Strawberries gallore

We've had a cracking harvest of strawberries this year, we began harvesting on 16th June, just a few ugly looking specimens, to bowlfuls and bowlfuls of them.  I've got at least 3kg in the freezer, which will be made into jam tomorrow.
Each harvest has been weighed (with stalks) and logged.
I've already had requests from my dad for runners from this years crop, as he's been impressed with the size of the fruit my plants have produced.

I've also had a couple of mutant strawberries:

These are individual strawberries, and despite their size and weight they still taste really sweet and juicy.

Unfortunately this doesn't beat last years biggest strawberry, which weighed 66g, I blogged about it here http://looopeeelisa.blogspot.com/2009/06/pimp-my-strawberry.html

Elderflower Cordial

I don't know about you, but this year it seemed that Elderflowers flowered late in the season, I'd normally expect them to be out and about in May, but it wasn't until mid-June before they started flowering around here (NE25).
 
One thing I was determined to do this year was make elderflower cordial.


Last year I failed miserably at Elderflower Champagne, this was mainly caused by me following an incorrect recipe on a website, too much sugar caused too much fermentation and one by one my glass bottles exploded.  The firs few exploded in the cupboard under the stairs (now a pantry), and a couple of the others exploded in the garage.


After that I decided that it would be much safer to make a non-fizzy alternative.

I also feel that I was making it quite late in the elderflower season too, I'd missed the best of the flowers, but wanted to make some (and see what happened).  The recipe I followed was quick and easy to do (full recipe below).

Special Ingredients...

The only real specialist ingredient was tartaric acid, and that's recommended for your recipe if you want it to last several months instead of 'several weeks in the fridge'.  Fortunately, my local brewing shop, the aptly named Elderflower, 28 Station Road, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, NE26 2RD supplied me with tartaric acid and had a ready supply - he'd had lots of other people asking for it :)

Doesn't take long to make...

The elderflowers were picked one day, steeped in hot water overnight (which makes your house smell of elderflowers) and then turned into the cordial the next day.  Which is great, you don't need to wait for weeks for it to 'turn' it's all done in a couple of days.

Drinking it...

I've made 3 litres of cordial, it's refreshing, sweet and delicious.  I've been drinking it mixed with lemonade 1 part cordial to 5 parts lemonade.  But it would work really well mixed with cava, as a refreshing drink, and it works with vodka and lemonade.

Eating it....

As it's quite syrupy, it would work with fresh fruit in a dessert, or splashed over ice cream, or possibly used on sponge fingers in a trifle.

Success

It's delicious, and wished I'd made it earlier.  Next year I'll make more batches over the flowering season.

Recipe from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall:

• 20-30 freshly picked heads of elderflower
• Zest of 2 lemons and 1 orange
• Up to 1.5 kg of granulated sugar
• Up to 200ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Tartaric Acid

1. Shake insects off flowers, but don't wash them - it ruins the flavour, then place them in a large bowl with the lemon and orange zest. 
2. Pour over just enough boiled water to cover them completely (approx 1.5 - 2 litres). 
3. Cover and leave for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until cold.
4. Strain the liquid through muslin or a jelly bag, gently squeezing to extract all the juice.
5. Measure the amount of liquid and pour it into a saucepan. To every 500ml liquid add 350g sugar and 50ml lemon juice, add 1 heaped teaspoon of tartaric acid per 500ml  liquid. 
6. Heat gently to dissolve all the sugar, stirring ocassionally. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim off any scum. 
7. Let the cordial cool, then strain it again through muslin or a jelly bag.
8. Funnel the cordial into glass bottles - will keep for several months.  (You can leave out the tartaric acid, but it won't keep as long and will need storing in the fridge).

Update on the strawberries

Look at these beasts, since getting a bit of a thinning out they've bushed up really really well, lots of flowers, big leaves and looking good.  I'm hoping I'll be making strawberry jam this year

My kids have left home (ie tomatoes are in the greenhouse)

After a week of camping, a weekend of looking after stepson and a weekend of something else I've finally go the tomatoes out of the house and into the greenhouse!

