Dealing with the crop

It is probably a couple of years since I wrote about the vegetable garden.  This is partly because I know my seasons are very different to most of my readers and so not very helpful for comparisons or advice.  Plus although the seasons vary I grow mostly the same crops every year.  However after I received so many comments about the plate of tomatoes I showed at the end of last Monday’s vase post, I thought a post about one method I use to conserve my tomatoes might be of interest.

Mid July Harvest

It is over a month since I last wrote about the vegetable garden and there is much more to harvest now.

The Vegetable Garden in June

Time rushes on as it always does; crops come and finish and I haven’t written about what we’re eating for a while.

Broad beans and peas produced a decent crop, all I really want is some nice fresh vegetables that are different from the ones we’ve been eating; there were enough to freeze a couple of kilograms to add to soups and sauces.  I picked peas to eat fresh, but there were always more than we needed so these were frozen and I added to their bags on every occasion that I picked.

Making me smile this week Mid February

Good friends and family came to stay so that they could go to watch the England v Italy rugby match in Rome last Sunday; the weather for the time they were all here was forecast to be wet, wet and more wet but it wasn’t quite as bad as that; we had some warm sunshine at times but also a 15 minute hail storm on Monday.  Sunday afternoon was mild and although grey, it didn’t rain so that the match was enjoyed (and the victory savoured).  Not being a fan myself I went with a friend to Rome and instead of rugby enjoyed the Capitoline museum.

Greenhouse – Sowing begins!

The wind is howling and the temperatures are falling; I just checked the forecast and terrifyingly we are threatened with temperatures falling to minus 5°C for the next two days and remaining cold for at least the next week.

Certainly it isn’t the time to be out in the garden but it is relatively warmer in the greenhouse and seed sowing has already begun to supply plants for the vegetable and cuttings garden for the summer to come.  Last year I sowed some seeds in the early autumn but the plants grew too quickly and were leggy by the time they were planted out.  There are some plants that I will sow later this year because I discovered they need more heat to grow strongly.  Zinnias, although I can’t complain about the crop would benefit from a later sowing so I’ll sow those in early spring.

My thoughts- The Three Tarragons: French, Russian and Mexican

The Three Tarragons: French, Russian and Mexican

On Monday I shared with you a vase of flowers and I asked if any of you recognised what they were. I thought I knew, but I was wrong and in the land of blogging there is always someone who knows the right answer!

Preserved Lemons

Susan Troccolo wrote about harvesting her lemons and I suggested she might like to try preserving them under salt.  To make this you need either your own lemons that you know haven’t been treated in any way or organic lemons that haven’t been waxed.

The Greenhouse full to bursting!

It was last May when I last wrote an update about what’s happening in the greenhouse – not very helpful!

The Slope on Thursday 23rd October and Olive oil update

Firstly I’d like to thank you for making my 500^th post such a special event.  More people than ever before joined in with a post about the foliage in their garden, or a particular plant or foliage seen on a visit to an arboretum or a nursery.  If you haven’t read them all you can find the links in yesterday’s post.

First of June First Tomatoes!

OK I know it isn’t the first of June today but for record keeping it is important that I know the date I harvested the first tomatoes that were enough for a small salad and not just the odd one plucked from the vine as I’m passing. First two courgettes too, small, but I like to always pick them small, were cooked in a little olive oil and tasted nutty and good. The spinach on the plate is the harvest from a pot. I find it easier to grow spinach this way, so far in the greenhouse but from now on I’ll let it germinate in the greenhouse and then put the pot in a light shady position.