picked this week

We've been busy again picking allotment produce before threatened snow for next month (!), though I've read today that there will be a heat-wave over the next couple of weeks so presumably the weather men have changed their minds!


anyway, have picked LOTS of tomatoes - green and red

the runner beans have been damaged a bit by wind but we're still getting enough for dinners from them, just not such an enormous surplus to freeze
picked the first of the cobra beans - a shiny black bean to dry - along with more borlottis and tendergreen french
our first red cabbage - not very large but I decided it was time for pickled cabbage


pulled some Italian radishes - wasn't very sure how long to let them grow. Some are very strong in taste and give quite a kick to salads

this is the total of my red onions from the garden, but I'm really pleased with them - possibly my best crop of them ever!

picked this week

lots of usual suspects - runner, french and borlotti beans, beetroot, carrots, lettuce leaves.



discovered some long thin white radish among a sowing of mixed type radishes. I expected it to be very strong in taste but it was rather mild.







still picking lots of cucumbers - both long green and these strange yellow ones. have picked the first pepper - but it seems to be turning purple as it ripens!








rather pleased at this time of year to still be able to pick a plate of salad from the garden/allotment. the tomatoes are tiny gartenperle variety and some have grown in a hanging basket.
the far larger beefsteak tomatoes are ripening well but we're picking lots of all sorts while still green before they're damaged by weather or blight.

drying out

some of the peas and beans drying out -




broad beans with their pods looking like wrinkled cucumbers








a mix of borlotti and tendergreen french beans - some of these aren't drying too well and have started to sprout!







and a mix of various peas along with what is so far the only chilli.

picked this week - stocking up for winter

An absolutely crazy week of picking things at the allotment and freezing or storing them. Now have a freezer almost full of runner beans, courgettes and blackberries! (and a lot of overgrown courgettes have gone into chutney) Now have quite a hoard of borlotti beans, broad beans and peas drying on my kitchen windowsill - some are for dinners and some are for next year's seed. There are 4 spare cabbages hanging in the garage - not sure how well they'll keep as the weather is still quite warm. Lifted all the onions but they haven't grown very large so may just end up pickled.

Meanwhile have picked - and eaten - some small untidy cauliflowers, more running-to-seed lettuce, spinach leaves, french beans from some of the later-set plants, tomatoes and both long green and round yellow cucumbers.

picked this week - well, last week really

Losing track of what day it is which is why this post is late.
Mainly clearing up after the holidays still - lots and lots of runner beans, enormous beetroot, lettuce that is running to seed and courgettes that need keeping in order to stop them growing into marrows. Starting to pick some of the borlottis and blue lake french beans for the beans rather than the pods, Also have the last peas from early rows and broad beans drying - either for eating or for seed, depends how many look edible. Lifting potatoes and carrots as we want them and had to clear out some cabbage that was ready to burst.
Very pleased to have strawberries fruiting again - they've not fruited continuously but in two distinct phases - not many ripening though as there's not much sunshine at the moment. Slugs are being kept down by a frog - saw him (her?) quite clearly one evening just after returning from holiday, now about the size of my hand. Also have a wren living close to ground in shrubs near the kitchen and flying out when least expected.

Holidays

Back from a fortnight away to the normal sort of neglected chaos. Beans and courgettes going wild. Pumpkins and roses spreading over paths. Little treasures of autumn strawberries under it all. And the frog has grown! Now the size of my hand. I think he's got used to having the place to himself as he's around and about and quite easily spotted in the evening.
No photos of anything as the camera is absolutely full with holiday pics and there's no space on the pc to download them!