Summer vegetables and fruit at last - artichokes, courgettes, raspberries, et al

What a difference a few days of sunshine make. After our several weeks long storms, high winds and unseasonally cold weather, these last few days have been sunny and – dare I say it – warm! Lots of people outside, smiling and chatting to each other and enjoying the summery weather. Allotmenters are assessing the damage which has been done by the high winds and slugs mostly – and that damage is obvious everywhere but, as always, as soon as the sun shines, we start seeing the positives. And there are lots of positives.

Over the last few days I have been picking punnets of raspberries. Two punnets today. These are from last year’s canes which I don’t cut back until they give me a crop in the early summer. The new canes are already a metre high and looking very healthy, which gives the lie to the suggestion that the canes are cut down in autumn to ensure the canes for next year are strong.

I did treat my canes to a good dose of Epsom salts [magnesium sulphate] a couple of months ago as they had been showing signs of magnesium deficiency. Apparently these can also be caused by too much potassium when using artificial fertiliser which prevents the uptake of the magnesium – not likely to be the case on my plot. While the most likely cause of this affliction on many plants is magnesium deficiency, it could also be a shortage of iron or zinc.

It should be borne in mind that very acid ground [lower than pH – 5] will prevent the uptake of the necessary nutrients by the plants. Over the last 2 – 3 years, I have been trying to raise the pH of my plot to somewhere between 6 and 7 [7 being neutral. The optimum pH for growing is just below 7 for most plants.]  However, for me, the simplest remedy has worked this time. With the dressing of magnesium sulphate, the plants are looking very healthy and productive. A friend also suggested that the canes are looking well this year because it has been so wet and somewhat cooler than the few previous years – raspberries don’t like it too hot and dry. I have also picked a few strawberries. They are slow to ripen this year and are being ‘trimmed’ by blackbirds which will eat the red side out of the ripening fruits and leave them unusable for me. I did see a neighbour with an enormous bowl of luscious red strawberries this morning. I am tempted to put a net over mine to give them a chance of ripening properly though, I’m afraid of the blackbirds finding their way in but, being unable to find their way out again and dying a miserable death. In my fruit cage I make sure there is a gap in the top large enough for the birds to be able to escape.

I also picked my first couple of courgettes. I’m not a great fan of Zuchinni – I find them wet and tasteless but, I have discovered Orelia – golden courgettes which are much drier and have denser flesh which for me, is much more acceptable. I had thought the high winds were going to destroy them but, they are still looking good and each plant has lots of little courgettes coming on quickly.

My globe artichoke plants are looking good, having weathered the winter with a fleece coat. I have now got nine plants of which 4 are quite mature and producing multiple heads. One of these was badly damaged in the storms but, I don’t doubt it will recover. I’ve already harvested several heads and as I’m expecting a heavy crop, I must come up with a variety of ways of cooking and serving them. I think I will have lots this year.

Globe Artichokes

Artichokes are a pain to prepare but totally delicious to eat. I guess it could be argued that the effort needed to prepare this very expensive vegetable far outweighs the eating value of the vegetable. For me, they are only available for a few months in the summer and are well worth the effort.

They are a great starter for dinner parties as eating them takes almost as long as preparing them and gives guests time to chat and enjoy a glass of wine or two without spoiling their appetites for a more hearty main course.

To prepare

Cut off the stem and the base, also removing the smaller outer bracts [scales] of the artichoke, as close as possible to the main head – be careful not to remove too much of the heart which is the best part. Cut off the outer bracts until it is apparent that there is a useable swelling at the bottom of each – the bases of these bracts are edible. Using a pair of kitchen scissors cut off the top of the head so that you can gain access to the centre or ‘choke’. I also like to cut the sharp tops off each of the bracts as they can be quite thorny.

A Peruvian friend tells me that in Peru, no further preparation is needed. They are cooked whole and diners must remove the beard or choke for themselves. I did try this method but, it quite spoiled my enjoyment of eating them so, I always remove the choke..

Using a sharp spoon or a noisette spoon [ a strong melon baller] I dig into the centre of the artichoke and remove the small bracts and all of the the beard.

