Ohh it's raining now

I have never cheered or wooped at the weather report before Monday.   After nearly 3 weeks with only so much as a sprinkle of rain (I speak in gardeners terms here)  we finally had a full day of rain forecast and it's kept raining.   Everything looks so green thanks to the rain and the butt is starting to slowly fill once more.   We lost access to the outdoor tap (long story) and I've been left watering everything with an Ikea bag full of milk bottles and watering can, so any rain is welcome.

I wish I had more things to update you about but work has got in the way for gardening.  All Al and I have managed is to pull a few weeds and horsetail out as we water.  Not exciting stuff nor anything to really make a good Friday photo.

Harvest wise we are almost ready to pick some of the peas and courgettes and in the first fruiting year the blackcurrant bush managed to produce about 40g of fruit.  I have no idea what to do with them so they are sitting ready in the freezer.  My grandparents love blackcurrant slices so they might go there :)

Pea, Feta & Mint Salad

Our peas are in the middle of harvest; they have ended up in soup, or freezer and my favourite way SALAD!

I make this a day in advance as it helps the flavour mingle about although it takes no time at all to make or prepare.  I personally do not cook the peas I think nothing is better than the flavour of a home grown pea and cooking them seems to take away flavour rather than add anything.  My favourite part is the combination of the tang and sweetness.  Oh and the fact that everything in the salad comes from the garden (I'm working on making my own feta, honestly!)

Pea, Feta & Mint Salad

50g feta cheese 

1 small red onion 

200g peas 

Handful of mint

1. Crumble up feta cheese into a bowl.  Try not to worry about the size of the crumbles, it just helps the cheese cling to the other ingredient better.

2. Thinly slice the red onion.  The idea is to have thin slivers of onion rather than little diced bits.  Add it to the bowl.

3. Chop up the mint stalk and all. Try to make sure it becomes bruised as it releases the mint flavour.  Add it to the bowl.

4. Mix everything together.  Don't worry about it making it look neat, the nature of the crumbled feta makes it nearly impossible.

5. Enjoy your salad.  Al and I have been munching with wholemeal cous cous and peri peri chicken.

Squeekwave!

I know that this weekend has been stupidly hot for the majority of the the UK, I clocked the thermometer at 29c on Sunday but that is not part of the great veggie adventure.  I have laryngitis so I can only really squeek, not good to work in a bar.  In between the heat and generally feeling ill I have managed to do a lot of work in the garden,  Al claims to have but it looks very much the same so I can't comment on his work...yet ;)

Bamboo bean poles

First the bean and pea poles have gone up and the seeds in.  It was an inventive moment putting them together after realising that I had forgotten to buy anything to keep the bamboo poles together.   So the poles have been placed in a circle and then held and tied with jewellery wire to make the tipees.  The peas were a gift last year and the broad beans were the only ones I could see in wilkos.   The other beans are a far more exciting heritage variety from the real seed catalogue.  Cherokee trail of tears pole beans possibly the longest named vegetable we ware growing this year. However I digress, I am excited to be growing heritage varieties because of the importance to being able to grow something with a real connection to history and knowing we can save our own seeds is exciting in itself.  We have a few other heritage varieties from the same catalogue on the go as well.

I know it's late to plant seeds but the frosts have been so late and I've been procrastinating about when to plant everything and thought this weekend would be a good start.  Al has planted a small row of courgette from seeds and planted the Brussels sprouts.  There are lettuces (I don't know the varieties due to buying mixed seeds) parsnips, carrots, beetroot and a few herbs left to be planted.  The melons are an on going challenge as I'm still slightly scared of them not doing anything.  We have decided to leave butternut squash and pumpkin for next year after the late frosts killed them off. There are a few bare patches left, which will be filled with sweet williams and scatter seeds along with the normal marigolds, to try and keep carrotfly away.

Cold-store little gems and spinach.

I also planted a grobox In what looks like a odd shaped pizza box is supposedly a full organic veggie garden, I'm a bit sceptical that it will grow into anything. If you have grow one before please let me know what to do with it!! Al and I saw them at Christmas and decided they were a bit on the pricey side so forgot about them however after mooching about in a local market I saw one for sale at a grand total of £1.50 so we're giving it ago. Wish us luck!!!