The Good Life - Mini Harvest 4th September

We are going away on vacation this week and consequently we have not taken too much from the plot today. The sun finally came out on Saturday evening allowing me to take a few photographs. The rain showers during the early part of the weekand on Saturday were much needed and the plot looks great in the evening sunshine. We had a few quite visits to the plot during the week taking a few items for the pot. On Saturday we dug up a few of the remaining potatoes, and also should have displayed one of our giant parsnips in the harvest shot, but it was not possible because the sun had almost set before Corinne had excavated it from the bed. The fresh growth of raspberries continues and we have a tart but tasty feast every time we arrive at the allotment.

Sensational sunset over Malahide estuary during the week

The recent rainfall has reinvigorated the unwanted weeds and we spent a number of hours digging these guys out of the beds. Weeding also provides a good opportunity to tidy up and clear some of the beds. The majority of the peas and runner beans have been cleared and these beds will be prepared and manured in the coming weeks. Elsewhere winter cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli have been newly planted and winter leeks will also require some space to be planted.  Among the more mature cabbage and Brussels sprouts radiant green caterpillars, ospring of the small cabbage white butterfly, have appeared. We spent a good half hour hunting for these caterpillars which can not only munch their way  through the entire foliage, but into the heart of the plant as well.

 A view through the allotment, the dwarf yellow beans, purple kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, corn, and Jerusalem artichokes.

During the week I also made my rose hip and apple jelly. I had gathered only half a kilo of rose hips and decided to use a recipe that maximised the flavour of the rose hips. Apple jelly on its own is not one of my favourite preserves. It can be a little lack lustre and the flavour is not strong enough in itself to provide interest, but combined with mint or thyme it produces a great flavoured and richly coloured jelly for cooking or serving with meat.e

My jar of rose hip and apple jelly

For my jelly I used a half kilo of rose hips and an equal measure of cooking apples freshly pilfered from a nearby orchard. Given the quantities used, the yield will be quite low. Normally to make process really worthwhile it would be advisable to use a minimum of 2 kilos of fruit. The rose hips take up to an hour to render down and so it is advisable to cook both fruits separately. To prepare the rose hips cut off the flower end and the stalk and put the hips in a stainless pot with 300 ml of water. Simmer gently to render down and add more water when necessary to prevent the pot drying and burning. The apples must be washed and quartered. There is no need to peel and core them. Thereafter they can be put in a pot with 300 ml of water and simmered until they are soft. Both fruits should be sieved or strained separately through a muslin bag and nylon sieve overnight to obtain the juice.

I was disappointed with the quantity of juice from the apples and gave the apple pulp a second boiling with 150 ml of water. This boosted the quantity of apple juice somewhat, but it is not a process that should be employed with the rose hips. To make the jelly I add the same weight of sugar to weight of jelly. Some techniques call for a pound of sugar to a pint of juice but this can produce over sweetened and stiff jellies. To begin the process, heat the sugar in the oven set to 100 C with the clean jars, which should be sterilised in advane of potting the jelly.

Heat the combined apple and rose hip juice in a preserving pan, and once the juice is warmed through add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Then boil the liquid rapidly. After about 7 or 8 minutes begin testing for setting point. Setting point can be identified by dropping a little of the boiling liquid onto a cold saucer. If the liquid cools forming a wrinkled skin, or offers a little resistance, when you draw your finger though it, you can be satisfied setting point has been reached. The boiling liquid should then be poured off into sterile jars and sealed down to be left overnight to cool. This is a soft set jelly and can take 24 hours to set. The end result tasted very good when I was testing for setting point. It was not too sweet and produced a deep golden honey hued colour. A real benefit from this jelly is the fact the rose hips are extremely rich in vitamin C and this should ward off any Winter colds.

Corinne working in the plot attaching the last of this year's peas to their canes

We shall be away for nearly two weeks and will be looking forward to tasting upon our return freshly ripened tomatoes, cabbages, the lolla rossa lettuce, and the last of the corn. A few of the artichokes have begun to produce their fleshy flowers again, and the Jerusalem artichoke crop will also be almost ready. Hopefully the weeds, butterflies, blight and butterflies will stay away!