July on the Allotment 2014

July on the Allotment – 2014

It has been quite dry for most of June and very pleasantly summery. July has started with more showery weather but still warm and sunny in intervals. Wonderful growing weather – especially for the weeds. Having been away a lot lately I find the weeds are getting very far ahead of me. But, really that is a small complaint.

This season has, so far, provided me with wonderful fruit – strawberries, raspberries [ from last year’s canes which have now finished and I will cut them back as the new season’s canes are starting to put on their fruits which also look like providing a heavy harvest], redcurrants, gooseberries and blackcurrants. My whitecurrants are also starting to ripen – I haven’t covered my whitecurrants either last year or this. For some reason the birds have not homed in on them and I can pick them at my leisure. Perhaps they don’t recognise the fruit – they are not commonly grown on our allotments or perhaps because they don’t have a lot of flavour – I suspect the former. This year I lost half of my redcurrants as I had assumed that as the fruits were still green I had time to cover them. However, the fruits of the redcurrants and blackcurrants in that area of my plot disappeared very early. Fortunately I have another area which was covered quite early.

I’m not a huge fan of sweet food so I rarely eat jam but, I do love any kind of pickle, relish, chutney or super spicy jelly which I can serve with savoury food. Fortunately, my family can absorb all of the jams and jellies I can make as well as the pickles, chutneys, ketchups, etc, which I can create – the hotter the better.

I have tried in the past to grow silver skin onions for pickling, growing Paris Silver Skin. It has not been particularly successful and although I had salad onions to eat, I didn’t have a usable crop of pickling onions.

This year I have grown Pompeii – a spring onion suitable for pickling as a ‘silver skin’. It has been amazing. If I had known it was going to be so good I would have sown several packets hoping for a good crop for pickling. However, they can be sown from March until mid to end of July. I have now sown another packet in the hope of getting another outstanding crop. I have found that late sowings are never so good but< I will report back on this.

My peas, this year, have been brilliant. I did sow a packet of sugar snap peas this year – Sugar Ann from Dobies. I’m not a great fan of mange-tout peas although I am happy with sugar snap. Unfortunately, I had to be away when they were at their best and I am now harvesting them as mature peas – not a great advertisement for these peas but, not their fault.

As usual, my maincrop [or perhaps my default crop] is Hurst Greenshaft. I have just finished harvesting my last large bucketful which I must spend my evening ‘shucking’ and freezing. My four packets of seeds sown into four rows has given me five buckets full of filled pea pods and a drawer in my freezer filled with packets of peas for the coming winter, as well as some to share with my family.

This has been a useless year for cauliflowers – the ground and the weather were too dry when they were heading-up and I had neither the time nor the energy to give them the water they needed to provide good heads but, as always. Each year gives its successes and its failures.

So far, potatoes this year, have been brilliant. My First Earlies – Epicure [ a variety I have not grown before] has been outstanding and very tasty. Of course my preference is for floury potatoes. Epicure are certainly not waxy but, otherwise have excellent applications.

My Mayan Gold, this year, have been so delicious. The plants provide a crop which is very abundant though doesn’t give huge tubers – wash them and steam, chip or roast. The steaming time is 10 – 15 mins when they will start to fall apart but the flavour is amazing – a plateful of these with butter and black pepper – yum!

Maintenance around the plot and in greenhouses or poly-tunnels –

·         watch for caterpillar attacks on tomato plants – pick off and destroy as you find them – tomato caterpillars, which can be green or beige coloured and really quite chunky will feed on leaves and fruits , destroying the fruits and allowing botrytis [grey mould] into the plants.

·         Watch, also, for red spider mite on indoor plants – they like dry warm conditions and can take over and destroy your indoor aubergines, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and chilli plants. The leaves of affected plants will take on a mottled unhealthy appearance. On closer inspection you will see webs, mostly on the backs of leaves and when the infestation is severe, between leaves and stems [if the infestation reaches this level, it is best to dig up and remove the infected plants – keeping a close eye on nearby plants for similar infection].

·         For me, at any rate, slugs and snails are not a problem indoors but can still be a serious issue on outdoor plants, especially brassicas. Do keep an eye on their activity – slug traps, pellets, etc are useful though, they can be quite a pest underground with root crops and potatoes.

