On the allotment - first week of July

We are entering peak harvest time on the allotment and generally things are looking good.

These are the peas Waverex, planted as seedlings back in March. A lovely sweet petit pois, almost perfect in every way except for the odd tiny little grub in a few of the pods! But we won't dwell on that!

There have been radish, broad beans, beetroot, blackcurrants and lots of Swiss chard;

the latter, one of our favourite vegetables, due to its versatility. It's perfect as young leaves in a salad or, as larger leaves, added at the last minute to a risotto, pasta dish or beans stew.

And now, it's time for the the gooseberries.

These were picked from daughter's garden the other day. The gooseberries on our own bush on the allotment are very small, possibly due to the fact that we uprooted and moved it to another part of the plot earlier in the year, as part of the allotment overhaul.

But these ones from daughter's garden were plump and juicy.😄

I cooked them with a little elderflower cordial to eat with spoonfuls of creamy white yoghurt.

The red gooseberry bush, by contrast, left undisturbed, has produced lots of delicious pink hued berries.
After a quick 'google', I found a recipe for a lovely sounding cake on the Waitrose website-

Gooseberry and almond cake - a perfect way to use some of them up.

  

A deliciously moist cake, made all the better with a dollop of cream!

This weekend marks the beginning of a major relaxation of lockdown rules, with bars, cafés, pubs and restaurants joining non essential shops in being able to open.

These last few months have brought hardship and personal tragedy for so many, but also a slowing down and a re-evaluation for a lot of us ... and I will be sorry to see that lost in the rush back to 'normality'.

Stay safe and speak soon.

Annie

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