Wednesday, 21 December 2011
"Quattro Stagioni"
Yes, I know that is the name of a set of four baroque violin concertos by Vivaldi, as well as a delicious type of pizza. The title was a bluff to get your attention. Sorry to disappoint - this post is simply a collection of four photos that in my opinion epitomise the four seasons of the year. Enjoy!
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
"Petit Posy" lives up to her name
I am growing a few "Petit Posy" Flower Sprouts this year, as an experiment. I must say, they certainly teach you patience... So far they are resolutely "petit".
I have been in correspondence with a nice chap called David from Johnny's Seeds, who was saying that he believes that the sprouts will come on much quicker once the plants have shed most of their leaves. That must be soon, then. You can see in this picture the scars left by the leaves that have fallen, each matched by a teeny weeny sprout. They are (intentionally) much looser than the Brussels Sprout.
Up at the tops of the plants there is still a sort of "crown" of leaves. Presumably these are edible too, just like "Sprout Tops". Anyone tried them?
I only have four of these plants and three of them are a very dark purple colour, similar to "red" cabbage, but the fourth is much greener, nearer to Purple Sprouting Broccoli (below, at right).
Actually, even if these plants never produce much of a yield, they are worth having just for their photogenic qualities.
The lowest leaves are quite pretty just before they shrivel up and drop off, like this one:
Here a close-up shot of one of the crowns, covered in raindrops:
And another, covered in frost:
And how do you like this "Contemporary Art" rendition of "Petit Posy"?
I have been in correspondence with a nice chap called David from Johnny's Seeds, who was saying that he believes that the sprouts will come on much quicker once the plants have shed most of their leaves. That must be soon, then. You can see in this picture the scars left by the leaves that have fallen, each matched by a teeny weeny sprout. They are (intentionally) much looser than the Brussels Sprout.
Up at the tops of the plants there is still a sort of "crown" of leaves. Presumably these are edible too, just like "Sprout Tops". Anyone tried them?
I only have four of these plants and three of them are a very dark purple colour, similar to "red" cabbage, but the fourth is much greener, nearer to Purple Sprouting Broccoli (below, at right).
Actually, even if these plants never produce much of a yield, they are worth having just for their photogenic qualities.
The lowest leaves are quite pretty just before they shrivel up and drop off, like this one:
Here a close-up shot of one of the crowns, covered in raindrops:
And another, covered in frost:
And how do you like this "Contemporary Art" rendition of "Petit Posy"?
Monday, 19 December 2011
Mark's Veg Plot Chilli Award
I have decided to award this much-coveted (?) accolade to another of my blogging friends: Rebecca (Becky) Whitford of Simply Self-Sufficiency.
I think Becky deserves recognition for the following reasons:-
And all the rest of you, please go and check out Becky's blog...
I think Becky deserves recognition for the following reasons:-
- because she posts lots of interesting articles about many different subjects, including my two favourites - gardening and food
- her relentless pursuit of good value and reduction of waste in food and other matters
- her ambitious creative projects (did you read what she wrote about soap-making?)
- her family values (e.g. proud support of two sons serving in the Army)
- her prolific comments on other peoples' blogs, often presented with a wry sense of humour
And all the rest of you, please go and check out Becky's blog...
Sunday, 18 December 2011
A new toy
Jane and I have been meaning for ages (since September in fact) to buy ourselves a Wedding Anniversary present. These days we usually buy something for both of us rather than buying things for each other. Last week we finally got round to it - we bought a Le Creuset griddle plate. I think these things are also known as a "Plancha". Basically it is a huge (heavy) piece of cast iron. You place it on your hob - it's big enough to span at least two of the rings - and heat it up until it is very hot. Then you cook on it whatever you feel like griddling.
It has a ridged side, best for steaks:
And a plain side, best for things like eggs and bacon:
We have already used it a couple of times. It takes a bit of getting used to, since because it spans at least two rings of the hob it can get much hotter than our existing griddle-pan, and things do cook quicker. Here it is in action, cooking polenta, Halloumi cheese and tomatoes. Although we both like things "well done", I think maybe that the cheese is a tad too brown! It tasted OK though - quite "nutty". Next time I'll only put it on right at the last minute.
With the above we ate this yummy salad of beetroot and feta cheese with spring onions, toasted pine-nuts and a mint-and-chilli dressing.