We've got 16 plants in there:

• 2 gardeners delight (small, cherry variety)
• 2 alicante (regular bog standard type)
• 4 san marzano (italian plum variety)
• 4 greek 2008, original (big fat, juicy greek variety found in greek salads)
• 4 greek 2009, 1st generation (big fat, juicy greek variety found in greek salads)

I grow my tomatoes in pots as my greenhouse floor is concrete (why is it concrete? for security, strength and to keep the weeds down)

The pots stand in big trays and (this year) I'll be watering them mostly from the bottom (ie, the tray they stand it). This should help them develop strong roots, stop the roots floating near the surface and also keep the weeds down. My trays should also keep off any pesky slugs, snails that dare to venture in.

I gave them the usual team talk, wished them well, stroked their leaves and saluted them, all the best my fine little plants, mummy loves you very much.

What NOT to do with your seedlings

This blog is about success and failure, and here's one of my failures, I'm ashamed that they got to this size before I planted them out.

Of course I've got excuses, but it's no use to these little things.  If they fail on me, then I've only got myself to blame.

Normally I'd be planting broad beans, french beans, peas & sugar snap peas when they were about 3 or 4 inches tall, and not like this (so tall they're falling over)

The Cheese Shop (TM)

A unique home made device for catching unsuspecting mice on your allotment -bird friendly.

To use:
Place mousetrap inside cheeseshop (ready to bite),
Wait
Wait some more
Wait a little bit longer
SNAP!
Remove dead mouse

This hand-painted, hand-made, hand-sculpted device has been made to the highest quality and is the only one of it's kind in the world, ever (until I make another one).

It will stop those pesky mice nibbling at your tender pea shoots.


Weather: warm & dry (BBC Look North advised that there would be no further frosts)

Peas are in the allotment!

Tonight I got my PEAS planted in the allotment, and as always I took a few pictures.
Variety: HURST GREENSHAFT

They're planted in Bed#5 and I've got high hopes for them.

As with peas I've got to think about 'protection' from slugs and mice.

I've put a moat of organic slug pellets and re-opened The Cheeseshop (TM)

Elderflowers

These are Elderflowers, taken from cuttings in October/November 2009 and put in a pot of compost (sainsburys peat-free) and left outside over winter. At first they seemed to sprout, then die off a bit and now, come the spring, have sprung into action.

5 of the 6 cuttings have survived and I intend to transplant them into individual pots, get them a bit bigger and then transplant at home in the front garden. They will (hopefully) produce me masses of elderflowers that I will be able to turn into Elderflower Cordial.

I tried to make Elderflower Champagne last year and the bottles kept exploding, and I'm loathe to try it again.

Bloody slugs

They've had a right good go at my sprouts and cabbages.
I've found the little blighter & chucked him on the garage (it's got a real rough gravelly finish & he'll struggle on there).

As a precaution I've moved sprouts & cabbages back indoors until they're a bit stronger and more likely to survive a slug attack.

Lean-to greenhouse

At the back of the house we've got this on the garage, it is south-facing, but unheated.
It's the pre-allotment stop for all of the vegetables we grow.
As you can see it's looking a bit worse for wear and we have a new, bigger one to replace it, we've just not had the time to install it yet.

Greek Tomato Varieties

Greek 2008 (original)
These were picked out of the greek salads I had on holiday in Greece 2008
They're a beef-tomato variety and are great for salads & sarnies.



Greek 2009 (1st gen)
Harvested from the fruits from the 2008 (original) seeds.

Sowing: w/c 12 April 2010

My weekly planting plan tells me I need to plant more peas, beans, cabbages, leeks and french beans.

As my leeks are fine, I'm going to make an executive decision (as head gardener) and not sow any more of these and I've also disposed of the 'Crown & Sceptre' broccoli seeds as I've deemed them too old (none of them from March sowing germinated).

Sunday 18th April

Broad beans (witkiem), 15 sown, 1 per module
Pea (hurst greenshaft), 15 sown, 1 per module
Cabbage summer (hispi), 6 sown, 2 per module
Cabbage autumn (minicole), 6 sown, 2 per module
Cabbage winter (tundra), 6 sown, 2 per module
Cabbage winter (red drumhead), 6 sown, 2 per module
Broccoli (purple sprouting), 6 sown, 2 per module
Dwarf bean (The Prince), 9 sown, 1 per module
Dwarf french bean (Purple Queen), 9 sown, 1 per module
Lettuce (Red Salad bowl) 3 rows (scattered) in a 6inch pot

Compost Mix: 3 parts Home-brew compost (sieved) mixed : 2 parts sharp sand

Location: Dining room table indoors

Brassica update

Brilliant F1, Sprouts: 10 seedlings from 12 seeds
Minicole, Cabbage: 3 seedlings from 6 seeds
Hispi, Cabbage: 1 seedling from 6 seeds
Crown & Sceptres, Broccoli: NO plants from 6 seeds

I originally planted these, 2 per module, and I've had to move some of them into new modules.

