Allotment on a rainy day

Sunny spells and heavy rain today but I spent a couple of hours on the plot, mainly weeding and gathering our harvest for today which was a big bag full!Orla potatoes, 2 derby day summer cabbage,2 lettuce, 500grm raspberries all a bit muddy for the photo.
I made raspberry jam using Darina Allen's recipe from her book 'Simply Delicious'which describes the jam and making it perfectly.
Egual quantities of fruit and sugar.Heat the sugar in the oven ( heatproof dish)Gently simmer fruit until juice starts to flow.Stir in heated sugar and when completely disolved boil for 5 minutes, test for setting and put into jars.
Some random photos, this is a genuine Victorian Loo which was once part of the Hydro Spa over 100 years ago when it was a very upmarket hotel and Spa.Did Victorians have funny (square) shaped bums?!It is now holding flowers and looks very at home in its new corner.

One of our gates with a sign my sister Kathleen bought for me recently with the legend 'Dig for Plenty'

Some of our cauliflowers have heads!Quite sizeable ones too as I have not checked them for a while.Last year they grew to just golf ball size then sprouted out at all angles hopefully these will continue as crowns.Time to cover them with the net curtain.

The Runner Beans have finally figured out they are supposed to climb upwards

The red cabbage is huge!
Our self blanching celery bed some of which have gone to seed in just 2 days!
Our scarecrow duringone of the very heavy showers.
The brussels sprouts and summer cabbage bed. The Derby day cabbage was delicious for dinner tonight, one to be grown again for next year.Lots of weeds too which i did not have a chance to get around to today
The fruit bed minus the 3 Borage plants ,lots of light and space.
The old cold frame now planted up with courgettes,outdoor cucumber and sunflowers.One courgette is going to swamp the whole bed.
White turnips, carrots and Coriander after being weeded
Just as I was leaving I spotted these nestling under the leaves, we have some blue blueberries.

Comments

Good harvest you have there... I love the picture on cauliflower... lovely sight partly hidden behind the leaves ~ bangchik
Jo said…
What a lovely harvest, Peggy. I love the simple jam method. Looks yummy. Oh and the toilet seat; too cute, looking good filled with flowers. Hugs from a cold and dry South Africa.
Shaheen said…
Hi Peggy,
What a lovely harvest.

Your cauliflower looks great, mine are still the size of a ping pong ball. Fingers crossed they grow as good as yours.

The simple jam method, will that work with strawberries?
Peggy said…
Hi Bangchik and Kakdah, the cauliflower was a surprise nearly hidden under the leaves.
Hi Jo,I am sure a clod and dry South Africa is as warm as an Irish summer!
Hi mangocheeks, fingers crossed on the cauliflowers. I checked the book and there is no recipe for strawberry jam so I am not sure if it will work for them and it does not say the recipe can be used for anything else.
Anonymous said…
Hi Peggy,
Your harvest looks wonderful! Raspberries always remind me of my Grandmother. I loved picking raspberries with her when I was a child.

All your vegetables are looking so good. I am envious of your rain. We are so hot and dry here.

The cauliflower really has a nice head. I didn't have much luck with my cauliflower last year and didn't plant any this year. After seeing your pretty ones, I wished I had planted some. Maybe next spring.

I just love the Victorian Loo planter. I think they did have some strange shapes. lol...

Have a great weekend.
Pam
Shaheen said…
Thanks Peggy,
I made the jam last night with a 500g mix of strawberries, raspberies and blacka blackberries. It worked well and produced just under 1 litre jar.

I will post it on my blog in the near future. Thaks for sharing this recipe, I needed to use up some of the berries and glad that you shared this simple method.
Peggy said…
Hi Pam, it is amazing how some things inspire memories.Gardening is really win some, lose some but we keep trying!
Mangocheeks; well done ,I don't think I would have taken the chance with our berries trying it out, it really is so simple instead of a 'rolling boil' for ages.Good idea too using mixed berries, I will watch out for your recipe on the blog.
Catherine said…
Hi Peggy! I just replied to your comments on my BBQ post so I thought to visit your page - what a busy time you are having and then a trip to England in the middle of it all! Your garden is getting so productive you must be delighted with it and I love the raspberries, we have no berries though we had a few redcurrants the birds seem to have got them, we only got them last year and they are still too young. We have some courgettes in the tunnel, and some tomatoes and our strawberries are nearly finished, but we still have some peas and beans to go. I loved your jam photos, looks yummy and also your raspberry bars, like flapjacks. The loo is hilarious. We had a belfast sink planter but had to move it and it is not yet replanted. Must be inspired by you to do so!
All the best, Catherine
Bob said…
Hi Peggy, it looks like you have lots of nice veg coming on there. Bob

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