The Good Life - Harvest on the 29th August

August is proving to be as productive as July. While we have decided to pick one of our pumpkins, the courgettes are rapidly becoming marrows, and the patisson crop, a late comer, is gathering strength. The fennel is now ready and the sweet corn has matured well, and early. We steamed a number of freshly picked corn cobs during the week and they were stunning (of course there was a healthy amount of butter added). Some of the parsnips have also been plucked for the pot, and we look forward to some tasty dishes with them in the coming week.

The fruit bushes continue to produce; as well as the blueberries, the much awaited Autumn production of plump tart raspberries has begun and this growth will hopefully last for about six weeks. The planting in the allotment is quite limited now; our broccoli and cabbage will survive a Winter,and we have been advised to plant garlic in September, however the lolla rossa and gem lettuce will not survive a hard frost. A new crop of our favourite lettuce has been transplanted from the nursery beds into beds where the onions have been cleared. We have also finally cleared our main potato bed. This once difficult, and hard, stony soil towards the front of the allotment is now crumbly, and enriched for the new year.

The Good Life: Summer's transition into Autumn

Thick fleshy plate of the back of a giant sunflower

Despite the glorious sunny spells in the past few weeks, Autumn has arrived. The shortening daylight hours, and the crisp cool air in the mornings signal the unmistakable arrival of the third season. The pumpkins have become enormous and the patissons have begun to fruit and flower. Aging sunflowers have shed their bright yellow petals the their large heavy heads are beginning to droop. Corinne's blueberry bush is laden with fat juicy tart berries which are delicious to eat along with our little crop of alpine strawberries. Harry has transformed the tomato plants, which I had allowed to grow a little wild. He has ruthlessly pruned them, and in doing so, he has preserved a decent crop of tomatoes and hopefully prevented a late attack of blight.

Glossy healthy yellow flowers herald the arrival of the patissons

While Corinne was away I decided to commence my jam and chutney production. We had hung and dried the crop of red onions for a number of weeks, and I was keen to make an onion jam having not done one the year before. After a little research I decided to modify a recipe which appears in "Forgotten Skills of Cooking" by Darina Allen at page 450. The ingredients and quantities set out in the recipe are as follows: 700g red onions, 25g butter, 140g sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, 7 tablespoons of sherry vinegar and 250ml of a full bodied red wine. I used a Cote du Rhone for this recipe, and instead of adding 2 tablespoons of creme de cassis as suggested, I added the same quantity of the vin de noix, produced by Corinne's father from a Cote de Rhone base. Having spent some time shelling the dried mustard seed pods, it seemed appropriate to incorporate them into the recipe as well. I deemed two teaspoons of mustard seed to be adequate.

Once the onions have been peeled and chopped finely (I was not too fussy), they are sautéd in the bubbling butter with the sugar, salt and pepper. The pot is covered and left over a low flame for approximately 30 minutes, or until the the onions have become tender and cooked. At this point the sherry vinegar, wine, vin de noix and mustard seed can be added. The melange can be left over a low flame for approximately 30 minutes. It is probably best to err on the side of caution and not reduce the jam too much. Once satisfied, this savoury jam can be spooned into hot sterile jars and sealed down, whereupon they should be stored in a dark, cool and dry place.

For the chutney I used a combination of recipes from a number of sources but ultimately relied upon my chief point of reference for chutneys; "The Basic Basics Jams, Preserves and Chutneys Handbook" by Marguerite Patten. There are some basic rules for chutney which I follow. The choice of vinegar is very important.  Along with being vital in the preservation process, the quality, acidity and flavour of the vinegar will dictate the ultimate flavour of a chutney. Sugar is also important for the preservation process but the choice of sugar will dictate the look or colour of a chutney. Many chutneys are too dark for my liking, and this may be a due to poor selection or combination of ingredients. Having said this one can use a malt vinegar and demerara sugar to produce a deep and richly flavoured fig and apple chutney, however for the following recipe I used Llewellyn's cider vinegar produced in Lusk, County Dublin, and a brown granulated sugar with two tablespoons of demerara sugar.

Having a number of large courgettes in the plot allowed me to produce an 'apple courgette and tomato' chutney, for which I used the following ingredients: 500g apples peeled cored and thinly sliced (grating the apple is also an option), 500g tomatoes skinned and chopped, 500g courgette or marrow peeled, seeded and copped in small cubes, 250g white onions finely chopped, 250g sultanas, 250g sugar plus two tablespoons of demerara sugar, 350ml cider vinegar and 150 ml water, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. I use a general pickling spice mix to put into a muslin bag to add flavour to a chutney, however in addition to my standard mix I included extra cloves, and five or six dried (nuclear) bird's eye chillies.

