Category Archives: success

In a bit of pickle, success

Lady of shallot gets into a pickle

1 Comment

I am yet to be convinced about the b*ng for buck, when it comes to shallots. I must have sunk dozens over both the autumn period for over wintering, and then quite a few in the spring. This is my third, fourth year of growing them; and I am erring towards the not sure, should I really bother?

The tray of shallots has been sat in the Wendy house since they were lifted and drying therefore for a while. Waiting, as I tried to work out what to do with them. Did a bit of research as to how they could be preserved and pickled. Traditionalists would have brined the shallots first, so as to retain the crunchiness. That’s fine, I just didn’t, in this case. I was wary, that whilst I had two jars. There wouldn’t be enough shallots to fill them both. The jars were sterilised-kept damp and then stuck into the microwave for a minute or so-and then shallots put into one of them. On the outside, shallots are not particularly attractive. Look like diminutive, wrinkly, tan coloured onions. Only when you remove the peel, do you get this fleshy pink creature beneath. I sat there for a good half a hour-tears streaming, no one had informed me of their eye watering nature-before Mama H took pity on me and sat down next to me. Decided that she could help, and peeled the baby onions.

Onions. That’s another thing. I have never known such a small sized harvest. Again, I despair. Hundreds and hundreds were planted. In the gallery, they do seem to be the same sized as shop bought pickled onions. These were put into both of the jars. The jars were still not looking full.

Next came the garlic. A bit of a last minute idea. I rather like pickled garlic, one of those things you get in a certain Portuguese restaurant with olives, so why not have a go. Raided the four tier blowaway, where the garlic has been drying. Retrieved about five large fleshy white bulbs. Again, Mama H took the lead, and peeled them as I was going far too slow for her liking. The garlic will most likely take some time to become pickled. The combination of these was probably not a good idea. Alas, we shall see what happens.

The next thing that may well be pickled will be the jalapenos and chillies that are in the Wendy. But that is a another story; the things have to grow first!

 

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

chillies, success, Taking stock

Take a walk with me

2 Comments

Have been meaning to do this for a few days. To me, what you see; looks a mess. There’s lots of foliage; weeds, things planted all over the place. So I wanted to make sure, that you have a good idea of what is where. Without actually taking a microphone and doing a bit of an Alan Whittaker around the plot; this is what we have. I did try this, but the video was a bit big to transfer simply! Didn’t quite get the whittaker accent right, I must say. It really does look like a jungle. There is generally no logic to what goes where. I have a rough idea of crop rotation; in that I will do my best not to plant similar families in the same place. The next thing-other than the paper and plastic thing-is to the plant out classroom cabbages. Hence the hooped beds. I realise that these may not cope with the potentially poor weather that we expect with autumn and winter. Will probably require reinforcing at some point.

 

 

I have had another rummage in the wendy and have observed:

We have two early Jalapeno’s. These are very new arrivals, I don’t recall seeing them previously. All of the bells and chillies are doing well in the wendy house. I am surprised, actually, by the number of sweet peppers that I have managed to sow and propagate. Hadn’t thought that there would as many as I have seen.  There is a frauzauber pepper. That I have no idea whether this is spicy or sweet creature, very light lime green in colour. I really would like to know which one it is. Quite a robust creature with two fruits forming. I really must get feeding them with increased frequency.

The last of the garlic was hauled up. And of course, some carrot thinnings. A pair of which, seemed to be caught in a comforting clinch. Have sown some more today, as well as some Florence fennel.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

classroom experimentation, Mama H recipes, Planting out, success

Mama H’s Mooli pods

You’d think I was telling tales. Recounting everything that happens. Well, it’s nice to share.

Sat in Dad’s garden are the surviving classroom cabbages. Not many, but enough. I say cabbages, there could easily be cauliflowers in there too. As ever, they are not labelled. Some of them are getting quite big, whilst others look as though they are resting on their laurels. Perhaps these are seeds sown too early, and for an autumn crop.

You will see Mama H, harvesting radish seed pods. These are from the bolted moolis. Moolis that Mama H was rather relishing, alas the weather put paid to them.  Whilst the root, is a write off. The rest of them, was not. There are spicy, crunchy seed pods to be had. I remember as a child, eating them whilst playing in the back garden. Wonderfully potent. Mama H has been known to curry them with a couple of potatoes.

Talking of which; the last of the ‘new’ batch was taken up. Kestrel and orla potatoes. Next year, I might do better in leaving the kestral in a bit longer.