A couple of arty photos to finish off with...
You want texture? You got it.
You want colour? You got it!
It has a ridged side, best for steaks:
And a plain side, best for things like eggs and bacon:
We have already used it a couple of times. It takes a bit of getting used to, since because it spans at least two rings of the hob it can get much hotter than our existing griddle-pan, and things do cook quicker. Here it is in action, cooking polenta, Halloumi cheese and tomatoes. Although we both like things "well done", I think maybe that the cheese is a tad too brown! It tasted OK though - quite "nutty". Next time I'll only put it on right at the last minute.
With the above we ate this yummy salad of beetroot and feta cheese with spring onions, toasted pine-nuts and a mint-and-chilli dressing.
A couple of arty photos to finish off with...
You want texture? You got it.
You want colour? You got it!
Saturday, 17 December 2011
Winter salads update
Many of you will know that I'm using some cloches that I bought earlier in the year to try to produce viable Winter salads. I have three of the "Longrow" cloches like these:-
I also have a number of individual cloches, like the ones in the foreground here:-
I had a day off work on Monday, and the weather was quite decent - dry and sunny, though cold - so I decided to see if my Winter salads inside the cloches needed any attention.
This is a batch of Endives with one or two Radicchio. They looked fine. Growing slowly, and far from mature, but no problems. I just loosened-up the soil around them and put the cover back on.
The lettuces under the two big individual cloches looked pretty good too. Strong and healthy. I think they get more light in the individual cloches, and of course they are not so much in competition with their siblings.
The situation under the two side-by-side cloches was a bit different: The soil was a lot damper and much of it was covered with a layer of green moss.
In this zoomed photo you can see that the moss is composed of a mass of tiny filaments, almost like the mycelium of a fungus. I don't think this is good! It probably indicates insufficient light and ventilation, and too much moisture.
I also have a number of individual cloches, like the ones in the foreground here:-
I had a day off work on Monday, and the weather was quite decent - dry and sunny, though cold - so I decided to see if my Winter salads inside the cloches needed any attention.
This is a batch of Endives with one or two Radicchio. They looked fine. Growing slowly, and far from mature, but no problems. I just loosened-up the soil around them and put the cover back on.
 |
| Curly Endive |
 |
| Radicchio |
The lettuces under the two big individual cloches looked pretty good too. Strong and healthy. I think they get more light in the individual cloches, and of course they are not so much in competition with their siblings.
The situation under the two side-by-side cloches was a bit different: The soil was a lot damper and much of it was covered with a layer of green moss.
In this zoomed photo you can see that the moss is composed of a mass of tiny filaments, almost like the mycelium of a fungus. I don't think this is good! It probably indicates insufficient light and ventilation, and too much moisture.
So, I removed the green moss and cultivated the soil surface to give it some more air, and I removed a few of the big leaves from the nearby Flower Sprout plants, in order to improve the light level.
The lettuces in this area looked a bit "weak and weedy" compared with the ones under the individual cloches, but even so I am reasonably pleased. I think they will be OK. At least the cloches protect them from the wind, and if we get snow they will protect them from direct contact with that too. It'll probably be about two more months before any of them are really mature, but I might just pick a few of them to use as "Baby Salad Leaves" before then.
Friday, 16 December 2011
Did your shed survive?
After a really mild, dry and mainly still Autumn, the real Winter weather hit the UK for the first time this last week. Where I live (about 35 miles South of London) we got off fairly lightly, but other parts were very severely affected - especially Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North-West of England. Some places reportedly had gusts of wind reaching over 160mph, and many places had significant snowfalls. We gardeners are particularly sensitive to weather conditions, and we are constantly worried about what will be blown over, uprooted or demolished by the wind and rain - like for instance our garden sheds.
My shed was a minor casualty in the recent storms - part of the roof (made of roofing felt) was ripped off, and the roof now leaks so much that I have had to strategically place a bucket to catch the drips.
And this is not the first time this has happened either - I replaced the whole of the roof-covering a couple of years ago. Is it time for me to consider replacing the whole shed, do you think?
The shed is an essential feature of my garden. In it I keep all my tools, my garden chemicals and fertilisers, my empty plant-pots, string, spare canes, and a lot more besides. Allotment holders will probably be even more attached to their sheds, which eliminate much of the need for carrying to-and-fro of tools etc. I couldn't manage without mine. I have had this one for many years now and I am reluctant to replace it until it is really necessary, but maybe that time has come...
