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...........

Monday, December 13, 2010

Lucky Birds & Monster Veg

Nothing lasts forever - although that snow & ice seemed to, I must say - & so with a thaw late last week we can all get out & about & back to normal again.

Good.

Sorry Chris, you can keep the white stuff.

With big sister Helen up this weekend, we did some garden centre shopping (& tea & toasted teacake eating, naturally) - my Christmas tree now bought from the wonderful Pacific Nurseries, to be delivered tomorrow, & whilst we were browsing, this chap caught our eye.

Like most garden centres, Pacific has a sales area under cover, but unlike other garden centres it cordons off the part of the sales area where the robins decide where they would like to build their nest in Spring, so they can raise their youngsters in peace. What nice people.

The robins know that they are on to a good thing here - it must be heaven - this one was very much at home here by the bird food display.

Home via the Hill to dig a couple of parsnips - one was rather forked, but this one is a cracker - can't wait to roast all 2 and a half foot of it!

I might not be getting many veg from the Hill at the moment, but when you grow parsnips this big, that doesn't seem to be a problem!

6 comments:

  1. Roasted parsnips are there at the top of my list of foods I really enjoy.
    How wonderful that the garden center cordons off part of their sales area for the robins.

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  2. I really can't take to parsnips - but they do give you some fantastic whoppers at times!

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  3. What a nice garden centre. Our local B&Q cordoned off a huge pile of compost bags a couple of years back when a robin nested in the stack.

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  4. Gasp, shock horror, I've just registered Flummery's comment - parsnips are one root veg that I will definitely find a place for in the future.

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  5. But parsnips taste like perfume! (I grow them some years for the rest of the family but I don't bother eating them myself)

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  6. I love roasted parsnips too, KeeWee a real taste of winter cooking!

    I was confidently told the other day that the bigger the parsnip the sweeter it is, Flum - not sure about that one myself, but they do keep well once dug up, so no wasting ever the biggies.

    I didn't realise that B&Q were so wildlife aware, Bilbo - surprised. Glad, but surprised. Parsnip pluses are that they don't have to ripen, but also keep in the ground forever and a day so you can dig up at any size you like. Minuses are that they take up their bit of ground for best part of 12 months, and they can be a bit tricksy.

    I think they are sweet rather than perfumed, Flum. Palma violets are perfumed, and I never could stand them.

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