Pickings for the pot...

Think this might the last crop before Christmas except of course for the lettuce which I'm still picking daily.  Grabbed this little lot before whatever has been eating the carrots and swedes makes further inroads. Some nice turnips and small swedes, carrots, rocket, chervil, sprouting broccoli and a drum head cabbage. The drum head is a bit nibbled on the outer leaves but the rest looks fine. All of this is  headed for a giant pot of veggie soup.



The weather here is miserable we've had dark grey skies and a  constant drizzle for about a week. Needless to say the ground is totally sodden. But, three days of sunny dry weather forecast for next week so maybe a spot of weeding and muck spreading - can hardly wait!

Flowers in December...

Well, no way is this Fizz kale plant going to get eaten with what looks like a giant flower about to emerge. I have no idea why this one is so large while the others are all so much smaller but it sure looks like it's about to put on a show.

Picked the last of the pot marigold flowers yesterday and poured boiling water over the petals to make a tea to help sooth sore eyes. Noticed the borage still has some flowers showing must try eating those - friends say they taste like oysters!



Finally, I can't even begin to think about the work that needs to be done on this veggie plot.  Spent so much time in the garden over the rest of the year that the house has been neglected - so the garden needs to be neglected to catch up indoors!  I went to pick some carrots this morning but something had beaten me too it.  Lovely carrot leaves but only a top ring of carrot left.  Well, you've  got to share with nature.  If  they're going to feed the short tailed voles that will keep my long-eared owl roost happy!



 

 

 

Christmas comes early!

Wow, what timing with my £10 gift voucher and a sale I got masses of seeds and even a free tin thrown in! I'm so looking forward to getting this lot going in the new year. I've got loads of stuff and when things are this cheap you can afford to try out different varieties. I've gone for some flower seeds for the hanging baskets and balconnaires and lots of varieties of chillies and turnips. The only seeds I still have to source are sweet dumpling and gold nugget squash plus tender and true parsnip.

Not much going on in the garden at the moment except I've planted about 600 cuttings from my now severely pruned buddleia. Maybe over the next few days I'll be able to get out and do some weeding - this long hot autumn has produced some fabulous weeds.

Today's little lot...

It might be the middle of October but still some goodies to be had.  Basil made a pesto, the mushrooms are now in a pasta sauce and the lettuce was cooked and eaten with smoked peppered mackerel and a horseradish sauce - scrummy. The rocket was consigned to the compost bin! It was well past its sell by date. Tomorrow the dish of the day is belly pork with wild mushrooms and stir fried lettuce and garlic.

Bit of a pick over

Really went out to do a bit of weeding but got a little distracted.  This is the final pick of the squashes I reckon in total I've got about  45 usable squashes to see us through the winter.



I am hopeless at thinning out as I want to give all the plants a chance - that is so silly I know.  In an effort to get over this I ruthlessly thinned out three rows of turnips and four rows of swede - now the remainder had better repay me with plump roots. I didn't thin out these carrots so there are lots of teeny weeny ones. Plenty more growing in the veggie plot which I will thin out.



Last of these long mild chillies I should think as there are no more flowers appearing and we can't be too far off a frost. These have performed well for me this year. I think they are called Doux  Les Landes.



Finally, picked a few beetroot, more calendula flower heads for balm and some over blown calabrese that will make its way into a soup pot.

Now, best get out there and actually do some weeding before the sun goes down!

 

The prince

Another choice edible starting to appear.  This is the prince it's flesh smells like almonds.  I never used to be too fond of conifers but some of the best tasting fungi are to be found at their bases. Amazing day today, blue skies and 24 degrees forecast - looks like a bit of a tidy up in veggie plot is in order for this afternoon. Think I might lift the last of the squashes and set them out to dry in the sun which is set to last for a few more days.

More free stuff

Only went out to clean out the hens and found these had popped up in their coop.  Makes up for the distinct lack of walnuts due (I think) to the pair of red squirrels living in our pines trees.  Good day all round for freebies as this morning I ordered a pile of seeds with my £10 voucher.  With the sale on I managed to get a huge amount of veggie and flower seed for next year. Finally, managed to catch a couple of safflower seed heads that yielded usable seeds for next year (other ones I've picked were like mush). I'm hoping to grow a large patch of these next year instead of the solitary specimen I managed this year!