I think it would probably be wise for me to leave replacement until the Spring, because I don't fancy moving all my stuff out of the existing one until the weather is better, but I shall certainly be thinking about my next shed over the Christmas holiday. Perhaps that is next year's major project for me. I've already been having a bit of a browse around and I have found lots of different offerings, but amongst the best garden sheds(certainly in terms of variety of choice and value for money) are those available from Argos. I hadn't expected this, because I normally associate this retailer with High Street shopping for relatively small items, but they actually offer what sounds like a very attractive home delivery option. They even have a Buying Guide which takes you through all the important points to look for when choosing the shed you want.
Have any of you readers out there got a plastic shed? If you have, I'd be interested to hear your views on them. They don't LOOK very nice, but I imagine they do the job pretty well, and probably last longer than a wooden one? And they don't need treating with wood-preservative!
My shed was a minor casualty in the recent storms - part of the roof (made of roofing felt) was ripped off, and the roof now leaks so much that I have had to strategically place a bucket to catch the drips.
And this is not the first time this has happened either - I replaced the whole of the roof-covering a couple of years ago. Is it time for me to consider replacing the whole shed, do you think?
The shed is an essential feature of my garden. In it I keep all my tools, my garden chemicals and fertilisers, my empty plant-pots, string, spare canes, and a lot more besides. Allotment holders will probably be even more attached to their sheds, which eliminate much of the need for carrying to-and-fro of tools etc. I couldn't manage without mine. I have had this one for many years now and I am reluctant to replace it until it is really necessary, but maybe that time has come...
I think it would probably be wise for me to leave replacement until the Spring, because I don't fancy moving all my stuff out of the existing one until the weather is better, but I shall certainly be thinking about my next shed over the Christmas holiday. Perhaps that is next year's major project for me. I've already been having a bit of a browse around and I have found lots of different offerings, but amongst the best garden sheds(certainly in terms of variety of choice and value for money) are those available from Argos. I hadn't expected this, because I normally associate this retailer with High Street shopping for relatively small items, but they actually offer what sounds like a very attractive home delivery option. They even have a Buying Guide which takes you through all the important points to look for when choosing the shed you want.
Have any of you readers out there got a plastic shed? If you have, I'd be interested to hear your views on them. They don't LOOK very nice, but I imagine they do the job pretty well, and probably last longer than a wooden one? And they don't need treating with wood-preservative!
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Seed Giveaway
Having tried and failed to convince Jane that Oriental Brassicas are nice to eat (I love them; she hates them), I have decided to stick to growing things we both like and I therefore plan to dispose of my remaining unopened packets of Oriental Brassica seeds. Rather than just chuck them away, I thought it would be nice to host a Giveaway and pass them on to someone who can make use of them. Unfortunately for some of you, international import / export regulations are quite complicated, so to make things easy for myself I am limiting this Giveaway to UK Residents only. Sorry!
The first prize in my Giveaway is a bundle of Orinental Brassica seeds, including three different types of Pak Choi - "Joi Choi", "Ruby Shine" and "Colour and Crunch F1", along with Tatsoi and Komatsuna.
While sorting out my seed-box to assemble the Oriental Brassicas, I have also identified a few other packs of seeds that I don't require. So there is also a second prize which consists of this:- two types of Tomato, Basil, Radish, Carrot "Yellowstone" and a Baby Leaf Lettuce mix.
If you would like to be in with a chance to win these, use the Rafflecopter mechanism below. (Don't forget to click the "I did this" box, to ensure that your details are captured...)
The first prize in my Giveaway is a bundle of Orinental Brassica seeds, including three different types of Pak Choi - "Joi Choi", "Ruby Shine" and "Colour and Crunch F1", along with Tatsoi and Komatsuna.
 |
| First prize |
While sorting out my seed-box to assemble the Oriental Brassicas, I have also identified a few other packs of seeds that I don't require. So there is also a second prize which consists of this:- two types of Tomato, Basil, Radish, Carrot "Yellowstone" and a Baby Leaf Lettuce mix.
 |
| Second prize |
If you would like to be in with a chance to win these, use the Rafflecopter mechanism below. (Don't forget to click the "I did this" box, to ensure that your details are captured...)
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