Garlic and onions are in

Today we planted garlic, which will hopefully turn into 12 wonderful garlic bulbs next summer and about 26 red onions which will be ready early next year through to spring. Very exciting.

That's probably it now for planting, apart from some flower bulbs which will go in in a few months time for next year.

It's all about harvesting our homegrown produce now. Today we picked some corn on the cob, the last of the tomatoes, a few chillies, lettuce, a marrow and a pumpkin. Unfortunately the pumpkin plant has died and all bar 2 of the pumpkins split and rotted. But we have 2 which are ok and will become soup later in the week.

Carrot and Parsnip Soup

Before we got our allotment a friend very kindly let us plant in his. The only crop we had left growing there were parsnips which have had to come up. They could have done with more time as they are little small but they are a fine looking bunch and damn tasty too.

Along with some of our carrot crop I've made a creamy carrot and parsnip soup for lunch today. Really simple recipe, so here it us for you to try.

Creamy carrot and parsnip soup recipe

Ingredients:
A knob of butter
1large onion, peeled and chopped
450g carrots, peeled and chopped
2large parsnips, peeled and chopped
Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp of grated orange rind
600ml/1 pint of veg stock
125ml single cream
Salt and pepper, to season
Fresh coriander, to garnish

How to make it:
In a large saucepan melt the butter over a low heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes to soften.
Add the carrots and parsnips. Cover with the lid and cook until the vegetables have softened.
Stir in the ginger, orange rind and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for half an hour. Allow to cool a little and then blend until smooth.
Stir through the cream and season.
Bowl up and garnish with the coriander.

Enjoy with a nice fresh crusty loaf.

Original recipe can be found here

Tips from Cheltenham

We're enjoying a long weekend in lovely Cheltenham, in a gorgeous apartment in an Edwardian house rented out by the owners who live in the main house. It's like staying at your friends house, it's great. There are books everywhere and among them I found this beauty, 'allotment gardening', so I have been reading up.

Something we didn't know about was earthing up round your leeks. This is essential to blanch the stems. It might be too late for ours but we are going to start doing it. We know for next time.

Also read up on planting garlic. Garlic bulbs are available to buy from the allotment shop now so we will be planting them out soon. We were going to manure the soil but having read this we've found out not to and that they like quite sandy, free draining soil.

So much to learn. 

Classic Apple Pie

If you've got an apple tree and, like us, you have hundreds of apples laying around, you need to use them. Now you could make some chutney perhaps, in fact I have a delicious sweet apple chutney recipe I can share with you, or you could make a crumble or experiment a bit or press some juice or cider.

Why not do as I have done? I've just gone for a classic Apple Pie. You just can't go wrong.

Classic Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients: 
For the Pastry-
350g plain flour
Pinch of salt
170g butter
6 tbsp cold water
1 egg, beaten for glaze

For the filling-
750g apples, peeled, cored and sliced
150g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Sprinkling of ground cinnamon or ginger

How to make it:
Sieve your flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Add the water and bring together into a dough.
Wrap in cling film and stick in the fridge for half an hour

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.

Prepare your apples one at a time and place in a bowl of cold water to stop then from discolouring.
Add the sugar and mix.
Roll out 2/3 of your pastry to line your dish, covering the bottom and sides.

Add your filing and sprinkle over about a tsp of the cinnamon or ginger, or both.

Roll out the remainder of the pastry for your lid.
Crimp round the edges and trim excess pastry. You can use this for decorations.
Beat one egg and glaze the top of your pie. Make a few slits in the top for steam to escape.
Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, of until golden brown.
Sprinkle the top with sugar.

Enjoy!

The Usual Suspects

I love weird shaped fruit and veg, it's so silly that supermarkets have to reject these poor little guys. They are so full of character and taste every bit as good as their regular shaped counterparts.

Here's to weird shaped produce.

More giant veg

Things have been quiet at the allotment recently while veg has just been growing. Plus it's been a pretty wet few weeks.

But, today was harvest day. And very good it was too. The carrots finally came up. With a gentle tease of the folk up came some enormous carrots. There were a few ludicrously big and a few diddy ones.

We pulled up a few leeks and up-turned a monster of a potato. I did notice a few beastie holes in the potatoes so I think I need to read up on spud pests. Only one carrot had been attacked so that was ok.

And the best of the rest - The whole haul included: carrots, potatoes, a pumpkin, corn on the cob, leeks, tomatoes and lettuce.

Courgette and Sultana Wine

My brother bought me a book, Booze for Free, years ago and I came across this recipe whilst flicking through. We Still had a fair amount of courgettes to use up so why not hey? Let's try something different.

Courgette and Sultana Wine Recipe

Ingredients:
3kg fresh courgettes
1kg sugar
2 overripe bananas
500 g sultana
4 litres/7 pints water
1 tsp citric acid
a thumb sized piece of bruised ginger (that just means gentry squashed, but not broken. Use the side of the blade of a knife)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 Campden tablet (optional)
Champagne yeast

Equipment:
Small saucepan
Fermentation bin
4.5 litre /1 gallon demijohn
Airlock and bung
Mincer (or sharp knife)
Siphoning tube

How to make it:
Chop the courgettes into 3cm pieces and put in the freezer overnight.
Allow to thaw (the courgette will be softened).
Bring 500ml/1 pint of water to the boil and stir in the sugar.
Mince the sultanas (or chop finely) and add these to the water too. Leave to one side.
Mash the bananas and mix it with all the other ingredients (except the yeast) in the fermentation bin.
Cover and allow to cool to hand-hot. If using a Campden tablet, add it now. Leave overnight.

Add the yeast and leave for four days loosely covered before straining the liquid into a demijohn and attaching an airlock and bung.
Rack* after a month and then again if needed. Allow to ferment out (the airlock will stop bubbling) then bottle.

This wine will benefit from at least three month's ageing.

*Rack(ing): siphoning the partially fermented wort into another vessel so it isn't fermenting on yeast sediment. Be careful to not disturb the layer of sediment at the bottom, stop siphoning before you reach it.

Original recipe from Andy Hamilton's,  'Booze for Free'