Mama H and I surveyed the plot today. Mum dug over a bit of the raised beds. The Cabbages will go in some of them; leaving me to review what can be put into the bed when summer has gone. Yes, I said summer, but thunderstorms are forecast tomorrow. I really need to think about that. Of course, there will be overwintering onions and garlic. That is expected tradition for me. I like doing that; only to be disappointed by the rain that ravages them over the dark and dank autumn and winter months.  I really haven’t thought too much in detail as to what will follow what. Everything was just broadcast sown and plugged in, with no logic. Successful, but does mean things get pushed around a bit in terms of organisation.

Oh, well, tomorrow is the start of another week.

 

Yours in anticipation,

 

Horticultural Hobbit

success

snozzcumbers they aint: Cucumbers

2 Comments

Must confess to not really paying an awful lot of attention to the cucumbers on the plot. We started out with nine plants. Three different varieties, which were Femspot, Marketmore and crystal lemon. Of the nine, we have three sole survivors. Survivors that at the moment are on the cusp of flowering. Have no idea what happened, there were six from the nine ready to plant out. One was on it’s way out when planted anyway. So that is one accounted for. No clue, what happened to the fem spot. They had all been so promising.

Have never successfully grown cucumbers. Last year, they go so big and then keeled over when we had a cold snap in April. I had thought that by now, they would be distinctly taller. I have heard rumours of them reaching five foot. I would soon know, if I had to eye ball a cucumber, don’t you think? With the heatwave, they are watered daily, and also fed with tomato food. The growth on the crystal lemon would suggest that would be working. Perhaps the level of watering needs to be upped; cucumbers-again, through hearsay-are thirsty creatures.  My fear, when watering, is that they will get too wet and then keel over with a rotten stem.

If they come, one will be amused!

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

chillies, success, The Big Sunflower Project 2013

Triffid Tomatoes and Sunflowers

Another lovely day, so off to the plot I went. Managed to do a bit of newspapering and black plastic-ing, before the newspaper ran out.  Dandelion leaves were also chopped down. I realise that it is better to dig them out, or attack with weedkiller. This may well happen, in the not so distant future.  Further to the previous crop, in the efforts to tidy up; a few more bulbs of garlic were forked out.

There was also some trussing up of tomatoes to be done:

Error
This video doesn’t exist
Error
This video doesn’t exist
Error
This video doesn’t exist

Who would have thought, that after the tomato tantrums of earlier this year; they would actually take off. The one variety that I am aware of is Ukrainian Purple that was kindly given to me. There are quite a few flowers forming, indicating that some form of crop will occur. I can confess that I haven’t taken off any side shoots. Which is why, the raised beds resemble something of a jungle. There is a mixture, therefore, of bush and vine tomatoes.  Nestled around the edges, are smaller let spread out varieties.

Something else that has somewhat taken flight, are the sunflowers.

Error
This video doesn’t exist
Error
This video doesn’t exist
I must confess, that I couldn’t tell you whether they are little ones or big ones. Yet, these seem pretty huge to me! I had been expecting them to be about ankle height. These are now very hobbit sized, and at a various positions on the plot and enjoying the sunshine.

Jack be little is one of the many squashes dotted around. Below is a image of a flower thrown up  by Jack. I will be keeping a close eye on the other squashes such as sweet dumpling, patty pan and yellow scallop. Whilst they have started to form huge great big habits, there are not many flowers of either female or male persuasion.

. jack_flower  Jack has sent out a singular vine, attached to which is one very small jack be little pumpkin. All very newly formed in the last few days. Jack’s colleague Hooligan, resides on the other side of the plot, and is very diminutive in comparison. Much smaller sprawl and much smaller leaves. A reflection perhaps of early child trauma as it did have to be moved when first planted out. The one squash that still resides in open ground is the cobnut, and this is only just starting to get bigger.

Ghost rider

bruno_babies_2013 These are very, very tiny, and were easily missed. Previously, we have seen up to five babies form. All bar one being taken off. It will be interesting to see how these develop over the coming months. The leaves are certainly getting bigger and the vine is starting to sprawl out over the side of the raised bed.

Purple Rainbow Chilli

PRC

A few of the berries are starting to expand. I’m not quite sure as to how big they actually get, or how potent they might be. In the wendy house, the chillies and bells continue to be fed and watered. It is sad that to say that some of them have been a bit scorched by the sun. The Purple Beauty in particular. However, there are a few walnut sized sweet peppers being formed, and a singular, solitary thin chilli that may well be a cayenne or a long thai.

Yours in anticipation,

 

Horticultural Hobbit

Squashes, success

Bostin’ Bouncin’ baby

2 Comments

20130717-075900 PM.jpg

Mama H cradling a very wonky striato Di Napoli courgette and a bush baby marrow. Only my mother would cradle it like a newborn. Have romped on over the last few days.