To cook

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and place the artichokes in the water. Simmer gently for 20 – 30 minutes [depending on the size of the heads]. Remove from the water and drain well. Serve with Hollandaise sauce or with butter, lemon and black pepper.

An Alternative Method

I have also found this method quite successful and much quicker to prepare: -

Cut off the stem, part of the base and the outer bracts as before. Then, using a strong sharp knife, cut away ⅔ to  ¾ of the top leaving the choke and the centre exposed. Cut the head in half down through the centre. This gives easy access for removing the choke and the fibrous inner scales or bracts and they can be easily removed with a sharp knife.

Place these artichoke hearts in a large sheet of greaseproof paper or tinfoil. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Add some fresh lemon zest and a knob of butter or two. Wrap the tinfoil or greaseproof paper to make an envelope. Bake in a preheated moderate oven [180ºC] for approx. 45 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and warm crusty bread.

Give me a little time and I will come up with or find some other good recipes  for using globe artichokes. I did try an idea, where I included them, with other vegetables in a chicken dish. I really didn’t think the flavours worked well together.

There are more cold temperatures, high winds and further rain forecast for the rest of the week. I don’t mind the rain but, I’m not so fond of damaging winds.

Dealing with the cold June on our plots

Mid June and it’s chilly for June!

I have always had a particular view of what to expect from the months and the different seasons. As I was growing up, there were lots of sayings about the different months, for example ‘March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb’, ‘a wet and windy May fills the barns with corn and hay,’  ‘April showers’. However, there is a general expectation that each season will ‘do’ what is expected in most years. Particularly in the British Isles, we do expect cold [ish] wet weather of varying degrees in winter. We expect it to become gradually warmer though, still wet [ish] in the spring, gradually becoming warmer still and a bit drier through May, June and July. Although August is supposed to be the real summer month, I have rarely known it to be hot and dry. It always seems that the best weather happens when children are stuck in school taking exams then, when they are on holiday from late July, it starts to rain.

Over the last three years here, in south west England, the weather has been so abnormal that I’m beginning to wonder if there is really a ‘normal’.

We have had two unusually, extremely cold winters and, for three winters in a row, I have not been able to supply myself with vegetables throughout that season – even leeks, of which I had a good supply, were frozen into the ground. Last year and this, we have had very hot early spring times which have made it difficult to establish crops as the ground was so hard and dry – this year as early as March [I actually got sunburnt!]. Since then, barring a couple of short, very dry but still quite cool weeks between the end of April and the beginning of May, it was so dry and windy that the ground dried out, becoming unworkable very quickly, even the weeds were struggling. For the rest of the spring and early summer season, it has remained cold, wet and windy.

Many plants are suffering or even being destroyed by a mixture of bird, ant, flea-beetle and slug attack, and destruction from high winds. Plants are growing so slowly that they are gradually being eaten away by all of these problems before they get to the harvesting stage. On visiting my son's allotment, I noticed he has ant traps in his greenhouse. When I quizzed him about them, he told me he had introduced them succesfully to his house when invaded by ants and was now trying to ensure they didn't cause problems in his green house. The ants [it takes only a few, to visit the traps and take the poison back to the queen and the nest, wiping out the whole colony] have been particularly destructive this year on my alloptment and I have bought a couple of pre-baited traps [how organic is that? not at all but I am at my wits end on trying to eradicate these very destructive and vicious red ants from my poly tunnel]. I will let you know how it works - or not!

So far, this season, I’ve managed to harvest a fairly steady supply of broad beans and early potatoes. I have stopped harvesting asparagus though my globe artichokes are just starting [those which have not been broken off by the high winds]. Don't forget to check for those very destructive asparagus beetles [see a previous Blog for information] so far, this year, I have only seen two beetles. But, of course, on an allotment, they will be all around us.

I’m hopeful that I will be harvesting peas in a couple of weeks. My first crop will be Marvel and my intention is to wait until most of the crop is ready then harvest and freeze for the winter. The wind has knocked a lot of the vines over but, I am hopeful it won’t have done too much damage. My second crop – Hurst Green Shaft – is surrounded by a boma [an enclosure created by canes and fleece to keep birds out and the wind from knocking them down]. They might be ready in a month’s time, GW! Strawberries are ripening very slowly and birds [I suspect blackbirds] are eating them as they do. Raspberries are also beginning to ripen – my son and I picked a small punnet of them a couple of days ago.

