Veggie growers

[Poppy03]

We pay 35 pounds for a 10 rod plot. To be honest, not very much. During the war years a 10 rod plot was supposed to be enough to grow 80% of the vegetable/fruit needs for a family of 4. I don't know the actual measurements of it but can ask hubby if you want.

Someone to plough and prepare, lucky you. Pain about the water though. We are lucky in that the tap is at the bottom of one of our plots. Godsend this year with the drought we had.

 

[Maintainer]

last June's plot (we've moved this year... five year rotation). Half us, half our neighbours.

 

[Poppy03]

How beautiful. I do so love looking at other peoples allotment/plots/gardens. What have you got growing there? Looks like a lot of brassicas going. You must have a huge problem with pigeons being so open.

 

[Maintainer]

Funnily enough, we too thought we had a great crop of sprouts to come last year... lots of little tight buds came through, then turned into Eiffel Towers (appropriately!) and sprouted :-(

We donated them to the local farmer's sheep, I think.

This year we're slightly less open in the new area. I don't think we have a pigeon issue out there, but slugs and snails are rife... and last year's melon were half eaten by something with VERY big feet scarily :-(

 

[Poppy03]

Growing Success Advanced Organic Slug Killer [GROWIASK800] | Capital Gardens

Try these for the slugs (you can get them cheaper elsewhere but best description). You need to reapply a little more often but really control the blighters.

Did your brussels sprouts bolt? If so it is probably because they 'rocked' on their roots. I didn't realise at first they needed to be as firm in the ground but now, with all brassicas I literally stand and push with my feet the soil around them and I finally got cauliflowers that didn't bolt. We now stake our brussel sprouts and that has helped too.

 

[Red Heart]

:happy096:

I am in awe of your allotment!
I just want an ickle bit of soil to plant some veg...

 

[Poppy03]

Awww thank you Red Heart. We do love it down there. My addication started when we moved into this house and hubby created some raised beds for me (sandy soil). First year was great, 2nd year ran out of space. 3rd year :cry:It is now our 5th season on the allotment and I have learned so much.

Hope you get your allotment soon. You could always ask on there if anyone wants a bit of help on their plot or if the committee requires some assistance. Perhaps they could point you towards an old boy needing a bit of help and you could also learn alot whilst helping.

 

[m-mouse]

DS has gone to school with some of my beetroot to make beetroot and chilli brownies today - he had to make a cake with an unusual ingredient - not that beetroot is that unusual in a cake any more. Not sure what teh white beetroot will do to the colour of the brownies, but I'm sure they'll eat them!

 

[Poppy03]

Lol, I bet he doesn't bat an eyelid at all these things. What does the chilli do to the brownies? Have you got a recipe handy?

Izzy had peas at her pre school on Tuesday for a snack. They were telling every parent as a pre warning that some of the children had choaked a bit on them or didn't want to try them etc. I had to laugh as Izzy ate peas that morning and put them in her fruit salad she was having. I got to the front and the lady just looked at me and said 'we didn't have any problems with Izzy and her peas, she told us you grew them on the allotment'. How can children not have had fresh peas or be nervous of them!

 

[m-mouse]

Well I gave him chilli flavoured chocolate. Do you want the real recipe (from a veg cake book, made with rice flour and ground nuts) or what I sent him with - my adapted version with proper flour and no nuts.

 

[Poppy03]

Now there is a decision! So the first recipe is gluten free? If so, I may well treat my oldest daughter to a brownie. If not, perhaps your adapted version would be better for us. I wonder what his classmates make of it? Chilli chocolate, you learn something new everyday!

 

[m-mouse]

OK Forbidden Chocoalte Brownies (NOT Dukan Friendly)
400g diced peeled beetroot
100g hazelnuts
3 eggs
220g light muscavado sugar
1/4 tsp salt
150 g dark chocolate broken into squares
2 tbsp white rice flour
70g cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

30g chopped hazelnuts for the top

Oven 160 degrees c
cooke the beetroot with a splash of water in a bowl covered with cling film in the microwave for 10 minutes.

Grind the hazelnuts down as much as possible

Whisk eggs sugar and salt until tripled in volume

Drain the beetroot and blend to a puree. Add the choc to the beetroot and recover with clingfilm (you may need to reheat the beets a little as the idea is for the choc to melt into the beets)

Beat the dry ingredients & the vanilla into the egg mix.

Add the choc/beet mix and stir in.

Pour into a prepared tin and sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top.

Bake for 35 mins.

(the tin in the book is an odd size 27cmX20cmX5cm) I just used the nearest I had.

 

[Poppy03]

I have printed that off to make. How did the go down at school?

 

[m-mouse]

Not many came back!

 

[Topaz63]

That's an interesting no wheat, no gluten recipe.

 

[Maintainer]

Hello again ladies... yes "bolt", that's the word I needed... my other half has unfortunately refused to try again, given the quantity we actually eat and the fact that both of us dislike frozen ones...

We did have our first French beans this weekend. Just enough for a meal for two... and the promise of many more to come given the flowers...

Does anyone have any runners yet? Ours look great, but no beans yet :-(

We bottled some baby beets... and are drying some shallots...

And you?

 

[Poppy03]

We have just had our first minor crop of French beans and I am going down tomorrow and hope we should have some runner beans. They were tiny a week ago so should be good now.

I am drying some onions and shallots, eating some really nice sweet cabbage (must pull another one) and hopefully picking some more fruit. It's all exploded down there as we have had so much rain. We are also close on blight conditions so will cover up tomorrow just in case.

We are currently looking at a burnt out cottage (bidding on it currently) and it has half an acre with it so would give up the allotment. Actually feel really sad about that :-(

 

[Maintainer]

oooh how fascinating re cottage... I presume you'd renovate? I hope we've some veg this weekend although, with alternate PV/PV at the weekend, we really don't get through much while Dukaning!

 

[Poppy03]

We are getting through a bit more veg now that I am on conso but not as much as we used to. Have some lovely new potatoes ready to come up but have resisted them so far. Perhaps I will dig some up anyway.

The cottage will need either demolishing or totally renovating but it is uninhabitable at the moment. Big project

 

[frenchfancy]

I'm a fruit & veg grower too.

We have the following fruit trees/bushes
apple
pear
nectarine
fig
plum
2 cherry
quince
rhubarb
melons
pear/melon
raspberries
strawberries
red currants
black currants
gooseberries
black berries
2 grape vines
2 walnut trees

Vegetables

Potatoes
various salad leaves/lettuce
spring onions
cucumber
radish
tomatoes
carrots
3 different cabbages
spinach
swiss chard
cauliflower
sprouts
swedes
parsnips
turnips
courgettes
peas
haricot verts
barloti beans
runner beans
kale

then I have a large fresh herb bed with lots of everyday herbs in it. During the summer months we are pretty much self sufficient in fruit n veg and I preserve a lot for later in the year. Made a huge batch of ratatouille last week and froze in portions. Got a load more tomatoes to make passato & pasta sauces this weekend.

I don't think you can beat fresh fruit n veg picked from the garden and used straight away. Can't wait till I am on cruise then I can eat my veggies again.