Baby Hedgehog

I took these photos the night before the camera 'died' and didn't have time to post them on here. So for those of you suffering from photo deprivation (me included) here they are.

Just after midnight, Pat happened to see out of the corner of his eye something very little running.

We have a security night light which comes on at dusk and goes out at dawn, so we are often lucky enough to see visitors.



This one was a tiny baby hedgehog. This one was very active and healthy - if you see any hedgehog about in daylight it will always be ill despite the fact that it might be moving around.


This photo and the following one was taken when it was out of the light, so I just had to aim my camera into the pitch black and hope that it captured his image.




I took 12 photos and got three with him in them! The others are lovely pictures of sad looking lawn - which has now recovered after the rain the other day.

We are spring cleaning out little bungalow today - which is a total waste of time as it will get messed up tomorrow - but we like to do it anyway for our sake not theirs!

I just love the fresh clean smell after I have washed everything down - only do that once a month mind you - other times it is a quick dust once a week and Pat does the vacuuming as my poor old back won't let me.

Just off to make my second loaf of the day, a white one for the little people who are used to sliced white bread, but I refuse to buy it. So it is home made and home sliced!

Been busy making three more flower arrangement for my floral patchwork - but have run out of time as lots more baking nd preparation to do. No the royal family are not visiting, but I do like to make a special effort for my visitors, whoever they are.

I am looking forward to having a bit of female company in the home, and 'playing' at arty crafty things, and supervising their cooking. There is also the menus that I have got them to plan, as I told the girls that they could cook for the days they are here, recipes from the River Cottage Family Cookbook that I bought my grand daughter. The only thing I know that they want to do is a chocolate cake. Maybe I should have mentioned that we eat meat and veggies too LOL

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, its off to work I go.........de dum, de dum, de dum ,,,,,,la la, lala lala lala.

Have a good weekend.

How I managed to pack so much into the few hours before I went to my flower arranging workshop – even amazed me.

Made a trip to the allotment to let the chooks out, collect eggs, and give them some lettuces that went to seed.

Surveyed my plot and marvelled that a couple of inches of rain was all it took to make the runner beans run, - grown a couple of inches over a couple of days, so instead of looking like a tiny bits of spaghetti hanging sparsely on the plants. Today,I could see literally hands full, with plenty of bees a buzzing, and tiny ones forming. Things seem to be starting to return to a normality that I would expect this time of year.

The crops that I lost to pests of the furry kind, will not have time to grow before the winter, but I will be optimistic and sow some more carrot seeds in case we have a mild winter. Only a few parsnips survived – and so many subsequent sowing of other crops just failed to germinate during the drought. Those 30 packets of flower seeds I scattered never stood a chance – which is a pity, The grass paths sown this year in the spring grew a nice green shadow – which burnt to a frazzle and those sown early summer never even showed! Which was quite an expensive exercise in terms of time, effort and cost.

But the plot is looking nice and green and the weeds on the plots either side and grown dramatically and are waist high now. The courgette, squash, and pumpkin plants really soaked up the water and no longer look the sad droopy specimens in the photos of a week or so ago.

Best of all, the trusses on the tomato plants are plentiful and swelling nicely, even though the poor things have some rather curly leaves which I doubt any amount of water would be able to resurrect.

I still have lots of harvests to look forward too – weather permitting of course! And now that we have had some rain, I hope to be able to sow some more things that need a short growing season.

The blackberry I planted in the hedge, amazingly, has got some little berries on it – and now with the rain they should swell. That really make my day - my very own blackberries - no trudging the lanes picking them any more.

There was just time for a quick dash home, to make a fresh fruit salad – strawberries, apple, pear, and a plum eaten on ‘the hoof’ then off to the workshop.

It was very original and modern – making a patchwork of flowers and foliage by making six square containers using just cellophane, ribbon, and sellotape – which made a waterproof container for the oasis foam – very ingenious, but a bit of a fiddle to do. I managed to get six made, but only had time to arrange three of them. I hope to do the other three tomorrow, but don’t think that I will be able too. When all the blocks were arranged on a black table they looked stunning. So many different colour combinations, it really did make a wonderful patchwork. Not one person had a camera with them – it is usually just me, but I did hope there would be someone else.

Hopefully I can get a photo when I make some more as they really are effective. I am already thinking of other uses for them and they will make lovely presents – and would be stylish winter or Christmas decorations as you could use all sorts of foliage and berries when flowers are scare.

I can see that if I spend time over the summer and autumn making the containers, I will have a nice selection for Christmas.

Two days with stormy downpours and high humidity has knocked the ‘stuffing’ out of me. Well not the downpours as such, but the sleepless tropical nights.

There has not been much that I can do up the allotment these past couple of days – the inevitable weeding of course, but in high temperatures not a lot of that got done.

The chooks are getting a bit shook up with all the electrical storms and thunderclaps, and some of the crops look like they have suffered a bit.

I hope it is will be a blessing too, and prevent some of the many field and hedgerow fires across our area. The air has been filled with more fire engine and police sirens that I have ever heard.

I feel at a loss without a camera in my pocket, and have missed so many photo opportunities too. Hopefully soon that will be rectified!

On the coast yesterday and today, there has been the annual Air Displays – and we get to see some of the aircraft flying over.

It was great yesterday afternoon when some really old RAF helicopters flew over our village in perfect formation – off back to an air museum or base by the look of things.

We get to see quite a number of such craft flying overhead as I have mentioned before – but the majority of which are modern ones – and helicopters are usually flying singly – so see a formation of them was a real and almost like watching an old black and white film!

I am just off to my floral design workshop so this is a short and hurried post - but I will make up for it over the weekend hopefully

I feel lost without my camera – it really is broken so have to hurry to buy a new one, and will have to order over the net as I am miles from the city, and my days are now full!

Looking on my computer I can see some photos that might interest you though – but do not have time to post them tonight and write about them.

Hot and humid but with a downpour this evening and power cut. The downpour only lasted 15 minutes but enough to save my tomato plants up the allotment.

The KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger are now out and about all day, but I think that they might be feeling the effects of this humid weather.

They had a lie in this morning as opposed to a lay in which I expected and at 8.30am there were still no eggs. When I visited at 4pm to put them to bed there were two.

Ginger laid a funny shaped egg yesterday and the shell, whilst intact, was a bit thin, so she is not eating her grit or else the thunder and humidity might be affecting her. She is perky enough though and eating well.

I will have a home full on Sunday, so have been baking today – had to be done! More to bake tomorrow too.

Having my eldest granddaughter to stay with her cousin so I expect to be busy.

Gosh I just jumped out of my skin – a thunderclap crashed right over the village! Phew, fair made me jump. Poor Pat is out bowling too. – Hope they don’t keep bowling and that he comes home pdq.

I am posting this quickly too, in case we have another power cut.

Made another batch of the courgette burgers, but added spices and grated them on a smaller grater. They taste like lovely Moroccan curry flavour. A nice mild curry, then it quickly develops after the first taste, and is warm rather than overpowering.

They are all vacuum packed and frozen now. Many some of the above into balls, for finger food for the weekend. I cooked them all in the oven so they will only need warming up on the day.

I don’t trust this weather so will post this will the power is still on.

Allotment Lady has a question about sweet potatoes

I know I get lots of visits here from overseas, so I would like to pick your brains.

Leonie gave me a couple of sweet potato slips - you will remember from my post way back and those in the USA guessed what they were.

Well now that I have been growing them on in a big black pot each - (couldn't risk them being chewed, trampled, or infected by all the creatures and animals that test my patience up the allotment).

So I have two delightful looking climbers under my lean to at the back of the garage. They are thriving - but my question is what next?

How do I know when they have got any tubers (if any). When to harvest. Do the vines get get flowers?

So any first hand knowledge that you can give me would be much appreciated not only by myself but other members of The Potting Shed forum who have them too!

I only lasted a couple of hours up the allotment today, and despite taking all the precautions, as I always do, I felt very unwell and came home. It didn’t seem any hotter than it has been, but the humidity levels were high I guess.

My intentions were to pick some salads for us and the chickens, take some photos, and come home.

Nothing ever, ever goes to plan, you would think that I would get it through my thick head wouldn’t you.

They chickens were not in the mood to run after me, but were excited to see me as usual. I left them in the meadow so that they stayed in the shade.

Walking back through the plot I noticed that some of my big onions were getting chewed – the bulbs. It made me feel really peeved. There was nothing for it – they had to come up.

This entailed firstly picking up all the sun dried shallots on the different racks and packing them up to come home – to make space for the onions.

Some of the big onions didn’t pull cleanly out of the ground – that little bit of rain anchored the roots, so I had to ease some out with a trowel. I filled a couple of carrier bags full, then realised that it would be quicker to pile them up the in the wheelbarrow to then to rack them all in one go. Which meant I had to make some big racks somehow to do it!

And all that is what took up my two hours. It was hard work and making the racks was a ‘warm’ job. It consisted of a long sheet of corrugated iron, on top of which I put those metal wire shelves you get in those plastic ‘greenhouses’. You need to keep them dry and allow air to circulate. They don’t mind getting rained on so long as they are not sitting in water. Shame after all my hard work not to ensure that they have the right drying conditions. I ‘took’ a lovely photo of them on the racks. They look brilliant with the different varieties and sizes gleaming in the sunshine – but they haven’t come out!


I took the photo above, and went to take those I promised, but the camera is broken. It just makes a buzzing noise then closes itself. I have checked all the usual things and nothing that I try explains what is wrong.

So not a lot to report today.

I left the chooks out all day in a double fenced part of the meadow, with lettuces, apple and pear cores, and of course their run open with all their water and food in. When I went back to lock them up around 4pm on my way back from my appointment they were all inside in the shade dozing and gave me a cursory look, and little chicken contented noise, and I left them too it!

Hot, humid, but a wonderful day

We had a little downpour in the night – but by morning you would never have known that we had, with dry paths and foliage.

Resting up a bit today, and reading up more ideas for jams – unusual ones for a change – but a task for a cooler day.

Up the allotment I have been growing on a courgette into a marrow, with a view to using it in a recipe I had found for a marrow jam – hence me spending an hour getting carried away browsing through my recipe books.

I have also been looking up recipes for chutney – although we don’t really eat much at present, mainly because I have not really tried any other than the Christmas ones; I thought that if I make them myself and know exactly what is going into them, preferably mostly my produce, I will be more tempted to eat them. I have found wonderfully colourful recipes for all sorts of pickles too, including one for runner or French beans – I am going to have a go at that. I found it a couple of years ago, printed it off, and kept it for future use.

This Friday, I am going on a flower arranging workshop, and have been doing a bit of research for that too. We are going to make ‘Something completely different’ which sounds like either fun or a trial. I have so missed going to the workshops, but now that the shingles is definitely on its way out and I can drive longer distances now without being in considerable pain, I will be going out and about more.

It is sometimes nice to have half a day of doing not much, especially in this humid heat.

When it cools down a tad bit we are off up the allotment to let the girls have a nice scratch around as the rain must surely have ensured more goodies will be lurking on the plants or in the soil for the girls.

And that is precisely what I did.

Monday, 24 July 2006

Today, after a sleepless night (due to the high humidity levels) I was up early, so before breakfast we went up to let the girls out. There was plenty of activity going on, on the farm as usual, and some of the pigs were going to the abattoir –makes me shiver just thinking about it. They do not spend much time on this planet, poor things, hence my not eating any pork unless it comes from Paula’s rare breeds – they get the very best life, and care, and are treated like pets not just a commodity.

I think that all the foxes have been taken care of, but if there were any stray ones, they steer clear of the farm especially when there is so much ‘traffic’ and noise, so I know that the girls will be fine.

Back home for breakfast and then off up the allotment to mow the lawns and paths. The chickens were just sunbathing, but soon came running when I called them, then followed me around whilst I took a tour of my plot. I took lots of photos today – but when I went to download them I found that I had not put the memory card in – it was still in my printer. Hey Ho.

The onions are ripening and turning golden, I am thinking of pulling them right out of the ground to that they get really golden all over. The poor squash, courgette, and pumpkin plants looked flat – but hopefully it is the heat of the day and they perk up tonight.

The runner beans – White Lady – are really starting to do well with some nice long ones developing – but I did not pick them today, that is an early morning job when they will be more turgid. I have a nice bunch of yellow dwarf haricot beans to use first.

I want to pick the pea pods off the ‘sacrificial’ row – but as we had a downpour Saturday in the night, I am going to leave it until tomorrow when it is hot and sunny, so ensure that they are really dry, in case I don’t get time to process them as I have an appointment in the afternoon.