Fruit has been particularly hard hit this year. There is a very poor set on most fruit trees. Perhaps some of the later flowering apple trees have fared better as they flowered when the rain stopped. No doubt this is a result of the bees being unable to fly out during the long wet month of April. This must surely have affected the development of the bee colonies.

For many of my crops, because I have the time to do it and because I have the enthusiasm in the growing, as much as the eating of the crops, I have re-sown, sometimes twice, [several varieties of beans and coriander] to try to ensure a harvest. A few weeks ago, after a poor start, I ended up with so many squash and pumpkin plants, I was giving them away to my neighbours. Now, I find that the high winds have broken off the best and most advanced ones and slugs have eaten away the smaller ones. Maybe I won't have so many after all.

This has been a very whinging Blog, my apologies. Usually I try to reinforce my strongly held view that each year is difficult for some things but will be brilliant for others. Mostly, I am trying to express understanding for all those growers who are also experiencing difficulties, it happens to the best of us. It has also made me wonder what a ‘normal’ year is. Can we depend on there being such an event? As for the storms we have been experiencing – as I remember, as a child, that we had storms during many Junes, when my father would lose his much beloved boat – driven up onto rocks on the shore. This happened on at least three occasions[that I remember] and at least three boats were written off but, I guess, in the course of 15 years or so, this was not too unreasonable, just memorable when it happened.

As I glance out of my window, I see that the rain has stopped and there are actually some visible patches of blue sky between the scudding clouds. My barometer is low and not moving up but, when I tap it gently, neither does it dip lower. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day. I have plans!

The Chieftains - 50th Anniversary

The Chieftans 50^th Anniversary

Paddington Station does something for me. Whether I’m arriving or leaving through this station, I want to smile.

Two events made this a special occasion for my latest visit to London, apart from the opportunity to see my younger daughter who is expecting her first child – and it is so delightful to see how happy she and her husband are with their vision of the future together with their little family.

This time, however, was devoted to ‘landscaping’ my elder daughter’s terrace and a concert on the Friday evening at the Royal Albert Hall – The Chieftains 50^th Anniversary.

Well, for a starter, my daughter and I had been in consultation for some time about plants suitable for her terrace. She has bought an apartment on the fifth floor of a modern block overlooking – on one side, the River Thames and on another, a wildlife ecology park. It sounds perfect and it is truly an amazing situation. However, landscaping her vast terrace is not so perfect. It faces, more-or-less, east to west with the very damaging prevailing winds coming from the east. High walls give some protection but, also create a wind tunnel. It has been an interesting experience trying to figure out which plants will provide – a windbreak; a suitable wildlife friendly environment; colour; fragrance; ability to grow in containers and ability to cope with drought – as my daughter works long hours she knows she will not be able to spend hours watering decorative little pots!

Although we considered and bought some plants which had not been on our original list and reconsidered suitable containers against what was available at our chosen vast garden centre, we still had to make two trips to the centre and back to her apartment. As I commented to her later – if we had stopped to consider the logistics of this, we wouldn’t have begun. After an early morning start, by early afternoon we were ready to start potting-up and landscaping. However, a storm with very high winds – storm force in gusts and occasional heavy rain made this a difficult and enlightening experience on this very exposed site. The plants were being blown out of the pots as we were attempting to plant them. Although we had planned for the damaging, prevailing east wind, this storm was coming from the south-west, as the tail-end of a hurricane which was trailing across the south of England. I worried for my home and allotment in Bristol, facing the worst of the storm, especially my poly-tunnel. Even, as we were planting strong, mature, wind hardy plants, we were having to put robust, protective measures in place for them and any equipment, wood, small plants, etc, were rolling around the terrace or disappearing over the parapets. It was useful to try to complete this exercise in these unusually challenging conditions. This was probably the worst we could expect.

We did as much as we could though, it was already apparent that stronger, larger, more mature plants would be needed to give this terrace that well cultivated look but, of course, severe storms will not allow these plants to become established.

