May
This Is one of may be two self seed plants that survived the slimers. Can’t say I know what it is though, other than a squash. Think the label said gourd small mix. It’s a rampant, triffid like vine that clearly wants to take the universe. I am training it up rather than out. Remains to be seen how many fruits this actually manages to successfully produce.
With the flurry of yellow flowers on the tomato plants, there have been about a dozen bulbous fruit dangling. These have got to an appropriate enough size, but haven’t yet started to go grow green. Most of them are marmande with a couple of money maker. Placed onto the window sill, hopefully they will start to turn. If not they may find themselves in a green tomato chutney of some sort.
The heat and light has caused something of an tomato explosion. There have been increasing number of yellow flowers. Some of they quite dainty, others such as the beefsteak are fuzzy little things. The citrina tomatoes are cute. Little lemon shaped things, compared to the beautifully ugly marmande ones.
The Dorset and bengle nagas are still leafy, no taller but starting to form flower buds. Just like the Tabasco flowers; these are very delicate and I’m loathe to even touch them. It’s nice to see the buds, but I’m not going to get my hopes up.
There is a current fashion for folks to compare their produce with some coinage. Well, I have succumbed and to set the context we have the burgeoning aubergine with one coin of Her Majesty’s pound sterling.
It is getting there. Ma hopes to make something Indian out of it in approximately one weeks time.
Made a return visit to Blenheim palace today, for a lovely afternoon tea. This meant a return to the to rose garden. Last year, the rose garden was very damp, dreary and not very beautiful as it wasn’t blooming. Today was very very different. A full cascade of colour, with roses in full bloom. Lots of beautiful blooms, some of which actually needed deadheading. The beds were heaving with lots of flower heads. Much improved in comparison to last years visit.
As for the afternoon tea. I now have a second favourite tea, rooibos tiramisu.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Counselling for Courage and Change
Developmental and Substantive Editing
Confessions of A Musing Freak
Making the most of your time in sixth form
Essays Exploring Craft and the Writing Life
A fine WordPress.com site
Writing and Editing by Ekta R. Garg
The Cricket Pages
Gunn4
“It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
Growing Your Own Produce and Remedies
A Whimsical Food and Travel Blog
Allotment, garden and other stuff
Recipes from my Kitchen and Cookery School at Number 4
sow and scoff: allotmenteer meets baker
horticultural 'obbit 