august at the allotment
- At August 12, 2010
- By Rachael
- In Allotment, Children, Gardening, Photography, Village life
28
I’d love to say that growing vegetables has had a wonderful influence on the children, and that they happily eat anything they’ve helped to produce at the allotment. But, er, it hasn’t. We have courgettes (aka zucchini) coming out of our ears, and the children think they’re evil. The neighbours are starting to hide when they see us approaching because I keep giving them away.
(Note to self for next year: seven courgette plants is overkill for a family of six. Oops.)
What is this? Butternut squash? Mystery pumpkin type thing? I really ought to label things.
Pumpkin baby. Autumn! Hallowe’en! Pumpkin pie! Mist! Crochet blanket! (eep, crochet blanket – must get on with it)
Every time I go up there I end up grubbing about in the mud.
French beans. I was always told that they were difficult to grow, but perhaps this long, hot, dry summer is the right weather for them?
It’s been a funny old summer for vegetable growing, I think.
How are your vegetables doing?
One more thing while I remember – if you’d like to, you can click on the Picket Fence blogs badge on the right and that registers a vote for Tales from the Village. Thank you!
the inadvertent farmer
Great post! We grew too many zucchini this year too…my freezer is groaning with shredded summer squash ready for the winter’s breads! Kim
Chloe
Hello Rachael, thanks for commenting on oxslip, looking forward to seeing what you’ve been up to when you get back from hols
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Sue
Children don’t seem to like courgettes do they? I can’t understand it because they don’t really taste of very much. Hugh F-W has a great pasta sauce recipe in The River Cottage Cookbook which involve cooking them to a mush in olive oil and adding parmesan. It’s lush.
Thank you for visiting me Rachael
) We should start a left-handed crocheters club! I was fortunate enough to have a left-hander (my mum) teach me.
Rachael
Oh, yum. That sounds gorgeous. The other night, whilst home alone (I did smile at your contrasting shopping lists) I had a plate of courgettes, cooked simply in butter, with crushed garlic, sea salt and black pepper. They were heavenly.
I’m so glad I found your blog. I can tell it’s going to become one of my favourite sit-down-with-a-cup-of-tea blogs.
Embejo
Firstly thank you for helping me out with 31dbbb and being a first reader for me.
I have to say that your photos are you best asset here…..I scrolled right down and enjoyed each one before reading the text. Lots of white space is nice…not too cluttered. And I love the rounded corners on the photos
Rachael
Oh thank you for coming and visiting! Those rounded corners are courtesy of picnik (www.picnik.com) – I love it!
kyooty
What a bountiful crop you’ve got! We’re up to 39 mini Candy tomatoes. Our Potatoes kind of “stopped” growing? but I didn’t dig them up to check yet.
Rachael
Our tomatoes died (lack of water will do that to a plant!). I suspect that our potatoes are all going to be a lot smaller than last year.
heather
I had hopes for turning a kid into a veggie eater too. She likes to help pick and then declares that there is no way she is going to eat any of it.
Rachael
Hahaha! Yes, that’s exactly the same here.
Another Goldfish
I’m afraid my garden is a flagged yard with marestail coming up between the stones. Since we moved, we haven’t had the money to attack it yet.
That said I keep thinking we should grow some butternut squash. Maybe I’ll manage something next year.
Rachael
I’m having no luck at all with butternut squash, which is a shame because we eat lots of it in winter, and I had visions of a huge pile of them looking artistic in the kitchen in autumn.
Jane
That’s a very impressive crop! Your courgette story made me laugh. The first year I grew veg I put in three plants, and like you I found the neighbours used to hide…. I used to hide the courgettes in pasta sauces. It’s amazing what you can hide in a pasta sauce.
Rachael
I sneak them into pasta sause too – they just disappear, don’t they? It’s a shame they don’t freeze, because I love them, and in winter I’d love some with roasted peppers, tomatoes and onions.
Maxabella
My vegetables are doing… nothing. They are still procrastinating in the seed packet, talking amongst themselves.
Your bean tripod looks really good. Did you whip that together yourself? Clever you.
Rachael
I did! It was simple but looks very pretty, I think – I love beans.
Is it veggie planting time with you yet? It must be soon, is it?
Louise
We too have a glut of courgettes and runners … Next year will be dumping the broccoli and planting more broad beans and those magic beans that grow purple but cook up green glad to hear it is raining I live south northants and on hols in Wales worrying about my veg ! Looking forward to my aubergines when we get home tomorrow
Rachael
My attempts at broccoli (and cauliflower) resulted in happy caterpillars. One night last year my husband served me a delicious roast dinner with an accidental side dish of broccoli and lightly steamed caterpillar. Bleargh!
Tatjana
That sunflower photo is gorgeous! That zucchini overproduction seems to hit everyone … I made pickles one year, they were yum! And you could batter/deep-fry zucchini flowers, supposed to be yummy and cuts down on actual zucchinis …
kyooty
I’ve heard this about Pumpkin blossoms too.
Rachael
I must get the zucchini pickle recipe from you and try that. I love pickley things.
Nova
I love courgettes…one of my favourite vegetables. Your sunflower…..stunning! :0)
Rachael
They are yum. But seven courgette plants produce a LOT of yum.
Sara Branch
Our courgettes got covered in mildew early on, and I’m bemoaning our lack; oh, if only we lived nearer! The few that we did have, I fried very quickly with some chorizo, and mixed the lot with some pasta: yum!
We’ve got some butternut squash coming, tomatoes, cucumbers have done well, sweetcorn, peppers, melons – all in one tiny greenhouse!
Rachael
Oh, you need to come and visit. I love them with chorizo and peppers in a Spanish omelette, too. And how come everyone seems to be able to do butternut squash except me? I think I’m cursed!
Jennifer
I had a good giggle over the zucchini, some of my kids feel the same way. We only have one yellow squash plant which isn’t enough for the six of us. Next year I must plant 2 or 3. Right now we’re picking cucumbers, green beans and yellow squash. The tomatoes are starting to ripen and the canteloupes are about the size of large marbles. My kids are most excited about those. Oh, and we have some bell peppers too.
Rachael
I managed to grow one solitary and very delicious cucumber last year. This year I failed completely! They taste so much better than the ones in the shops, don’t they?