Early Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Primrose]

I suspect not unfortunately Colin. The freezing process crystallises any liquid in the stems and when it,s thawed and reheated this turns to slush. I think even if you freeze it without blanching first the stems contain enough residual liquid for the cooking process to turn it mushy.

[retropants]

Get well soon tigerburnie.

[tigerburnie]

I have found with broccoli that if you boil it, let it cool, use the water in the garden and throw the brocc on the compost heap is the best use for it.............................................can you tell I don't like broccoli lol.

[oldherbaceous]

That’s terrible, Burnie….

[Primrose]

Made me laugh tigerburnie on a miserable wet day here, It,s the one vegetable I don,t like either as it happens!

[oldherbaceous]

Really chucking it down here now, just got a little damp, digging a bucketful of potatoes….

[retropants]

He he Burnie! I’d obviously rather be eating chocolate cake, but hey Ho, you’ve gotta eat your greens!!

[tigerburnie]

I don't like cauli either but grew Romanesco one year for my wife and I ate that.

[Geoff]

Primrose, you have done well not to lose a cucumber before, I think they are the same as they describe sheep round here, they've got more ways of dying than living.

[Westi]

I find Broccoli is tricky the 'flowers' just turn to dust on touching when frozen, so only good for soups. The stems are fine so can be cut up & put into other dishes. But; you can buy frozen broccoli so there must be a way to freeze it successfully. I don't bother to thaw it as it is prepped before freezing so I just add to whatever I'm making straight from frozen.

[robo]

I love it ,the only problem I only get one head per plant but I cut all the spears and use them in soup

[Colin2016]

I too like broccoli including the stalks, main issue is the plants are all ready at the same time.
There is a sign in local farm shop tell people not to break the stalks off.

[Westi]

One of our plot holders had a once in a lifetime experience on his plot. I so wanted to share it with you at the time but would not do that without his permission, which I now have.

He was down on his plot in the evening 2 days ago & there was a to do on his neighbours plot. He went to check & there was a bird caught in the netting & a Sparrow Hawk had got caught up in his/her eagerness for a free meal. He sorted them both out & the Sparrow Hawk was a bit disorientated & just sat for a bit, but then flew onto his head to get his bearings & in the end had to be coaxed off as he could only bear those talons in his scalp for a short time as you will see in the pic. There will very few people who get up this close & personal to one of these in the wild!

fullsizeoutput_10bc.jpeg (197.6 KiB) Viewed 10778 times

[Westi]

BTW I did the cropping of the pic, there was a full face there!

[oldherbaceous]

Thanks for sharing that with us, Westi.