That sharp sour crunch of the first gooseberries of the year from the allotment is now a distant memory (ah, a shame) however as the gooseberry season starts to draw to a close there is still time to do something just a bit different, thanks to Delia Smith, with the last of the fruits and you won’t be disappointed.
You know that you have a glut of courgettes when friends don’t answer the door and fellow allotment holders suddenly remember urgent dentists appointments. However a glut of anything means you have to get a bit creative. So, should you find yourself with courgette and the need for a lovely moist chocolate cake then the Chocolate Courgette Loaf Cake is the answer to your (and my) prayers.
The Didcot Allotment Society (DAS) is holding its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 11 May. In addition to its AGM, there will also be a plant sale so you may well find yourself walking away with a bargain.
The last of the leeks had been sat outside by the kitchen door for a few weeks and really needed using if only to make a bit of room. A visit to our well stocked recipe library came up with the suggestion of Leek & Goat’s Cheese Crêpes but enthusiasm wasn’t high. However we were wrong and if you have a few leeks kicking around you must try this – simple and quick to prepare and cook and really rather wonderful.
The Didcot Allotment Society (DAS) and Sustainable Didcot are holding a seed swap event on Saturday 16th March from 2pm where you can bring any surplus seeds you might have and swap them for others.
The Didcot Allotment Society (DAS) and Sustainable Didcot are holding a seed swap event on Thursday 24 January from 7:30pm where you can bring any surplus seeds you might have and swap them for others.
The Christmas Dinner table needed a quick and simple stuffing to bolster things and we settled on an leek , thyme and lemon stuffing adapted from a leek and sage stuffing recipe.
A quick post, this was something we had been waiting a while for but with only a couple of days to go it was off to the allotment to gather some veg for the Christmas lunch.
Along the edge of the allotments are a couple of damson trees which always have a mass of fruits on them. What to do with this free bounty? Jam of course!
As is usual at this time of year, no matter how hard you try, at the allotments courgettes are plenty. In fact I am sure there is a game of courgette knock and run going on as when you return to your plot the next day, what was harvested previously has miraculously been replaced overnight! Read More
I am really not having a great deal of luck with my radishes. In theory radishes are, after cress and strawberries, easy peasy to grow – unless you are me of course. Problem 1 – Holes in the radish leaves We had a few radishes earlier on in the summer but the “crop” wasn’t great Read More
Earlier in the season I came across the lazy-persons way of watering – Ollas – terracotta pots sunk into the ground next to your plants which reduce the need to water. Really, honestly(ish), I was more interested in this as a means to save water and it had the added bonus of not watering weeds. Read More
The redcurrants were ready for picking at the beginning of July but space in the freezer was already running low so what to do with all those redcurrants? As it was another hot afternoon I thought we should have a bash at making some redcurrant cordial.
We finally got around to taking a walk around Waterperry Gardens (thanks to a 2 for 1 voucher!) and it was well worth it. The gardens are far more extensive than we thought and the borders and the “Yew Henge” are really great – you can easily spend a good couple of hours (and we Read More
As the summer was getting underway I was looking at how I could improve my laziness (sorry efficiency) by using a drip feed system or something along those lines for my vegetables etc. and I came across a reference to something called an “Olla” – huh? A bit more Internet digging later and if you Read More
Of course we are all, on this little planet, looking for our next meal so you can’t really blame those we label as pests for doing what we all do. However all’s fair and so I am putting together my own little A-Z of “insects” so I know who is friend and who is foe. Read More
At last I have my own allotment, plot no.42, and a fine little plot it is too – tucked in between plots on all sides so I should get plenty of shelter and some structures around to slow the wind. Being in the middle is great for shelter but a bit of a pain for Read More