Today from our allotment we ate!

[Catherine]

Today I picked our very first sweetcorn cob. It was amazing to eat. For our evening meal tonight we have had carrots, tenderstem broccoli, climbing french beans and half the sweetcorn cob each and a few peas all from our allotment with a lovely beef in beer casserole from Ainsley Herriots recipe book Food for Friends and Family and mashed potato (bought as we don't grow main crop potatoes. If anyone is ever looking for a nice recipe book this is one of them. (They were all small portions we didn't eat a massive evening meal) We have been out walking all day and I didn't feel like doing a roast.

What is everyone else eating out of their garden/allotments at the moment.

[Primrose]

More runner beans and kale. My sweetcorn cobs have been poor this year and only half pollinated, but very sweet. And raspberries & blackberries.! Have more blackberries than. i can process now so leaving the remainder for the birds.

[Catherine]

Hi Primrose, don't you think that the blackberries are amazing this year. We have been out for a walk today and I have never seen so many ripe, big blackberries before. We don't grow runner beans but our Kale is looking good. Have you tried Kale and Chickpea curry from Sarah Raven it is fabulous.

[Monika]

Just a few runner beans left now, but plenty of beetroot, carrots, parsnips and all the brassicas, including three types of kale (curly, black Tuscan and Ragged Jack).

The vegetables which did best this year are onions, shallots, garlic, peas and broad beans. The runner beans were late and not terribly prolific and the dwarf beans terrible,

Although we only have half the allotment now, the freezer is pretty full, so no complaints.

[Catherine]

Hi Monika, sounds like you have had a good year overall.

[Westi]

Cabbage! It was so sweet & a really big pointy head - very remarkable as this was my last spring crop that I had harvested months ago & did the old cross in the stem & hence still eating them now. Nearly a full year in the ground. When I say a really good size it is bigger than my summer cabbages, although a little looser.

Runners blew down, self sown tomatoes still producing, & have a third sowing of peas & broad beans almost ready & they say it is going to be a few more weeks of good weather so may get to taste them.

Funny year for germination down here & had to do multiple re-sows but nature sorted it. Lettuces have been awful though - even resident bunny doesn't bother with them even though they are not covered.

Westi