The tomatoes are still holding their own, with a cluster of nice red ones ready to pick on a little bushy plant – but again, no time for that today, as I needed to get the mower out. Not a job for a hot day – and I have been putting it off for a cooler day - but one hasn’t arrived so it had to be done.

Where I sowed new grass seed this year – it has failed miserably and some weeds have taken hold. The path that I sowed in the spring that was looking nice – has been burned to a crisp, but the paths that I sowed last year, and have had time to establish over winter, looked lush and green – so too the meadow. The rest of the lawned areas were looking rather parched, but with a weed or two here and there, which got the chop. I cut the paths and lawns on a high setting to prevent them dieing back in the hot sun, but you do get the odd weed spring up that way.

It took me almost three hours to get the lot done, but I did the sensible thing and sat in the only bit of shade – right down by the field – and the girls joined me too.

For some reason they are fascinated by my green wellies, and spend ages pecking at them. They also peck all the bits of grass off my trousers – almost like they are grooming me – but Ginger took it a bit too far when she pecked at my green long sleeved shirt and got a bit over enthusiastic and started taking a beak full and trying to pull it off. I crossed my legs at my ankles and they all started cleaning the bottom of my boots for me. Finally satisfied that I was as clean as I would get, they sat in front of my and preened themselves before laying down, closing their eyes and having a doze in the shade. Shame the photos didn’t come out!

When I got up they did too, and I left them pecking bits of grass – they like the seed heads off the top I noticed and the amount they consumed in the five minutes I stood watching them really amazed me. They had over five hours roaming today, and when I called them they ran straight into their run, and were happy to peck around in there – especially as I had moved it to a fresh part of the meadow with nice lush grass. But not too long, as I know that can harbour bugs.
The grass cuttings I used as mulch, and it really does the trick – the secret is to put it on thickly though and to add layers when the grass cuttings have rotted. I pulled up a few weeds that managed to poke through those areas.

The flower beds have been a disaster in some aspects – the 30 packets of annual flower seeds failed to germinate or if they did the seedlings were burnt up. Those beds need weeding – but not in this heat. The iris plants love being baked so they will be brilliant next year, and even bigger clumps. The phormiums are loving the dry weather too, so lots of plant material for autumn and winter flower arrangements.

I took a photo of the one surviving achillea, that the rabbits did their best to kill, but it survived anyway and is now is flower. A lovely shade of yellow – will get some photos tomorrow! I will pick some of those for my workshop on Friday. The roses are struggling, and have flowered, but not enough or of good quality to use – but they are only two years old from cuttings and with the drought it is not a surprise. The tall Rudbeckia is at last just starting to flower, but again, not ready for me to pick for their seed heads yet, but something to look forward too later.

The best way to treat the flower beds, I have now decided, is to cram as much as I possibly can into them, so that there is less space for the weeds. I do that at home, but thought I would give the plants lots of space to develop – but realise that you have to grow things differently up there with different conditions to take into account. I already have my eye on quite a few perennials in my gardens here that are big and can be divided and transplanted up the allotment in the autumn.

Walking back through plot making my way to the shed, it was nice to take the time to have a close look at things. For example, the broad bean seeds I sowed really really late, and just as an afterthought in the gaps that were left by the ones that failed in the winter, and also because I just happened to have them and didn’t want to waste them – have grown into fine plants, without a single black fly – far too late for those – and I had a nice second crop to pick – the podding of which I will assign to Pat.

The thick mulch of wet horse manure that I covered the rhubarb and gooseberry bed with, is now bone dry – to a crisp – didn’t take long for that to happen, and proves that the rainfall was not even enough to dampen the mulch.

The gooseberry bushes, now having done their job, are starting to look a bit tired, their leaves turning a darker green and beginning to look a bit dry.

Further up, the summer raspberries are all but finished, those left are for the birds, but the autumn fruiting bushes are really lush – amazing in the drought.

I wondered why I scarcely got a strawberry from the ones in the fruit cage, especially as there were some green ones earlier on. On my walk back I noticed why. We made the cage with builders pallets all around from wind protection, and I covered it with green wind break material. I noticed today that a hole had been made – rabbit size – at the front. It is only material so quite easy for a rabbit to do. So it is perfect for a young rabbit to use it for an entrance and exit, as the gap is at a corner join, hence the gap in the side of the pallet. I can see that I will have to think up something better to keep them out in the future.

More lettuce have bolted overnight, so more for the chickens, but still plenty for us. I did sow some more rows, but they have not materialised, so perhaps I will have to sow more and keep them watered.

I left the plot very tired but happy. The mown lawns and pathways really look great – but chaos reigns one more on the allotments all around me. They seem to have been abandoned yet again.

When I was sitting in the shade ‘chilling’ out with the girls playing at my feet, and birds in the trees behind me, I was almost in a trance watching the thistle seeds swirling up and around on the heat thermals on all the plots either side my little oasis. I sat there thinking. ‘What am I doing all this mowing and weeding for – I don’t stand a hope in a h*** of ever winning the battle.’ There are literally thousands and thousands of waist high weeds as far as the eye can see on each side of me, and all sorts of seeds blow across.

I know why I do it though. For the exercise, for the satisfaction of growing things, especially food and fruit, for the joy of being in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere, sitting on a bench looking out onto acres of golden barley gently swaying in the breeze – (sadly without a poppy or a weed in it as they get sprayed) – for the pleasure, just for me, of seeing it neat and tidy and cared for as best I can, even though there are weeds in the flower beds, and the utter feeling of peace and contentment with my chickens at my feet, bees buzzing on the achillea flowers, and though still caring about the troubles of the world, having. and appreciating, that I am so lucky to be where I am – for that moment – and making the most of it.

I hope that you have that experience too – it is something to really treasure.

There is always a surprise up the allotment - good and bad though today

I expected to wake up to a wet garden and clean fresh air – it was not to be.

The storm only lasted just over half an hour last night and the ones promised never materialised here but hit further south around 3am.

It has been hot and humid all day, but despite that I took a trip up to the allotment. I wanted to let the girls out to forage over the plot, as I hoped that the storm might have encouraged some good titbits for them to scratch up. Instead of running to freedom, Adelaide and her best friend KoKKo, pottled out of their run and out of their fenced off area, and walked around the back to the cutting border that has black membrane down. They proceeded to snuggle down and do a bit of dust bathing – I noticed later when they did go for a wander that they have pulled up and moved the membrane where it was overlapped and made two very nice and deep dustbowls for themselves.

I collected their eggs, and went back to the shed to gather the tools I needed and carried on where I left off yesterday – in the tomato tent. I did some weeding and although the ground looked bone dry as if not a drop had fallen, it was easier to pull out the weeds, with root intact (except the dreaded dock weeds). I spent about an hour working on that area, and outside where I have more tomatoes and the courgette patch. Ginger ambled up to me for a chat from behind the row of raspberries – I think that she must have found some ‘windfalls’ after that rain. She stood and chatted and watched what I was doing, and decided that it was like watching paint dry, and that scratching about for worms was far more interesting!

I pulled up some weeds that were appearing on the onion patch, and also helped myself to a few large and ripe ones for the weekend.

The main crop potatoes had soaked up some of the rain as they seemed a bit perkier today.

I looked at the sacrificial peas – the pods of which had dried to a transparent parchment. I peeled back that (they were to dry to do that so very satisfying ‘pop’ with the pod unfortunately). The peas inside look fully formed but dry – well almost dry. They were not wrinkled but a pale green. No holes or maggots, or mealy bugs, just perfectly formed peas in need of some water. I decided that on another day I will collect the pods, removed the seeds, and pot a few to see if they will germinate. If so I will dry them fully to the wrinkled stage and use them next year – if not the chooks will get them, or if there are lots I will dry them in the dehydrator for use in the winter.

The climbing beans looked refreshed, even though the temperatures and the sunshine were very hot. White Lady is doing well with the first runner beans appearing. We do not seem to have had a shortage of bees – well I haven’t noticed on my plot, but across the country I read that there were and that the wild flowers were suffering. Any volunteers with a paintbrush or two, to do a bit of tickling? There seemed to be busy bees on the bean flowers, which is a good sign, otherwise I would have to be doing the pollinating myself – either with a paint brush or spraying them with water.

I noticed a few loganberries – the last I should think this year, because of the drought. So I went to get them. The summer flowering raspberries have all but finished and those remaining are shrunken or small.

Whilst mooching about in the fruit cage, (I thought I might as well look to see if there were any odd berries left on the bushes to have enough for a pudding) I took a look at the little gooseberry bush in the corner that I harvested a couple of weeks ago. I spied a couple of gooseberries. On further inspection and scratched arms, I collected an ice cream box full. Enough for a big fruit crumble. I was amazed as I was so thorough with that bush, but I do remember leaving some tiny wee berries that were too small to top and tail, smaller than black or red currants. They have somehow managed to swell into nice large ones. That is one of the joys of having an allotment – or even garden, you are guaranteed a surprise at every visit – not always as nice as that though.

Which reminds me, someone asked me how tall my gooseberry bushes were, and I don’t think that I replied at the time as I wanted to measure them properly. The tallest bush is waist high at the highest tip of the tallest branch so that would be no more than three feet tall. This year is my first good harvest. I rescued them from being ploughed in, so I don’t know how old they are. As it was the height of the summer at the time, two years ago, I pruned them right back hard,to increase their chances of survival, and then they put on some growth. Last year, I pruned them quite hard in the middle, so that they get lots of light and air in the middle – keeps the pests and illness down – and left just outward facing buds. The main structure is covered with lichen so that might suggest they are old – or else it is the position they were in – a windy open field amongst tall weeds.

A couple of hours had passed by this time, and I headed off up the path to put the girls away. En-route I noticed some fresh rabbit dropping in my ‘inner sanctuary’ area, which is where I grow carrots, parsnips, potatoes etc. all the main crops that make up our staple vegetable diet. I hadn’t seen any dropping in that area for a while, as I did a fence examination and added an inner fence where I found a little hole.

On my hands and knees, inspecting this length of fencing I found two holes. Again, how they got there I do not know. This years rabbits seem to have razor sharp teeth if they can make a hole through strong small gauge chicken wire that is not rusty. Luckily I had a part roll of the stuff, so make a quick phone call to Pat to see if I was allowed out to play longer, then off I set fence repairing. I have now run another length in front of the one with a couple of holes in. I have attached it to that fence and bent the wire inwards like on the chicken run, so there is no way they can get through there. That whole 100 plus feet, has a double thickness of fencing, so if that doesn’t stop them, I don’t know what will.

Adrian turned up with more horse manure, so I am getting well stocked up for the winter.

At that point, hunger pains were forcing my attention to home – but not before I had cleaned out and moved the eglu and run, filled up their water containers with 5 litres of clean water, and finished filling up their food hopper that I had to abandon doing last night. All the chickens were walking along behind the tomato tent, one behind the other, so quite what they had been up to I do not know. They were trying to look all casual and nonchelant, and didn't hurry themselves as they usually do, but just ambled along behind me. They soon ran hell for leather when I threw some corn in the run for them!

I retrieved last night's abandoned wheel barrow, and was amazed that I had spent over three hours up there.

I had expected to see a number of plot holders coming to inspect their allotments or to pull a few weeds – not a soul. Even the pigs were quiet this morning.

Storms were due for tonight, but I think that they will miss us here, as most of the country seems to be having a deluge during the day today or overnight last night.

Fiddlesticks, I forgot to check to see if any of my asparagus ferns have got seeds on them yet. I promised a lady on one of the forums that when they are ready, I would collect some and post them to her.

I did get side tracked today though. – Blame it on the rabbits again.

There is always a surprise up the allotment - good and bad though today

I expected to wake up to a wet garden and clean fresh air – it was not to be.

The storm only lasted just over half an hour last night and the ones promised never materialised here but hit further south around 3am.

It has been hot and humid all day, but despite that I took a trip up to the allotment. I wanted to let the girls out to forage over the plot, as I hoped that the storm might have encouraged some good titbits for them to scratch up. Instead of running to freedom, Adelaide and her best friend KoKKo, pottled out of their run and out of their fenced off area, and walked around the back to the cutting border that has black membrane down. They proceeded to snuggle down and do a bit of dust bathing – I noticed later when they did go for a wander that they have pulled up and moved the membrane where it was overlapped and made two very nice and deep dustbowls for themselves.

