Yes - I'm sorry - I have already started to think about Christmas - its four months away and yet I am beginning to think about veg we could have with our christmas dinner and how I can best use the space which I have to grow some winter crops. Part of this comes from the Rocket Gardens winter Veg plants - but the other comes from a great book called "The Diggers Diary" in which discussions are had about growing potatos for Christmas dinner. The main concern seems to be frost damage and insufficient shelter, the Guardian Organic Spetember allotment diary is well worth a read.
The orange potato bags we bought to grow the charlotte earlies in seemed to work very well and they would fit inside my greenhouse which with some fleece lining would slmost certainly be frost proof. I think it would be fun to serve up homegrown potatos on the (almost) shortest day of the year - along with the cabbages, kale, sprouts and maybe carrots. Apparently "Autumn King", Berlicum" and some Nantes varieties can be planted in early autumn ready for winter but need overwintering under cloches when the temperature drops. Beans are also apparently possible.
This has got me thinking about the veg patch & ways in which i could perhaps make it more seasonally suitable. There are still plants growing in it so I can't make too many changes just yet but I am wondering about changing the access onto the plot & putting up a better 'fence' which would give more wind shelter - also which I could use to build winter protection in the form of fleece cloches.
And I haven't even started on the things i want to make for christmas such as chutneys, jams and preserves, cushions and recycled gifts. By which I don't mean giving away presents I've received - I mean making things from other things. I really want to decorate the house and I dont want to use lots of plastic and paper - bit of a spoilsport really!
Monday 31 August 2009
Sunday 30 August 2009
Tentings and Tagines
While on our honeymoon in the deepest darkest depths of Cornwall we decided that we should come up with 10 things (or Tentings) which we each wanted to do, and then a seperate list of things which we wanted to do together. The speed with which we arranged our wedding was amazing but it had meant everything else (including the garden) was put on hold for 5 months. That pretty much meant civilised conversations about anything other than weddings wer a thing of the past as well.
It was fun coming up with the ten things, one which 'he' put down was to try a new recipe every fortnight - this started out quite hard but in fact became easier to the point that we now only repeat a recipe if we really really liked it rather than becasue we couldn't be bothered to look up a new option. This has meant we have been getting the most out of our fabulous tagine which it would be fair to say has revolutionised the way we eat and big bonus is that 'He' has really got into cooking as well. The tagine has been used on average five nights out of seven, a lot of mediterranean dishes and british stews/casseroles do very well in it. So much so that I am thinking of asking for another ornate ones for Christmas this year.
Another upside of the tentings has been our visits to museums and places we wouldn't normally go. We are off to the Norfolk Heritage Moveable Feast in a few weeks which should be awesome, not least because the first course is served at Dragon Hall where we tied the knot 3 months ago today. We have planned picnics and cycle rides and we have at long last sorted out the junk room into a TV den where we can relax and chill out. WE took an afternoon off last week and went to Wroxham Barns, amazing locally sourced food for lunch, followed by a trip around the Junior Farm where we watched calves be fed, eyed up the delicious piglets, looked after the breeds of chickens, talked to the donkeys and stroked the sheep. The highlight was cuddling a guineau pig which was ginger and adorable, so much so even he stroked it!
I recommend it - sit down with tea, cake and no distractions and write a list of ten things you would like to do. They don't have to involve changing your entire life, (from small acorns mighty oak trees grow), i have put on mine that i want to bake an edible loaf of bread - at the other end of the scale I want to travel Japan. We are overall more positive and moving in a better direction due to that rainy afternoon in Cornwall where we hit upon the idea of tentings. We have new cusions in our TV room and a table runner with gorgous beads to match (handmade), we have ruby sunflowers brightening up the dining room and a fresh spiced banana cake which was made today for afternoon tea. I have red, pink, blue and purple fowers in the front garden along with a myrtle which symbolises Love and Marriage.
