Light rain rather than just drizzle kept me away from the Hill tonight – but that didn’t stop me eating well from the fridge & freezer.
In fact, despite moaning for ages in early spring that all I had to eat was kale (which wasn’t actually true), I do seem to have good choice of veg at any one time – hurrah!
I reckon that I don’t do too badly, even compared to the supermarkets selling all veg all the year round – I have already been eating parsnip, new season kale, peas, broad & French beans, courgettes, radish, lettuce, swiss chard, potatoes, onions & garlic, rhubarb, strawberries & raspberries, & earlier in the year I was eating frozen broad beans saved from last year.
I’ve also had redcurrants, tayberries & gooseberries from other generous plotholders – & I’ve given away lettuce, sweetpeas, flower seedlings, peas, rhubarb & broad beans to others
I even ate a carrot (yes, I know it was only one!) this week, & so the only things that I would like to eat & have been missing are the aforementioned carrots, & brassicas – broccoli, cauliflower & spring cabbage – & that is because I cocked up the planting & protection.
I do still buy some fruit, satsumas mainly – which I love – & some salad stuff including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (all at the moment) & celery.
There’s a balancing act which I’ve not cracked yet – managing seed sowing such that I have the maximum length of harvest, & not have an overwhelming glut at any one time. I suspect that however long you grow, that ideal situation will always be just very slightly out of reach!
It's not an exact science, successional sowing. There are too many variables - weather being the most obvious!
ReplyDeleteYou can't get frozen broad beans for love nor money in supermarkets now. It's a good thing they freeze so well from your own plot.
Sounds like you're doing pretty damn well to me!
ReplyDeleteYes, Flum, they do freeze really well - I maybe should have done a few more.
ReplyDeleteI've re-read the post, Bilbo, and I do sound revoltingly smug (which I suppose I am a bit) - but cocking up the brassica positioning such that they all got scoofed by pigeons brings me back to earth!
a) you didn't sound smug
ReplyDeleteb) so what if you did? it's your lottie, and your very hard work that has given you all this produce, please don't tell me that it is now politically incorrect not to be pleased with the fruits (or veggies) of ones labours?
You're right, Bilbo!
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm proud of what I'm growing, but hope I'm not smug (don't know why pride is a deadly sin & not smugness - a much less likeable trait in my book!)