I collected their eggs, and went back to the shed to gather the tools I needed and carried on where I left off yesterday – in the tomato tent. I did some weeding and although the ground looked bone dry as if not a drop had fallen, it was easier to pull out the weeds, with root intact (except the dreaded dock weeds). I spent about an hour working on that area, and outside where I have more tomatoes and the courgette patch. Ginger ambled up to me for a chat from behind the row of raspberries – I think that she must have found some ‘windfalls’ after that rain. She stood and chatted and watched what I was doing, and decided that it was like watching paint dry, and that scratching about for worms was far more interesting!

I pulled up some weeds that were appearing on the onion patch, and also helped myself to a few large and ripe ones for the weekend.

The main crop potatoes had soaked up some of the rain as they seemed a bit perkier today.

I looked at the sacrificial peas – the pods of which had dried to a transparent parchment. I peeled back that (they were to dry to do that so very satisfying ‘pop’ with the pod unfortunately). The peas inside look fully formed but dry – well almost dry. They were not wrinkled but a pale green. No holes or maggots, or mealy bugs, just perfectly formed peas in need of some water. I decided that on another day I will collect the pods, removed the seeds, and pot a few to see if they will germinate. If so I will dry them fully to the wrinkled stage and use them next year – if not the chooks will get them, or if there are lots I will dry them in the dehydrator for use in the winter.

The climbing beans looked refreshed, even though the temperatures and the sunshine were very hot. White Lady is doing well with the first runner beans appearing. We do not seem to have had a shortage of bees – well I haven’t noticed on my plot, but across the country I read that there were and that the wild flowers were suffering. Any volunteers with a paintbrush or two, to do a bit of tickling? There seemed to be busy bees on the bean flowers, which is a good sign, otherwise I would have to be doing the pollinating myself – either with a paint brush or spraying them with water.

I noticed a few loganberries – the last I should think this year, because of the drought. So I went to get them. The summer flowering raspberries have all but finished and those remaining are shrunken or small.

Whilst mooching about in the fruit cage, (I thought I might as well look to see if there were any odd berries left on the bushes to have enough for a pudding) I took a look at the little gooseberry bush in the corner that I harvested a couple of weeks ago. I spied a couple of gooseberries. On further inspection and scratched arms, I collected an ice cream box full. Enough for a big fruit crumble. I was amazed as I was so thorough with that bush, but I do remember leaving some tiny wee berries that were too small to top and tail, smaller than black or red currants. They have somehow managed to swell into nice large ones. That is one of the joys of having an allotment – or even garden, you are guaranteed a surprise at every visit – not always as nice as that though.

Which reminds me, someone asked me how tall my gooseberry bushes were, and I don’t think that I replied at the time as I wanted to measure them properly. The tallest bush is waist high at the highest tip of the tallest branch so that would be no more than three feet tall. This year is my first good harvest. I rescued them from being ploughed in, so I don’t know how old they are. As it was the height of the summer at the time, two years ago, I pruned them right back hard,to increase their chances of survival, and then they put on some growth. Last year, I pruned them quite hard in the middle, so that they get lots of light and air in the middle – keeps the pests and illness down – and left just outward facing buds. The main structure is covered with lichen so that might suggest they are old – or else it is the position they were in – a windy open field amongst tall weeds.

A couple of hours had passed by this time, and I headed off up the path to put the girls away. En-route I noticed some fresh rabbit dropping in my ‘inner sanctuary’ area, which is where I grow carrots, parsnips, potatoes etc. all the main crops that make up our staple vegetable diet. I hadn’t seen any dropping in that area for a while, as I did a fence examination and added an inner fence where I found a little hole.

On my hands and knees, inspecting this length of fencing I found two holes. Again, how they got there I do not know. This years rabbits seem to have razor sharp teeth if they can make a hole through strong small gauge chicken wire that is not rusty. Luckily I had a part roll of the stuff, so make a quick phone call to Pat to see if I was allowed out to play longer, then off I set fence repairing. I have now run another length in front of the one with a couple of holes in. I have attached it to that fence and bent the wire inwards like on the chicken run, so there is no way they can get through there. That whole 100 plus feet, has a double thickness of fencing, so if that doesn’t stop them, I don’t know what will.

Adrian turned up with more horse manure, so I am getting well stocked up for the winter.

At that point, hunger pains were forcing my attention to home – but not before I had cleaned out and moved the eglu and run, filled up their water containers with 5 litres of clean water, and finished filling up their food hopper that I had to abandon doing last night. All the chickens were walking along behind the tomato tent, one behind the other, so quite what they had been up to I do not know. They were trying to look all casual and nonchelant, and didn't hurry themselves as they usually do, but just ambled along behind me. They soon ran hell for leather when I threw some corn in the run for them!

I retrieved last night's abandoned wheel barrow, and was amazed that I had spent over three hours up there.

I had expected to see a number of plot holders coming to inspect their allotments or to pull a few weeds – not a soul. Even the pigs were quiet this morning.

Storms were due for tonight, but I think that they will miss us here, as most of the country seems to be having a deluge during the day today or overnight last night.

Fiddlesticks, I forgot to check to see if any of my asparagus ferns have got seeds on them yet. I promised a lady on one of the forums that when they are ready, I would collect some and post them to her.

I did get side tracked today though. – Blame it on the rabbits again.

What will Allotment Lady get up to next? - was the comment - and now your know!

So having been very very good, and staying indoors all day, and having three showers to keep me cool, it was decided that I would be allowed out and up my allotment to let my girlies have a run or stroll around in big wide world for a couple of hours, whilst we used the last little bit of water on a few chosen tomatoes. I also needed to add more ties to them as they had grown so much and needed more than one per plant (I just kept shifting the one up each time the tomato grew).

We watched the news at 6pm and waited until the end to see the forecasts. Absolutely no chance of rain, higher humidity and temperatures the highest for 100 years in these parts. Might have a chance of rain Saturday night coming in from France along the East coast – yippee, but it might be storms and a bit hit and miss – booo.

So off we went, food and apple cores for the girls, and lots of filled up bottles of water. The food was to top up their big feeder. And although I always have plenty of bottles of water for them, I like to take up extra. Their water containers didn’t need refilling but I do it anyway.

So chickens let out to roam – and I would fill up their food hopper and water containers last thing when I shut them in for the night.

Pat was in shorts and I had pink jogging bottoms on in case the mozzies fancied a bite of my legs! I always wear a baggy long sleeved shirt to protect me a bit too.

So picture the scene.

I am in the netted area on my knees putting more string ties onto my 71 tomato plants. It is hot and humid and I can feel trickles down my back. Pat is back and forth with more canes, and is cutting up the lengths of string to help me.

After half and hour there was a distant rumble (so Pat told me) but we do get lots of planes over. Then Pat saw lightening in the distance – so he said, but I didn’t and it was nice and bright.

Next thing I knew – ka – boom – and someone threw a bucket of water all over me. Nope, it wasn’t Pat it came from the sky – a full blown storm over my head! I soldiered on for a few minutes as Pat said it wouldn’t last long. But I then decided that I wanted to be in a safer place. I ran hell for leather – (well I would have if I was still the school runner, high jumper, low jumper, hurdler), but it was as fast as I could anyway. Climbed over the metal corrugated ‘gates’ thinking, please don’t strike right now on this metal between my legs (I had to say it three times as there were three to get over). The chooks came running towards me in a panic, so we all run together and I locked them safely in their run. I then had to fill up the water containers (well they are all under cover) and hoist up their food hopper to fill it up in case they have a binge feed before I get up there tomorrow. I was getting soaked, as you can imagine. Another climb over a metal gate then a jog along the whole 330 feet to the shed. I kicked the metal wheel barrow over on its side – now way was I pushing that back and tempting fate. I just legged it to the shed where my knight in wet armour was cowering! Brave man. He peeled of my wet shirt, and pulled off my welly boots, and I stood there like a drowned rat. I really was soaked through to the skin. The rain never let off, so we made a dash to the car, and headed off down the track.

Muggins here, gets the job of opening and closing the farm gates, so I told Pat to put his foot down when he went through.

Home we get, and I of course get the job of going through the garage and around the back. Then I had to go back to get food out of the freezer for tomorrow. And to add insult to injury I had to do an interpretation of an old Levi advert in our conservatory, but with Pat yanking off my sodden and now muddy clothes and throwing them in the washing machine.

So I think today is a record for me. Three showers during the day to keep cool. The soaking from the storm – several times – and yet another shower when I get home.

I am jolly glad that I made a lot of my special cream. We had been indoors 10 minutes and the rain had stopped. There was localised flooding of the lanes coming home as it was such a downpour.

We got out of watering the tomatoes though! And I hope that we get more rain tomorrow night.

But for now I am off to bed. Once again it is hot and humid and I need yet another shower – but that will have to wait.

So – what will Allotment Lady get up to next huh?

Well now you know.

Off to toss and turn the night away!!!

I hope that it is better where you are.

Night night all

Weather warning work - nice and tasty.

Here in East Anglia we have had a severe weather warning because of the high temperatures. The roads have been melting around here, and sadly there have been lots of fires in the fields etc. It is haymaking time, and just one cigarette butt thrown out of a car window is enough to catch the hedges alight and spreads to the fields in minutes. Just one spark floating in the air is enough to cause a blaze
which races across the fields in no time. I am wondering whether to move my girls out of the meadow and further up into the flower and fruit area onto the soil. Trouble is at the moment, the meadow ground is so hard that I can not pull out the temporary fencing that surrounds their run. I would need Pat to help me too, and would also need a cool day. Something to ponder on.

So this fair and freckled maiden, took heed of the weather warning and stayed indoors in the shade. Ceiling fans earning their keep, and running up the electricity bill, but a necessary at the moment. We only have them on in the room we are either sitting or working in, so often one or two at the most at a time.

Thinking of my pile of courgettes, I decided to have a go at the recipe that Karen recommended, which came from the Crete web page. But to save you looking it up, here it is on the next page down.

Me being me, just had to have a fiddle with it so I did a huge pile of everything with at least double the proportions. I used some of my rusk mountain instead of breadcrumbs, and used just 1 egg for the whole lot as my neighbour wanted some first thing so I gave her all I could get in the boxes. 6 bantam eggs and 6 huge eggs from my Norfolk lasses, which left me with just one.

I used all different varieties of courgettes, red and white early potatoes, washed but not peeled, and paprika and tumeric – but after eating a couple burgers, I could have added much more than I did.

When I fried them they had a lovely crispy coating, because of the rusks. I think that I might try them in the oven to cook next time too.

This is how I did it:-


Helped myself to ten washed courgettes from my mountain. I grated them and all the other ingredients as per recipe instructions.


So here is a gigantic bowl which we bought in Kefalonia many years ago. We went for two weeks in October and it was shut. Yup - a good reason why the holiday was a last minute bargain. We all got shifted from our booked hotels to one, in the back of beyond, which was the only one open and that was because the manager was getting married and all the relatives were staying there! Every sightseeing attraction, taverna, etc was closed and barred. The only places open were the churches, and the usual shops. But we had a wonderful time walking around the island and bought this hand painted bowl as a reminder. Goodness knows why I keep buying all these bowls!

We were the very last plane to leave the island, then the airport closed up for winter!

Oops sorry - digressed.
So above is the big bowl of grated ingredients.




(Now transferred to an even bigger plastic bowl.)

This is how it looks when you have added the other ingredients, and squished it all together between your fingers.......lovely. I really liked that bit, so soothing on a hot day.

Did I ever tell you about my mother in law, (now departed bless her soul) who showed me, as an 18 year old newly married how to make bread pudding? I was transported back to that day whilst mixing this with my hands the same way.

M.I.L, whilst mixing in a similar bowl, the soggy wet bread and currants and spices, through her hands and fingers for quite a while, said, "I love doing this bit, it really cleans your hands and your nails!"

(At this point I must add, I always scrub my hands and nails before touching food, and on some occassions wear new surgical gloves if I and working with large quantities of onions, or carrots - the latter stains your fingers)



Here are what mine looked like - these are in the freezer now. I had run out of parchment paper, so put them on sprinkled flour. Once frozen I will bag them up and vacuum pack them with my Orved machine.

I did start to make patties, like the recipe said, but I was too hot, and I had made so much I decided to make burgers. Just a metal ring, sat on a floured work surface, filled with the mixture and pressed down firmly with a metal spoon. Then off with the ring and on to the next one.

They are far more colourful in reality than these photos show.

In the pan ready to be cooked. We had them with a plate of home grown salad and home grown and made coleslaw (yes with some courgettes too). They were really filling and wonderful. The rusks gave them a lovely crispy finish - a bit like you get on tempura. Next time I make them - and I will be making more for freezing, I will add generous amounts of mixed spices so that they have a nice spicy Maroccan flavour.