It was fun coming up with the ten things, one which 'he' put down was to try a new recipe every fortnight - this started out quite hard but in fact became easier to the point that we now only repeat a recipe if we really really liked it rather than becasue we couldn't be bothered to look up a new option. This has meant we have been getting the most out of our fabulous tagine which it would be fair to say has revolutionised the way we eat and big bonus is that 'He' has really got into cooking as well. The tagine has been used on average five nights out of seven, a lot of mediterranean dishes and british stews/casseroles do very well in it. So much so that I am thinking of asking for another ornate ones for Christmas this year.
Another upside of the tentings has been our visits to museums and places we wouldn't normally go. We are off to the Norfolk Heritage Moveable Feast in a few weeks which should be awesome, not least because the first course is served at Dragon Hall where we tied the knot 3 months ago today. We have planned picnics and cycle rides and we have at long last sorted out the junk room into a TV den where we can relax and chill out. WE took an afternoon off last week and went to Wroxham Barns, amazing locally sourced food for lunch, followed by a trip around the Junior Farm where we watched calves be fed, eyed up the delicious piglets, looked after the breeds of chickens, talked to the donkeys and stroked the sheep. The highlight was cuddling a guineau pig which was ginger and adorable, so much so even he stroked it!
I recommend it - sit down with tea, cake and no distractions and write a list of ten things you would like to do. They don't have to involve changing your entire life, (from small acorns mighty oak trees grow), i have put on mine that i want to bake an edible loaf of bread - at the other end of the scale I want to travel Japan. We are overall more positive and moving in a better direction due to that rainy afternoon in Cornwall where we hit upon the idea of tentings. We have new cusions in our TV room and a table runner with gorgous beads to match (handmade), we have ruby sunflowers brightening up the dining room and a fresh spiced banana cake which was made today for afternoon tea. I have red, pink, blue and purple fowers in the front garden along with a myrtle which symbolises Love and Marriage.
Saturday 29 August 2009
Where did August go?
When I started this blog I was decided that I would try and write in it as much as possible and that the time spend it my garden would be documented and I could then use this to show progress over the year. Ho Hum! Haven't been up to much in the garden in July and August other than just keeping it ticking over. We have have a few successes along with some failures this year. mainly because of the dryness and also because my office moved to Suffolk and teh travel has been wiping me out. I did make teh grand decision as of teh 1st August to go freelance two days a week and this has been working well but in fact I have been rushed of my feet so where my husband and I though it would reduce working hours they have actually increased!
Apart from the success of working for myself a few days a week at least, Garden Successes are the regrowth of the passion flower, the amazing growth of the Vine and rose around the pergola, the random squash which a collegue gave me to grow and tomatos - not the big fat moneymaker tomatoes but the rich sweet delicious harlequins which have done even better outside than they have done in the greenhouse - this is the same variety which sainsburys sell at £1.99 for about 10 and we have tonnes of them. They don't keep so have to be eaten quickly and I have been wondering about making some into chutneys. The little tumblers have also done well perched up above the ground in hanging baskets.
We have also done magnificently with our shallots which are potent little fellas, the red onions are scrummy if a little small and our Spring Onions are also on the hot side, the early charlotte potatos and carrots (Chantenoy not Atlas) id well and were delicious. The sweetcorn have grown well having about 12 cobs on 8 plants, I only lost one after planting out.
Definate regrets surround other plants where the lack of water was a problem. The Roosters potatos have done better in the tub than in the ground where slug damage and scab took their toll, a similar problem with the beans which had only a few flowers although they are another story. The Acer and Crab apple have not done as well as we had hoped, and the pumpkin never really recovered from a terrible aphid infestation. The leeks never made it into the ground and teh courgettes have been appalling! Afetr they are supposed to be teh easiest things to grow and yet i have no use for the courgette recipes I have put together after last years glut. Very odd - I think I'll leave 'fancy' varieties alone next year and stick to the basic varieties which i think can cope better with less experience, water and poorer soil.
We have been very Bee friendly this year, part of the reason for the garden being neglected was the quanities of bees we brought onto the plot with our borage (big plants - 2m tall!) and the hyssop. The poached egg plant brought hoverflies and the cornflowers have been a continual remider of our wedding as they were a big part of my bouquet. The led to it being rather difficult to get access to the plot as we had bordered it with all the bees favourite flowers.
