Once
upon a time there was a garden and it grew and grew as did we mentally and
spiritually.
Initially
when going to the allotment was one of the first forms of permitted exercise
during lockdown I was imbued with a fear that those who didn't socially distance
properly would infect me with something incredibly scary and life changing for
those close to me but as time went on I grew in confidence and as we planted, harvested
and watered it helped provide solace for us both in these
different and difficult times.
That
feeling of well being has also been enhanced by giving plants to friends and
family to foster and nurture bringing extra joy as they report on the sweetness
of their first tomatoes or crispy icebergs.
So
with the inclement weather bearing down on all of us I feel a blog coming on to
remind me of all the things I need to be grateful for.
Reaping
the rewards of our home sowing, we are so enjoying the health-giving benefits of home grown produce.
It
started with the early swell of gooseberries ... over five pounds in total (no
kilos... sorry!) not bad considering this is only the second year for those
bushes:) Gooseberry crumble with the
obligatory evaporated milk has been truly savoured by 'him indoors' and sadly
that's where he has been when the weather is like this - sometimes that means it leaves
the oven gleaming but when his back is more than stiff the jobs have to be way
less strenuous!
My
'obsessive' thing with lettuces paid dividends ... Lollo Rosso, Little Gem and
mixed salad leaves ... there was always something to add to sandwiches.
Decorative
sugar snaps and mangetout camouflaged in amongst the plant's leaves but we were
ready to whisk them away to drizzle with oil and wrap in foil before enjoying
their moreish crunch! Unless you are
like my little grandson who politely declines but loves picking and popping them and feeding them to Daddy instead!
Rosy
sticks of rhubarb heralded the season's first rhubarb fool trifle , not
particularly great to photograph, but buttery shortbread biscuits added to the
rich creamy mixture made for a delectable dessert, always even better after a
day's keeping.
Deep,
dark kale worked well in a warming stew with chorizo and potatoes , so needed
despite the fact we were in flaming June, but it
has since been used in a calzone
with oozing mozzarella in the scorching hot weather so like a leopard it is a vegetable that is able to change its spots.
Perfectly
formed purplish turnips partnered butternut squash and potatoes in a comforting
root mash to accompany roast chicken.
The
beauty of our first pointy cabbages as I cut them open fair took my breath away! How one seed transforms into something
so incredible never ceases to amaze me!
Luscious tayberries by the score were popped away in the freezer in readiness to make a summer pudding, to be savoured in a sweet shortcake with oozing cream or to adorn shortbread rounds topped with mascarpone.
And the excitement when we ceremoniously tipped out out our early potato bags to see what treasure we had knew no bounds!
The hot summer has ripened an abundance of chillis and although they were slow to start it didn't take long for overflowing bowls of tomatoes to take over my kitchen work surfaces!
Our first ever crop of blueberries got eaten by hungry birds last year much to our dismay. However this year little clusters like dainty beads on a necklace peeked safely from beneath a net ... and believe me they tasted so completely different to the offerings in the shops ... many often never got home before they were eaten ... and they were never shared!
Celebrating my sixtieth birthday last year meant that I became the proud owner of a Conference pear and Cox's apple tree and even they have managed to provide fruit in their first year... notwithstanding a bit of scary rust on the pear.
And we still have the promise of so much more joy to come!
Nuggets
of yellow sweetcorn, sweet carrots popping up - our raised beds are still full to
bursting with other temptations.
As
we look to Autumn ... buttons of Brussels starting to climb their way skywards,
nestling squash, bulging celeriac and shiny aubergines promising seasonal comfort, with a freezer
packed full of produce, I know that it will continue to nourish our souls as
well as our bellies giving us courage and hope as we march forward into the
Winter. With all this sustenance at my fingertips writing this blog has definitely made me realise how lucky I am and I am truly thankful.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/rhubarb-fool-trifle
And we still have so much more joy to come! our raised beds are full to bursting with other temptations!
I’ve not been taking pictures of many dinners lately ... just things we’ve harvested so the pictures of my recommended recipe is pinched I’m afraid.
I really wasn’t sure about adding ground almonds to the healthy tikka masala but it worked a treat ... and the curry wasn’t far off what you’d get from the local Indian in consistency ... a little zingy lime pickle enhanced it even further.
And with all this sustenance at my fingertips writing this blog has definitely made me realise how truly lucky I am!