Pat said that they were absolutely delicious - so do give them a go, it really is a nice recipe - and something different.

So thanks for that Karen, I do try out your recipes.

The next thing I am going to try is Redwitch’s recipe that she found for me – Courgette Loaf. I just need the girls to lay three eggs tomorrow and I’ll be trying it out.

Courgette or Zucchini-balls (Kolokithokeftedes if you prefer Greek)

Firstly, thanks to Karen who pointed me in the direction of the Crete website to this recipe.

This recipe serves who knows how many. It depends what else you put on the table. But it’s going to give you about twelve that are about the size of a decent burger, or bifteki.

5 Courgettes, reasonably large (I used a mixture of 5 varieties)
1 big tomato
1 medium onion
1 potato, again medium sized (I used red and white)
1 large carrot
1 teacup breadcrumbs, finely ground (I used rusks.)
1 teacup flour
1 egg
A generous chunk of feta cheese. ( I used a small pot of goats cheese)
Parsley, fresh and chopped, salt and pepper. Don’t forget that the feta is salty too. Paprika is a good addition if you like a little spice
Wash and peel the vegetables, leave skin on the tomato, as it will be grated.
Grate the courgettes, tomato, onion and carrot into a colander that is standing inside a large mixing bowl. This allows excess water to drain away.
Crumble the feta cheese into the mix.
Begin to work the ingredients together by hand, carefully, not to lose any over the sides of the colander.
Once done, lift out the colander, empty the bowl of liquid and transfer the contents of colander to bowl.
Now break the egg into the bowl and add the feta, chopped herbs and salt and pepper. Easy on the salt, the feta is quite salty. Continue to massage the mix between fingers after adding breadcrumbs and, more slowly, flour. Turmeric will be added at this point.
I love this part, as rough shavings of vegetable matter turn soft beneath and between fingers. The small chunks of feta, flour and breadcrumbs will begin to melt and blend into the liquid, creating a smooth texture. Add a little flour if necessary, but by now you should have a smooth, but not runny, consistency.
After this, the mix is helped by being allowed to stand in the fridge for an hour, before frying in olive oil. After standing, the mix will ‘leak’ water, so add a bit more flower to return to correct consistency.
Scoop out patties with a spoon, and make patties on a floured surface. The level of olive oil in the frying pan should cover half the pattie. Fry in olive oil that is bubbling but not too fiercely, as for fried potatoes. Turn the keftedes once, browning both sides. Finish by placing them on absorbent paper for a minute, then serve with a little yoghurt on the side and maybe a sprig of parsley.

It is a lot of reading, but is not a lot of work and worth a try.

I know I know - Too fat to fit.

One of my photos must be too large again - as the links are down the bottom of the page - but I will put it right later - it is too hot right now!

86f - a nice 'cool' day in the twilight zone

The heat still dominates all that we do, and it is like living in a twilight zone with curtains drawn to keep the sun out. I have visited Australia a number of times and as much as I love the beautiful country, I always said that I could not live there, because of the heat. It is not until you are there for a few months that you appreciate what it is like. Having my curtains closed these past couple of weeks, reminded me of times spent at my friend Maxine’s home. She had to keep the blinds and curtains and windows closed against the sun and the different bugs, and sitting in the garden was out of the question for a lot of the time. You can wrap yourself up and do lots of things to keep yourself warm in cold weather, but keeping cool in hot weather certainly is a challenge without air conditioning.

So with that in mind we went up to the allotment to let Ginger, Adelaide and KoKKo out early. There was a lot of activity going on in the farmyard alongside my allotment, so I knew that if there were any foxes about, they would not risk visiting with all the noise and people.

I let them have the freedom of the meadow and half the allotment up to the rhubarb bed. The rest was ‘off limits’ until I went up there later.

At 10.45 I was up there - with factor 50 sunscreen liberally coated on my skin. First stop is always the chickens, so I went off to find them. I call them and clap my hands and they come running – my heart sank Adelaide and Ginger did their usual ‘hell for leather’ run, but not KoKKo. I gave the other two a little reward, and collected yet another just laid egg – then set off in search of KoKKo. I called her, but could not hear her usual reply. I looked around the plants in the area that they roamed in and still couldn’t find her. As I neared the rhubarb and called again, I heard her calling back. She was the other side of the corrugated fence in the ‘off limits’ area. Cheeky thing must have flown onto the upturned chair that rests again the iron, and then over the top – so I opened that ‘gate’ and let them roam where they wanted in my enclosed plot. Firstly though, she ran back to their run to see what she was missing out on.

I left them to it, and went off to pick or salvage some fruit. I took two boxes one for us and one for the chooks. The fruit that was over ripe or wizened the ‘girl’s had, and the good fruit we had. The loganberries had suffered the least, so I got a couple of pounds of those, about a pound of raspberries and a couple of ounces of black currants. The chickens had a pound of the same mixture. There was just one strawberry – which was perfect – so I ate it. It tasted warm, fruity and just wonderful. I sincerely hope that I have better luck with mine next year. I weeded the raised bed where I replanted the surviving strawberries and mulched them with shredded paper. That was the only bed that the weeds had grown in – so it must have been because of the paper which is interesting.

A couple of hours soon flies by, and I was really feeling the heat so decided to call it a day, but not before giving the girls the lovely fruit mix.

Ginger and KoKKo were in the run having a drink and ran out to meet me when I called. But no sign of Adelaide – she is normally the first one to come running. I began to feel a bit unsettled after KoKKo’s little escape this morning, especially as I noticed that from an iron bench in the meadow under the trees, it would be possible for them to fly across to the big compost bin - which is now pretty full of foliage, and for them to gain access to the fields beyond.

I called and called and searched but couldn’t find her, so I called the other two and gave them the fruit and locked them in. The chickens made excited happy noises and I called Addie. Obviously she had heard the girls shouting out about the fruit, because she came running out from a big red leaved persicaria plant (her favourite place is usually under the rhubarb leaves), then she had the cheek to stand the other side of the fence complaining that she couldn’t get through. So I had to walk around and show the daft thing the six foot wide entrance to the meadow and she raced off to join the others, and was jumping up and down impatiently whilst I unlocked the run.

They certainly continue to give me so much pleasure.

I took a few photos on the walk back through the plot - of the veggies.


Tomatoes outside the netted tent.


The floppy leaves of the courgette plants next to it.


The sacrificial peas on the right, and the late sowing of Kelvedon Wonder which might just make it if we get rain soon.


The last few cans of water will as usual go on these.



Very sad potatoes. Mainly earlies and one early main crop.


Now is the time that this maincrop needs water, so that the tubers will swell and grow - in fact they have needed it for weeks now and haven't got any. So I guess they will remain small, unless we get lots soon and more than a shower.



The runner beans surviving without water. Thank goodness I dug those trenches over winter and filled them. That is all that is keeping these plants alive.


One plant has even managed to grow beans.


Swiss Chard on the left and yellow haricot beans - all surviving without any water from me. I just kept the soil weed free.



Another variety of chard which we are eating. The stems taste like celery, which is just as well as the celery has failed in the drought.


These are dwarf beans - the seeds of which I planted a few weeks ago. We had one ligh t shower of rain, and that is all. But bless their hearts they are trying really hard. How they even germinated baffles me.


The salad leaves are surviving the drought too - and it has not affected the flavour either.


This is the squash and pumpkin bed that I created. It too is doing well in the drought conditions, but I don't know how long before the leaves will shrivel up and die without water.


Climbing french beans next to them, surviving only on the compost and manure from the winter trenches.

And finally......


My very courageous Cherokee Trail of Tears climbing beans. Growing without a drop of water since planted, and I have every confidence that these will survive the worst conditions.

My new vacuum packaging machine.

Sadly my Foodsaver vacuum packing machine had a fault after just a few months. The metal sealing strip stopped sealing. Lots of suck but no seal is not good. The customer services at the company were very polite and the first person said they could send me a spare part to fix it. Almost a week later I received a rubber seal. A further phone call to the company, and was sent a replacement machine. Unfortunately this one didn't even work and I was convinced that it was a refurbished machine, as it was sent in a huge box with just a bit of paper packaging and it was not even boxed or wrapped. Yet another phone call, again, polite customer services, and they agreed to collect it and give me a refund. All very nice but not a lot of help when at the height of my fruit 'harvest' from my allotment needed freezing. So it was back to the old fashion method!

I had bought in a supply of the special vacuum machine bags from Culinary Innovations, which I found using a search engine - so when the metal sealer strip on my original Foodsaver and the replacement machine arrived with the same fault, I thought it best to look for a different make - and so went back to Culinary Innovations to see what they had to offer.

Their site had so much information on how and what to vacuum pack, it really impressed me.

I needed to talk to someone to make sure that the machine I was interested in would be the right one for my needs - so phoned and spoke to a very nice lady who was able to answer my questions. She also made a note that I wanted to receive it on Tuesday (yesterday) as I would be away over the weekend.

I simply ordered it on the internet - and true to her word it turned up yesterday. The package contained a proper instruction book, and lots of information about "do's and don'ts" on food packaging, which I did not know before. Brilliant. I also got 50 complimentary bags.

When the machine arrived it was a surprise to see the difference. Paying a little bit more was really worth every penny. It is so much more robust, and so much easier to use. I tried it out tonight and am thrilled to bits with it.

My photos do not do it justice so if you want to take a look here is the link:

http://www.culinaryinnovations.co.uk


In reality it is a lovely metallic blue colour.

I have packed the ratatouille that I made earlier today. I strained it and saved the 'juice' to use as a base for a pasta dish. I let the ratatouille cool, then chilled it in the fridge for an hour (at their recommendation).

Obviously you can not vacuum pack a liquid in a bag or it will be sucked up into the mechanism, hence my straining it off. It will produce more liquid when it is thawed and recooked.

This machine is so much quieter and easier to use. Using the complimentary bags, I put the now 'dry' mixture in a bag - lifted the lid, laid the bag up to the guide, and because I wanted to find out how strong the suction pump was (you had not control over it on my previous machine) I used the manual control. Easy peasy. Press manual, gently press the lid, and the suction begins then when the vacuum is at the degree you want it, you just press 'seal' and it does it, then when it is done it releases it and you open the lid.

(With the Foodsaver you have to keep your finger on the button whilst pressing hard down on the lid, when a green light flashes and goes off it is done. You have no control over the amount of suction so it can really flatten food - as you saw when I packaged my loaf in a previous post!)

So here is the finished produce - now packed into 9 bags and ready to freeze - great because you can clearly see what is in each bag and takes up less space in the freezer.


Over ten pounds of lovely colourful summer ratatouille - now that has got to cheer you up on a cold winter's day. (She says sweltering and washed out after a temperature of over 90f all day today.)

I also got out a lot of my bags of black currants and gooseberries that I open froze on trays, then put them in bags with a metal tie. Great to empty them into these nice strong bags and vacuum pack them too.

Just the job for a scorching hot day - Not

Went up the allotment late last night to use the smidgeon of water that we have left on the tomatoes. It ended up a longer session than expected, as I had to spend ages picking off the side shoots – which I did before we went away, and also tying them up again further up the stems – again a job which I did less than a week ago. I have had to ‘sacrifice’ my lovely crop of peas in favour of the tomatoes as there was not enough water to save both. The rest of the crops will have to fend for themselves.

It is heartbreaking to see all my hard work withering before my eyes. One of the ‘tractor’ men, the one with all the big boy toys and tools, and with the pickup, was up there with his truck with a big tank on the back which had a tap on it. He just has to drive up and down his allotment with his tank to water his. This year is the first year that they have planted other things except potatoes and broad beans. They have a couple of plots side by side, so leave the bottom half as weeds and have a wide ‘drive way’ between their plots and just drive up and down with every thing they need.

Eat your heart out Allotment Lady!

We do have a hugely successful crop of courgettes growing without water. I asked Pat to pick those that are as big as tennis balls or bigger. He picked the lot – so I have three carrier bags full to tackle. I think that some of them are pumpkins that he picked, but we love roasted pumpkins, and I am sure that we will get more later on in the summer.

Wouldn’t you know it, the night I do not take my camera – three hot air balloons flew over. They looked wonderful. When I lived in Bedfordshire, where it is very hilly, I used to see them every night in the summer in good weather (I lived at the top of a hill overlooking the Chilterns.)

One night last week I saw a hot air balloon too. I must remember to take my camera!

Off to tackle the courgette mountain.

The temperature today is going to reach 39c here today 97f and no rain for the foreseeable future – well the future being as far as they can forecast correctly – ish.

