Summer vegetables – we wait all year for them and they last such a short time though, often providing us with a glut we’re not sure what to do with.
My globe artichokes plants have been providing me with about four each week – a few green and a few purple. This year there is no glut though, in the past, I have been known to give away bags full of them. Of the ten strong, well-established plants I had, only five survived the very harsh winter and of those, one is struggling. I think I’ve been lucky as I’ve heard other plot holders bemoaning the fact that they had lost all of theirs.
They are a bit if a fiddle to prepare but are well worth the effort as, like asparagus, they are definitely a luxury vegetable and are very expensive to buy. The tops of the outer leaves can be quite sharp so, I remove the tops with a pair of scissors before I tackle the inside leaves and the ‘choke’ – the fibrous inside part which would become the thistle-like flower if left. To remove it I use a noisette spoon (a metal melon baller), which has a sharp edge and is excellent for scooping out the unwanted choke.
Soak them in salted water for ten or fifteen to remove any aphids or earwigs (both of which are particularly partial to a meal of artichoke), then drop into boiling salted water. We prefer them cooked for 25-30 minutes until they are quite soft though, a shorter time is often recommended. Serve with lemon wedges, freshly ground black pepper and a chunk of butter. There isn’t a lot of flesh on them – a small soft piece at the bottom of each leaf to whet your appetite for when you reach the delicious heart.
Globe Artichokes are not related to Jerusalem Artichokes. They neither look nor taste similar. Jerusalem artichokes are a root vegetable (very easy to grow), and are related to sunflowers. They are not my favourite vegetable but they are very versatile and are a good, healthy substitute for potatoes.into marrows in two or three days. This year I’m trying yellow courgettes – F1 Orelia, which I bought from Dobies. I hadn’t planned to have just one plant but unfortunately, from five seeds, only one germinated. However, now the plant is growing it is proving very prolific – and delicious with a smooth creamy-textured flesh. A friend has given me another plant which has not yet produced any fruits. A small one has started to develop showing me that the fruits will be ball shaped but, whether these will be yellow, green or striped and tasty, I must wait to find out.
Courgettes - It is difficult to know how many courgette plants to grow. Two plants will easily provide enough for an average family, once they get going. Don’t leave them on the plant once they are ready as they will turn into marrows in two or three days. This year I’m trying yellow courgettes – F1 Orelia, which I bought from Dobies. I hadn’t planned to have just one plant but unfortunately, from five seeds, only one germinated. However, now the plant is growing it is proving very prolific – and delicious with a smooth creamy-textured flesh. A friend has given me another plant which has not yet produced any fruits. A small one has started to develop showing me that the fruits will be ball shaped but, whether these will be yellow, green or striped and tasty, I must wait to find out.
Runner beans, this year, have been good for few of our plot holders. My neighbour, whose runner beans are probably the best on the field, tells me he has sown and planted several times this spring with varying results. Something has been eating them – in this case it is not pigeons. It looks like caterpillar damage yet, there is no sign of the culprits. That said, his beans are way ahead of mine though, I certainly haven’t put as much effort into mine. This year I have grown Moonlight (from Dobies). Sown in pots on 8th April, they will be ready to start picking in a week’s time. I have also grown Enorma (also from Dobies) which I started sprouting on 22nd April. They are, disappointingly, much later and not exactly growing extravagantly.
However, my French beans, which are normally somewhat later than Runner beans are now being picked and enjoyed. This year Cobra ( Dobies), which I started to grow in pots indoors on 8th April. They are looking much healthier and more encouraging than the Runners. If you are growing them, don’t forget to pick them, at least, every other day, even if you don’t want them – compost them if necessary or give away. They will stop producing if you don’t.
Purple Majesty Potatoes – well this variety was lauded last year as being the next best thing to the elixir of life. Full of anti-oxidents and purple all the way through. They are even purple on the plate when cooked and mashed – somewhat disconcerting. The ones I tasted last year were from the supermarket and I found the flavour somewhat unexpected. This could, perhaps be good. It was certainly not unpleasant, just different.
I couldn’t get hold of seed potatoes of this variety as they were, apparently not available last autumn so, I just bought a packet of them from my local supermarket and chitted them. The plants really didn’t look the healthiest potato plants on my plot but, okay, they were not proper seed potatoes. They are supposed to be a main-crop potato but I found they had chitted quite early so, they were planted by 7th April. I only planted fourteen in a well-manured raised bed. Yesterday I harvested them, although I have previously given a few kilos here and there to other gardeners in the hope of some feedback. No-one has commented, so far. I decided to lift the rest of the crop as I needed the space they were occupying but, the crop seemed to be ready for lifting. Interestingly, the few potatoes which were exposed to the light showed no ‘green’ damage which would have rendered them unusable.
More later
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