Name that plum!

What a prolific year. Apart from potatoes, which we have just finished (I haven't enough space to grow too many), and onions (my one failure this year - I took them up quite early as they were looking so miserable) we have been, and will continue to be for some time, enjoying all our lovely fresh fruit and vegetables. I'm having to come up with a variety of ways to use the courgettes, as usual. We've sampled a very good courgette and pasta dish twice now, and it's been a big hit. The other evening I grated two courgettes, squeezed the liquid out in a t-towel, added a finely chopped onion and fried it all in a bit of oil, in a heavy frying pan, turning over the crispy bits now and then. If there had been less of the mixture it would have been a bit like rosti, but it turned out to be a big, crunchy courgette/potato cake. Last night, I browned off some minced beef with onion, garlic and chilli (one of our own but still green and rather mild for my taste, so I added some hot paprika), then added some of the above potato and courgette mix before frying in the same way. Even better. The next recipe to try is a cake, which includes courgette. I'll report on the results when I get around to making one. I've had to have a serious re-organisation of the freezer, so that I can include even more fruit and veg. The pantry now has a section for bottled fruit and jam. Ithink we are going to be OK for most of the winter months.

Looking around my plot, there's still plenty more to come. I've hung back from collecting the mini squashes, chard, and cabbages, and there will still be parsnips to come. Hopefully, the winter squashes 'Blue Hubbard' will continue to grow, so that we can enjoy some more delicious soup at Christmas. In the greenhouse the tomatoes are now ripening. It's taken some time, but I came up with an old trick. I found some forgotten and rather ripe bananas in my vegetable rack. They were bound for my compost heap but, instead, I placed them at the base of the tomato plants, where they fill the greenhouse with a rather strong, ripe banana 'perfume' and do attract a few little flies, but it seems to be doing the trick - the toms are suddendly ripening well.

As far as fruit goes, the raspberries in particular are doing very well this year. One of my neighbouring plotholders has kindly allowed me to collect some plums from his heavily laden trees, hence the jam-making and bottling. Other friends have promised apples, when they are ready. I have a small Queen Cox apple on my plot, bearing a few good looking fruits, which I am looking forward to eating.

Looking at my plum tree, last week, with its wonderful, large, deep purple and perfectly formed fruits, it suddenly dawned on me that something was wrong. Call me slow, and despite having a handful of plums from it last year too, I began to ask myself "shouldn't they be golden and not purple?" So, I checked up. Yes, indeed, 'Thames Cross' bears golden fruits. Then I found the original label - 'Thames Cross' it read, and included the code numbers. I sent an email to Dobies regarding the confusion and was pleased to have a reply, by return, apologising for sending me the wrong tree, and offering to refund me. A letter followed, giving details of the refund. Well done Dobies - what excellent service! Unfortunately, despite my description (I forgot to include a photo) they couldn't positively identify my purple fruiting tree, which I'm very happy with. So, here are some photos, in case anyone can help. I suspect it is a new variety. If it helps, the fruit is still very hard and if I can remember from last year, tasted very sweet when it was fully ripe.

Annual Show 2011

Since taking on my plot this would have been, under normal circumstances, my third show. However, since I've had other things on my mind over the past few months, I wasn't really in the right frame of mind to participate this year. This time I just went along to fully appreciate everyone else's hard work. Perhaps the numbers were down a little, but there were plenty of good entries to admire, despite it having been rather a strange growing year (or do we always say that?). A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes to set up a show like this, so well done to everyone involved.

Mike and I walked up to the club house, then down to my plot, and back up to the clubhouse and, eventually, back home. I think he was cream crackered to say the least, so I let him off his daily walk the following day. He's continuing to make very good progress, but 'Matron' as he referred to me, on the envelope of my Wedding Anniversary card, is determined to get him moving (if slowly) after his recent op. In fact, we spent most of our anniversary at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, for Mike's usual check up. Fortunately things improved when our eldest son and family met us at the station, and we all went for a meal at a local hostelry.

I'm always coming up with (hopefully) good ideas. This gets me into trouble. Although I'm not on the allotments committee (nor do I intend to be), I did suggest that we should hold a competition for the best show day photograph, and a later display of the best photos to be displayed on the evening of the next AGM. I'm looking forward to seeing the entries - I do hope quite a few people will take part. I don't suppose, as an organiser, I should join in, so I'll probably include some more of my efforts in my next Blog.On show day I took this shot of the 'Thames Cross' plums on my plot. They are still quite hard, but the most wonderful deep, velvety purple. I'm collecting autumn raspberries about every other day now, and have just about enough room in the freezer for a couple more bags of them. Then it will have to be a jam making session to preserve the rest. I don't think my freezer has ever been so full of fruit and veg for the winter months, and we are still enjoying all the fresh stuff, and have plenty to share with friends and neighbours. So far, it's been quite a successful growing year.

A week or so ago, one of my fellow plotters, Mary, told me that our local, favourite blackberrying spot had been decimated. Today Mike and I went to have a look, armed with a box just in case there were a few left. But no - the bushes had all been hacked down to ground level, and just before the blackberrying season too. What a shame - and for what reason we wondered. We have been collecting fruit from these bushes since our sons were at the local primary school. I've spent many a happy hour or more listening to the birds , watching the butterflies, chatting to friendly dog walkers, and filling my boxes with ripe, juicy fruit for wine, jam and pies.
The bushes were a haven for wildlife. It will take a long time for them to grow back - if they are ever allowed to do so.

