Summer! Sun! Growth!

It seems we are having a summer, so I have been at the allotment a lot.

I will get the photos of my phone and get blogging my activities soon.

Maybe even today, as it looks a little overcast out the window.

Borscht

I have made borscht tonight, I'm just simmering it now before giving it a bit of a blitz.

The beetroot isn't homegrown unfortunately, but the cabbage is. I love how cabbage looks when you cut into it: like marble.



I softened onion in a pan, added the cabbage and beetroot (about half the amount of cabbage to beetroot, by weight) added a tablespoon of cider vinegar, a bay leaf, and some salt and pepper, and then added stock and am simmering for an hour or so. I'll leave it to cool a bit, before blitzing in the blender, and then reheat before eating and serve with a blob of yoghurt or sour cream.

I think I'll make some red coleslaw, and some braised cabbage with the other cabbage and a half I have left.

chillies

Our chilli plant shave been shorn of their ripe fruits now, and we have made them into strings for drying.





We have made chilli jam with some of them and, delightfully, the plants now seem to be flowering again in the warmth of our kitchen, so there may be more chillies to come.

Threading them made our eyes water, the piercing them with the needle seemed to release a lot of spice and had me coughing a lot.

Helloooooooooo!

I haven't posted for a while, but I promise we have been doing some stuff at the plot.

Most things are over, but some tomatoes are still going (in the lean house), chilies are ripening, and various kinds of salad are going (also in the lean house). The Christmas Potatoes are also coming on well, and I'm quite excited about them.

So, what have we had?

The last courgette before the frost was more of a marrow, I took it to my Mum's and we stuffed it with couscous and topped it with goats cheese, which was lovely:



We took up the rest of the potatoes shortly after the frost too, they are fantastic, a beautiful colour and flavour:




I made a thai potato curry with some tonight:



I'm also ripening some of my 'heritage' tomatoes at home at the moment, I have them on the windowsill in plastic tubs to try and make the most of the light. I've left some ripe ones in with them in the hope the ethylene they give off will encourage ripening:



The main kind are Lemon Tree ones which are such an amazing shape, really like lemons!



We are now looking forward to getting a few jobs in the winter. The Lean House needs ends, and we need to sort out a few beds. I'm looking forward to having the stove on and drinking coffee in a crispy frosty allotment.

Back after another break

I know, it is all holidays with us.

This time our friend L came into water and harvest for us, she more usually resides in London and has her name down on a very long list there, so this was an opportunity to pretend she had an allotment of her own.

Most stuff seemed good when we got back, apart from the courgette and the beans. All the courgette's leaves had gone brown and flopped over (the squash was similar) and the leaves of the bean plants (way over the other side of the allotment) were floppy and brown too. I've taken all the leaves off the courgette as the rest of the plant still seems healthy, but I'm not sure what to do about the beans, they are only small plants and if I remove the brown leaves there won't be much left.

It has been wet so I don't know if it is some kind of rot. Any ideas as to what is going on, and how to deal with it, welcomed.

Aubergine No 1

We have harvested our first aubergine!



I'm so proud! It is off the plant that we bought as a little seedling, so it isn't quite all our own work, but I have high hopes for the ones we have grown from seed as they are flowering now.

It went into a curry but I'm thinking of Baba Ganoush for the next one.

living off the land

We were just musing the other night how great it is to be popping to the allotment in the evening to collect food, rather than popping to the supermarket. Stuff is so fresh and tasty, and it is really relaxing too just wandering around seeing what is ready. It makes for slightly random meals, but that is quite fun too.

I'm really enjoying it, and plans for how to fit more beds in are afoot. More beans and peas are definitely on the cards, I think we might ditch rocket and spinach (but stick with perpetual spinach) and have more lettuce - which can go inbetween lots of other things. Carrots we are dithering about, they take up quite a lot of room, but carrot cake with fresh carrots is lovely!

And more strawberries, the plants are now sending out runners which is good.

All in all I think these first few months have been good.

Mmmmmmm-mmmmmmm

Harvests continue aplenty.


Latest recipe is a pea, bean, feta and mint salad. Equal amounts of peas and broad beans, then proportionally slightly more feta, and as much mint as you fancy (lots!). Mix in with salad leaves and add lemon juice and olive oil to dress. It's fantastic.

Also good were noodles with chilli (3 tiny ones from our plant), bacon and peas, topped off with caramelised shallots and finely sliced plum tomato. The tomatoes were the first from one of our plants and they taste fantastic, really fragrant.


I'm now wondering what to do with cucumber (no sniggering at the back) as we have two approaching readiness. I've seen a garlic chicken and cucumber recipe on the beeb site that looks promising, and also cucumber salsa to serve with fish, so I might try those. And there is always tzatziki (sp?) and raita.


We also made raspberry and strawberry cheesecake, doesn't really count as from the allotment as only the fruit on top didn't come from the shop, but I had forgotten how good proper homemade cheesecake tastes. Really simple too: digestives, butter and sugar for the base; cream cheese, greek yoghurt, double cream, and icing sugar for the top. Just add fresh strawberries and raspberries.


Mmmmmmm-mmmmmmm

more produce

This time shallots. They are drying on a old metal grid thing in the greenhouse.

and also the peas are now giving up a harvest every few days, here they are with the broad beans behind them and the onions in front. The bed behind is the potatoes.



The peas are lovely and sweet, and the potatoes (Arran Pilots) have a fantastic texture.

We have also planted some purple beans, and some more courgettes, in the random hope of having later season stuff. About 5 mins after I had planted the beans the Gardener's Question Time tip for what to do now was 'plant beans to try and extend the season', so I live in hope. They are in a bit of guttering in the bath (previously Bath'O' Salad™) so that they should be a bit easier to transfer once the time comes. I think we will put them against the east fence (the one behind the peas in the previous photo).

weeds, weeds and more weeds

We had a marathon weeding session on Saturday, the beds with broccoli and lettuce in, the strawberry bed and the cabbage beds. All were absolutely covered in green, looking very scruffy. Now they are lovely and neat.



The greenhouse is awash with greenery, some of the tomato plants we started from seeds are starting to get flowers.



Still don't have our plastic for the greenhouse so it is still a naked frame. I'm promised that it will arrive tomorrow afternoon though. I had forgotten that it was a bank holiday here in Scotland today, so that scuppered my cladding plans.