From a cool box dumped on a drove to a hot box

On an early morning cycle ride, I glanced down this drove to see a large upright fridge dumped on the verge, just next to this mattress. I felt sorry that people would still do such things and little did I think that a couple of weeks later we would have a use for it...

Other than the fact that it was not in working order - hence it being dumped - it was still in good shape and barely damaged. Just a small amount of rust and a few scratches, it even still had it's glass shelves all intact - quite amazing considering that it had probably been thrown out of the back of a vehicle - now it was destined for much better things...

It was going to be made into a hot box to help us grow a rather special micro - sweet corn shoots.

But first it needed cleaning  and sterilising and then a bit of adaptation work - Melv was on to it in a flash.

Once clean and respectable, Melv began with the the installation of a small 40 watt heater, our shoots like it hot and this low wattage heater in an insulated box was going to do the trick.

It fitted perfectly in the cavity usually occupied by the crisper and our hot box was starting to take shape - we moved it into place.

It sat nicely next to our existing chest freezer, with the thermometer installed we tested the temperature and found that the heater running at just half its capacity provided the temperature we needed, we were ready to go.

Shelves installed, the trays of sweet corn shoots took up their place, the hot box should provide the perfect conditions - the shoots need to be grown in the dark and warm - we hoped they were going to be in their element.

24 hours later our hopes had been realised and the proof of the pudding wasn't in the eating but in the growth rate - it was incredible...

In just 24 hours shoots had grown a minimum of 2cm and up to 4cm - I have never seen such a responsive plant - out hot box was a hit with this little micro

After their overnight growth the shoots were ready for the Sheppey Inn to serve with their Friday sword fish - perfect timing - thanks to our new hot box. Used as a unique garnish, they provide a rather special taste. The first bite gives a sweetness of traditional freshly picked sweetcorn, which is followed by a taste probably best described as intense sweet bubble-gum that lingers in quite a remarkable way. A micro that should certainly be on everyone's list as a must try - quite unforgettable for such a small, delicate and unassuming shoot.

The other bonus is that the next time I did my early morning cycle ride, when I glanced down the drove there was no dumped fridge to be seen and it was great to think it had been recycled and given a new lease of life, this time to grow food rather than preserve it!!