have been indulging in tapas plates of pimientos for some weeks now



To authenticate our paellas, my saffron crocus bulbs have arrived and will be planted in mid March.

Now the wine... well we're off soon to a course on The Wines of Spain and every little boutique wine shop I pass is an invitation

 

[karenfromcali]

Everywhere we travel in the world we come across a dish or a wine whose taste will forever bring us back to that place. For the Camino it was a plato of pimientos de Padrón, charred and salted, simple fare but oh so delicious and oh so memorable and oh so addictive.

As hubby and I live in a country that rightly protects its biosecurity (we'll leave aside for the moment our atrocious treatment of other arrivals), we are very careful what we bring home with us. We managed to source some packets of pimiento seeds with all the right identification and descriptions in a small tienda along the Way. Through the red line on arrival to declare our bounty, we discovered - for future reference - that this was the correct approach but unfortunately NO pepper/capsicum or tomato seeds are allowed into Australia

So... after much searching we discovered 2 suppliers here and promptly ordered multiple packets I'm very pleased to announce that several have done very well in our climate and through our crazy spring and summer and that we have been indulging in tapas plates of pimientos for some weeks now

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To authenticate our paellas, my saffron crocus bulbs have arrived and will be planted in mid March.

Now the wine... well we're off soon to a course on The Wines of Spain and every little boutique wine shop I pass is an invitation

Well done! A great way to enjoy a little bit of camino at home

 

[Kanga]

Oh, I so loved your post @Wokabaut_Meri. I have a relative who was a vet in the UK during the last foot and mouth outbreak and I'm passionate about protecting our island home from similar disasters. Good on you for doing the right thing and I am glad you have been rewarded with a great crop.

We found a supply of really, really good Rioja very cheaply at the large German supermarket chain.....

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Oh, I so loved your post @Wokabaut_Meri. I have a relative who was a vet in the UK during the last foot and mouth outbreak and I'm passionate about protecting our island home from similar disasters. Good on you for doing the right thing and I am glad you have been rewarded with a great crop.

We found a supply of really, really good Rioja very cheaply at the large German supermarket chain.....

Thanks for the tip - will check it out! Rioja Vino tinto

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Good for you for declaring the goods. Amazing how careless people can be wanting to take their little bits across the border formthei own commoditu.

 

[Donna Sch]

https://www.diggers.com.au/shop/edibles/capsicum-padron/s0662/ is where I found seeds. Haven't yet planted them out yet but it's on the list to do soon when the weather cools up here in the Far North. Coles did have Manchego before Xmas but seem to have run out. Hope they restock soon so I can get my fix every now and then. http://www.spanishdeli.com.au/ has real jamon from Guijelo. You pass close to Guijelo on the VDLP and we met a wonderful farmer up on the hill near the tepee when we stopped for morning tea. He was in his 70s but had the loveliest happy face. Went walking every morning on the camino route to check his stock who are most definitely free-range. Definitely one of the special characters we met along the way so I have no qualms at all eating jamon potentially raised by such a lovely bloke. That Guijelo has a reputation for some of the best jamon in Spain doesn't hurt either!

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Good for you for declaring the goods. Amazing how careless people can be wanting to take their little bits across the border formthei own commodity.

Makes no sense really and the Declare Goods queue is always quicker plus we keep up to date on the latest biosecurity rules for future reference. When we return from any of our overseas walks our boots and poles are always scrubbed and disinfected.

Hubby once declared herbal medicine (herbal haemorrhoid cream with unused applicator) and got waved through very quickly!

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

https://www.diggers.com.au/shop/edibles/capsicum-padron/s0662/ is where I found seeds. Haven't yet planted them out yet but it's on the list to do soon when the weather cools up here in the Far North. Coles did have Manchego before Xmas but seem to have run out. Hope they restock soon so I can get my fix every now and then. http://www.spanishdeli.com.au/ has real jamon from Guijelo. You pass close to Guijelo on the VDLP and we met a wonderful farmer up on the hill near the tepee when we stopped for morning tea. He was in his 70s but had the loveliest happy face. Went walking every morning on the camino route to check his stock who are most definitely free-range. Definitely one of the special characters we met along the way so I have no qualms at all eating jamon potentially raised by such a lovely bloke. That Guijelo has a reputation for some of the best jamon in Spain doesn't hurt either!

Thanks for the information Donna. We got seeds from Diggers but also from two other sources - Southern Harvest and Chilli Garden who do regional collections. We have had varied success with the three types but a steady supply now that the plants are established.

 

[Carol06]

We have had numerous lunches of padron peppers here in NZ. The seeds are available through Kings, a local supplier. We live in Northland and and the growing conditions are obviously ideal.