Not worth making yourself

[Pontormo]

Filo dough

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I'd even go as far as saying puff pastry - there are some ok fresh and frozen brands available, and it's a bugger to make yourself. Shortcrust is a different matter though.

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I disagree on this one. It's really not that hard.

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While I have yet to experiment with puff pastry, this summer I made what Judy Rodgers calls a "rough" version of puff pastry for what she calls a peach crostada (and what the Alice Waters people would call more of a galette). It was extraordinary, thanks to the quality of the peaches, one of the best desserts I've ever had. Easy peasy, just time-consuming. The sense of accomplishment and factor of impressing and honoring guests are factors worth considering in evaluating pros and cons. Besides, the most accessible brand of puff pastry doesn't list butter as an ingredient.

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Funny how our national & family traditions determines our responses.

Speaking of peas, I haven't bought fresh English peas since I don't know when. On rare occasions when I am tempted in the spring, the results are disappointing or worse. Mealy, unpleasant. Frozen peas are so much better than anything I can purchase, shell and boil.

[Peter Green]

Pufferfish.

[GTO]

Pufferfish.

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That's just asking for a Simpsons reference

'Concentrate...concentrate...'

'I WANT FUGU!'

[sazji]

Garlic (nearly “free” already)

I assume by this you mean it's not worth growing your own?

I'd go so far as to say that whole heads of fresh garlic aren't worth buying, at least not this time of year, unless you have a source for really good fresh garlic. The stuff I can find in supermarkets is mostly starting to sprout before I even get it home. It's a big hassle to cut the cloves and dig out the green parts.

A couple months ago I bought the giant plastic container of whole peeled cloves from Costco. I don't have it handy, but it's probably about two pounds of garlic cloves, for just a few bucks. The flavor isn't quite as good as fresh, but it's hassle-free.

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When I was in Seattle I would regularly plant lots of garlic in the fall; not to have garlic heads but for green garlic (i.e. 'scallion stage') in the spring. I really missed it from Greece - they sell garlic at all stages of its development, from single scallions to swollen (but not yet dried/papery) white heads. There's just nothing else like it!

[Catherine Iino]

I absolutely agree about the garlic. Here in Connecticut, it's something you can plant in the fall and harvest halfway through the summer; it almost feels like a freebie. And you can't buy the scapes, which are delicious.

[C. sapidus]

When I was in Seattle I would regularly plant lots of garlic in the fall; not to have garlic heads but for green garlic (i.e. 'scallion stage') in the spring. I really missed it from Greece - they sell garlic at all stages of its development, from single scallions to swollen (but not yet dried/papery) white heads.  There's just nothing else like it!

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I absolutely agree about the garlic. Here in Connecticut, it's something you can plant in the fall and harvest halfway through the summer; it almost feels like a freebie. And you can't buy the scapes, which are delicious.

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Catherine and Sazji - you make pretty convincing arguments for growing garlic. The counter-argument is that I must dig up two wheelbarrows full of rocks for every 6-foot by 6-foot patch of garden. Tomatoes, chiles, and herbs take priority. If there is any space left over, I will give garlic due consideration. Fair enough?