Tomatoes

To start with they were ripening three a week but they've speeded up now.

We tried fried green tomatoes tonight. They were OK but not something I'd go and write a movie about!

Ripe tomatoes

We had one each on our courgette burgers Iast night. With chips. Courgette, potatoes and tomatoes all home grown.

Tomatoes

A great crop but not yet ripe. I trimmed off lots of leaves and flowers to help them along. There's also to rumours of nice weather to come.

Broad Bean Pasta

This is a slight variation on a River Cafe recipe. I still had a lot of broad beans, spinach( though it's nearly finished) and my courgettes are doing well.

So it's a broad bean, spinach and basil pesto.  Courgettes cooked in the oven mixed in with some whole beans, spinach leaves and olives and sundried tomatoes and parmesan style cheese. Yum yum!

Lunch

Today's lunch at work is potato salad on a bed of spinach. Potatoes and spinach home grown.

Tomatoes

I'm excited about these because I've never grown tomatoes before.

Broad beans

These are the straightest, fattest pods I've ever grown. I think it's because I've been watering them regularly with chicken pellets dissolved in the water. They had a great yield too, hardly any empty pods.

Smoothie with home grown spinach in it.

Luckily this tasted better than it looks and mostly like pineapple and mint.

Finally something grew

Spinach, lots and lots of spinach. I'm currently on a summer eating plan so it's going in a smoothie for breakfast tomorrow with pineapple and mint, cashews and oats. Sounds worrying.

Rhubarb and Custard pie

At least the plot is keeping us in rhubarb this year. I burned the edges a bit and some of the filling leaked out but it tasted delicious.

Mid year

I've been close to giving up the plot once or twice this year.  I've been feeling overwhelmed by life. And the constant weed jungle I'm battling is overwhelming me too. My strimmer died, radishes, beetroot and fennel just refused to grow. Three courgette plants completely destroyed by slugs and the borlotti beans have died from i don't know what.

The last week has been finally dry weather and I've got a bit more done. Working in the sun can really boost the spirits. If only i can grow some food to eat.

Bag of tatties

Broad Beans

Courgette Plants

Borlotti beans

Side view

Rhubarb, ginger and cream dessert

Rhubarb, ginger and cream dessert

Today, I got a second harvest of rhubarb. I made a dessert from The Allotment Planner and Cookbook. It was a bit like a cheesecake. Ginger biscuit base, mascarpone and cream with rhubarb topping.

Tourists

There are a lot of allotment tourists around today. People who see the open gate and decide to have a wander round. Mostly they don't make an effort to talk. It makes me feel like an animal in a zoo.

I've been up in the plot a couple of times this year but mostly clearing and organising. Turning compost etc. Today is my first day of planting. The broad beans are always the first to be planted. I've harvested some rhubarb too. I think i will roast it for my porridge tomorrow.