The digging over of the plot happened today when husband got the fork out. With many of the spent plants taken out we realised that to leave it fallow until next spring would be a cruel waste and so we're going to get a Winter Rocket Garden, although I could start off many of the plants my greenhouse is rather stuffed with toms and peppers and so we'll give this method a go.
The other positive which has been evident of late has been the development of ten tings (I'll do a seperate post) and us really finding our feet with cooking. I am beginning to realise how unusual our little family (2 at present but watch this space over the next year) is in that we sit down to a home cooked meal every single night. Admittedly there was a very delicous portion of chips and scampi one evening last week however that was all the more delicious for it being unsual! Helpng us in the kitchen is a fabulous book published by DK called Healing Foods for special diets. Ignoring the fact that it is for special diets it is awesome! Full of quick and interesting foods, most of which go very well in our tagine which is another fabulous kichen cookpot. In fact thats another whole post! Maybe I'll catch up woth my postings this weekend!
http://www.rocketgardens.co.uk/
Apart from the success of working for myself a few days a week at least, Garden Successes are the regrowth of the passion flower, the amazing growth of the Vine and rose around the pergola, the random squash which a collegue gave me to grow and tomatos - not the big fat moneymaker tomatoes but the rich sweet delicious harlequins which have done even better outside than they have done in the greenhouse - this is the same variety which sainsburys sell at £1.99 for about 10 and we have tonnes of them. They don't keep so have to be eaten quickly and I have been wondering about making some into chutneys. The little tumblers have also done well perched up above the ground in hanging baskets.
We have also done magnificently with our shallots which are potent little fellas, the red onions are scrummy if a little small and our Spring Onions are also on the hot side, the early charlotte potatos and carrots (Chantenoy not Atlas) id well and were delicious. The sweetcorn have grown well having about 12 cobs on 8 plants, I only lost one after planting out.
Definate regrets surround other plants where the lack of water was a problem. The Roosters potatos have done better in the tub than in the ground where slug damage and scab took their toll, a similar problem with the beans which had only a few flowers although they are another story. The Acer and Crab apple have not done as well as we had hoped, and the pumpkin never really recovered from a terrible aphid infestation. The leeks never made it into the ground and teh courgettes have been appalling! Afetr they are supposed to be teh easiest things to grow and yet i have no use for the courgette recipes I have put together after last years glut. Very odd - I think I'll leave 'fancy' varieties alone next year and stick to the basic varieties which i think can cope better with less experience, water and poorer soil.
We have been very Bee friendly this year, part of the reason for the garden being neglected was the quanities of bees we brought onto the plot with our borage (big plants - 2m tall!) and the hyssop. The poached egg plant brought hoverflies and the cornflowers have been a continual remider of our wedding as they were a big part of my bouquet. The led to it being rather difficult to get access to the plot as we had bordered it with all the bees favourite flowers.
The digging over of the plot happened today when husband got the fork out. With many of the spent plants taken out we realised that to leave it fallow until next spring would be a cruel waste and so we're going to get a Winter Rocket Garden, although I could start off many of the plants my greenhouse is rather stuffed with toms and peppers and so we'll give this method a go.
The other positive which has been evident of late has been the development of ten tings (I'll do a seperate post) and us really finding our feet with cooking. I am beginning to realise how unusual our little family (2 at present but watch this space over the next year) is in that we sit down to a home cooked meal every single night. Admittedly there was a very delicous portion of chips and scampi one evening last week however that was all the more delicious for it being unsual! Helpng us in the kitchen is a fabulous book published by DK called Healing Foods for special diets. Ignoring the fact that it is for special diets it is awesome! Full of quick and interesting foods, most of which go very well in our tagine which is another fabulous kichen cookpot. In fact thats another whole post! Maybe I'll catch up woth my postings this weekend!
http://www.rocketgardens.co.uk/
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