I used the five largest courgettes and they weighed 24lb. I did not peel them as the skin was so soft, I just washed them, scooped out the seeds in the middle – which makes me think that they are pumpkins and not the melon squash gone haywire, cut them into slices and made this….

Lottie’s Ratatouille

Shallots – cut in half if big or leave as they are if not.
Roasted red peppers (one large jar)
Two tins of tomatoes (mine not ripe yet)
One garlic bulb (cut the cloves in half)
Mushrooms - fresh or tinned.

Brown the shallots with the garlic, then add the rest of the ingredients to make the sauce.


Wash slice and deseed if necessary the courgettes or squash.



Wash and cut into wedges the potatoes and parboil them.

The white ones are Colleen - a lovely white first early and the red are Robinta a wonderful red and waxy early. (Obviously the above are straight out of the ground)

In a roasting tin/s lightly oil the bottom and put the potatoes in and just move them about to get coated with oil.

Add the courgettes/squash
Tip in the sauce and toss about a bit.

Cook in a hot oven until potatoes are browning and crispy by which time the courgettes/squash will be soft and browning too.


As this batch is for freezing, it has been cooked until the potatoes are just starting to brown.


The above recipe and others that I do over the summer freeze perfectly,and when defrosted I finish the browning in the oven then serve. They really do cheer up a winter's day.

Eat as a meal in itself with a chunk of home made bread - you could sprinkle grated cheese on the top a few minutes before serving so that it melts.

Great with fish or meat dishes too.

Later I will be making all sorts or variations using different coloured courgettes or squash, Aubergines, peppers, herbs - in fact whatever I have to hand or takes my fancy at the time.

The job for a rainy day finally got done

18 July 2006

Ninety three degrees Fahrenheit is definitely too hot for me to be outside doing anything – apart from doing a tad bit of weeding when I got sidetracked on several occasions when I was in and out getting things from the garage or studio.

I decided to do the job that I was saving for a ‘rainy day’ when I would be stuck indoors. So for different, and unexpected reasons today was that day.

My project was to make another batch of body cream. I made a batch not long ago and it has been so popular with those who have received it as gifts – and I found it brilliant myself – it got rid of eczema that prescription creams from the doctor (including steroid cream) failed to do.

It is an ancient recipe that I adapted as an experiment. My first batches were made of shea butter, cocoa butter, virgin yellow beeswax (from the village beekeeper), and comfrey, lavender, and tea tree oil.

It made a really rich cream, which needed to be kept in the airing cupboard or to be warmed in one’s hands to make it soft enough to use. I used it as an all purpose hand and body cream, and also as a hair wax.

This time I have used cocoa oil, virgin yellow beeswax and shea butter, with greater quantities of cocoa oil to make it a softer cream. I used the same essential oils which are known to be good for the skin too. Posted some off for my baby grandson so they will receive it first thing Wednesday.

The job for a rainy day finally got done

18 July 2006

Ninety three degrees Fahrenheit is definitely too hot for me to be outside doing anything – apart from doing a tad bit of weeding when I got sidetracked on several occasions when I was in and out getting things from the garage or studio.

I decided to do the job that I was saving for a ‘rainy day’ when I would be stuck indoors. So for different, and unexpected reasons today was that day.

My project was to make another batch of body cream. I made a batch not long ago and it has been so popular with those who have received it as gifts – and I found it brilliant myself – it got rid of eczema that prescription creams from the doctor (including steroid cream) failed to do.

It is an ancient recipe that I adapted as an experiment. My first batches were made of shea butter, cocoa butter, virgin yellow beeswax (from the village beekeeper), and comfrey, lavender, and tea tree oil.

It made a really rich cream, which needed to be kept in the airing cupboard or to be warmed in one’s hands to make it soft enough to use. I used it as an all purpose hand and body cream, and also as a hair wax.

This time I have used cocoa oil, virgin yellow beeswax and shea butter, with greater quantities of cocoa oil to make it a softer cream. I used the same essential oils which are known to be good for the skin too. Posted some off for my baby grandson so they will receive it first thing Wednesday.

Allotment Lady Goes East

17 July 2006

Yes I am back from our weekend of sun, sand, and sea. I was whisked away to the East Coast of Norfolk to sunny, sandy Hopton on Sea where we stayed at Potters Leisure Resort. Just a quick update as I am out this evening.

Although in the 80f’s there was a light sea breeze which made it bearable. Met some great people – who just happened to live near where Pat grew up and went to school, so there was a lot of ‘do you know so and so’ and ‘did you know that’ conversations going on.

The surprise was sprung on me at short notice (which is why they are called surprises I know), so I was a bit apprehensive about going, having lots of things to do, and pounds and pounds of fruit that I had to process which I would not have picked had I known! Peak harvesting time, drought, chickens and so much to do – so I felt a bit under pressure – until I thought, ‘What can be the worst thing to possibly happen? Which was - that the lettuces would bolt, the crops would curl up and die, the chickens would miss free ranging for hours each day and rebel by eating all their eggs - (You can imagine the sort of thing can’t you).

I decided that if any or all of the above happened, then it wasn’t the end of the world, life goes on – and at that point (the day before departure) I looked forward to going.

Of course all the chickens were safe in their long runs, well stocked with more than double the water they would need and enough food to feed a flock for a week! The first thing I did when I got home today, was to go visit the bantams, and to get some empty egg boxes and go up the allotment so visit the others.

Of course they were fine and not clamouring to get out, they had drank only a quarter of the water I had left them, and a fraction of the layers pellets in their new big feeder which releases more food as they eat it, ensuring a continual supply of food.

The egg count I expected was only short by one egg, and none had been eaten or pecked. I let them out and they didn’t seem too bothered about coming out and had to be tempted with a lettuce. They ate that and went back into the run, which is shaded and cool so I gave them another couple of lettuces, changed their water although it didn’t need doing, and will go and visit them tonight when it cools down a bit.

The allotment was looking very sad – well they all are in this heat. Not a breath of wind and 83f . All the squash and courgette plants had wilted leaves which revealed the courgettes that need picking – dozens! If I didn’t know from past experience that in the evening when it cools down a bit, they will perk up, I would have thought that they were lost for sure. The poor peas look to be in a very bad way too. A number of my lettuces have bolted – having not been watered all weekend – but the chickens will do well with those, as they just love them. The mixed salad leaves have faired better though. The runner beans were a bit floppy but the manure trenches that I made over winter were worth all the effort – or else they would be dead for sure.

The foliage on the early potatoes had drooped over and looks like the same pattern as that of the onions ripening in the sunshine.

I didn’t have time to pick and process raspberries and loganberries for a couple of days before I went – and those lovely juicy fruit seem to have shrivelled – the water content in them having almost evaporated by the look of things. Still I will have some Autumn fruiting ones to come – hopefully – and a small crop of blackberries too with a bit of luck.

The tomatoes are holding up well considering the heat and the drought, but if we do not get some rain soon, I can’t imagine how they will survive.

But as I said earlier – it is not the end of the world – and the enforced rest, lovely walks along the cliffs and seashore, running along the headland where the waves were crashing against the sea wall and soaring up into the sky like white frothy fireworks before raining down in torrents onto the anyone walking along at the time, was a challenge that I just had to take – and despite Pat saying that I would get soaked – I am pleased to say that I did not get one single drop of seawater on me – and it was so much fun. It’s great getting older – you can do all those silly things that you never got a chance to do in childhood, and don’t give a jot what people might think.

I could write reams about the lovely time I had – but this primarily is an allotment blog – so I am sticking to just that. Except for..........

a few photos for those of you who live abroad and like to see pictures of the UK.


Just a few seconds behind our holiday bungalow - these trees have been bent by the winter winds over the years - straight off the sea.


Just past the trees to the left - two minutes from our bungalow to the cliff top



This is the walk down when you get to the edge of the cliff



The beach was deserted as far as the eye could see - and it reminded us of Australian and New Zealand beaches we have visited. Such lovely weather.



This is a zoomed in shot to try and catch the waves breaking over the sea wall - we were about half a mile away so it was not clear. I didn't take my camera out the next day when I played 'chicken' with the waves.

Apologies for the quality of the following photos - taken from the passenger seat in the car whilst driving along the lanes home - no places to stop unfortunately so taken through the windscreen - bumpy roads too!

The coast road home - one side the sea and the other the flat lands of farms and fields.


Same coast road - Norfolk is famous for its many windmills - this is just one of them by the roadside.


Almost home - back to rural countryside, with combine harvesters ambling along the lane just around the corner - the 'lead' land rover could have given us a bit more warning of the giant in the middle of the road. No photo - too much of a suprise!

The hole of the Mole?

It has been unbearably hot, and yesterday even I couldn’t do any work up the allotment except to spend an hour first thing in the morning so that the chooks can have a good run around and scratch in the soil, then back in their big run in the shade.

I let them out again last night from 7.30 until almost 9pm as I went up to water the urgent plants that need to be kept ticking over – but when I say water, it is not a can full per plant, but about 2 litres for each one. My water tanks are all but empty, maybe one more watering or two at the most and that is scooping out the dregs at the bottom. I covered them with black plastic to stop evaporation – and if I am honest, to make it a bit more difficult if anyone took a shine to my water as the water levels really did go down fast.

It was so hot last night whilst I was watering, you would never think it was late – in the middle 70’s f. The sun was still shining at 8pm when I took these photos.

This is where I did the muck spreading the previous day. Four inches deep, and at the rear you can see the side of the huge compost bin.

It is rich, dark, and wet, and not a bit smelly at all. It was layers of green matter,horse manure, and shredded paper, - nature did the rest. I did this last year, but looking at the dry soil you would never have guessed it. The worms took it all down over the winter.

More than 36lb of goosberries from those four little bushes (in front of the rhubarb) in the left of this picture and on the right of the other one, is all the proof I need that the hard work pays off handsomely.

The other day when I was planting yet more climbing beans to replace the ones that refuse to grow (this is my fourth attempt), I found out the possible reason why. I stuck my dibber into the mulch and soil and it disappeared!!!!

I made a big hole to retrieve it and found that there was a tunnel beneath the surface. And everywhere I stuck my dibber, just a few inches under the soil was another tunnel. Probably a mole or two. After that I was more observant and found the same thing on the potato plot, and at various intervals.

You might remember that there was a murder on the lottie earlier in the year when I discovered the body of a mole where my raspberry canes are. And there was me feeling sad for Mr Mole, but happy that there were some, as it meant that at last my plot had lots of worms to aerate the soil – I had been lacking in worms due to the neglect of the site with not a bit of compost or manure being put on it for years, so that the soil was compacted. Do moles eat bean seeds I wonder? And other seeds or plant roots?

I didn’t spend yesterday being idle (apart from an hour and a half having my nails manicured and painted.)

I had picked 16lbs of gooseberries that needed cooking or freezing. I topped and tailed them all – have you ever done it? It takes hours, and is worse than watching paint dry – but at least it was the last of them. I gave a neighbour some for a crumble, and made 8 jars of gooseberry seedless jam.

I had some more jars given to me; they were coffee jars – Dowe Egberts – with lovely glass and plastic stopper tops.



Despite making a great seal, with the heat of the jam it was not possible to create a successful vacuum because the tops popped off. So I used the good old faithful cellophane and elastic band to seal the tops. I will keep the stoppers to give away with the jars as once they have been opened they will be able to reseal them with the tops.

Had the morning off today, too hot to work and needed to go into town for an hour. Once home though I have been topping and tailing blackcurrants, almost 13lbs once prepared – these have been frozen in ‘jam making’ quantities for future use. I am all ‘jammed’ out at the moment and I want to save some for other combinations.

I will not be able to post on here over the weekend – very busy doing other things which will prevent me being sitting here tapping the laptop.

Don’t desert me though as I will be back on Tuesday or maybe even Monday if I can get the time.

Not like me I know – but it is our Wedding Anniversary, and Pat has sprung a nice surprise which will force me into taking a back seat up the allotment and doing something completely different instead!

I am at the point of meltdown

It is so very hot here - it us unrelenting and I do not know what to do to keep cool apart from lots of cool showers - not rain unfortunately.

So here I sit before you with pretty painted nails - pearly pink actually as I am a girly person although you would never guess would you?

Here are a few photos that I promised from yesterday - and I mean a few for a change.



Here is my little shadow Ginger, forever by my side and helping. Well she always thinks she is.



She watches my every move intently, then joins in and has a go herself.


The only trouble is, because she faces me when she watches what I am doing, she digs and scratches up the soil mirror fashion - so in fact she earths up a big pile on the potato that I am about to dig up. No wonder it takes me so long!