·         Birds are always a problem though, thankfully, not indoors. Netting brassica plants is essential. Berries, especially gooseberries, are especially susceptible to harvesting by blackbirds. They also enjoy redcurrants and whitecurrants. I have found, over the years that blackbirds will take the ripe [red] sides out of ripening strawberries and will harvest the odd raspberry, it is not worth the trouble and expense of covering these fruits though redcurrants, cherries and gooseberries are a whole different ballgame – the birds are not prepared to share but, will take the lot.

·         A couple of years ago I also noticed that my rows of carrots were diminishing daily. One early morning I saw a plump pigeon eating off the lush green tops of my developing carrot plants – and I thought the only problems were poor germination and carrot root fly. Carrot Root Fly – an ongoing problem in the UK for carrot crops. I have tried many methods of beating this pest, including planting above 30cm or in raised beds. I have sown in a carrot box – made for me by a kind neighbour – about 1 metre off the ground. It seems the carrot fly on my allotment field have not read the instructions. Last year I grew an excellent crop in deep tubs in my back garden – as no-one locally was growing carrots, root fly were not a problem. However, as my crop was nearing the first thinning stage I was astounded to see that my crop had disappeared. There was no indication of slugs so I assume pigeons were the culprits. I do have a bird feeding station in my garden and feel somewhat miffed that they were not satisfied with the food I was putting out daily but, next year I will try again with netting!

·         Aphids - particularly on all beans, whitefly [on brassicas], caterpillars can all weaken or eat you precious young plants. Watch out, also, for ants [especially red ants which seem to be more destructive and quicker to bite than their black ant cousins] – while they don’t, in themselves, damage the plants, they encourage aphids and will build their nests under plants undermining them. Broad beans are particularly susceptible to black aphids. Remove the top growing points as soon as the plants have set pods at lower levels. While this does not eliminate the aphids it should discourage and hopefully encourage them to move elsewhere.

·         Continue to pinch out the side shoots of cordon tomato plants as they appear [not from bush tomatoes], on plants already growing on in green houses and poly-tunnels. Stake or tie up tomato and cucumber plants as they develop to keep them upright. By now the plants should be setting the young fruits;

·         Peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, courgettes and squashes are greedy feeders and are thirsty. They will require regular feeding and watering especially in warm dry weather;

·         Pick courgettes regularly to prevent them from becoming too large and to encourage the plants to produce more;

·         Strawberries will now be sending out lots of new runners. Peg these into the ground near the ‘mother’ plants or into pots of compost, to create new plants. They will need to be watered regularly especially if in pots.

·         Keep the plot tidy - cut grass on paths regularly to prevent weeds and grass from encroaching on your plot and to reduce slugs and snails.

- Weeding – keep seed beds, particularly, free from weeds. Hoeing is useful but take care to not damage young plants [hoeing is not very effective in wet weather as the hoed weeds will often re-root].

·         Preparation and planning - re-dig beds as soon as crops are harvested, to create a good workable tilth - ready for planting out.

Although it is early for ‘autumn’ digging, I will start to dig ground where crops have been harvested which will give me a chance to do the necessary digging [I have a large area to cover and opportunities for digging can easily be missed]. Areas such as pea beds and those for early brassicas can now be turned over.

Don’t forget that strawberry beds which are three years plus old should now be cleared – the ground re-dug and a new area set up for the young runners when rooted.

·         Sowing and planting

-      Of course, carrots can be sown until the end of August, if you have suitable conditions although, I have found that I have had more success with earlier sown carrots;

-      Florence Fennel – a wonderful vegetable whose fresh aniseed flavour is such a wonderful addition to salads – sow from May until July outdoors;

-      Leeks can be transplanted as soon as the ground can be prepared. If it is very dry, water it well beforehand;

-      Spinach and Swiss Chard can still be sown;

-      Salad crops – lettuce, radishes, rocket, spring onions, can all be sown outdoors;

-      Turnips can be sown until the end of August for harvesting into winter.

-      See Pompeii Onions above

·         Harvesting –

Second-Early and Early-Maincrop potatoes are now be ready for harvesting.

Lettuces and spring onions [see above]. The lettuces won’t sit too long in the bed – eat them quickly or give them away and replant with new seedlings. [ I am really bad at harvesting my lettuces and waste so many of them in-spite of offering them to others- I should rethink the varieties I grow and the quantities

Globe artichokes are still harvestable although watch out for greenfly and black fly – they are quite a nuisance now coming into their main harvesting season.

