Bounty!

Tonight we had an almost-completely-allotment-grown meal! New potatoes, broad beans, mange tout and sliced shallots fried in a wee bit of butter, and slathered over a pork chop. Now, if we can only start keeping pigs we'll be sorted! I thought about taking a picture, but it got eaten too quick, so you'll have to take my word for it - it was DELICIOUS!

Here's a pic of our croppage (a new word I think) from our allotment visit on Saturday... not bad eh? Broad beans, radish, mange tout, shallots, lettuce, new potatoes, strawberries and rhubarb.


So, what did we get up to this time? Well, there was the obligatory weeding to start with - I look back now and thank goodness we didn't get the plot rotovated. The guys next door to us did, and now it's gone crazy as every single little chopped up bit of weed has come back with a vengeance, Bruce Willis style...

I sowed another three rows of carrots, in the vain hope that these ones might, just might, decide to do something. I also sowed some more kohl rabi to try and get the hang of this successional sowing malarkey. Honestly, I know vegetables are just vegetables, but does anyone else think this little kohl rabi is kinda cute?

Adam planted some Wee Be Little pumpkin seeds along with some more squash - acorn and scallopini - hopefully these will enjoy the warmer weather we've been having and may actually germinate. We pulled up the first of our potatoes and bunged in some turnip in their place... I know it's probably not the right thing to do but we thought we'd just see what happens! We also sowed a couple of rows of swiss chard and some more broccolli.

And then there's the mystery of the disappearing cucumber plant. Last Saturday it was planted next to its friend, all happy, and now - poof! - gone! All that's left is a little indentation in the soil. : (

Mike from the lovely plot with raised beds (jealous) had a tinker with our petrol strimmer, but unfortunately couldn't get it to behave itself, so our paths are still un-strimmed. Well, we've got a week until the people from the allotments in Clapham come to judge our plots, hopefully we'll have sorted it by then. The bonus was that Louise, Mike's other half, gave us some chilli plants, with a label in saying 'jalepeno', which is great, except I can't remember if they're the really hot ones or not... (I'll just keep calling them Al Pacinos like our mate Anna does, and see if it catches on...)

I chopped off all the shallot flowers. And then wondered about taking them home to put in a vase, as they're really beautiful. Then I realised they smell quite onioney (surprise surprise) and probably aren't the sort of thing you want in your living room. Anyway, shallot flowers are Not Good News. I used a couple of shallots on Sunday and it's true, the ones that had bolted did have a little hard core in the centre, but if you get that bit out the rest was fine, they just won't keep as well as the others.

Along with our delicious meal on Sunday night I also made some strawberry daiquiri type things. Well, what else is a girl to do with a glut of strawberries? Yum! And when they were gone, I obviously had to make some more, except we'd run out of rum (Why is the rum gone?) so I used vodka and gin instead. Also quite lovely and delicious... Even Adam liked them, and he's a boy wot usually drinks beer...

(*hic!*)

Sarah's Strawberry Daiquiri Type Things

• handful of strawberries
• handful of ice cubes
• good glug of elderflower cordial
• a tablespoon of sugar
  
• good glug of dark rum OR a good glug of vodka plus a splash of gin (just for that tang, you understand)

mash about with a rolling pin or a potato masher 'till the strawberries have given up their strawberry goodness.

• if using rum - top up with tonic to taste
• if using vodka - top up with half tonic, half bitter lemon to taste.

Strain through a sieve - unless you have one of those posh cocktail shaker things - and enjoy! (responsibly, of course...)