Catch up

The last month has seen a lot of strawberries, tidying and weeding, followed by a holiday and a couple of plots looking like I hadn’t done any weeding… I know it’s goes with the territory but apparently the allotment officer came round to inspect plot no 2 this week again when it was look a complete mess – aaarrrrggghhhh! The stone wall falling down at the front of the plot isn’t really helping matters. Guess I’ll be getting another letter soon…

Anyway, back to the review. The last month has seen a couple of firsts. Despite having the most unhealthy look plants I managed to grow one Okra. I hate Okra, but Mrs D likes it and confirmed it was tasty. Not sure it was worth all the effort to be honest and so far one Okra off for four plants (not to mention those that died in the cold weather earlier this year) isn’t a great return, but there are a couple more growing.

Secondly, my first tomato grown at home. I know it’s pretty sad, but I always fail to grow them for various (neglectful) reasons, but the one taking over the attic room is doing very well and has begun to fruit. Weather we get enough to make sauce from them is another matter altogether… Must get the greenhouse put up!

Now, the strawberries – gratuitous gloating follows! We’ve had a lot, even to the point of giving some away. They were great strawberries this year and to celebrate we made a lot of stuff with them:

Strawberry cheesecake

Strawberry flan

Strawberry jelly

Jam in the making

Jam, which did set, bit runny but the way we get through it, it’s not going to be a problem!

We’ve had quite a few peas – all of which have been eaten straight from the pod, largely by the kids – and broad beans, although I never seem to get as many as I’d like – we like broad beans a lot! We’re eating Charlottes for several meals a week, and very tasty they are too. Kids haven’t started complaining we’re having them too often either, so I take that as a sign they like them as well! The French beans (Major) are just starting off – they’ve been having to compete with the weeds so haven’t been doing so well and some of my dwarf beans appear to have developed a climbing habit… Must have got mixed up with the labelling somewhere!

The summer raspberries are doing OK, most of the gooseberries seem to have been eaten (by what?) as did the red currants (must put netting on better next year).

Then we went on holiday for a week and this happened:

We ended up with 16 courgettes/marrows, all the lettuce ready at the same time (of course), some of the main crop peas coming through, good sized beetroot and some reasonable (it’s all relative!) sized carrots. We’re currently working our way through many different courgette recipes However, I’m with Nigel Slater – we should call them Zucchini it just sounds much more exciting!

101 Things to do with strawberries

Can you have a glut of strawberries? Well possibly…

picked these this lunchtime, then another punnet tonight. Looks like I could be making more of this:

or more ice cream. Or possibly marinated with a bit of balsamic vinegar and sugar. Or into a strawberry smoothie. Or more likely just on their own. Or maybe all of them. To be honest it’s a nice problem to have!

Cracked it!

The ghost of last year’s strawberry jam has been excised!

After trying a much simpler recipe this year (none of that fancy, over complicated rubbish) and continual stirring to ensure no sticking, the strawberry jam has set, and the HFW preserving book is off to the charity shop. I’m all the more chuffed as this year it was with my own strawberries, so the pressure was on not to ruin them.

Five jars in total from 1kg of strawberries. The fruit has risen to the top of the jars which is all the wife’s fault as she worried me by telling me it would continue to cook in the pan so it could burn still. As a result I put it in the jars far too soon, but to be honest I don’t care and I don’t anticipate the jars lasting too long anyway!

First jam of the year too, bit slow getting going with it this year, but I always think of my grandmother when I make jam. I was given the preserving pan after she died – this one used to be my Mum’s and she kept her Mum’s, so it was a kinda inheritance. I like to think my grandmother would be pleased with the result, maybe not up to her standard yet, but I’m sure she’d be smiling at the thought of me making jam though!