Christmas Potatoes

Well several rows of potatoes have been planted for christmas. I can't believe how quickly the summer has passed by,it seems like only a few weeks ago I was planting peas!!This will be the first year winter veg has been planted. In the past, veg has only been grown in the summer, but this had led to large patches of land not being used. So to get the most from the allotment, winter veg is the way forward. In a few eeks time the red cabbage should be ready to plant out and I'm hoping white fly stays away. To this day I have never successfully grown cabbage, cauliflower or swede due to white fly infestation, but apparently no one on our site has had any problems with white fly so I am quietly confident.

Well here are a few pictures I took today of the lovely veggies.

Naturally grown, naturally good.

Not only does rhubarb taste great, it can also help lower cholesterol and may even help in the fight against cancer.

Summer Fruits

As I harvested the first crop of blackberries, I began to think about the lovely crumbles and pies I would be able to make, but what could I possibly do with a handful of blackberries? As I walked around the site I noticed a handful of raspberries were still in good nick, too good to give to the birds, so I collected those, still wondering what I was going make. As I potted around, I noticed Wakefield's treasure needed the older sticks pulling out, so with a handful of raspberries,blackberries and 6 sticks of rhubarb, I made the most delightful crumble or pie filling. This plum coloured stew of fruit has a wonderfully sweet taste, which is balanced by the tart blackberries and a splash of mixed spice, adding a taste of christmas in the middle of summer!
Having established you can do a lot with a little, I will never waste the allotment fruit again. Even if I end up with a freezer full of stewed fruit!!

If you have any interesting fruit combinations or recipes please comment!!