Last weekend we had an all too brief visit to my big sis in West Yorkshire. She gardens in a beautiful but windy spot on the side of a hill overlooking Sowerby Bridge.
We discussed what was good this year and we'll plant next year. H looks forward to the coming asparagus season as it's her third year, so if the experts are to believed this is the the first year of heavy cropping for her asparagus. I recommended Salsify and Celeriac for her to try as we have enjoyed their delicate flavours this year. She put me on to Romanesco Cauliflower, so tasty and expensive to buy in the shops, I think I'll definitely try it this coming season.
So what crops have we enjoyed eating this year? The first has to be Chard...now that we've discovered the pleasure of eating braised chard stems, what a treat...simply cut chard stems to fit an ovenproof dish, add some stock (mix with cream if you feel wicked), grate over some parmesan cheese and top with breadcrumbs. Bake in a medium over til the stems are tender...I'd say about 40 minutes. Lovely served with crusty bread or as a side vegetable!
We also enjoyed our peas, but lack of space meant that we hardly grew enough for two meals. Ditto Broad Beans, which though delicious are so deceptive, as once you've stripped them from their velvety pods, and skinned the little blighters there's hardly a mouthful. But pureed with mint and olive oil, they make a lovely summer dip for crunchy carrots and pitta bread!
We baked the beetroot in foil to eat with our Sunday roast, but as they were a fancy Italian type they didn't have that dark red colour, and for some reason just didn't taste the same. We like to roast them too- with whole garlic cloves in balsamic vinegar and white wine.
Maybe I'll tell you about the Apple Butter next time, yum!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
| Author:
Jayne the Dig
The moon on Bonfire night was close and looked down on our strange celebrations. Guy Fawkes' plan didn't seem so nutty to many this year. Not a good year for Parliamentarians...
Smoke from fire and the smell of fireworks filled our nostrils and the moon disappeared behind the clouds, J was definitely NOT going to venture outside! We stayed cosy by the hearth.
Berries
Thursday, November 12, 2009
| Author:
Jayne the Dig
Isn't it funny how the Mahonia berries are so similar to the ivy flowers?
What puzzles me though is that all across the gardening media, they say that insects will swarm all over ivy flowers and visit any late flowering plants. I have yet to see a single one. In fact the single dozy bee I saw last Friday bypassed all the flowers and was trying to get in the house through a locked window. Hmm, maybe I just missed them all...
from the top... Rowan, Japanese Honeysuckle, evergreen honeysuckle, (furry friend) pyracantha, Mahonia and Ivy
I'm not sure if 'Winter Flowers' is really an accurate description of these lovelies. However,all of these blooms were picked on Friday 6th November. I just love the colours in this loose arrangement, it seems very romantic and summery!
Sweet pea
Rose
Dahlia
Nasturtium
Verbena
Feverfew
Gladioli
Fuchsia
Penstemon
Geranium 'Ann Folkhard'
Winter Jasmine
(the yellow tube-like flower's name has completely passed me by, any hints?)
See if you can spot them all...
Taken on the 1st November this year
-- Posted from my iPhone
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Dahlia 'Polka' has been superb in the raised bed within J's Corral this year. I took cuttings earlier in the year, having started the tubers in the spring, so last year' one surviving plant has become at least three or four good tubers. They didn't do so well planted in the tin bath, I am guilty of erratic watering routines, especially at the top of the garden. You can see here, the plants are leggy, the flowers were much smaller and fewer in number. In fact, in the bath they are over now.
For the ones in the raised bed I brought them on in an aquatic basket to make it easy to replace the tulips as soon as the danger of frosts was gone. This should make it simple to to replace the dahlia with tulips again when the frosts blacken the foliage. (you can see in the top photo that I have the tulip basket ready to go in, but I can't bring myself to lift the dahlias!) I protected them from my clumsy dog by covering them with large wire hanging baskets until they were big enough to need twiggy supports. But here we are on All Hallows Day, and I still have sweet peas and dahlias in full bloom, maybe I can admire them a little longer!
Winter Veg
Sunday, October 25, 2009
| Author:
Jayne the Dig
Winter is on the way, so we have planted winter onions and brassicas. M gave me some red onion sets (variety unknown) so those have gone in, along with our usual planting of Japanese overwintering sets. This year's crop was so easy, and the onions are really tasty. They are very strong and make me cry, so I have to make sure I have a tissue at hand when I chop them!!
The pigeons and slugs are enjoying the purple sprouting brocolli and black kale (is it the same as cavolo nero that Jamie Oliver talks about?) I put in two weeks ago. I am trying to protect them from the birds with cloches but they keep blowing away. Any tips?
I've also broadcast a green manure, winter rye, to keep the fertility in the soil and help break up our clay soil. Germination has been patchy, so I'll try and sow some more before it gets too cold.