This is the 'unseeded' Loganberry and Raspberry Jam. But this year the raspberries are so much smaller because of lack of rain, so the seeds are smaller too and some of them have slipped through. Shame as it took four pounds of them and almost four pounds of sugar too, and ages sieving it. It sure is tasty though The hats are only temporary and will be pretty material and nice labels. The jar on the left is a coffe jar and the one on the right is or was a sauce bottle. They both took well over a pound of jam as they are rather big bottles. (They did get washed, sterilised and then scalded with boiling water, then the water tipped out and they were put in a medium oven to dry, then used hot.) By going to all that trouble ensures that you can use any jars whether they have had curry paste, beetroot or pickle, and there will not be any trace of a smell left. That's the beauty of glass.

I have to go up the allotment tonight as I haven't visited it yet today. I like my girls to have a lovely run around and scratch - they will love all tha manure I put on yesterday.

Must remember my camera. I am so tired I could go to sleep - I have had an incredibly busy day - but as it is not about the allotment or gardening you'll mot be interested.

Off for a sit down for an hour before I go off into the wilds of deepest East Anglia. I expect the 'tractor men' will be up there tonight - or not - but the football and Wimbledon are now a memory!

Up and about early this morning - have 16 pounds of gooseberries to cook and pounds and pounds of blackcurrants, so won't be spending much time up the allotment. I have got the afternoon off, as I am giving my hard working hands a treat and having a manicure.

Off to water some tubs at home - then slaving over a hot stove.

Thanks very much for the link to the crete site Karen. I am going to cook the chicken recipe off their recipe page and also the courgette one. Just hope that the village shop has feta cheese if not I will have to improvise

Must dash or I will not get everthing done.

Such a busy time I have had today. I am glad to be sitting down at last.

I thought that I would make an early start up the allotment, but as usual got side tracked.

I spent most of the morning digging up a row of Colleen early potatoes and they are just beautiful. I also had a couple of Robinta plants that I dug up too. I filled a potato sack – not a 25kg but a smaller one so I don’t know how much they weighed. I didn’t get time to take any photos, but will try and do so tomorrow.

Before I headed home, I then spent an hour or so spreading a huge compost bin of last year’s horse manure, now really well rotted, over the bed that has the rhubarb, gooseberries and young asparagus plants. It will serve to keep the weeds down, and give them all a good feed, and also hold any rainfall (if it ever comes) and help to prevent the evaporation of it.

The compost was really wet, which was a surprise. I expected it to be damp underneath, but not sodden. The ground is so dry and like concrete, it will do them a power of good. It looked really great when I had finished it – but I was exhausted. Pat phoned whilst I was puffing and panting having just finished doing it. Very heavy work!

Once again the chooks kept me company, but I had to put them in their run whilst I was muck spreading as they got in the way and dived on every barrow load and were in danger of getting ‘speared’ when I was spreading it. They will have a good rummage in it tomorrow. They are still laying three lovely big strong eggs, so I reckon that the egg eating episode is over and done with.

This afternoon I made some Loganberry and Raspberry seedless jam with the fruit I picked yesterday – just over four pounds. Tonight I spent hours top and tailing 16 pounds of gooseberries. About half of it I us to make some seedless gooseberry jam, and the rest I will freeze for later until I can get some more jars. I am thinking that I will put an advert in a couple of the village shops.

I picked more courgettes today, and gave some to my friends, but there will be so many on the next weeks. So many thanks to Redwitch, and Karen for the recipes. I might use rusks instead of bread – I have lots of it after ordering some for my sausage making, and there was a minimum order – which will last me for years, so I am thinking up ways of using it.

I must go and strain off some more gooseberries that have been cooking whilst I have been typing this.

Til tomorrow then.

Yesterday and today I have had a busy time up the allotment – so what’s new about that I hear you ask.

It was a miserable weather wise, and rain was threatened but never arrived. It didn’t put off though. It was windy and cooler so much more comfortable to work in.



I planted two rows of raspberry canes just two years ago, and despite following directions to the letter, they have gone ‘mad’ and unfortunately they got an infestation of bindweed in amongst them. Seeds blown from neighbouring plots, alas, nothing I could do about that to prevent them growing. In the open beds I keep digging the seedlings up, but in spikey raspberry canes it is hard to see them.


I took drastic action to try and solve the problem. I cut all the canes down from the row next to the fence which was the worst affected. This year has been a bad year for raspberries – well the ones not in my fruit cage, as they are small due to the drought conditions. I left short stems above the ground as I would like Pat dig them all up for me. They are notorious for spreading, but I never realised quite how much, and there is only so much that we can freeze, and preserve and give away. So now that I am more in control of my site, I will be getting rid of some of the plants that are not working.

I will leave about three in the second row and move the autumn fruiting ones in the winter so that they are in just one row. Either side I will sow grass paths, which will serve to keep the weeds, especially bindweed under control, will look nice and will give me room to pick the berries from either side comfortably.


My three chooks had a great time running to eat the berries that fell off and scratching around in the lovely soft manure mulch and finding insects. The followed me about and got under my feet, pecked my boots to get attention – great company.




Adelaide and KoKKo dustbathing

I also picked some more courgettes – 25 of the melon shape ones – that reminds me Patsy, I haven’t looked up the name of the variety yet – will do that tomorrow. This variety is really prolific, so I shall be busy making ratatouille to freeze and using them in other ways. Any ideas anyone?



There were more tomato plants to sort out which are outside the netting ‘tent’. I have been removing the lower leaves to conserve any moisture that the plant gets. The little tomatoes need it more than the lower leaves, and there are plenty more on the plant for photosynthesis. They have put on quite a bit of growth despite the lack of water, but desperately need some rain.

The grass paths that I sowed earlier in the year have failed. One grew a lovely new thatch, but the sun has burnt the grass and it has died. The grass seeds never really germinated on the other path, you can see the grass seed on top and the weeds are starting to take hold – so I will have to weed those, and will leave the paths until autumn, before I sow again.

I picked some loganberries and raspberries from inside the fruit cage; it still surprises me that every other day there are always plenty to harvest.

The replacement runner beans are just showing – so too the broad beans that I planted in error. The climbers are being eaten – probably by slugs – so putting a bit of rhubarb in the planting hole before you put the bean did not work this time for me.

Today I decided to take it easy and harvest the last of the gooseberries and blackcurrants. It turned into a marathon job. I just thought it would be picking the gooseberries from the one bush in the cage that I hadn’t harvested yet. I got a big bowl full of that one. The blackcurrants yielded two containers, they take ages to pick but are really worth it.

Then I decided to have a look at the four other gooseberry bushes next to the rhubarb bed. I thought that I had done a really good job of picking all those – wrong. There were tiny little ones that I had left, which had turned into nice big juicy ones – I got a full carrier bag of those – plus lots of scratches to my arms. Yes I did wear long sleeves and thick gloves, but the always seem to get me through or between my clothing and gloves. My back, and especially my old knees are really painful. It is all bending down this harvesting lark. The berries all seem to hang underneath the branches and as they fruit on old wood you have to really reach down into the bushes or under them.

I did have a nice incident which ‘made my day’ apart from the antics that the chickens get up too that is. I was sitting on the ground, with my work clothes on, plus a big white hat to shade my head and face from the sun. There was a deep rumble above and when I looked behind me then up, it was a huge low flying airplane, a blue grey colour. It was so low that I could see the man in the cockpit. I think that it might have been an ‘old’ plane, as it looked that way. I waved to the pilot as it went past, and kept looking at it waving – and guess what – this huge plane slowly dipped it’s left wing then straightened up and carried on its course. When I first saw it happen I thought that it was going to change its course but it didn’t. I sat there smiling to myself whilst picking the gooseberries for quite a while.

We are not far from several air bases, so I am used to seeing fighter planes screeching over the field high in the sky in tight formation. They go so fast that by the time you hear them, they are almost out of sight! We also get low flying helicopters sometimes the men are sitting on the side with their legs dangling out – they wave back too.

Just spoken to Pat and he said that it flew low over the golf course (it was heading in that direction) and his friend said that it was a Viking. The name meant nothing to me, but it was really sleek and beautiful aircraft with really wide wings and a long spike on the front of the cockpit. Like something out of an old movie.

I had been up there so long, that the chickens had eaten their full of fruit and insects and had done all the exploring that they wanted too, and had headed on back to their run for a spot of lunch and sunbathing.

So I took the hint, and shut them up for the day, with a handful of apple and pear cores, and headed off back down the allotment.


Shallots put out on a grid to catch the sun and dry ready for storing

As I passed the shallots bed I pulled them all up, so let the courgettes have more room. They were not growing any bigger and the tops were drying out, so it was time to lift them.



I bent over the stalks of the onions too as I passed – they had grown to a nice size and if I leave them much longer they will only go to seed. They can ripen in the sun now. Eight rows - they do make a nice pattern though don't they?

Just had one last job to do and that was to lay the shallots out to dry.

Too many eggs? Not for long.

Yesterday I decided to do some baking to use up some of my eggs. I got three from the bantams, and three from the girls too.

I gave Pat half a dozen eggs to take to his golf partner – as he loaned him a trolley when Pat’s broke – it was only minor and now is repaired. Two of my neighbours have had eggs too, but now the girls are back on track I will have a surplus now and again.

I made a Victoria sponge cake which will be sandwiched together with some of my home made jam or jelly, and fresh cream. For the moment it has been frozen. For that recipe I weighed the eggs in their shells and added the same weight in sugar, butter and self raising flour, added a teaspoonful of vanilla essence, and a pinch of salt. I used four large eggs for that.

I also made a loaf cake with fresh raspberries – something that I have never tried before – fresh fruit incorporated in a cake. We have just had a taste test – and ended up having two slices each.

It is a melt in the mouth kind of cake, a soft sponge and the raspberries do just melt in your mouth, to give it something extra. It would be lovely served warm with custard or fresh cream, also cold with ice cream or cream.


The picture is a bit blurred – sack the photographer! It must have something to do with the honeycomb colour of the sponge and the photo lookes like the cake is bumpy or cut roughly. But in reality it was cut straight revealing the raspberries and it was incredibly soft and light and moist.

I think that I might try it with loganberries or later blackberries and apple – and as it is such a nice textured cake, I am going to use it to make some cup cakes – and some in moulds for puddings – like mini bowls and serve with a raspberry coulis. It should freeze well too.

Here is the recipe if you want to give it a try.
Ingredients

175g butter
175g caster sugar – golden is nice too
350g plain flour (sifted)
1tsp mixed spice
1tbs black treacle
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 2tbs milk
1 lemon – juice and zest
250g fresh or frozen raspberries

Method

Rub the butter and flour together to breadcrumb stage.
Add the sugar, lemon, treacle, and eggs, until mixed.
Add the bicarb dissolved in milk
Lastly fold in the raspberries taking care not to keep them whole

I used a 2lb loaf tin with a cake liner to make life easier - ready for cooking.

Bake on 170c fan/180c oven for 45 minutes
Reduce heat to 140c fan/or 150c normal oven and cook for a further 20-35 minutes.

I checked mine after 20 minutes and it needed cooking for 30 minutes before it was just done and the scewer came out clean.


Allotment posting may not be done until tomorrow morning!

Couples that play together, stay together

An old wives tale – but so true.

At the weekends if Pat isn’t bowling, and if we do not have visitors, then he comes up the allotment with me. He does all the heavy stuff that I have been banned from doing and today was no different – but I usually get to do some of the heavy stuff too as one person can’t lift some things on their own.

We inherited with the plot amongst the 6ft weeds lots of junk, and amongst the junk were big plastic grids with metal edges.

At the time we dragged them from all over the plot and put them in a pile. They are too big and heavy to put in the car. Today, after thinking about them a lot, just piled up and bind weed finding them, we decided to do something with them, so we have made a path behind the fruit cage.

I laid plastic sheeting down a year or so ago, to keep the weeds down and to have somewhere to put more of the junk until we had time to sort it – out of sight out of mind syndrome. But when you have so much to do you have to prioritise – and my priority was to clear the weeds and plant things in their place!

Now though, there are no weeds behind the fruit cage and a nice pathway – great. We had one large one left over so that has gone right down by the hedge where I pulled up all the tall stinging nettles to allow me to get to the cultivated blackberry that I planted my first year up there – and now is full of flowers so hoping for enough for some apple and blackberry jam – and some puddings. I have a big elderberry tree, and the flowers are now finished and the berries are forming. Shame I don’t drink or I would be into all sorts of home made wines.

