The Good Life - Harvest on the 5th July

The weather has changed in the last two days. After the warmest June in 40 years, we are beginning to get more westerly windsagain. They can be full of squalls and driving rain at this time of year, which we experienced on Sunday, leaving some of the plants damaged, stems broken and generally tossed about. As yet the ground is still relatively dry and this may take a few days of rainfall to penetrate the dry soil and saturate it.

We have begun to sow more lettuce to replenish our stocks; lolla rossa and little gem. The dwarf yellow beans are beginning to flower as are the runner beans, and the courgette plants are the first to flower and produce in the pumpkin patch, adorned with large bright yellow flowers. Elsewhere, all the asparagus have finally broken the surface and the diminutive scarlet pimpernel is beginning to blossom. This pretty weed is tolerated unlike the rest of them. The tomato plants are growing strong and some fruit are beginning to form. They have been strategically placed in pots all around the allotment, in an experimental little poly shed built over a raised bed, and straight into the ground. I am hoping to produce a few pots of tomato chutney this year with our onions and tomatoes. In the kitchen over the weekend a bag of rocket was blended with olive oil and pecorino from Palermo, along with some roasted pine nuts and garlic to make a pesto. Corinne is eating this as I type.

Monday evening was beautiful and sunny but the air had a slight chill to it. We harvested our first artichoke and courgette of the year, and dug up two potato plants. The potatoes were medium to small in size and will benefit from a week or two more in the ground. My parents turned up for an inspection of the plot, and a carrier bag of vegetables. As I dug the potatoes and searched through the soil for those which had escaped, my mother recalled a scene from her childhood when her father would dug up the potatoes in the evening, and everybody would snack on the fresh boiled potatoes with butter that night. I think she might be having a small bowl now as I type.

Sunset by the Broadmeadow Estuary, Donabate

The Good Life - No rabbits allowed!

This is myself watering the triffids at sunset - Photo by Moritz "the Sicilian"

The recent rain has brought about a discernable amount of growth. Weeds are abundent of course and grow with unusual rapidity. Seeds that have slowly germinated in the last few weeks have fresh leaves after emerging from the darkness of the soil; the carrots, beetroot, lettuce and spring onions are now readily recognisable albeit still diminutive. The deep green leaves of the potato plants have emerged from the crusty earth. Surprises are plentiful elsewhere as the gooseberry and redcurrant fruit have begun to form and the first sighting of a thin lonely spear of asparagus. Of the five asparagus crowns we planted on the fifth April, this solitary spear will hopefuly have set the example for his fellow spears and demonstrates some promise for future months, although they shall be required to grow through for the first two years before harvesting.

Fruit forming on the red currants

Although it is practically the middle of May, the weather is still somewhat unstable for planting young vegetables. The weather is improving and temperatures are rising, however the wind is still predominately from the north east and the damaging chill of winter remains with us for the moment, threatening tender young seedlings, and pushing back planting plans. Dwarf yellow beans which we planted three weeks ago have had to be dug up and new drills sown due to recent ground frosts which killed the plants. The extra time afforded to us due to the delayed planting schedule has allowed us develop some of the more difficult ground at the front of the allotment. In the last few days we have been digging and developing a small complex of new raised beds. Harry has also been working hard on the allotment during the weeks. He told us he found a tonne of bark (in an as yet undisclosed place known as "somewhere") and the walkways are now quite neat and hopefully will be weed and mud free for the foreseeable future.

Some new digging and raised beds

In the last few weeks we have seem a number of young rabbits about looking to gorge themselves on young leaves. Other allotment holders have found them hiding under upturned wheel barrows. We think our little patch is pretty much rabbit proof at this stage, and have dug the wire into the ground to prevent burrowing. Corinne is considering putting up a notice to ward them off. It was originally entitled "No Rabbits Allowed". This sign has been since changed to read "Rabbits strictly by appointment only".