Soft fruit - redcurrants, blackcurrants and white currants as well as gooseberries, Keep them protected from birds – they do seem to love redcurrants and gooseberries particularly. If you have lots of fruit, make sure you have containers for freezing and lots of jam-pots ready for preserving. If you still have produce in your freezer from last year, now is the time to use it up so that you have space for the new crops.

Wonderful Floury Potatoes

Growing and Cooking Floury Potatoes

I have just started to harvest my 1^st Earlies [Epicure this year]. The plants are providing an abundance of smallish to medium sized delicious potatoes. As an Early potato they are really quite floury rather than waxy like most Early potatoes though, I shall not attempt to anything with them other than boil or steam them and serve with butter and a sprinkling of chopped parsley or mint.

All my potato growing life and my potato buying life [where I have had a choice] I have always chosen floury potatoes. My mother, who always cooked them in their jackets called them ‘laughing potatoes’.

Talking to a neighbour recently I was asked why the Irish loved floury potatoes. Of course a hundred years ago, [ goodness, is it really a hundred years ago!] when my Dad was a little lad he told me that the country people would grow their own potatoes, serve them with their own butter [most of which would be sold at the local market town] and buttermilk as a drink.

The main meal for a large family successful farm in those days [1912 – 1930] would be ‘tatties’ with dabitstil [dabbing the tatties in salt in the middle of the table] or ‘tatties and point’ – the potatoes would be put in the middle of the table, dunked in the salt and pointed towards the preserved pork/bacon joints hanging from the kitchen ceiling which were served on high days and holidays. During the hungry time the ‘tatties and point’ would be to the joint which used to be there.

My father was more interested in the animals on the farm, especially the horses and more especially the machinery which was being developed to work the land [he went on to become an engineer with the RAF]. Under his influence I still have a preference for Ferguson tractors or any offshoot of his company – Ford Ferguson, David Brown, Massey Harris, etc. – not that my little plot needs a tractor. As an aside, my favourite car ever was the iconic Jensen FF [no longer in production but, the FF stood for Ferguson Formulae 4 wheel drive – an amazing car in its day!]

 Many years ago, I remember my uncle, who was much more interested in growing, crops and farming, telling me that during WW11 the Ministry of Agriculture advised farmers that the peeling of the potatoes [deep peelings] as long as there was an eye with a good section of the potato could be planted and would grow on into excellent viable crops. This meant that the growers could, not only plant the normal set aside seed potatoes but, also use the peelings from those potatoes they would expect to eat. My uncle assured me that they had good crops from them.

Ancient memories aside, I do believe that floury potatoes give a much greater variety of useful dishes which can be devised from them.

I do understand the love of the early salad potatoes – Charlotte, Pink Fir Apple, etc. As early potatoes from the allotment, harvested and eaten on the same day they are supreme. Nothing more is needed for a meal than the potatoes, a knob of butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper and a handful of chopped mint or parsley. For the traditional potato salad, of course, these waxy potatoes are just brilliant and there is little nicer than a dishful of new, steamed potatoes with butter and chopped mint to serve with any meal in Spring or early Summer – roast lamb with mint sauce and the new fashion for ‘crushed’ potatoes with loads of butter and chopped herbs – yummy.

For me, all of these potato dishes are blissful but still can’t beat the range of dishes available with floury potatoes.

If you are interested in growing these or any other variety The British Potato Variety Database - www.varieties.potato.org.uk/  is an excellent source of information. This website is part of the Potato Council – www.potato.org.uk .

The database provides information on categories and classes, pests and diseases and details of hundreds of different varieties of potato. However, you might find an interesting variety you would like to try but not be able to find a source of the seeds.

In Ireland, Kerr’s Pink is probably the most popular Maincrop variety grown – it is a round to oval potato with pink skin and white flesh. A wonderful floury variety with superb flavour and excellent for mashed, baked, chipped, roasted potatoes.

Unfortunately it is reasonably susceptible to potato blight, dry rot, leaf roll virus and potato Virus Yo. Regardless of these possible problems I have ,at last, found a source of these seed potatoes and am growing them on my allotment for the first time in years.

In recent years the range of Sárpo potatoes [developed by a Hungarian family – Sárvári, now working at the Sárvári Research Trust in Wales] has been developed  which are Blight, Virus and drought resistant, high yielding potatoes which store well – they also have excellent flavour and are good for a wide range of culinary uses. Of these Sárpo Mira is definitely my favourite – a late maincrop, high yielding floury, flavoursome tuber.