20130717-080036 PM.jpg

Bit of weigh in. 3lbs and 7 ounces. A very Bonny, bouncing, Bostin’ baby.

Ma plans to curry it, I’ll have you know.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

chillies, Squashes, success, Taking stock, The Big Sunflower Project 2013

Summer Sortee of the Sukh Shanti garden

3 Comments

That’s Peace and Happiness, before you have to go translate it…

 

 

To the untrained eye, this looks a mess. However, if you were to ask me nicely; I could tell you what most things are and where. The gallery above, is a walking tour if you like of the half plot. I will try and get some specific bed pictures up. I appreciate that it looks like a great big green mess in the gallery. Today is the first day of the Summer holidays for me, so an opportunity to see what I need to do. It goes without saying, that weeds are a problem. This time last year, we had a deluge; and the weeds were well up to ankle height. As well as that, I didn’t have so filled raised beds. They are there now, and they contain crops.

Two more raised beds have, thanks to Pops, been constructed. I had scavenged last week, bags of garden waste. Sat on the plot for best part of a week, these were emptied today in the beds. I know that these are upside down, before you point it out! The pots are on the spikes, so that hopefully no one gets hurt. It is safe to say, that having raised beds has been a boon. Whilst the clay is fabulous, full of nutrients; the position of the plot means that the whole thing gets flooded. This brings pools of water, slugs and other things that eat crops. With the battle against the weeds. The areas of open ground where there are no raised beds, have been choked by weeds. The plan is to now pull up the weeds, cover with newspaper, and perhaps even black plastic on top of that. I have been avoiding that, thinking that raised beds are enough. At least the black plastic can be planted through, the newspaper and pulled up weeds can help the clay composition.

This is going to be one of the big battles. To be clear of as many weeds as possible, and cover the ground. With the beautiful weather that we have had, the clay is like concrete. There is now way a magic fork or spade is going to slice through it. It is just as bad, when it is winter.

As I sit here, the weather lady has just delivered her forecast. For the moment at least, the nice weather will remain. A bit of harvesting was done to today. A small amount of Florence Fennel. A crop, that I had forgotten that I sown. So was very surprised to the see the dill hovering amongst the leaves of the Astia Courgette right next to it. The Florence Fennel was sautéed with the Kestrel potatoes. Lovely looking first second earlies, with pink smudges that look like little faces.

In the wendy house, you will see the vast array of chillies and bells. We have in there a huge number. We have just to name a few, Nigels outdoor chilli, lemon drop, frauzauber, spanish mammoth red, early jalapeño, purple beauty and long red marconi to name a few. Those are the ones that were at least labelled. I think a few of them, have thrown a bit of a tantrum in the wendy, having moved from the classroom. They were perhaps not used to the different temperatures. As mentioned previously, we are having nice weather. A few of the chillies, have been a little burned, and perhaps are sulking because of that too. They are watered and fed regularly. I am still not convinced of treating them in a mean fashion. The resplendent purple rainbow chillis remain in the kitchen at home. There were seven of these altogether, only one of these is in the wendy.

Triffids rise again, on the plot. Not only are there squashes, but also sweetcorn and sunflowers. I had though that the sunburst sunflowers, were relatively small. Yet these are nearly as big as me. No quite giant, but bigger than I had expected. Very leafy, and yet to form any flowers. I do believe that the squashes may take over the universe. I have long expected and anticipated the leaves getting as big as dinner plates. In my experience, that is a good thing. That is happening, yes. Now, we are on flower and fruit watch. Already, we have had a few striato di napoli and astia already, in addition to two beautiful tennis ball sized summer ball. I have never sown a yellow courgette, so this was a lovely crop. Mama H and I are still at odds over the bush baby marrow. Resting on a brick, it is as big as it should be. Mama H wants me to wait for various dishes to have been eated, before I harvest it. If it explodes, it’s not my fault, all right.

 

Tomorrow is another day, and for the moment; it is summer.

 

Yours in anticipation,

 

Horticultural Hobbit

classroom experimentation, success

Pretty, purple, potted chillies

20130715-094453 PM.jpg

Aren’t they lovely?

These two pots contain six blossoming and burgeoning purple rainbow chillies. The seeds of which were from Real seeds. I am so very glad that these came home from the classroom, as they have really taken off whilst sat on the window sill of Mama’s kitchen.

