Grow your own dinner 2014

Happygreen

Same here, quite a bit of rain lately! Surprisingly the courgette plants outdoors are doing better than in the polytunnel.
I havested the last peas, some I'll try drying(never have before), some to use as seed, depending how nice they look once I podded them maybe put in a jar.

Kantankrus_Mare

Just been in Lidl and saw tiny punnets of brambles or blackberries as the posh call them for £1.20!!!! :eek:

I get buckets of them free at the allotment which I use for making bramble and elderberry wine. Can't believe people are prepared to pay that amount when they grow so abundantly in the wild, ripe for the taking.

Happygreen

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

Just been in Lidl and saw tiny punnets of brambles or blackberries as the posh call them for £1.20!!!! :eek:

I get buckets of them free at the allotment which I use for making bramble and elderberry wine. Can't believe people are prepared to pay that amount when they grow so abundantly in the wild, ripe for the taking.

I know, it's crazy! I feel a bit guilty that I had to let some currants and gooseberries go to waste this year as first I was away then I had no time and then the weather turned...They were not wasted completely as the wild birds had them but I'd rather some human could have eaten them. Must be better organised next year!

zafiro1984

Just picked the first large carrot and put it in my back pocket but when we were taking a sample from one of our stallions he got his leg over the rope and was very very very cross about it, but with a mouth full of carrot I reckoned he couldn't bite me - it worked.

I've frozen some french beans today- the poly bag is nearly full. So far I've frozen black, red and white currants, I'm just about to pick blackberries and the rosehips are ready - I usually make rosehip and orange marmalade. That just leaves the vegs - not much choice this year but I'm determined not to waste any.

I think I'll order some raspberries to go in the empty fruit cage but I need to kill off all the weeds, I don't like using chemicals so I may have to resort to the flame-gun as there are too many to dig out by hand - maybe I should get my OH to do it as the fruit cage is made from wood :eek: :eek:

Has anyone any experience of growing blueberries, we're on acid soil so I fancy giving it a go.

Jazee - has your greenhouse arrived yet?

Jazee

No greenhouse yet. Apparently they're very popular after some fancy horticultural show and as they're kind of hand built and painted, delivery could be weeks away.

Getting fed up with the rain now. Grass is too long and I want to sort out the cucumbers properly without getting wet.

Kantankrus_Mare

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Just picked the first large carrot and put it in my back pocket but when we were taking a sample from one of our stallions he got his leg over the rope and was very very very cross about it, but with a mouth full of carrot I reckoned he couldn't bite me - it worked.

I've frozen some french beans today- the poly bag is nearly full. So far I've frozen black, red and white currants, I'm just about to pick blackberries and the rosehips are ready - I usually make rosehip and orange marmalade. That just leaves the vegs - not much choice this year but I'm determined not to waste any.

I think I'll order some raspberries to go in the empty fruit cage but I need to kill off all the weeds, I don't like using chemicals so I may have to resort to the flame-gun as there are too many to dig out by hand - maybe I should get my OH to do it as the fruit cage is made from wood :eek: :eek:

Has anyone any experience of growing blueberries, we're on acid soil so I fancy giving it a go.

Jazee - has your greenhouse arrived yet?

We have had a blueberry bush in a pot just outside our back door for the last 5 to 6 years. This is the first year we have had a bumper crop. You are supposed to have two though I think and they should be in acidic soil and be watered by rainwater.

I would say go for it.:D. Oh and they have beautiful foliage in the autumn!

Dizzy_Ditzy

I popped to the allotment yesterday to do some weeding and came home with a kilo of blackberries and 1lb of dwarf beans... This is huge for me given I'm still so new at this allotment malarkey!

I've got beetroot and rhubarb ready to go but they can stay there for a little while yet, at least until I've got the space at home for them

Fruittea

Hi Everyone


It sounds as though everyone's doing really well - even with the rain. Shame about the waiting list for the green house but it looks like it's worth the wait.


Great guns with me to with plenty of the usual stuff and my sweet corn looks as though it's nearly there to.


Blueberries will be great for you and they are a very expensive item. So think of the money you will save and they freeze well - great for breakfast with yoghurt.


Great use of a carrot! That made me laugh and I wondered what sort of sample you were after.


And the rosehip marmalade sounds interesting - any chance of the recipe?


Shopping was cheap as I only bought melon, mango and bananas. Everything else is home grown and I've been plaiting all the onion and garlic crop - it looks really nice hanging about the kitchen but I will put them in the attic where (hopefully) they will keep me going well into the winter.

Happygreen

Good morning, all
I must correct what I wrote on wasting my gooseberries - I uncovered the larger shrub by cutting it free from the sloes around and I found 2 pounds of lovely and ripe fruit! They must have been utterly protected from sawfly and sunshine so they're much later than the others. Just a few had been nibbled on by wasps. I think jam is on the agena as I have no room in the freezer.

monz

Hi

Can I join this thread. I just got my first allotment yesterday completely clueless and hoping to pick up quick x