They are currently in the lean-to greenhouse in the back garden at home.

Update on peas, leeks & red onions

These have all been moved to the lean-to greenhouse at the back of the house. The peas are approx 3 inch tall.

Tomato transplants (1st transplant)

My tomatoes have reached a stage where they need potting on, so I've pricked out into 3inch pots, my step-son helped to write the labels.

Tomato type/successful seeds/number planted
Alicante 3/6
San Marzano 6/6
Gardeners Delight 2/6
Greek 2008 (original) 6/6
Greek 2009 (1st gen) 5/6

Note re: Greek Tomato Varieties

Tidying up the strawberry patch

Tonight I spent 2 hrs tidying up the strawberries, yesterday they were looking a bit overgrown, I'd not sorted out any of the 2009 runners.


I had a good sort out, cleared out the weeds, got rid of the weak plants, moved plants that had settled in the wrong place and filled in gaps.

It might look a bit harsh, but there's plenty of space for these plants to grow bigger, bushier and develop mounds and mounds of strawberries (I've got my fingers crossed).

Any decent looking plants that were dug out, I potted up and they're now at home (there's 26 of them!)

They'll be used as 'spares & repairs' to replace any plants that look a bit sad/dead. I've got one of those strawberry-pots at home, so I might fill that, and any other left overs will be given to friends/colleagues.

Unfortunately I've mixed up the varieties, so can't be sure which is which, I guess it'll be a nice suprise when they fruit; I've got early, mid and late fruiting varieties (Alice, Florence & Honeoye bought in 2008 from Thompson & Morgan.)

I also came across this little fella too - he can stay!

From Plot to Plate: Rhubarb Fool

Rhubarb Fool
Originally uploaded by looopeeelisa

This will make 2-3 good sized servings.

6 stalks of rhubarb, washed & trimmed to 2inch fingers
2 tbsp caster sugar
2-3 tbsp dessert wine
3 tbsp water
100ml double cream
2 tbsp icing sugar

Put the rhubarb, caster sugar, wine and water in a pan and simmer gently until the rhubarb is soft (test with a knife). When it's done remove from the heat, put the rhubarb pieces in a bowl & put the cooking juice to one side and leave to cool. Then, put the cream and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk until the cream is stiff. Once the rhubarb has cooled, carefully put it into the cream and fold in. Put into into little glass dishes, and chill for about an hour.

I've made a biscuit base (digestives & butter), and plopped the rhubarb fool on top. Looks scrummy doesn't it?

Planting: potatoes, garlic, onion sets

Weather: bright, dry, little breeze.

I took my garlic, white onion sets and potatoes (first earlies) to plant today, I'm hoping that spring has sprung and we won't get any unexpected frosts/blizzards.

My 2 varieties of garlic (purple early and rose de lautrec) had been pre-planted in modules in January, to get them settled. I seem to have problems with garlic, it gets too wet in my raised beds. This year I thought I'd start in modules and transplant into ridged mounds to help with drainage. Bed#6.

Also in Bed#6 I've put my white onion sets (setton) in, there seemed to be hundreds of the little fellas, I stopped at 60. I'm also growing red onions from seed to compare how easy/hard it is. The onion seeds are still in the house & not yet ready for transplanting.

I've planted Pentland Javelin first earlies, I got 2 bonus seed potatoes, and they're in Bed#1, 12-18inch apart, and 18inch between the rows.

Sowing tomatoes (5 varieties)

The planting plan says tomatoes, so tomatoes it is.

They were sown in a 5x3 module tray in the usual potting compost.
I've sown the following varieties (2 seeds per module (because they're old seeds))

• Gardeners Delight (cherry-type tomato)


• Alicante (regular tomato)


• San Marzano (italian plum)


• Greek original (seeds picked out of greek salads when on holiday in 2008


• Greek 1st generation (decended from the previous ones, but these were last years babies

Seeds sown, loaded into my little propagator and left in dining room (the new greenhouse)

Easter sunday: seedlings!!!

I gave them a team talk yesterday and this morning found a few little shoots appearing from the sprouts, peas, leeks and onions (all new seeds, except the peas).