To make the chutney put all the ingredients, excluding the sugar, sultanas and seasoning into the preserving pan, i.e. one which is neither iron or aluminium. Simmer all the ingredients over a low heat until they are tender, stirring occasionally. For this recipe, I found it took approximately two hours before the apple and courgette became tender. If the sugar is incorporated too early the apple and courgette may not become tender. After adding the sugar and sultanas and seasoning, I continued to gently stir the chutney until the sugar had dissolved and left the chutney to simmer over a low flame gently for a further 45 minutes. After lifting out the muslin spice bag, the chutney was spooned into hot sterile jars and sealing down. A chutney should be stored for a minimum two months before use, whereupon all the flavours and spices will have infused.

As September approaches and my principal source of apples come into season I have been foraging around trying to find a good supply of rose hips for a rose hip and apple jelly. Early this morning I caught a glimpse of a wild thorny bush covered is red and orange rose hips which should be perfect for picking when I commence collecting of the apples.

Rose hips from Rosa Canina or Dog Rose growing against a stone wall almost ready to be picked

The Good Life - Beatles, flies, blight and rust

 

 One of our happy sunflowers!

We were fortunate to have had a warm and dry start to the summer. June was particularly nice with long sun filled warm days making it the warmest June for 40 years. In contrast July proved to be mild, cloudy with above average rainfall for most parts of the country. These conditions did not inhibit growth; every plant was leaping out the ground in the allotment including the weeds. Meanwhile the humid warm conditions caused the steady advance of fungal rot, associated with various types of disease and infestations, attacking the foliage of the plants and vegetables. Another unexpected scourge was to play a significant role in our management of the plot. A number of light fingered thieving bastards visited a few of the allotment sheds taking rakes, forks, shovels and spades. There were no witnesses because this crime was perpetrated while most people were watching a dull and uninspiring world cup final.

The onions, shallots and red onions have all been lifted and we are in the process of tying them together to hang and dry. I have begun to carry out a little research into which recipe I will use to make a red onion marmalade. I am leaning towards a recipe which I can incorporate some of my little harvest of dried mustard seed recently cleared from one of the nursery beds. Indeed chutneys and preserves of various kinds are on my mind as the tomato and courgette crops develop and mature in the coming weeks.

Clearing a number of beds, and weeding them, has revealed a marked increase in the number of worms working the soil and various spiders defesively tracking their way across its crumbly surface. Beatles are also abundant and some have been laying their eggs among the vegetables. Plants have been primarily affected by green fly and black fly. Fortunately these manifestations have been quite isolated. Corinne has pulled the odd cabbage and showed me where the cabbage fly larvae have been devouring the roots causing immense damage. As the year has progressed, and as I have listened to her, I could swear just about every plant has its own particular fly which attacks it. To date I am told we have successfully avoided the attention of the carrot fly and gooseberry saw fly.

View across the allotment

The damp conditions in July caused the inevitable spread of rust and blight. The rust attacked the onions and leeks, and the blight blackened the leaves of a number of tomato and potato plants. Without the use of chemical treatments there is not a lot that can be done, but we have dug up the onions and cleared away some of the rotten plants and foliage where possible to limit the damage.

The real successes of July have been the gem lettuce and our crop of dwarf yellow beans with the potatoes and beetroot playing a strong supporting role. Due to a little judicious planting we should have two crops of lettuce and yellow beans extending our season of production into September and possibly October. These crops are also the principal targets of the dreaded slug, which took a large portion of last years delectable crop of yellow beans. We have only seen a few slugs to date this year and they remain conspicuous by their absence. Corinne's grandmother, who is 101, told us her secret of keeping the slugs at bay in her garden. She stated that in order to effectively deal with the problem it was imperative to kill 50 slugs every morning with a scissors and they would no longer be a threat. Within two or three weeks of this regime one could almost imagine some level of extinction taking place. It is no wonder it worked, however as I have only killed five slugs in five months we must be on the verge of an infestation of biblical proportions.

Poppy heads drying in a field during July

During the week we also harvested seeds from the heads of the poppy plants in a nearby field. The papaver somniferum, or ornamental poppy, and also known as the opium poppy, has a number of sedative properties. It is propagated on a huge scale in Afghanistan and Tasmania. For our purposes, as the head of the poppy swells and dries, the seeds also dry inside the head ready to be spread by the wind as the poppy bends and sways from side to side. Breaking off the head in your hand, you can cut the head open and shake the seeds into a jar. We collected nearly 300 grams of seed this way and look forward to incorporating them into cakes, biscuits and bread. My first recipe will be Lemon and poppyseed cake. I have found what looks to be a good recipe for this classic cake published in the London times in June 2005. I may substitute some ground almonds for the flour in the recipe to give it more of a nutty and rich texture and taste while also giving the cake the ability to retain some moisture. More on this later!