Parsnips, Chillies and Soup

I think I have whats known as a GLUT of chillies, so help ! apart from drying and storing and of course cooking with some, what do all you peeps do with your chillies, suggestions please.



Then there's the Parsnips, I know that you are supposed to wait until a frost to sweeten them and get the best taste, but honestly they are so large and the roots so far down, it took two of  us to dig them up, and it was tough going, so I think cold soil would make thing even harder.  I have left lots in the ground, but decide to dig some up now.

They wouldn't get any prizes for looks, but my goodness they are tasty, so into a soup they went. I was into one of my experimenting soup making moods. This is what I made and it is delicious. I often forget to write down my experiments in soup making, so this one has been written down and posted on my crafts and recipe blog here so if you want the recipe follow the link.

http://allotmentheavencraftsandrecipes.blogspot.com/

And here is a photo of the soup which is 'Curried Squash, parsnip and courgette' YUMMY !!!

 

Mamma Mia here we go again !!

I don't know about anyone else but I am so fed up with looking at bowls of tomatoes taking over my kitchen, hasn't it been a great year for them ?? trouble is I grew too many. So here I go again making more batches of Italian style tomato, garlic and chili pasta sauce. I have frozen about five pots already and used some to cook with and it was delicious. So here are all the ingredients and all grown on my plot I might add !! ready to make another big batch of the sauce. I am scared to look out in the garden in case I see more ripe tomatoes !!

What has everyone been doing with their tomatoes ?? I would love to know, so any tips please pass them on.

This is another veg that I have had in abundance, cute little 'munchkin squashes' and as sweet as they look I am running out of ideas to cook them apart from adding them to soups and stews, and baking them. Does anyone else grow these ?

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I won a giveaway prize from Damien at 'Two chances veg plot blog' it arrived this morning and is a 'Lands End' gift voucher for £25 to spend on something from their range of clothing. Also enclosed was three packets of nasturtium seeds, lovely ! so thank you Damien and also to your little girl for picking my name out of the hat.

This and That

A bit of a pictorial post today, as although I have lot's to write about I don't have the time. I haven't been to the allotment much since last week other than a quick visit to gather some crops, water the greenhouse and pick up the rubbish that can't be composted and took that to the local council tip.

Five 'Munchkin Squashes' all which have been roasted, cut up and are going into a soup tomorrow for lunch. The little cucumber is the last one now, as the plants had given their best for ages and were past it, so they were composted.

I have had so many tomatoes that I decided to make this delicious 'Indian spiced Chutney' the recipe advises to leave it for a month or two before eating, Mmm ! not sure about that !! it tasted delicious straight off the spoon after I put it in the jars.

The Gladioli has flowered at last !! it is from a bargain bag of mixed summer bulbs for the cutting bed from 'Wilko's ' half price for £2.50 and loads of bulbs, the lovely spiky Dahlia ( see below) was in the bag as well, Bargain !!!

All pinked out

Sunflowers from the 'Sunflower Hedge' on the allotment.



I brought a bunch home for the house, they look wonderful. they are called 'Velvet Queen' and are multi headed and not too large, I don't like the really big ones.

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We went to the 'Seaside' first visit this year, so here are a few photo's I took there.

Bournemouth Pier




Arty deckchair shot !





The 'Merry-go-round

I made a pebble heart !

My Post's are like buses ..........

.....Nothing for a while and then two come along, just like London transport !!!

I am in the mood for blogging so here we go with what happened today. I got up late this morning, I wont say what time but I hate it when I do that as almost half the day is gone by the time I have had my breakfast and showered. I did go to bed extremely late though almost 2am. I really must sort out my sleeping habits. I am worse than a teenager !!! I must add here though that I don't get up this late very often, but do go to bed late far too often.

I sowed some cabbage seeds today for eating in the late winter/early spring, I have only just made it in time to sow them, as august was the last sowing month. I sowed some more of Sutton's Seeds 'wheelers imperial' as these have been so tasty with nice light green very firm heads. I also sowed Thompson & Morgan seeds 'April' (spring) cabbage I tried these last year but they all got munched by slugs or something, so I am trying again.

We then went off to the shops to buy a 25th Anniversary present as we are going to the party in London tomorrow. I know I had left it late to buy the present, but luck was on my side as we saw a beautiful photo frame which was perfect for the occasion. So there we are ! nothing too exciting but that's life. I did get a very nice harvest again though, and a nice bunch of flowers from the garden. So that kind of made up for the rainy day.

A little 'Pink' bouquet from the garden.

Vietnamese coriander, growing like crazy. I keep rooting new plants from it.

'Baby Rosanna' aubergine, lots of little fruits

Tomatoes on the patio, ripening AT LAST!

'Munchkin' squashes , and loads more growing on the plot.

Today's harvest

Yesterdays sweetcorn harvest.

Yesterdays beetroot, minus one. (cooked)

This fantastic orange Dahlia has a bit of a tale to it ! and an apology to my neighbouring plot-holder (Ronelle, if you read this it's for you). It was very windy yesterday (really it was!) and when I was leaving the allotment I have to pass Ronelle's plot (really I do, honest!) and the wind had broken this beautiful flower and bent it's stem, so what could I do ?? it would have withered and died. SO I picked it and bought it home to put into some water where it perked up and it is a real stunner. The photo does it no justice, as it's the blousiest loudest orange I have ever seen for a Dahlia. I love it, so I am going to beg Ronelle for a tuber.

I wish you all a lovely week-end.

Fruits of my labour.

I was away for a couple of days, and got back late this evening, so I had to go up to the plot to water the plants in the greenhouse. I have cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers and all sorts of chillies growing in there. They are all thirsty plants that need lots of water, and were so dry it took me ages to give them a good soaking.

Whilst up there I picked french and runner beans and tomatoes and yellow courgettes. I swapped the beans with a friend who has masses of blackberries on her plot and her raspberries are always earlier than mine, so she said to pick what I needed, great swap !! my raspberries are just beginning to ripen very slowly.

As you can see by the photo's below I have lots of squashes around the plot. The only trouble is there are so many too close together and I don't know what some of them are.

The plot looks very full now and a bit untidy everything has grown so tall

Florence fennel just starting to to swell nicely.

One of the squashes

The sweetcorn has grown to well over 4 foot tall, you can see the squash I planted underneath it just rambling through.

Nice and ripe and this one is ready to pick.

The squash beneath the sweetcorn.

Munchkin squash

Pumpkin

I don't know if this will ripen as I grew it from a seed I saved from a squash I bought from the supermarket last year which was grown in Cyprus, so we may not have enough sunshine to ripen it.