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
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
All the best, Catherine