As usual the three chooks did their usual morning march around the estate. First stop the inspection of the flower borders, up and down the grass paths between them and in and under the flowers looking for goodies.

Next stop, a late breakfast of gooseberries for them, then through the gateway for blackcurrants and raspberries, and the odd jostaberry. I left them to it, as I had to be outside the enclosed area to harvest raspberries, blackcurrants and loganberries from in the fruit cage. As I was waylaid by Pat’s calls for advice or help, it took me most of the morning to pick the raspberries and loganberries, and I never even got to those further down the plot or the currant bushes that urgently need harvesting.

Whilst working behind the fruit cage we heard a tapping noise, a bit like the hammering of a woodpecker or several people knocking nails into wood. It was only later that Pat discovered that it was the girls. I obviously hadn’t put the front hatch on the compost bin properly and they had managed to somehow knock it off and were happily exploring its contents.

When I looked they were obviously full as KoKKo was lying on her side, legs crossed eyes closed dozing in the sunshine by the runner beans. Adelaide was doing the same but in the shade of the potato crop, and Ginger was having a dust bath in the gap between the rows. Such a lovely sight.

I went to see of there were any more courgettes to pick and there were lots – but on the way I got side tracked and went into the netted area to pick some mange tout, but most of them are filling out with peas, so I shall leave them to pod up. I did pick a couple of pounds of some of the later crop of mange tout though, but I am going to leave those to grow too. I also have some Kelvedon peas – we just need some rain to swell them.

I then examined the tomato plants and spent an hour tying them up higher up their stems as they have grown so much in a couple of weeks. I pulled off the lower leaves too, so that the little amount of water they do get can go straight up to the tomatoes now forming. There were lots of picking off the shoots at the leaf joints too. Still with around 70 plants up there it is bound to take so long. They are desperate for some rain. The little we had yesterday has not made the slightest impact.

By this time I was shattered, we had been up there for over four and a half hours, and did not get home until almost three this afternoon. Pat is always amazed that we rarely see anyone at the weekend up there – or any sign of any work having been done either. Guess it must be Wimbledon keeping them transfixed.

My harvest today was raspberries, and loganberries, mange tout and tennis ball size yellow and green courgettes, some long ‘white’ ones which are very pale green, and a black beauty.

It looked more colourful after it was cooked - and the lovely textures. Crunchy mange tout, smooth and creamy courgettes, soft onions, and wonderful tomatoes. I just love colour - as you no doubt have noticed. It really gets my taste buds going.
Lunch was a quick throw together meal, of new potatoes, fresh salmon, and a mix of mange tout, diced courgettes, onions, and tomatoes – and boy did we need it.

I just want to show you this as an example of the different ways of growing things.

It is not a criticism of a neighbouring plot, but this example was an eye-opener for me, and convinced me that I was going about things in the right way.

Here are rows of potatoes amongst the weeds, an example of how the men with machines plant theirs.


It looks very neat doesn't it from a distance. The weeds have grown more as I took this photo a few days ago. This plot has been ploughed several times this season, until it looked like dust. Trenches were made with machines, and potatoes were dropped in, (not chitted beforehand, and I was told that it wasn't necessary, as the farmers plant theirs the same way in fields.) I can see the logic in that, and conceeded that I had probably wasted lots of time doing things differently and would try this way next year......but later now they have grown....


There are three potato plants in this photo amongst the weeds - can you see them?

Once or twice a week between the rows it is rotorvated, and the rows of potatoes are left untouched. They are planted exactly in the same way and same place as last year and the year before. These potatoes were planted several weeks before mine.

Mine were planted in April at Easter, and this photo was taken on the same day at the same time as those photos above.


Over winter I barrowed lots of well rotted manure onto the area where I intended my potatoes to grow, and I had rotated my crops - last year I grew potatoes down the far end of the allotment. I kept my seed potatoes in my shed and let them chit for a couple of months before they were due for planting out. They had short strong stems, and I rubbed off any extra ones growing out of the bottom.

I dug the manure in around February and March, and in April, I got my friend to deeply rotorvate the bed which ensured that the manure was deep down, and evenly spread. He also made the trenches for me. I laid newspaper in them, then planted each potato by hand, chitted end upwards and filled in the trench as I went.

Since then I have earthed the potatoes each time they grew through until all the threat of frost had gone. Apart from that I have been hand weeding between them and in between the rows. Mine are the same distance apart as the rows in the top photos. The difference being that the foliage on my plants is now touching and shading the gaps, and keeping down almost all the weeds.

I am getting 2 ½ lb per plant of potatoes off my earlies 'Colleen' – the other plot holders have dug up a few plants and have not had enough for a meal, and all of them are not much bigger than marbles.

So if seeing is believing, I and Pat, have now seen the difference with our own eyes.

Incidentally I am the only person who grows their potatoes this way out of all the plots - and I am getting at least twice the yield from my rows than they are getting from their long rows. My potatoes are also very much bigger.

I expect that by the time the main crop is dug up though, the yields might well be the same as they all have a longer to grow.

A day of the fruit harvest

It is 5pm and I have been on my feet almost all day, so am taking time out to type up my blog.

I was up and out at 9am to go and see the chickens – collect three nice brown speckled eggs all intact and strong.

I moved a struggling pumpkin to a new site and watered it will, and planted up another that I had at home and thought it was a hollyhock – well the leaves look the same when they are small – it was only when it flowered that I knew – so perhaps somewhere amongst the courgettes I will find a hollyhock growing.

A dash back home, posting another couple of Wanted Jam Jar posters through doors, then a visit to the bantams before my cooking marathon – well it seems like it at the moment.

Pat was off playing golf and I had all that produce that I picked yesterday to utilise.

I took it out of the fridge and cleaned and weighed it all.

7lb blackcurrants
2 ½ lb redcurrants
4oz wild strawberries
3 ½ lb raspberries
1lb 10 oz jostaberries
3lb loganberries

I decided to make a summer fruits jam as I couldn’t make hedgerow jam as the apples and blackberry season hasn’t started yet – and I want to make everything from my home grown fruits.

For the summer fruits jam I used blackcurrants, redcurrants, wild strawberries, raspberries and some loganberries, then made the recipe up and it worked a treat. It made 6 ½ jars full. These jars are all sizes the minimum about is 1lb in each jam jar, but I am also using coffee jars, tea jars, peanut butter jars, beetroot jars, and kilner jars – and they all vary in size some of which take almost 2lb of jam. Of course all have their labels removed, and I wash them, sterilise them in boiling water and then put them in the oven on 100c to dry out and keep sterile. Once they have pretty ‘hats’ it will disguise their lids and they will all have labels on them and look uniform. I had once again ran out of jam jars, I had even raided my cupboard and put any half used jars in smaller containers so that I could use those jars.

So with the rest of the fruit I made a lovely huge casserole mixture of summer fruits – this time to use in summer puddings in the winter or steamed sponges, pies, or crumbles. A mixture of all the above cooked but each fruit added a little while after the other variety so you get the whole juice of the currants, then some juice of all the berries but a lot of them retain their shape, so that you get a mouthful of mixed fruit. Not only does it look colourful – it tastes of hot summer days – just the ticket in December!

Pat came home and I made a salad of all our home grown stuff, and new potatoes etc etc.

He told me that there were a couple of jam jars left in the porch – so off I went again.

This time I used the jostaberries to make jam. They look like a cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant, and taste like blackcurrants with a bit of a gooseberry kick. Very refreshing and different. I included some green ones that hadn’t quite ripened as there were no recipes for jostaberry jam that I could find. Logically they must have lots of pectin in them as they are not very sweet so I would not eat them raw on their own. So I just added their own weight in sugar and cooked them the usual way you make jam.

Here they are at setting point. The colour of the juice changed from a wishy - washy green then pink, to a gorgeous deep and rich looking dark red when it had cooled and set. It made 3 jars of jam and looks great with some of the fruit remaining whole like translucent marbles of shades of green to black.

Having run out of jars yet again, the loganberries that were left, I placed on parchment paper, laid them out on trays to be frozen individually – that way I have a more diverse choice of what to use them for over the winter.

I now have a total of 40 jars in stock for gifts or for sale and I have made 55 ½ jars all together. I have a few in my cupboard that are just for us.

I have given it a lot of thought and have decided that if I can make 75 – 100 jars of jam, that I will have a stall at the ‘Good Causes’ Christmas Fair in the village and donate the money to a charity that is close to my heart. But it all depends if I can make enough to make it worth the while for paying for a stall and making a reasonable amount of money for the charity. If not I will donate them over the coming year to fundraising events in the village. Cakes and preserves are always a sell out.

At 12.37 today we had a shower of rain. Nothing to write home about, and it took an hour before there were enough drops to all meet up and make the paths wet. It then stopped, then started and gently rained for another half an hour, and since then we have had sunshine. At least it means that I need not go up the allotment at 9pm tonight to water my tomatoes and squashes. Hopefully the peas, beans, and other plants will have had a drink too. I have lot so mange tout I need to pick and freeze.

The loganberries should be frozen by now, so I need to pour them into a container for the freezer - then make some labels - and I wanted to do some baking to use up some eggs - but I feel rather tired and it has got very hot again, so I might take a rest once I have finished all the washing up.


One of the two trays of frozen loganberries. I can highly recommend frozen logaberries on a hot day - I have just eaten two - and they are like really juicy cold sweets and so refreshing.

I think I have earned it today - Pat has been asleep in front of the television 'watching' the mens semi finals. I expect that when he wakes up he will be flicking to text to check the results.

Allotment Lady's faithful little friend

Today dawned dull, with rain forecast so you can guess where I was headed –it would be good to do some harvesting before it came.

First stop the girls, and two eggs but no real sign of any being eaten. I have been giving them some supplements in their water made by Battles. It looks the colour of redcurrant juice!

I let them out and decided to move the run over near the trees so that they get some extra shade. I had to get a strong screwdriver and a hammer to lever the tent pegs that hold the run down, the ground is so hard. Amazingly the grass paths that I sowed last year, and the meadow too for that matter is lush and green, everything else is turning yellow. Once again, although forecast, no showers of rain for us today.

The chicken’s water containers go green in a day with this incredible heat, so I wash them out each morning, and keep bottles of fresh water up there all the time – at least 8 litres, and usually more.

I have been putting extra Oyster shell and also aviary grit in their feed, which they have been eating, so their shells will be so thick hopefully, that a pneumatic drill will be needed to get through them. I also have some golf balls in the nest box – at one person’s suggestion, so hopefully the combination will work.

I have been letting the ‘girls’ have the run of the fenced off allotment – not just the garden and fruit area but right through. It is so nice to have their company, and they seem to enjoy mine.


Come on girlies.

All three came running along after me, and Adelaide does a funny low flying run as she gets distracted easily so then has to hurry to catch up in case she misses anything.


Today, Ginger kept by my side like a little faithful dog.

I was fruit picking today, and they were eating the raspberries that I dropped and some ripe ones that were on the ground - they make a nice little clean up team. I keep thinking how the bantams would love it up there; but with two broody hens and Pumpkin not the least bit friendly, it would not be practical to let them roam. The big hens are so tame, and always come when I call, so no problem wherever they are – even when I can’t see them or hear them, I just call and the start ‘talking’ to me and come running.


Adelaide and KoKKo went off for a wander on their own, and Ginger kept me company. Bok Bokking talking to me, pecking my wellies and shirt when she wanted my attention. I know that she is a really naughty hen – out of all three of them she is the one that gets up to most mischief, but she is so friendly.

She was with me and never left my side all the morning that I was in the fenced off area – about four hours.


She kept standing between my legs looking at what I was doing - this photo was not easy to take believe you me! I was looking at her upside down!

When I was on my hands and knees looking for ripe blackcurrants, I would watch her and she would find the ones underneath for me, which I could not see. She wasn’t of course doing it for me - but to find a nice ripe one for herself to eat – of which there were many.

When Geoff came the other side of the fencing to talk to me – all three of them rushed over to inspect him – then KoKKo and Adelaide wandered off t eat more raspberries, but Ginger stayed put.


At one point I went back to the shed, then started picking some loganberries which were outside the other fruit cage, and Ginger stood by the corrugated fence patiently waiting for me.

When I returned the other two wandered up and all three started pecking at a plastic compost bin. I couldn’t see what they were pecking at – no visible insects – but maybe there were, and I just couldn’t see them.

It kept them amused for a full fifteen minutes, then I opened the front of the bin for them to have a poke around in the compost for ten minutes before it was time to pack up and go home. Once again I just had to call them and they came running and flapping the 270 feet back to their run – which was all nice and clean and fully stocked with food, water, a small lettuce, some apple cores, and a bit of spinach!

