10 August 2008 - Cornucopia

A little bit of everything today. We have been on holiday for the last ten days and have visited the plot intermittently only for harvesting and basic weeding purposes. It is truly a productive plot and we have spent some of our holiday thinking about how to preserve our crop. It is not just the joy of trooping up there and thinking "I'll just pick a bit of this and that for me tea" - it is also the responsibility incumbent on anyone who grows more than they can reasonably eat or give away - to store. The upside down picture to the left is of the sweetpeas.

Storage is thus An Issue and not just confined to Ikea shelving systems or rearranging the garage.

There are three basic methods of storage. Firstly, keeping in a cool, dry, place and using as needed - this is for potatoes (though they prefer the dark) and garlic (so far). Secondly, freezing. And thirdly, making preserves (e.g. chutney). We have not yet tried the latter but fully intend to do so and have been blagging jars off our Neighours.

Plaiting the garlic was a truly absorbing pastime. This is what people did before telly. After some cursing, replaiting and storming off in tears we created 4 garlic plaits containing 13 bulbs each. The elephant garlic bulbs are prepared similarly but are way too dignified to plait. We have already had some roasted with chicken and they are indeed milder than the smaller variety. Apparently they are not even garlic but are related to the leek. But that's another story.

The second method has led us to purchase a small freezer as our existing facility is filling up quickly which has been put into the loft and a Bloke is coming to install electricity up there. Seriously folks, we just don't want to waste it, even if it is courgette. We have been freezing courgette, peas, broccoli and beans. However, don't be thinking that we are a bunch of meanies - we have given away a significant amount of produce which has been much appreciated by friends, home and plot neighbours, lady from shop and family.

Back to the plot. The courgettes are still throwing out fruits but we worry (!) that they appear to be slowing down a touch. Magic Water is duly applied. We have become adept at courgette recipes and fully intend to make some chutney.

We have three kinds of beans - tiny thin beans, French beans and good old fashioned runners (in the Pagoda). They are all doing well. We are beginning to recognise that period of pomp when a plant is at its most productive and to make the most of it. The next crop to be harvested will be the corn - we had two cobs today but it was too early, though they were delicious nonetheless. The raspberries are threatening to deluge us soon and the onions are pushing themselves up and over. The "show" onions look magnificent but we have to wait.

More autumnal delights are the butternut squash which are going great guns, so much so that we decided to "nip" some off to encourage larger fruit. They also need more room, poor loves. The leeks we transplanted with bated breath seem to be more than happy in their new home. The winter cabbage, sharing a bed with the broccoli, looks expansively cabbage-like and the kale, also transplanted with bb, at least has not died. It needs to acquire more leafage. The purple sprouting broccoli looks better than it did.

Today we sowed raddicio, overwintering onion and spring cabbage in the seedbed; and carrots, pak choi and spinach in amongst various crops. The carrots say you shouldn't sow after June but we thought - to hell with it. We also intend to sow overwintering spring onion when we can find a suitable space.

We have two crops that appear now to be past their best - but we salute them for their heroic performance. The peas (first lot) alas appear to have downy mildew and although there are flowers on the plants it all looks a bit dire and production seems to have slowed to a halt. The broccoli are still throwing up "tasty sideshoots" (quoted from the packed) but are taking up a lot of room. We feel uncomfortable like at the end of a visitor's stay - just when are they going to leave? We still are eating carrots as and when, usually as a juicy crunchy starter.

Other activities included N removing the cross-struts (or whatever technical term is appropriate) that had precluded the act of walking upright in the Pagoda. Brilliant. N also did a useful bit of wood-tidying into a handy new organiser made out of a pallet and fixed to the shed (thanks to Pat for that idea). The second peas needed some remedial work and now have a new set of poles and a home-made net.

Issues to resolve: what to do about strawberry "runners"; what to do with summer-fruiting raspberries in terms of support

Weather note: sunny, showers, moody