Others include Sárpo Una – 2^nd Early,

                         Blue Danube, Sárpo Shona, Kifli – Early Maincrop

                         Sárpo Axona – Maincrop

Of course, the ultimate floury potato is Mayan Gold –

In spite of its name [The Mayans were from Mexico and Central America] Mayan Gold is originally from the Andes in Peru where its ancestors were once farmed by the Incas. Mayan Gold is a golden coloured tuber with a wonderful potato flavour. It is exception for mash, chips  and roast but, it is inadvisable to try to boil it as it will fall apart within minutes – for good mashed potato, steam the tubers but, not for too long. Mayan Gold Potato  Recipes Mayan Gold Roast Potatoes Ingredients:    peeled Mayan Gold potatoes,   olive oil,   sea salt ·         Cut the potatoes into even sized chunks and blanch in boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes. ·         Shake the chunks gently in a colander to roughen their surfaces. ·         Place the chunks on a roasting tin with high quality olive oil ( I heat the oil in the roasting tin, in the oven first, so that I am adding the potatoes to hot oil). ·         Shake some sea salt over and bake in a hot oven - 220°C, gas mark 7 for 30 or 40 minutes, turning them occasionally until golden and crispy. ·         (try also with chopped roughly chopped garlic and sprigs of rosemary). Spicy Mayan Gold Wedges Ingredients: 450g(1lb) fresh Mayan Gold potatoes 25g(1oz) butter and 3 tsp oil. 1 finely chopped onion 1 red chilli( de-seeded and sliced) 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric Little water Fresh coriander leaves ·         Melt the butter and the oil in a large pan. ·         Add the onion and cook over a medium heat until soft but, not coloured. ·         Add the chilli, coriander, turmeric and cumin. ·         Cut the potatoes into wedges (wash but don’t peel) and add these to the pan. ·         Toss well and fry for 2 minutes. ·         Add a splash of water and a sprinkle of sea salt. ·         Put in a hot oven - 200°C, gas mark 6 for 15 – 20 minutes, making sure all the water has evaporated. ·         Put in a hot serving dish and scatter with fresh coriander and lemon wedges. Mashed Mayan Gold Potatoes Ingredients:  450g(1lb) Mayan Gold potatoes 25g(1oz) butter,  a little milk, 1 – 2 Tblsp. ½ tsp. Wholegrain mustard Freshly crushed black pepper and sea salt to taste ·         Peel the potatoes, cut into chunks and steam the for 10 – 12 minutes ( this time can vary so do watch the potatoes to make sure they don’t overcook and disintegrate. ·         Heat the milk, then remove the potatoes from the heat and add the hot milk and butter. Mash well or put through a ricer. ·         Add the mustard, salt and pepper to taste and mix in well. (Don’t use too much mustard or seasoning  which might overpower the flavour of the potatoes). Champ – Mashed potatoes Irish style The main ingredient is potato and traditionally chives or chopped scallions(spring onions) are added, But, really, a great variety of ingredients can be added: ·         Peas,  Chopped Savoy cabbage – (my favourite), Parsley, Summer cabbage, Kale, Spinach, Broccoli. 1 kg (2 lb ) potatoes – preferably floury types – if they are very floury, try steaming them Milk – add as much as is need to give a soft mash Salt and pepper A large lump of butter Vegetables – as above Method ·         Boil or stem the potatoes until well cooked. ·         Chop the herbs or vegetables. ·          If using vegetables add them to the cooking potatoes 5 minutes before they have finished cooking. ·         Drain/ strain the potatoes and vegetables if using ·         If you are not using vegetables, mash until free of lumps or put through a ricer. If using vegetables, chop finely, then add. ·         Add enough milk to give a smooth soft mash. Add salt and pepper to taste and any vegetables you wish. ·         Serve in a large bowl and put a generous lump of butter into the centre of the mound. ·         This was traditionally served with a glass of buttermilk and often at Hallowe’en. This is an excellent way of encouraging children to eat vegetables – cook chopped carrots, swedes or or turnips, etc with the potatoes and mash them in. Cheesy Potato Cake Approx. 