Not sure if the fruit has even been pollinated. It is still very tiny, pea sized and I can’t tell if it has got any bigger. The vine itself now has three arms and I’m training it up rather than out. Really want to this to work!
Monthly Archives: July 2014
Damp harvest
Yesterday, I harvested four small onions for the aubergine and mint chutney.
Back again today as some more are needed for currying lamb chops. There are even some red ones ones in there. As ever, limited success with these red ones. Ma reckons that there is about two or three full size onions worth here. Will be used with some home made garlic.
Tickle time two
Went down to the plot to pull up weeds. This tends to be easier when we have had a deluge. And we have had a huge deluge over night; complete with thunder and lightening. Only ma and I got caught in another down poor and had to hide in the poly tunnel.
In doing so, we spotted a few more lilac flowers.
The purple stemmed one is the shop bought Black Prince, an F1 hybrid that is popping out purple floo’ers all over the shop. The pale green stemmed one is either the dancer or diamond, and these we have grown from seed. This one has only just set that one flower.
All have been tickled, just in case! I have stopped counting purple flowers. Do hope ma likes aubergines.
Breaking in the jam pan
This afternoon I have got around to breaking in the newly acquired jam pan. The first round involved making red scotch bonnet and yellow sweet pepper jelly. This is recipe I have used before, namely the nigella chilli jelly one. Can be found in your nearest search engine!
The second round was having a go at making aubergine and mint chutney. The homegrown elements of this were onions, garlic and Mint. All popped into the maslin pan with vinegar, sugar, chillies, onion seed, cumin and coriander seeds as well as some mustard seeds. Even managed to get a steam burn from uncovering it! Will leave it cure for a bit before tasting. Whilst cooking it had a wonderful herby and focaccia like smell.
First crop 2014
Chatting about chillies
There is varying levels of progress with the chillies in the poly tunnel.
The dorset nagas are in my view, still quite diminutive. I had expected them to be a little bigger by now. Especially as they are now starting to form flower buds. The bengle naga is also starting to flower.
The tabasco plant has the most daintiest of little flowers. I am rather scared to touch them! Early jalapeno has a cluster of little flowers, suggesting that it is moderately happy as is the hot thai pepper plant sat next to it. The tallest of the plants are definitely the orange habaneros, there are four of the things it that corner. As is the serrano pepper plant. This plant looks nothing like a chilli plant, the leaves are almost velveteen. But the tell tale white flowers are there. All in all, good to see the progress, especially after the trauma of getting them all to germinate, and then keeping them alive for transplanting.
Aubergine progress
The aubergines have got something of a wriggle on, and things are looking up for them. The one, the first aubergine, seems to be growing at speed daily. Two additional babies have been spotted on the black prince plant. With the Diamond and Dancer plants starting to send out little flower buds.
The plants themselves are quite robust, and now propped up by canes. The flowers start off with a small stalk, but as the fruit starts to swell, the stalk dangles. Have nestled some fleece beneath the fruit to help protect against any would be damage.
Pocket full of posies
Happy habanero
Meet Thornton, he is a chocolate habanero; and he has a flower.
The first of the proper hot ones to set a flower and bloom. Even tickled to make sure. Just hope that it doesn’t et stressed and fall off. That’s not an innuendo, if the plant gets stressed then the flowers don’t set any fruit.
So here’s hoping!
Watemelon: crimson sweet
We have babies
There is one bright yellow floo’er, and one tiny one with a fruit behind it. Since one has opened and be other is yet to do so; I can’t really be hopeful about the second one setting fruit. It might need to be tickled but there may not be anything to tickle it withZ
horticultural 'obbit 