Good news! Good news! So good I said it twice!

The first good news is that Michael is making a very good recovery. If you couldn' t see the shaved section of his hair (a bit like the opposite to a Mohican, as it is almost central) and the very faint scar from his op, you would never know what he has just gone through. He looks fit, sleeping well, is now eating his usual man-sized meals, and is back to being his usual self, if a little sleepy during the day. But then, that is to be expected and his naps are all part of the healing process. On Saturday he walked across the green with me, to fetch the paper. On Sunday he went to church, and got his friend to drop him down at my plot, where he sat in the sun and watched me at my work, before we walked slowly back home. Yesterday he missed out on a walk, but I'm sure we'll be off across the green again today.

The second good news is that Hill Allotments have won the title of 'Best Allotments in Birmingham'! Well done to all of us! The mix of knowledgeable old timers and enthusiastic newcomers has resulted in a wide variety of plot layouts, a good mix of vegetables, fruits and flowers and, most of all, a friendly bunch of plotters. I have to admit that I rarely venture 'up the hill' but as far as everyone 'down the hill' is concerned, we all seem to get on well with each other and swopping tips and produce is the norm. Once again, I have to thank Wendy and Carl for the colourful welcome as we enter the site - their plot is an absolute delight. During some of my more difficult moments over the past few months, my plot has been a real sanctuary.

Why the sunset photo? Well, what's a blog without a picture, so it's just a pretty picture of a sunset, as seen from our window! Pity the digital change-over is resulting in some TV reception problems.

Back to my Blog

The marigolds fronting Ted's plot are so bright and cheerful, even on the dullest day.

I'm never quite sure if there's anyone out there who reads this Blog but it is, in the first instance, intended as a personal diary. The fact that I do get the occasional contact is a real bonus. I suppose I could add one of those counter things - but then, I could be very disappointed by the results. It appears that my last entry was about three weeks ago. A lot has happened during this period, and very little of it would have been very interesting to anyone but my close family. As regards the plot, well I did make the occasional visit to check it out, and bring home the harvest, and now and then I met some of my fellow plotters down there. Here's a shot of Eric, my neighbouring plotholder. Whilst digging up his immense Epicure potatoes he found this spud had grown through an old metal bolt.

The update is, that Mike has had his surgery to remove a tumour from his brain. He is now home and making a good recovery. He's rather sleepy and hasn't regained his usual robust appetite yet, but apart from this, he's almost back to the 'old' Mike. This morning he made me a Full English Breakfast! He has just corrected me "No it wasn't a FEB - there was no black pudding and sausage". Thanks to all our friends and family for their support, and in particular his surgeon and team.

As for the plot, well as other plotters will agree, we are at the start of a courgette glut and moving into the bean glut. I spent about an hour on the plot yesterday, and struggled home with two heavy baskets filled with round and long courgettes, carrots, runner beans, giant lettuce and even more sweetpeas. I couldn't manage the beetroot as planned. The flower bed fronting the plot is a mass of green nicotiana, flowering dill, red (not what I'd planned but looks good) and white gladioli, agastache and vibernaum, and wigwams of rather over-enthusiastic ornamental gourds, which I have to prune back occasionally, otherwise they'd swamp everything else. I've now lifted all the garlic - the first lot is hanging up in the kitchen, and the second batch is completing its drying out in my mini greenhouse. (Must check that it isn't getting wet again, as it is absolutely pouring today). Mini and winter squash plants are in flower, and beginning to produce their fruits (or are they veg?). The peas are almost over, but the remains of some broad beans have sent out new shoots and flowers, so I could get another small crop. I'm continuing to thin out the carrots which I've grown in containers, and the baby ones are good, with no carrot fly damage - so far. The apples and plums are ripening well, and I came home yesterday with a small container of Autumn Bliss raspberries. As for the rhubarb, well it just keeps producing. I spent some time tidying up the sweetpeas, taking off any seedheads, unnecessary stems, dead foliage etc, then I brought home two large bunches of them. Before leaving I watered just about everything. Then I sat on the bench outside my shed (as seen in the photo) and all was good with the world.

Back at home, we've sampled one or two of our first Sungold toms, and all the tomato, chilli etc plants are burgeoning, so hopefully a good crop this year. I must say I am rather puzzled and upset that my main grape vine is not doing too well. It looks healthy enough, but I did notice how slow it was to flower, and that not many grapes have formed on the bunches. However, the other one, against the garage wall is better than ever. It was from this one, with its rather tart fruit, that I made some delicious grape jelly last year.

We've had a lovely display of lilies (free, just postage from The Telegraph) which are now almost over, the echinops continue to reach skywards, blue and white agapanthus in pots looking good, and now some of the late summer colours beginning to show. Did I say 'late summer'? Gosh, it will be autumn next. Must make the best of it. With my back to the bottom boundary of the allotments (and my plot just over the hedge behind me) this is a view (taken 3 weeks ago) of the ripening wheat, and our house on the hill at the top of the tractor track. By now, the wheat is looking almost ready to harvest.