One small purple chillie was spotted yesterday, and another was spotted this evening in taking the above picture. They have reached the heady heights of 60 cm. That is how high the green plant supports are. I firmly believe that the current heat wave has inspired the blooming nature of these beauties. They previously looked altogether weary and not so full bodied.
There are more leaves, more of the lilac rimmed flowers bursting into life. I had been wondering as to when they would all kick off.

The tiny little chillies are little round domed bubbles. A lot like berries, I suppose.A beautiful shade of mauve; not really Cadbury purple. I’m intrigued as to with what the colour changes will be. I have never seen a chilli or a pepper start off with a coloured fruit. So used to seeing them start of as green fruit. Bit of an opposite process with these.

It remains to be seen as to how potent these will be. And being in the kitchen, best place to find out.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

construction, roses, success

Pods and pretty flowers

Bolting mooli pods are now waiting for us. Mooli seeds were sown, when the packet advised. However, the weather has sent them into a free for all. A tiny root, but wild foliage with flowers and pods forming. I remember these from my childhood, when they would form on a bolted mooli in the garden. We’d pluck them off and eat them like sweeties. They were potent, and firey. Crunchy, like radishes and with a kick. I think Ma even curried them at some point. Apparently, they are eaten with beer in Germany.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=542900112426135&set=a.201843363198480.48643.186302798085870&type=1&theater

Two Sisters and the rise of the triffids in the one bed. With the warm weather, this bed has burst into life. Has a few purple anemones bloom, but as you can see the foliage is now really quite strong. There are eight Incredible F1 Sweetcorn plants in there, with four squash plants. There would be nine sweetcorn plants, but one was a diddly little thing that didn’t quite thrive as it’s peer group did.  This is two sisters, rather than three as there is no Running beans in this formation.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=542900222426124&set=a.201843363198480.48643.186302798085870&type=1&theater

Making more of one’s beds, just won’t be lying in them. Two futher raised beds. This are altogether odd, with the spikes that need to be put into the ground. There for security, I know, but I will have to dig up the concrete like clay to sink them.  No, I didn’t construct them. Pops did. I asked for the drill, so that I could. Alas, pops took it onto himself to do the job to his exacting standards.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=542905822425564&set=a.201843363198480.48643.186302798085870&type=1&theater

Pascali rose  and Kestral potatos. There are nine roses on the plot, posh ones that is. Eight of them are in bloom. I think Ruby wedding is the only one of the ten that has failed to get any foliage. Still looks brown and sticky. That leaves one, the name fails me, that has died completely. I am anticipating, the one blue slash purple rose to bloom. Whilst I’ve been looking for a bona fide, blue, bloom. Blue moon is one concocted by scientists. Blue roses don’t exist by virtue of Mother Nature.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=542566072459539&set=a.201843363198480.48643.186302798085870&type=1&theater

The Christian Dior rose, has a lovely bright red bloom.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=539232816126198&set=pb.186302798085870.-2207520000.1373829003.&type=3&theater

And this one is harry wheatcroft apparently

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=536217093094437&set=pb.186302798085870.-2207520000.1373829003.&type=3&theater

The summer holidays will soon be upon us, and with that, there is plenty to do and to observe.

Yours in anticipation

Horticultural Hobbit

Squashes, success

My Courgette, is your Zucchini

1 Comment

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=541734569209356&set=a.201843363198480.48643.186302798085870&type=1&theater

Here we have the first batch of summer squashes. We have Striato Di Napoli-those would be the stripy ones, astia would be the uniform green ones, and summer ball which is the yellow one that looks a lot like a tennis ball. Is in fact the same size as one, so was harvested.

Striato Di Napoli is the product of seeds from Real Seeds, and I am honestly quite impressed by them. In a week, we have what four or five of them. Yes, I know that the the Astia look a bit tiny. I think with the last week or so, it has decided that it wants to produce babies. Only it was caught a bit off guard by the weather, and has only produce what would be termed baby courgettes. They’ve all been taken off, so that the one or two that remain on the plant might get bigger. I have know Astia to produce courgettes that are like truncheons.

Having never had yellow courgettes, we have one of two. This is summer ball, one ball is producing little babies as we speak. Beautiful round tennis ball thing, that was almost jumping off the plant. Mama H been huffing and puffing, that she’s not going to curry it. Of course she will, will not be left by its lonesome.

Now, I spoke previously about truncheons. Well, not one of these things, summer ball aside, is straight. Their beauty lies in their wonky-ness.

Today, was Mama H’s day of birth, so that mean bhajis. She’s just had some, made from the caulis, spinach and spuds from the plot. Were most definitely enjoyed. We have waiting on the plot, a bush baby marrow. It’s currently look at us, but mother is trying to work out when to cook it.

Yours in Anticipation

Horticultural Hobbit