Allotment Visit 3

Today was a nice day down on the allotment as I got to meet some of the others who have been gardening there for years.

It took me almost as long to clear the little patch behind the cleared one as it was jam packed full of grass and thistles. A new cold frame was added too. Just need some garlic now.

Cold frame ready for some garlic

With the Sun setting and rain approaching I managed to start on the clearing of another small raised bed. Not a complete job but a good start.

Weed clearing in failing light

The horrible pond at the end of the plot got a good hundred or so stabs with a sharp stick. Hopefully most of the water will drain away and at some point I will be able to fill it in.

Pond to be removed

Allotment Visit 1 & 2

The allotment keys came in the post last Friday. We headed up in the afternoon to discover what we have in store. Here are some pictures...

Entrance to the allotment. The keys fit :)

First view of Plot 6.

 

Left: Looking down past the shed.    Right: Looking back from the pond end.

Investigating the strawberry patch.

Saturday was a rainy day write off. Then along came Sunday and it was really windy. We found out that the plots are very well sheltered. First I filled the greenhouse with all the dangerous debris on the site. The greenhouse is unusable as it has many missing panels and mushrooms growing inside it. 


Then I whipped out the spade and here are the results. A clear raised bed!

The first clear patch.

After five and a half years of waiting...

We have an allotment! Time to get back to that old blog eh!

Literally at the top of our street is an allotment with only 9 plots and we have one. It was a long time to wait, but it is of course worth it when you actually get one. Plot 6 can be seen here and includes a shed, greenhouse, pond, cold frames and potentially more. We managed to get in for a sneaky peak. Once we have the keys and put the wellies on I will post some pictures.

So in my excitement I found http://www.allotment.org.uk/ and purchased "Vegetable Growing Month By Month". You can buy it signed direct from the publisher for on £5.99 and I promise you it is amazing (You can get it cheaper from Amazon but buying from the publisher means he should get more profit). It is exactly what a beginner needs. It is simply all the things you would have been told by your dad/granddad if they was into growing their own. As I need to start the growing bug in my lineage I am thirsty for the knowledge to pass down to my son.

Bilberry Leaf Tea

Bilberries are early this year. I have been keeping my eye on them and they are one sunny spell from sweet perfection. Anyhow... today I decided to pick some leaves and make some tea.

One tray of leaves at 75°C (electric fan oven) for hour.

One heaped teaspoon steeped for 5 minutes.

A surprisingly good taste!

Wild Mushroom Dinner

On Sunday I ended up at a Farmers' Market and bought the scrag end of the mushroom sellers wares on the cheap.

Cooked slowly in some butter and a drop of oil. Finally a dash of the milk top for some creamy sauce.

Served on a couple of slices of pan toasted spelt and honey bread.

Yummy.

Butter Biscuits

I took the ginger biscuit recipe, took out the ginger and went all butter. The results are great. I measured each ball of the mixture to 20g a piece and they were ready after 8 minutes in a fully preheated fan oven. The edited version of the recipe is below. Give it a go!

Ingredients:

8 oz (220g) flour, 2 cups
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 oz (110 g) butter, 1/2 cup
4 oz (110 g) sugar, 2 cups
1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda (Baking soda) dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water (it will fizz)
2 large tablespoons golden syrup (substitute light corn syrup), warmed (easily done in microwave for 15 seconds)

Method:

1. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl.
2. Rub in the margarine. Add the sugar, then mix to a dough with the bicarbonate of soda mixture and syrup.
3. Roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls (20g) and place them on greased baking sheets.
4. Press down the centre of each ball with your thumb.
5. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven 200°C (400°F) Gas mark 6 for about 8 minutes.

Best Ginger Biscuits

I was still looking around for a really good ginger biscuit recipe until I found this one. The results are lovely.

Ingredients

2 cups (225 g) 8 oz flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 oz (100 g) margarine 1/2 cup (100 g)
4 oz sugar
1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda (Baking soda) dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
2 large tablespoons golden syrup (substitute light corn syrup), warmed (easily done in microwave)

Method

1. Sift the flour, ginger and baking powder into a bowl.
2. Rub in the margarine. Add the sugar, then mix to a dough with the bicarbonate of soda mixture and syrup.
3. Roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls and place them on greased baking sheets.
4. Press down the centre of each ball with your thumb.
5. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven 200°C (400°F) Gas mark 6 for about 10 minutes. (Careful they might only need 9)

I found it here... http://www.cookitsimply.com/recipe-0010-05868b.htm