Mutant Parsnips

I dug up the first of my parsnips just in time for Christmas dinner. Most of them weren't that big but I did find this for legged mutant whopper!

Unfortunately the sprouts are nowhere near ready. Should have planted them much earlier. Making slow progress on the allotment digging but at least I'm getting somewhere...

Getting started in earnest

It's been two weeks since Henry and I moved into our plot. Although Henry used the last week of British Summertime to make a good start at evening digging and I managed to get an hour or two in last weekend, it was only this week we really got going.

I had Friday off work and Henry had just gotten back from holiday so we decided to get to work with our forks that afternoon. We managed to dig about a third of one side over by the time it got dark.


Our progress was slowed by continually picking over the earth to pull out the tough, long, white and yellow roots of stinging nettles and couch grass. We've been told by the guy opposite, Clive, that we can't leave any race of these in the ground or they will grow straight back. We're also told that they won't compost so have been piling them up to dry out and burn.


We're also not helped by the plot next to us, which is overgrown with nettles along the fence that borders our plot. I ended up reaching over to tug out all adjoining roots as well.

Another issue is the carpet that has been used to cover all the paths in between the existing beds. We've decided to rip all of this up because it's infested with weed roots - but this leaves us with the dilema of what to do with it.


As dusk settled, we got a small bonfire going and piled some of our roots on top to burn and smoulder, hopefully leaving us with some nutrient rich ash in their place.


A hard days work done, we headed down The Running Mare for a pint or two too many.

Patch update, allotment goodies and loads of nuts!

I spent the morning doing things on my patch. I untied the old tomato canes, took down the pea climber and composted all the stalks. I've left the roots in for nitrogen fixing goodness.

Then I staked my brussel sprouts and what's left of the broccoli. I've started putting pennies around the bases as slugs don't like copper, although when I went out this evening there were still some chomping away.


Meanwhile, I've got some late peppers flowering in my mini greenhouse. I doubt they'll fruit but I'm curious. I've also got some lettuce still growing as baby leaf which we've been eating bit by bit.



After a bit of work on the patch, I wlaked down to the plot with Mum to collect some dried french peas and runner beans for re-planting, the other slug addled pumpkin, a yellow courgette and the butternut squash.


On the way back we picked bagfuls of chestnuts and wlanuts from some trees by the Portsmouth Road. We had to stop when it got too dark to see though.

Moving in to Plot 18

Today we officially moved into our plot. I cycled down earlier this afternoon to have another look at what we've got to sort out. Unlike some people I know who have taken over new plots recently, ours isn't too overgrown. It's currently arranged into overgrown beds with overgrown carpet paths in between them all.


We're probably going to pull most of it up, make bigger beds, re-lay some carpet covered in wood chippings and put down some horse manure and/or a green manure over the winter.


While having a look I found some left over veg from the previous tenant. It felt a bit like a post mortem on someone else's growing season. Found dried French beans, Carrots, loads of Fennel, two pumpkins, a butternut squash, some knobbly cucumbers and some bush runner beans.

Autumn Feast

Just thought I'd put up some pics of the Shaggy Inkcaps Mum and I ate last night.


Rosie came round this evening and we picked some more on the way back, although they were too old and went inky. There's so many down on Leigh Hill, I've never seen so many before!


We also cooked the Shaggy Parasol, stuffed with garlic tomato sauce topped with breadcrumbs and cheese. We had this with carrots from my plot and the chestnuts Rosie and I picked on Sunday. Mmmm...



While all this was happening we cooked up some more Japonica Jelly from the bush in my garden. We boiled it for longer this time, and it went a lovely red colour, although still didn't set as well as the one we bought at the Farmer's market!

For pudding we had plums some of the walnuts we got from Stubbs Farm on the same walk as the chestnuts.

Shaggy Mushrooms

With all the wet weather and leaves falling from the tress, we're well into mushroom season. On the way to work today I was delighted to discover a Shaggy Parasol the size of a dinner plate on Leigh Hill. After a bit of research to confirm the find, I also discovered that these are not quite so tasty as the normal parasol but I still plan on having it stuffed with garlic breadcrumbs with Rosie tomorrow night.



As if this wasn't enough, on the way home I also found some Shaggy Inkcaps on Leigh Hill, which definately are good eating. I shall be having those with Mum this evening as they won't keep. Dad refuses to try them as he won't trust anything that's not bought in the shops. Although he's right to be wary, these mushrooms are so easy to identify correctly he's just being silly...

Chestnuts

Went for a long walk to Binstead and Wheatley with Rosie today and found some decent sized chestnuts to roast. Also found this Boletus mushroom with loads of others really near her house. It was pretty old and we weren't sure what it was, although retrospectively it looks like an edible one. Will double check next time we find them...