Tickling aubergines

IMG_3849.JPG

IMG_3850.JPG

IMG_3848.JPG

Was doing a bit of clearing today, though the aim had been to plant Cabbages and other brassicas. The Cinderella pumpkin vine has been felled as the fruit are now off. So having harvested a few more green tomatoes, a couple of plants have to make way for the cabbage cage; I popped into the poly.

It has been very quiet in the poly, I can’t say it’s gone particularly to plan in there. There is lots of foliage, with flowers coming from time to time. There has however, been a flurry of purple flowers. These are on the diamond, dancer and black prince aubergines. So these have been tickled and carefully observed. In rummaging today, I have found a few of what look like baby aubergines nubs. It’s quite hard to spot them in all that foliage. Will keep an eye on them to see if we get anywhere.

Cabbage collection

IMG_3847.JPG

Three cabbages were collected having been cultivated under the heavy duty debris netting. The hearts are tiny, but that is of no consequence to Ma’s
Saag making. The outer leaves are a little filligreed. There was even some kale leaves were plucked.

Blackbee bandee

IMG_3844.JPG

Last one, I think. A couple of pounds of blackberries, brown sugar and some basics French brandy. Will have to be inverted twice a day for the first week and then once a week to be left for three months.

Wonder if there is a posh name for this?

Weigh in: Baby Bruno bruiser #2

IMG_3839.JPG

IMG_3840.JPG

Both of the ghost riders have now been harvested. The second is bigger, heavier and off the kitchen weighing scales at 6lb. The heaviest we have ever had!

Experiment: pum brandy

IMG_3834.JPG

IMG_3833.JPG

IMG_3835.JPGg

I had searched for simple recipes for plum brandy. I settled on this one with some tweaks of my own. Using 70cl of basics brandy, a couple of pounds of purple plums have been steeped with dark brown sugar. I have added three star anais across the two containers along with two centimetres of fresh root ginger and cassia bark.

Think the first jar may be a bit skewed. There were a few layers of plums and only 20 cl-ish of brandy. I underestimated the juice from the plums. The recipes all suggest that the plums should be removed after three months. I’m hoping that they will disintegrate.

Inside the hot house…again

IMG_3831.JPG

IMG_3830.JPG

Appo and pum: experimenting again

Experimenting with the jam pan again. This time it’s apple and plum. With additions of ginger and black cardomom. I did think at one stage that it was wasn’t very pink. So i did add some blackberries.

Everything was piled into the pan, and stewed. The apples took a lot mashing actually, I didn’t anticipate that.

I have used equal quantities of fruit and sugar to keep a balance. With the juice of half a Lemon per pound. I simply cannot get the stuff to reach setting point, but it does in the jar.

IMG_3826-0.JPG

IMG_3828-0.JPG

IMG_3827-0.JPG

Disappointment with chillies

IMG_3818.JPG

I have all of two chilli fruit. One jalepeno and one hot Thai. And that’s it. Nothing else had fruited, there is lots of foliage but nothing else. As the summer ends, and we enter the twilight of autumn; I am becoming disillusioned with the likelihood that anything is actually going to crop in there. Not really the success that I was hoping for in the poly tunnel.