Monday, September 12, 2011
Black death
Thy name is tomato blight. I pulled up the last plants yesterday with a bitter taste in my mouth, the stems actively rotting, the decomposing fruit lying mournfully on the ground. even if the plot looks tidier for it, it was a sad moment.
On Saturday I reaped the benefits of the recent rainy weather. I picked a whole carrier bag full of green beans, a little young lettuce, handfuls of spicy rocket, chives, parsley, thyme and mint for drying, wonderful leaf coriander which is now packed in ice cubes for winter stews and curries. It was a beautiful green bundle that I brought home.
I always feel that one of the greatest benefits of an allotment is all these extras. Herbs, flowers, salad greens, all things that bring such flavour to food. And which usually cost a fortune in the shops to buy!
The pumpkins are ripening nicely. I ate the first Turk's Turban over the weekend. I was apprehensive as many people had told me that it was just a decorative pumpkin and not nice to eat. But I found it fabulous! Quite a dry dense flesh, but wonderful mashed, and the second half I roasted in foil in the oven, with the seeds scooped out and milk poured into the hole. Salt, pepper and mash the milk into the cooked flesh. I bet that it makes great soup too. The other pumpkins are looking great. I have a very grey Qld Blue that is now over 40 cm across and a huge Atlantic Giant, that must weigh several kilos. There are at least 6 Black Fujutsu (Is that the name) with their dark dark green flesh. They are not quite ripe as the vine is still very green.
A good autumn predicted!
On Saturday I reaped the benefits of the recent rainy weather. I picked a whole carrier bag full of green beans, a little young lettuce, handfuls of spicy rocket, chives, parsley, thyme and mint for drying, wonderful leaf coriander which is now packed in ice cubes for winter stews and curries. It was a beautiful green bundle that I brought home.
I always feel that one of the greatest benefits of an allotment is all these extras. Herbs, flowers, salad greens, all things that bring such flavour to food. And which usually cost a fortune in the shops to buy!
The pumpkins are ripening nicely. I ate the first Turk's Turban over the weekend. I was apprehensive as many people had told me that it was just a decorative pumpkin and not nice to eat. But I found it fabulous! Quite a dry dense flesh, but wonderful mashed, and the second half I roasted in foil in the oven, with the seeds scooped out and milk poured into the hole. Salt, pepper and mash the milk into the cooked flesh. I bet that it makes great soup too. The other pumpkins are looking great. I have a very grey Qld Blue that is now over 40 cm across and a huge Atlantic Giant, that must weigh several kilos. There are at least 6 Black Fujutsu (Is that the name) with their dark dark green flesh. They are not quite ripe as the vine is still very green.
A good autumn predicted!
Labels: beans, herbs, pumpkin, summer
# posted by antipodesgirl @ 10:22 AM 
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