I haven’t weighed all the produce that I picked today – but there was so much Pat had to help me unload the car.

Shallots -2 carrier bags full
Blackcurrants - ½ a carrier bag – 5 or 6 pounds and so many more to pick too
Raspberries - 2 large containers, three pounds I should think
Loganberries – a big bowl full - 2lbs at least
Redcurrants – 1lb or so
Wild strawberries – just enough for tea
Lettuce and salad leaves too – we still have plenty of potatoes.

I had a wheel barrow with them all in – they were too heavy to carry. It really is great to get such a yield and at last the past two years hard work is really paying off.

I noticed that there are more mange tout to pick, a late crop of broad beans, all the currents and berries except redcurrants (which are now more or less all picked) still have lots of fruit on the bushes to come. With the berries, it seems that the more I pick them, the more they grow.

I now have to find the energy to cook or freeze them tonight!

Where is that rain they forecast - not here!

I don't believe it.-.Rain!

Early this morning about a mile out of the village boundary, we encountered a really heavy storm, with the lanes flooded. (rural area so no drains and the water comes off the fields and floods the road). A few miles further on it had been and gone, then a few miles after that and all the way to Norwich the rain was so heavy that it was almost like night, and the windscreen wipers on full pelt could not cope with it.

Flash flooding on the roads too. Pat dropped me near the entrance to the department I needed and I got soaked just walking the few yards!

We didn’t mind though, as we were so grateful that at last our gardens and allotment would be watered.

The rain hammered down all the time I was in that department (well over an hour) and was still raining hard when I went to the next – then to a lesser extent on the way home.

When we got to the village we could not believe our eyes – not a single drop had fallen. The lanes were dry and dusty, the sun was shining, perhaps it had dried the rain up? We had to go past the part of the village where the allotments are, so we stopped off to collect the eggs THREE UNTOUCHED AND ALL BROWN, and not a drop of rain had fallen there. I can always tell even if it is a smidgeon as I have some rubber tracks that the previous tenant had left down the bottom amongst the weeds and I have used them as paths between the three raised beds. They were bone dry. We couldn’t believe it!

I was so pleased with the chickens that I gave them a whole lettuce and some spinach to eat.

I could not resist picking our first courgettes this year – a new variety that I decided to try out.

If I hadn’t had been so hungry I would have taken a photo of the ratatouille I made with them. It was so colourful. I cut up the courgettes into chunks, added some of my red onions, and a couple of my shallots, added large red tomatoes (organic but not mine yet), and big roasted red peppers that I sliced up. The bright yellows, shades of reds, and green was truly pretty. Having put the oven on to cook the ratatouille, I decided to roast the rainbow trout too. A nice simple lunch – but very tasty.

By now it was late afternoon and no a cloud in sight, so I stayed indoors – and made blackcurrant jam – four large jars – I love how the colour turned from pale red to really dark when I boiled it up with the sugar. I thought that it might be black (I haven’t made blackcurrant jam before and didn’t realise that the juice was red.) It reached setting point quite quickly and I am just going to have some on a doorstep of my crusty bread.

Pat is out bowling – and so I am going to indulge myself – feet up with a good book – fan going to keep me cool – and perfect peace. No football, no tennis, no noise.

Thanks for all your lovely comments – I will answer them tomorrow – just need a bit of a rest tonight.

Glad to hear that the rain came down on some of you – hopefully it will be our turn tomorrow. I will still go up the allotment to let the girls out to play – maybe pick more courgettes, and just soak up the sights, sounds, and smells – which will be a bit strong and the gigantic pile of piggy poo, really hums when it gets wet!

Jamming Sessions

Thursday, Friday, Monday, and today, apart from working up the allotment, I have been busy cooking jams and jellies.

To make jellies, you have to cook the fruit, leave it to strain overnight, add sugar, then cook again – I had four sessions doing that, and made four jars of redcurrant and four of gooseberry jellies.



Redcurrant Jelly - so clear you can see right through it.

Yesterday and today I have been making raspberry and redcurrant jam – until I ran out of jam jars.

That seemed to put an end to my preserve making – until I had a idea.

I made a ‘Wanted Jam Jar’ poster and put it through some of my neighbours’ letter boxes.

This resulted in 8 jam jars, left in my porch within fifteen minutes! If I end up with a mountain of them Pat will surely moan – but I can always recycle them.


But I have cooked 20 lbs of the fruit I harvested up the allotment - but with more to do.

Here is a selection of what I have made.


Raspberry and Redcurrant Jam


Gooseberry Jelly - turned from green to pink, once it cooled


Redcurrant Jelly - when you hold it up to the light is so clear and like a ruby.

All I need to do now is to make labels, buy some material for frilly 'hats' to make them look pretty. I still haven't finished making fancy tops for the other 20 or so marmalades, jams, and chutneys I did with all the rhubarb.

80f here at 8.30am - not working up the allotment today

Went up the allotment very very early today and collected the eggs. 2 perfect and one partly eaten - by Ginger - caught her in the act. Despite all the extra calcium I have provided her egg shells do seem thinner than the others and the egg is paler.

They don't lay their eggs at the same time every day - otherwise I could go up there at 7am or whatever time. The other day Adelaide did not lay until 11.30am.

As I am usually up there 4 or 5 hours a day lately, I can frequently check up on them.

It is so hot today that I am not going up the allotment to work. I need to weed a bit of my front gardens, and have lots of fruit to process - either cook, or blanch and freeze.

Off for breakfast.

What a scorcher – 31c today. I was only going to be up the allotment for an hour harvesting but………….

I just wanted to pick some blackcurrants that would be ripe to make some more jam (haven’t told you about the jam making yet as it will take a time to type it up and insert the photos).

It was just before 10am, the girls had laid me 2 eggs and eaten 1 – it was sticky inside so I knew! The ones that were not eaten were brown and strong!

The girls made a dash for the rhubarb patch and I gave them some redcurrants that I had used last night and they just loved the seeds.

I left them doing their usual scavenging, and eating gooseberries, the odd red and blackcurrant on the young bushes which only have a few on them, and some raspberries poking through the middle fence. Happy little noises from them as they found something else new to each and ‘talked ‘ about it to each other.

As I got to the fruit cage, the first thing I noticed were that the raspberries poking through the netting were ripe – so I ate a few – lovely and warm and juicy. Once inside the cage, I realised that there were quite a few, so thought I had better get a container and picked them – nearly 3lb at the weigh in this afternoon and just from a few canes.

Then I noticed so redcurrants still on the bushes and picked those – these were ones right in the middle of the bushes in the main stem but right at the bottom – so they took me about an hour to gather the 6lb that I did.

Whilst doing so I spied some nice ripe strawberries – decent ones this time – so had another 2lb of those. Which lead me around the back to the loganberry that has escaped through the netting – these are like great big elongated raspberries which remind me of a miniature bunch of grapes – 1lb of those too.

I finally got around to the first blackcurrant harvest by which time it was gone 1pm, so I gathered a few pounds and was going to ‘call it a day’.

I picked a lettuce for the girls, and some sorrel and gave them a call – I just love seeing them running along the path, in a funny waddle-gait and Ginger takes a run and a flapping low flight to get there first. They couldn’t wait to get in their run and get at the goodies I had previously put in there for them.

The lovely long sun shade cover, really works a treat and after a feed, they were lying on their sides in the shade dozing. Nice life for a chicken isn’t it. I too sat in the shade and just watched them, and looked and day-dreamed – for about 10 minutes before deciding to have a go at the last little patch of weeds that grow through the hedge at the field end. So I spent the next hour pulling up the tall nettles and cutting down the dock weeds and managed to clear it all. I can now get to my blackberry in the hedge that I put in a couple of years ago as a little tiny cutting and forgot about it. This year, despite this drought, it has really grown and looks wonderfully healthy with really big pretty pink flowers. It is a cultivar rather than wild, but has thorns – really big ones, but I am hoping that the big flowers will mean big berries. I just love apple and blackberry crumbles, pies, and jam – but doubt that I will get lots this year. Another nice surprise!

I covered up my big water tanks behind my shed with a large sheet of thick black plastic which I used to keep patches of my veggies beds clean when I am not using them. It should send out a message to whoever is using them. They still might have the cheek to use my green water but that has a tap on it – but I hope not – that is my last reserve of water and I am almost of out water now.

I discovered some more cut fencing – this time at the top of the strong 5ft high small gauge chicken wire that runs about 100 or so feet along the main vegetable area. It is buried a foot deep. At two of the posts the wire has been cut down from the top about 12inches and it was sticking out – that is how I noticed it. I thought it was dangerous as I could take someone’s eye out or give them a nasty scratch. So I have bent it back to make it safe. At least the rabbits haven’t learnt to pole vault yet, so the latest bit of creative wire cutting hasn’t made much difference. I think someone must have a new toy and just likes playing with it. I shan’t take any notice – I am sure that they will get fed up before I do!

It really is unbearably hot so you will forgive me for not putting in lots of photos or typing much tonight.

By the time I got home at gone 3pm and showered, we had a very late lunch – but it was worth waiting for – crispy home grown lettuce, salad leaves, herbs, potatoes, garlicky, herby chickens thighs, (organic chicken of course from my friend) but sadly not home grown tomatoes – yet!

Warm strawberries from up the lottie with evaporated milk (Pat loves it, but I would have liked cream or ice cream). He did make up for that, by bringing me a choc ice later though!

I wish I could sit still and just wilt like everyone else, but I had the fruit to deal with.

I have been making gooseberry jelly, redcurrant jelly, strawberry and redcurrant jelly; these are clear ‘jam’ which is great. They can all be used as jams, or used to glaze fruit, or meat, great for flans – and a spoon full added to gravy in the winter works wonders! Raspberry and redcurrant jam ingredients are all weighed and will be made tomorrow, followed by blackcurrant jam – and jelly perhaps – depending on the time and energy I have.


Some jars of gooseberry jelly that I have been making. I love the way the colour has changed from green to pink, and the fact that it is so clear that you can read a letter through it! - And no bits - but I might making gooseberry curd or jam which might have a few bits in it!

I also want to make mint and gooseberry jelly – wonderful with lamb as a sauce or for basting.

And of course I should mix up batches for summer pudding mixtures, and to freeze for winter use.

Off for a rest – well it is getting on for 10pm!

Too hot, too tired to type

It has been 95f here today and yesterday was about the same - some of the roads are melting too!

It is far too hot for me to type up recent events. We went up tonight at 9.30pm to water the essential plants and it was still sweltering. Someone's been helping themselves to water from my tanks - and a quick look on you know who's plot and damp patches around some lettuce and sweetcorn and onions tells me that I do not need Inspector Poirot to solve this mystery. No wonder the water was going down fast!

The chooks were still up so I let them out for a play - and guess what - 2 brown eggs and one peach one with slit in it - a strange - almost as though it had been stabbed with the tip of a knife. Hmmm

When I walked down that end I saw a rabbit rush out of the flower beds to the fence on the other side and disappeared through it. I couldn't believe my eyes. After letting the girls out for a mooch about, I went to take a look. There was a huge hole cut in the chicken wire - bigger that an football. If I didn't know better I would have thought that I have been sabotaged. Or maybe I have. This hole was too huge to miss. And considering I walk past it several times a day, and had done a thorough inspection tour when I found the last hole, it was definitely not there then.

We were up there Friday evening, and I missed Saturday as it was so hot and I have visitors. I knew the girls would be alright as they have a shade over their long run and get the shade in the afternoon. They have a big food hopper now, that will last them at least a week, and also water containers so that they have 6 litres of water, so I knew they would be fine for one day without a visit.

So I had to repair the fence before I could water - put another length of very close mesh fencing in front to the other, bent the wire all along the bottom for 6 inches and pegged it in places to the ground - will put more pegs in later in the week.

The original fence is buried a spade deep to prevent from tunnelling under - which they don't. Clever these rabbits nowadays - they can now eat their way through chicken wire!

Isn't it great that the rabbits have eaten all the bottoms of the rudbeckias - we can walk in and out them now and have a dig


A wander aroung the flower beds - doing the insect patrol


They have inspected the flower beds and are just finished off the broad bean bed - next stop the gooseberry patch


On the dig around the mulch on the baby asparagus plants - they are always good for an insect or two.



Come on you two, there are lots of gooseberries here - I just saw a pigeon fly off - so if they can eat them so can we


How right you are for once Ginger



All this foraging for food is hot work isn't it - I am going to take a rest


They all have their favourite rhubarb plant to hide under and have a siesta - wish I could too.


Come on girlies time for lunch