Welcome to our plot!

I'm Hazel, and in Nov 2006 my friend Jane and I took on a half plot at Hill Allotments, Sutton Coldfield - we want the satisfaction of growing and eating our own fruit and veg, and to improve our diet (and fitness!).

This is the story of what happened next...........

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Indoor Allotmenteering too...

It’s been pretty darn cold the last couple of weeks, & even a sprinkling of snow one evening last week. I know that it’s supposed to be winter, but there’s not an awful lot that I want to be doing at the Hill if it’s only a few degrees over freezing, hat or no hat.

However, last Saturday I wanted to go & lift the beetroot in order to make chutney. The recipe calls for apple along with the beetroot, & onion, but I read that you can use Jerusalem artichokes in their stead, & as we have oodles of them, & no bramleys, that’s what I thought that I’d use.

Whilst I was lifting the beetroot, Jane & E arrived, & I stood around being cold & grumpy whilst they did some weeding. Actually, we did lift a row of the CARROTS (flyaway) which I optimistically took home, but once washed found them to be more carrot fly than carrot. We also took a portion of KALE (Sutherland) home each which I am enjoying very much indeed.

Back home, once thawed out, I made the chutney. There is rather a lot of it, actually – all these jars from two 4’ rows of beetroot!

Sorting out the seed box is another indoor activity – I had a merry time labelling up the jars for the pea & bean seeds, & making up some seed packages to send out in the post to other gardeners from the GYO grapevine forum. Eyeing the seed box (or rather ‘boxes’!) it looks like I will need a very good sort out before the temptation of more seed overwhelms me – at the very least, the Heritage Seed Library catalogue will be dropping on the mat before too long…

5 comments:

  1. That chutney sounds great Hazel. Classy labels you're using too!

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  2. Totally impressive - I feel very inadequate. Well done you. Johnty GT

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  3. The proof will be in the tasting, Flum - so I'll have to hold tight till Christmas when it's had a chance to mature a bit.

    Thank you, Johnty! Do let me know if you'd like some less-than-usual bean seeds for your less-than-usual beds! You have so many possibilities - but make sure that you lime the circles where you want to grow beans and peas next year...

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  4. I never lime here Hazel - tested the soil and it's already quite alkaline. Johnty's is probably similar - not too far away.

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  5. Live and learn - I thought that clayish soil was likely to be a bit sour. Mind you, Reg-next-plot is the 'lime everything' king, so I may be a bit skewed in my thinking here!

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