We bathed, changed and titivated ourselves for our evening out. Our venue was The Royal Albert Hall. Not easy to access by public transport if you are not a good walker and with few places to eat in that area. We had tried to book into the Cloudy Bay Wine Bar in the Albert Hall for a snack but we were much too late. When we got there, this was not surprising as, it was apparent that all food and drink outlets are very limited. This is an important consideration when planning to attend an event. It has to be said that another important consideration is the very poor provision of toilets for women. This is a Victorian building and although, amazing, vast and truly magical, the toilet facilities for women are, to say the least, abysmal and stressful because of the long and corridor blocking queues. The nasty and offensive mutterings from many of the male patrons who shuffled passed the queue were not pleasant. Of course, this building was designed by men!

But, we were here to attend, take part in, experience the 50^thanniversary of the Chieftains. It is almost unimaginable that this band/group/ musical icon, which is revered and supported around the world should have started 50 years ago by Paddy Moloney.

Of the original line-up of The Chieftains, I think, only Paddy Moloney endures although, I do recognise and am delighted by the presence of Matt Molloy and Seàn Keane, both outstanding musicians and from the early days of this musical phenomenon.

It was odd that, although the tickets stated – ‘no support’ – the first part of the programme featured a group of mainly female musicians in the ‘Irish/celtic’ tradition. They were good and deserve a stronger billing. But, they were not The Chieftains. They revealed that their name was ‘No Support’ but, I have not been able to find information for them through Google.

The main programme, when it started, was an amazing combination of the Chieftains music over their many years, along with the folk musical and dance traditions of most continents throughout the world, many of which have been recognised and incorporated into the musical development and tradition of the Chieftains and their albums.

During the concert, representatives from many countries and contributed as guests and it was interesting to see the different takes on aspects of ‘The Irish’ tradition. The North American and Canadian ‘genius’ on Irish dancing seems to be more visceral or spontaneous. While traditional Irish dancing does not involve the arms much, from the North American Continent, this dancing has acquired a new and joyous expression but, I do still love the traditional styles.

I had not expected that one of the latest Chieftains' albums, ‘San Patricio’ would have been represented but, it was – with support from a delightful and handsome pipe band. I do believe this album is one of my favourites.

The enthusiastic participation of the audience and the apparent expectation that they would anticipate contributed to my delight in this concert. My daughter and I agreed that it was probably one of the best concerts we had ever attended.

They have a continuing programme of concerts around the world to celebrate their 50^th anniversary. If you can, do book to see one of these concerts. Failing that, do buy the CD of the concert – I will, definitely.

I was so relieved, on my return to Bristol and my plot, to see that my poly-tunnel was undamaged – some damage to a few crops – asparagus, sweet-corn, peas and some fruit bushes but, nothing serious. We now have to deal with, at least, another week of wet and very windy weather but, some people are having to drag their lives back from devastating floods – professional growers and householders. My heart goes out to them.

The North-East - Beamish, the Living Museam of the North

The North East – and Beamish, the Living Museum of the North

Well, I chose a good weekend, I thought, for getting away from the southwest to the northeast. The weather forecast predicted storms and heavy rain for the southwest but sunshine and dry weather for the northeast. This was something of a relief for my allotmenting as we have had a period of very dry weather which, even the weeds, have not found encouraging.

I went to visit my son in Newcastle-on-Tyne. Each time I go there I am amazed by the benefits, beauties and blessings of this city and the surrounding countryside. I had never suspected it before I started to visit my son here. However, to coin a phrase, ‘It’s chilly for June’.

We had planned to visit Alnwick Castle and Gardens – somewhat north of Newcastle. Historic   and wildlife locations in the NW are impressively abundant and well worth visiting, I have been to a few now and am impressed by the quality of the experiences which have been available. My favourite my still be The Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast.

However, the day we had allocated to Alnwick was wet and very cold. Would you believe, 9ºC?

Instead my son and I went to a garden centre and as well as getting some good ideas, we purchased a few plants and equipment for his back yard and his allotment. Like many Newcastle Victorian and Edwardian houses, there is, effectively, no garden. This is why he has invested his time and patience in an allotment there.

