No doubt about it, our pak choi is now running to seed (in fact this photo was taken a few days ago). Whether we will be able to gather and use them for next year's crop remains to be seen.
I am almost pickled out. Over the last few days I've pickled green tomatoes, red tomatoes, nasturium seeds and cucamelons. The plan is to move on to cucumbers and courgettes, which thank goodness are now slowing their rate of productions. There are myriad recipes for pickles on the internet, all different and many of them mutually inconsistent. Keep your eyes on Beetroot and Spuds Recipes where I will, in due course, be posting my own - tried and tested - recommendations. Our tomatoes are also drawing to an end for this year, but they're not quite over yet. So I'll finish with this parting shot of Flowerdew, on guard:
Last year we planted our fennel quite late (around early August). This year we were ahead of the game (it went in in June) and we have been rewarded with some splendid bulbs. One thing to watch out for with fennel is that ic can, if planted in bright sun, easily bolt. Ours was shaded by a seemingly incorrigible butternut squash (12 butternuts, and counting) and that seems to have saved it. Last year we only had enough to roast as a side veg, but this time round we had plenty for some fennel-and-apple chutney
One of the most attractive benefits from having an allotment is that it contributes to a sense of community. On our patch there are people from a range of nationalities Greek, Indian, Romanian, Swedish, Finnish, and even the odd Scot, and occupations, nurses, surgeons, accountants, charity workers, IT managers, airport maintenance staff and so on. And despite our varied backgrounds, we all get on well together. Many people have been very generous to Spuds and me, not only sharing their produce (red currants, rhubarb, cucumber and the rest) but surplus plants and equipment. For example, we were recently given a couple of aluminium cloche frames and we can't wait to get some of our seedlings going under their shelter.
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