 Primroses

 Blossom from a wild prune tree

The Dandelion wine was siphoned into the demi johns on Tuesday the 27th April. Having given it some thought, I decided to add a teaspoon of wine yeast to kick the fermentation process off, and since then it has been bubbling away in the corner and keeping us entertained. Every now and again froth develops on the surface of the mixture and will suddenly recede, but all the time the fine bubbles rise to the surface causing the fermentation trap to bubble and gurgle away. We have also opened a few bottles of the nettle beer which is approximately two weeks in the bottle. The first bottle was certainly an active brew, because I had primed the bottle with a teaspoon of demerara sugar. Luckily mugs were on hand and very little beer ended up being wasted. Subsequent bottles were more of the gentle sparkling variety, and the beer exited the bottle without ceremony in the normal way, which was a relief. It was served chilled with a slice of lemon and it tasted very refreshing and palatable. To reduce the ceremonial type pressure there are a number of options available; I might use less sugar priming the bottle or simply wash the inside of the bottle with a sugar solution.


As May begins the countryside is full of colour at this time of year for a very brief period. Along with the abundant and easily recognisable dandelion explosion, the last two weeks heralded the more subtle arrival of the pretty yellow primrose. The primrose grows in small tufts on grassy lanes, railway sidings and in secluded watery ditches. The cherry and apple trees are now bright and coloured with blossom and among the hedgerows the wild prunus and hawthorn are full of delicate while blossom. A brisk wind or heavy rainfall will carry the delicate blooms to the ground to be forgotten for another year.

 Corinne dreaming about her garden in the evening sunshine

Market day at Soller, Mallorca

The railway station at Soller

During any visit to Palma I try and treat myself to a little escape to Soller and Porto Soller. The train is the nicest way to travel north and traverse the mountains. As the old train rattles its way north at a sedate speed you pass through fields of olive trees and almond trees tended by small flocks of sheep.

The town of Soller is almost totally surrounded by mountains which rise steeply and tower above the small town. The air is often still in the town and area enclosed by the mountains, and last weekend was no exception. Thermals gradually developed during the day and small fires burning branches and trimmings from the seasonal pruning of the trees wafted their smoke around the hillsides.

Saturday is market day in Soller and there is a distinctive rural air to the small covered market market. Locally produced olive oils, honey and cured meats can be found along the streets and in the covered market the freshly picked wild asparagus caught my eye; water-filled buckets contained bunches of these long thin green spears. The wild asparagus can be picked by anybody and while out for a walk quite often you can see people emerging from woods with bags of asparagus, or simply picking the spears growing in the undergrowth by the pavement or road.

Buckets of wild asparagus in the covered market at Soller

The locally cured meats are very distinctive and known as sobrasada. They come in all shapes and sizes but typically the ground spiced pork is preserved in a pigs stomach, and other intestinal passages. I would not discourage you from using your imagination at this point but merely consider the fact that the full length of the intestinal tract is used. Personally, I enjoy a plate of sobrasada with an old manchego or a cheese from Mahon. Thesae along with some locally baked bread, which is practically salt free, liberally dipped in olive oil the combination of flavours come alive. The tastes while being quite different do complement each other.

A stall selling a variety of sobrasada on the street in Soller

Soller has the distinction of being situated not far from a port, which can be reached by tram. This means that there is a source of locally landed fish, and the covered market had two small stalls selling fresh fish. I drew confidence from the fact that not too many varieties of fish were available; the lack of waxen sides of tuna and swordfish and other less seasonal varieties meant the sellers were not supplementing their stock from other markets. A lively trade was taking place at these stalls and people were busy making their choices and discussing special requests for the specimens they were purchasing.

A typical display from a stall in the fish market at Soller

No trip to Soller is complete without a trip down to Porto Soller. As I have noted above, you can catch the tram or indeed undertake the trip on foot. The walk takes about 45 minutes but at this time of year you can admire the colourful orange and lemon groves as you go, and the colours can be breathtaking.

A rich and verdant orange grove between Soller and Porto Soller

By early afternoon my body was beginning to make a few reasonable demands and a relaxing lunch seemed to be the answer to most of them. Furthermore, the warm sunshine needed to be counteracted and so a little chilled rose wine and some freshly cooked calamars were devoured with great satisfaction.

Calamars a la plancha