On my last visit to him, we established a bedded garden in his back yard. Light is a problem in this area. However we planted a herb bed with a wide collection of annual and perennial herbs, and I’m impressed by the quality and vigorous growth of these plants, an indication of what will  grow successfully in the future. His beans and onions, although growing, are struggling. It was interesting to visit his allotment and talk to the ‘oldtimers’, who were complaining of the very ‘late’ year. Growth, crops and progress is, at least, a month behind the usual – much like here in Bristol. Okay, we should just accept that it is slower this year but, in the meantime, on my plot, pigeons and slugs are anxious to feed themselves and their growing families and are eating crops they would not normally touch – a tray of 15 little pots of Orange-flavoured thyme has been munched off; a row of coriander and a row of French beans-purple tepee have disappeared – just little stalks left. Really, there is only so much I can cover with nets!

Anyway, back to the north west, we decided that a trip to Alnwick was out – we could have visited the castle on its own but, this is expensive and the purpose was to see the gardens. Too cold, too wet!

A couple of years ago my son took me to see, what he said, was an impressive – ‘living museum’ – Beamish. When we got there it was closed as it was out of season [worth checking before you go there]. However, we had an excellent lunch in the restaurant close to the entrance. On the way from Newcastle we passed that icon of the North West – The Angel of the North. He tells me that when he has been to Bristol and has to drive back, he just loves it when he drives over the hill and sees the Angel and knows he is almost home. In itself, it is a bit disappointing. Although there is now a small car-park, it is difficult to get a good camera view of this recently established icon of the northeast without being some miles away.

However, we decided that, on this trip, visiting Beamish – The Living Museum of the North – was probably a good place to visit on the half day we had available when it was dry and I then had to take my late flight back to Bristol.

It is not so far from Newcastle – 8 miles SW from Newcastle-on Tyne, on the A1M – come off at junction 63 and follow directions for Chester-le-street. This site is, in fact, in Co Durham. It museum is well signposted from there. If you are using a SatNav – enter DH9 0RG. However, do Google for details of the  venue.

When we got there, we were a little stunned by the price of the tickets but, we decided that, since we had made the effort to get there, we should pay the price and spend some time there. Yes, the entry cost is quite high but, the ticket is for a year and family tickets are quite economical. On the plus side, there is no way we could have seen, even half, of the interesting stuff there is available. One friend said that it took at least three visits before he felt he had seen much of what was available to see. It is a great place to take children as there is so much for them to see and experience.

The site covers 300acres and covers the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras in rural Britain. There is a Pit Village, a Home Farm, A fairground, the home of a wealthy farmer[local landowner]- Pockerley Hall and a town which is a pocket-sized small town of the Victorian/Edwardian eras. This little town is truly delightful – the small shops, a garage with its amazing collection of vehicles – evolving into the early 20^th Century. Across the road is a courtyard where, in the past, you might have been able to hire a range of carts and carriages and horses to pull them. Although these beautiful horses are still there, one suspects that little is demanded of them these days. One of the websites suggests that pony-trap rides are available for hire. Thereis also a station with a working stream train beside a small park with a playground which includes a steam- powered carousel. However, we were totally captivated by the late 19^th and early 20^th century transport around this extensive site and took every opportunity to experience  - the trams and a range of early buses.

We spent some time in the town and the Home Farm but, even this took up a complete afternoon. We hadn’t felt that we had totally covered these settings and we hadn’t even glanced at some areas of this wonderful place. But our ‘Annual’ ticket will allow us to visit FREE for the next year. For my next visit to the North East, I guess we will make a return trip to Beamish.

Of course, this is not the only ‘Folk Museum’ in the UK. Some years ago I visited the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Holywood, Co Down. When I visited that site, the transport museum was not a part of it, so I can’t comment on that but, the rest of the site is really impressive. One of several similar venues in Northern Ireland.

These ‘museums’ .... and I’m sure there are other similar museums throughout the UK, are truly amazing. As my son said of Beamish – the effort which has been put into collecting the artifacts, vehicles and machinery and re-creating the scenes is truly impressive.

There is so much more to say about this site and so many more views to share, I might write another blog on it in the near future.