harvests

July is coming to an end and we have certainly had some very hot, dry weather.
On the allotment we have been busy picking and harvesting.
It has been a good year so far.
There have been lots of salad leaves. This year, I grew them under netting which kept off the flea beetle, but the hot weather meant they bolted very quickly.

There were yet more gooseberries and blackcurrants.
I made a lot of the blackcurrants into a puree by lightly cooking with a little sugar and then sieving; nice for breakfast or pudding stirred through yoghurt.

Then there are the beetroot; this year a variety called rainbow, which are a mixture of white and stripey roots though I still think I prefer the normal crimson beetroot despite their ability to turn everything within sight a deep purple.

With the idea that simple is best, I mixed grated beetroot with a little creme fraiche and creamed horseradish and we ate it with smoked mackerel.

The revelation this year have been broad beans, a first on the lottie.

A fresh, young broad bean eaten straight from the pod soon after picking is a thing of joy!

Nothing like, it turns out, the slightly bitter, tough-skinned ones available in the shops.

As a change, after several meals of eating them lightly steamed, I also made them into a dip -  a recipe called garlicky broad bean puree from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's book Veg every day.

Yesterday was a day of almost continual, torrential rain; excellent for the gardens and allotments but not so good if you have just set out on your summer hols.

Wishing you a good weekend, rain or shine.