There's still nothing showing in the broccoli and cabbage, they're last years seeds, so might take a bit longer to germinate.

Weather issues

Due to temperature changes outside, I've decided to move my sowings into the house, it's a bit warmer. We've had rain, and it's been really cold today.

I've only left the broad beans outside, but moved everything else onto the dining room table. I'm hoping that'll give them a kick-start.

Potting shed

We've now created a better space at the back of the garage for doing out gardening things.

A piece of worktop and a cupboard from our old kitchen has been used for the main working area. There's space underneath for pots, compost & stuff, and the cupboard is useful for storing tools, fertilisers and little odds and ends, I've also got a shelf above for seed trays.

I plan to add a few hooks to hang my 'frequently used' tools & kit.
And I'm looking forward to starting work in there.

Sowing: w/c 22nd March

I wasn't able to do my planting for w/c 15th March so I'm playing catch up. This week I did manage to sow things at home.

Saturday 27th March, sunny & breezy

Broad beans (witkiem), 15 sown, 1 per module
Pea (hurst greenshaft), 30 sown, 2 per module
Cabbage summer (hispi), 6 sown, 2 per module
Cabbage autumn (minicole), 6 sown, 2 per module
Leek (oarsman), 6 inch pot, scattered
Onion red (kamal), 3 rows, in 1 full tray, scattered.
Broccoli (crown & sceptres), 6 sown, 2 per module
Sprout (brilliant), 12 sown, 2 per module

Compost Mix: 3 parts Sainsburys Peat-free compost mixed : 2 parts sharp sand

Location: Lean-to greenhouse at home

Planting Plan: Weekly planting 15th March- 26th April 2010

My planting plan takes me from 15th March to 26th April, this gives me flexibility to change planting times depending on the weather, other commitments and seed-failure.

w/c 15th March: broad beans, peas, cabbage (summer & winter), leeks, onion (seeds)

w/c 22nd March: broccoli, sprout

w/c 29th March: tomato, shallots, onion sets, carrots, parsnips

w/c 5th April: sugar snap peas

w/c 12th April: broad beans, peas, french beans, cabbage (summer, autumn, winter), leeks

w/c 19th April: peppers (sweet), peppers (chilli)

w/c 26th April: courgettes, squash

Planting Plan

Veg & Variety Frequency No of rows/seeds to plant

Beans (broad) 4wkly 1 tray (15 seeds)
Beans (french) 4wkly 6 seeds

Peas 4wkly 1 tray (15 seeds)
Peas (sugarsnap) 4wkly 1 tray (15 seeds)

Broccoli 4wkly 3 seeds

Cabbage (spring) 4wkly 3 seeds
Cabbage (summer) 4wkly 3 seeds
Cabbage (Autumn) 4wkly 3 seeds
Cabbage (Winter) 4wkly 3 seeds

Sprouts 4wkly 6 seeds

Carrots 4wkly 2 rows (sow direct)
Parnsip 4wkly 1 row (sow direct)
Leeks 1-off 6inch pot, scattered

Planting: Garlic (Rose de Lautrec)

1 bulb
Newcastle Farmers Market (Newcastle), supplier Newby Wiske Nursery.
Planted 30th Jan in modules, kept in lean-to greenhouse at home.

Planting: Garlic (purple early)

1 bulb
Newcastle Farmers Market (Newcastle), supplier Newby Wiske Nursery.
Planted 30th Jan in modules, kept in lean-to greenhouse at home.

About my allotment

Leg of Mutton Allotment is a small allotment site, located near Earsdon Village, North Tyneside (North East England). And located approximated 1 mile from the North Sea coast.

Overview of my plot
I grow my vegetables in 5 raised beds (21ft long x 4ft wide) with 18inch paths in between. I also have a fruit-cage (raspberries & strawberries) 21ft long x 6ft wide, an 8ft x 6ft greenhouse, 3 compost areas, a tool store and 3 waterbutts.

My neighbours
The plot is split into 2, the front is run by Audrey, an old lady who grows potatoes, onions, sprouts and beans. And I run the back.

Sharing the entrance to the plot is Sandra who has a full length plot (mine plus Audrey's put together). Sandra has had the plot since 2008 and she's worked hard to get rid of the rabbits, and grows masses of flowers.

Over the fence is John & his wife, they have a full-length plot. John has an expanding pigeon loft empire, and his wife grows the vegetables at the front of the site.