450 – 500g [1 lb] cooked floury potatoes – mash well or put through a ricer 1 knob butter 75g [3 oz] grated cheese Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Little milk – avoid making the mixture too wet Good handful of chopped parsley Method ·         Add the butter, milk, seasoning, parsley and half of the cheese to the potatoes and mix in well. ·         Put the mixture into a small/medium dry non-stick pan and flatten down. ·         Cook over a hot flame until the base of the cake is browning [don’t let it burn] ·         Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and put under the grill until the top is golden brown. ·         Serve in wedges with roasted or fried meals. For variation add left-over cooked mashed vegetables – sprouts, cabbage, carrots, swede or cook carrots with the potatoes when steaming or boiling. Cooked or frozen peas or sweetcorn can also be added. Mustard Mash Potatoes 1 kg [2lb] potatoes – floury potatoes are best 3 good sized tsp whole grain mustard Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste 75gm [3oz] grated cheddar cheese 50 gm [2oz] butter 250ml [ ½pt] milk Method ·         Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into even sized pieces. If you are using floury potatoes, it is best to steam them or they will break apart. Cook until the potatoes are soft all the way through. ·         Mash or put through a potato ricer. ·         While still hot, add the cheese and butter and mix in until well melted. ·         Add the milk, mustard and seasoning and stir in well. Reheat over a low flame to ensure the potato is hot without overcooking the cheese. ·         Serve with a topping of finely chopped parsley. Sweetcorn and Potato Bake 8 oz [225g] sweetcorn kernels – fresh, frozen or tinned 2 lb [900gm] approx. potatoes – floury potatoes are best – washed and peeled 1 large red onion 1 medium sweet red pepper 2 fl oz [55ml] milk 2 oz [50g] butter or 2 Tblsp rape-seed oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 medium tomatoes 6 oz [175g] grated cheddar cheese Method ·         Prepare the potatoes, boil or steam them then mash with the salt, pepper and milk and half of the cheese. ·         Peel and finely chop the onion and seed, core and chop the red pepper. ·         Sweat the onions and pepper in the butter or oil until soft – don’t allow it to burn. ·         Add the sweetcorn and mix in well. [Most fresh sweetcorn is very tender and will cook quickly so doesn’t need prior cooking]. ·         Add the mashed potatoes and mix all the ingredients – check seasoning. ·         Put the mixture into a greased ovenproof dish. ·         Slice or section the tomatoes and arrange around the edges of the dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. ·         Bake in a moderately hot oven until the cheese is golden brown. ·         This is great as a lunch dish served with a crisp salad. Potato Bread – [a traditional Irish Bread] Ingredients 250g [ ½ lb ] approx. cooked potatoes ½ tsp salt 25g [ 1oz ] butter 50g [ 2oz ] plain flour Method ·         Mash the potatoes well while they are still hot – better still, put them through a ricer. ·         Melt the butter and add it with the salt to the potatoes. ·         Add enough of the flour to make a pliable paste – you may need a little more or less depending on the variety of the potatoes. ·         Put the ‘dough’ onto a floured surface and shape into a flat round. ·         Roll it out gently to about ½cm or ¼inch thick. [ If you have made a larger amount it is better to make two rounds.] ·         Cut into 6 or 8 ‘farls’ or use a large round cutter. ·         Grease a hot griddle or a heavy bottomed flat pan and bake the bread on boath sides until it is browned. ·         Potato bread  can be served hot with butter [and even jam, my favourite!] or it can be fried as part of a traditional Irish ‘fry-up’. Potato Salad - Irish Style As I was growing up, this is what I always understood was potato salad. I loved it and it was the only part of my mother’s version of ‘salad’ which I enjoyed – traditionally, lettuce, tomato, scallions, a boiled egg or perhaps a slice of cooked ham and the dreaded salad cream. I didn’t know that potato salad was boiled waxy potatoes with lots of mayonnaise, and a few herbs and a little seasoning – I prefer my mother’s version. Ingredients 1 kg (2lb) potatoes – preferably floury as you will need to mash them( leftover boiled                        potatoes are fine) A bunch of scallions (spring onions) Or 1 – 2 medium red onions Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 4 – 6 Tblsp vinegar ( a sharp vinegar is better so I use malt vinegar and add to my taste which is for a fairly sharp taste) Bunch chopped parsley Method ·         Allow the potatoes to cool or use leftover, cold boiled potatoes. ·         Mash the potatoes well. ·         Add salt and pepper to taste. ·         Chop the scallions or red onion finely and stir into the potatoes. ·         Chop the parsley finely and add to the mixture. ·         Add vinegar to give the level of sharpness you like. ·         Arrange in a suitable serving dish and garnish with herb – chervil, mint, basil. Note: - although I Iike parsley in this dish, I also enjoy chopped chervil, mint, coriander or basil. You might also like to try replacing the malt vinegar with balsamic vinegar, lime juice or lemon juice.