No picture but a story: I had given to somebody in the neighbourhood 5kg tomatoes last week. We met on Thursday and I asked if she wants to have more tomatoes and if she has already eaten the ones from last week. "No, I haven't to be honest, but I took most of them to our club meeting on Sunday and they all liked them very much", so her reply. It turned out that it's a pensioner club nearby, and we agreed that I give her more tomatoes for the pensioner club last Friday. This was another 5kg bag full of tomatoes. We have another 3 kg at least at home. I take now out my tomato plants as the little amount that is left is not worth to break the hostpipe ban. All together, my 5 plants had around 25kg tomatoes, and 4 neighbours and an unknown amount of pensioners had their joy with them. After eating tomato soup for 12 days, I can't any more. I froze the last soup in Tupperware.
Thought I’d pop this recipe here n case folk are looking for it … the friend who gave it to me says she’s used it for courgettes too and it works very well.
Sweet Cucumber Relish
2lb cucumber 1 large green pepper 2 large onions 2 oz salt
½ pt cider or wine vinegar 8 oz soft brown sugar ½ tsp ground turmeric ¼ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp celery seeds 1 dsp mustard seeds
Wash cucumber but do not peel. Peel onions. De-seed pepper.
Thinly slice all prepared vegetables and place in a large bowl. Add salt and mix well. Cover and leave to stand for at least 3 hours. Rinse vegetables well, in a colander, under running, cold water. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Place in a large pan, add vinegar (ordinary white distilled is fine but cider vinegar is even better) and bring to the boil. Simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 mins (well, I found it a bit longer).
Add sugar and spices to the pan, stir to dissolve and boil for a further 10 mins.
Pour hot pickle into hot, sterilized jars and cap immediately with sterilized lids.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Has any one else had sunburnt apples? I am picking discovery but the cox next to it has the same problem. The skin that got too much sun is kind of crinkly, underneath it is a corky brown layer. I thought at first it was bitter pit, but it is only only the sunny side. The other side of the apple is fine. I am busy picking early worcester and discovery apples, and lots of victoria plums. The freezer is filling up well and I am giving a lot away. Beans, well the first lot were stringy, but now they are starting to get into their stride. The brukale is growing well but currently got whitefly. The cavolo nero isn't touched by it. The deer is finishing off the french beans and now she likes gladioli.
Our plums (Victoria) were all picked over a month ago. Apples aren't doing so well this year but then they do have a rest.
Our Katya is usually the first but this year (lack of rain) she has been well behind Tydemans early worcester which we having been eating for some weeks now.
Picked these And 7lb of plums , now in the freezer. Pinned down some Strawberry runners. Pulled a handful of Carrots for dinner, and 1kg of Beetroots, which are now roasted and going into jars.
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"No, I haven't to be honest, but I took most of them to our club meeting on Sunday and they all liked them very much", so her reply.
It turned out that it's a pensioner club nearby, and we agreed that I give her more tomatoes for the pensioner club last Friday. This was another 5kg bag full of tomatoes.
We have another 3 kg at least at home.
I take now out my tomato plants as the little amount that is left is not worth to break the hostpipe ban.
All together, my 5 plants had around 25kg tomatoes, and 4 neighbours and an unknown amount of pensioners had their joy with them. After eating tomato soup for 12 days, I can't any more. I froze the last soup in Tupperware.
I ♥ my garden.
Sweet Cucumber Relish
2lb cucumber
1 large green pepper
2 large onions
2 oz salt
½ pt cider or wine vinegar
8 oz soft brown sugar
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp celery seeds
1 dsp mustard seeds
Wash cucumber but do not peel.
Peel onions.
De-seed pepper.
Thinly slice all prepared vegetables and place in a large bowl.
Add salt and mix well.
Cover and leave to stand for at least 3 hours.
Rinse vegetables well, in a colander, under running, cold water.
Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Place in a large pan, add vinegar (ordinary white distilled is fine but cider vinegar is even better) and bring to the boil.
Simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 mins (well, I found it a bit longer).
Add sugar and spices to the pan, stir to dissolve and boil for a further 10 mins.
Pour hot pickle into hot, sterilized jars and cap immediately with sterilized lids.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
And.... we got fruit on them as well so I'm going to try and extract the seeds and see if I can grow for next year. Potato fruit - who knew?! 😃
… but I don’t think the fruit are ripe enough for the seeds to be viable
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
And 7lb of plums , now in the freezer.
Pinned down some Strawberry runners.
Pulled a handful of Carrots for dinner, and 1kg of Beetroots, which are now roasted and going into jars.