Soft fruit harvests are relatively short-lived and so we are making the most of our present bounty of fruit. We don't use jam which is one of the traditional ways of using home grown soft fruit. Instead we either freeze fruit compote or the fruit with no additional preparation. This way we have home grown fruit throughout the year to have with porridge or yoghurt and for pies, crumbles or as an ingredient to many other recipes. When compared to supermarket prices soft fruit must have one of the highest VSRs (Value for Space Rating)
In spite of blight the affected potatoes are still producing a harvest. The Carouby de Mausanne mangetout are going strong and performing the best they have done in the three years that we have grown them which gives substance to 'the third time lucky' saying.
We are poised on the brink of a courgette glut with all varieties of courgette - zucchini (green), Tondo Chiaro di Nizza (pale green and round), Atena Polka and Sunbeam (both yellow) -now producing fruit. We have picked most of the broad beans from Witkiem Manita and picked the first lot of garden peas - Kelvedon Wonder.
We harvested our first cauliflower and it looks as though all the curds will be ready at the same time. We just hope that we can get a fair share as slugs appear to be shunning the leaves in favour of the curds
We harvested our first cauliflower and it looks as though all the curds will be ready at the same time. We just hope that we can get a fair share as slugs appear to be shunning the leaves in favour of the curds
I've also picked my first posy of flowers from the summer annual flower patch.
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You have so various fruits this week. The vegetables also so fresh. Such a nice week for your plot.
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice week, Endah
DeleteI love the VSR and use it in my garden, too. Your fruits look luscious!
ReplyDeleteHi Cristy - Fortunately we have the space to grow whatever we want,
DeleteWow look at all that fruit. And the flowers look lovely. I ought to pick my zinnias, but never have the heart to cut them.
ReplyDeleteI only cut flowers from the plot Daphne not the garden
Deleteone word - WOW! What a fantastic selection of fruit!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenny
DeleteBeautiful harvests! All those fruits look delicious and it will be great to be able to use them after the season passes. I'm not good at cutting flowers. They always look so pretty in the garden, that I just can't bear to cut them.
ReplyDeleteThe season of plenty is so short, Julie that we have to make the most of storing. As I replied to Daphne I don't cut flowers from the garden. Those on the plot are grown for cutting
DeleteSuch a wonderful assortment of fruit, it looks delicious. And your flowers are beautiful. Whew, that's a lot of broad beans! Do you go to all the work of peeling them?
ReplyDeleteNo Michelle - just poddng. The skins provide good fibre :)
DeleteWhat a harvest! I do envy you the soft fruit, the birds got all mine. What do you do re your potatoes, do you cook them before you freeze them, I baked mine last year then froze them, they were rather dry when de-frosted. Love that cauli, I haven't grown any this year.xxx
ReplyDeleteWe don't freeze potatoes, Snowbird as they store just fine without. Trouble is that the slugs love cauliflower too
DeleteLovely fruit. I always freeze the excess ready prepared for crumbles and things as well, it makes it so easy to use. My sugar snaps have been a bit disappointing this year. I planted a second lot of small plants at the allotment before I went away. When I got back they had ALL completely disappeared. In fact I don't seem to have a huge amount of stuff at the allotment. I think I need to look for a few plug plants. What do you do with the redcurrants? I guess they can be used just like blackcurrants. The flowers are lovely, some of my favourite colours, you've done well this year. I'll look forward to reading a post about them. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteWe had to resow one lots og peas that were eaten CJ. We do use redcurrants in a similar way to blackcurrants - I've used them in cheesecake too
DeleteLovely selection of fruit and veg Sue. My spare freezer has slowly been packed over the last couple of weeks with boxes of soft fruit, it has been a lovely harvest this year.
ReplyDeleteWe still have plums and greengages to come too, Jo
DeleteForgot autumn raspberries too
DeleteLovely vase of flowers Sue, and what a great harvest. We are having an ongoing debate about soft fruit vs. veg, and whether to devote a bed to soft fruit, complete with netting. Carouby de Mausane is this year's revelation, by far the tastiest mangetout eaten raw.
ReplyDeleteIf you enjoy eating it, soft fruit is well worth growing, Janet
DeleteI too like to freeze fruit Sue although this year I am going to be making a more wider variety of fruit vodkas as it was so succesful last year!! :-)
ReplyDeleteSo we'll know the reason for any strange typos in the future, Tanya :)
DeleteGreat harvest. All your fruits look very healthy.
ReplyDeleteFor potatoes try cutting off their stems. Potatoes will still grow inside the soil but they will not be affected with blight.
I have been cutting off any blighted parts, Leanan - even down to individual leaves which does appear to help,
DeleteWhat a fine harvest! Your bounty of broad beans is impressive. Sorry about your blight but I think Leanan above is on to something there, and it's worth a try cutting off their stems.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned above I have been cutting out what I can, Bren so hope it has kept it in check, Martyn is also spraying to try and protect the other beds of potatoes,
DeleteI'm glad that you grow Atena Polka courgette It's a very tasty and heavily croping variety, I love it from the first bite :)
ReplyDeleteAs for preserving fruit we mostly makes sweet jams and sour meat sauces or simply freeze them. In the past my grandma used to make compotes but my mom doesn't like them so she doesn't make them.
It's an attractive fruit too Dewberry,
DeleteWhat a fabulous harvest! And thanks for the link about VSR - a concept to which I am still very committed. It is always depressing to see the price of a punnet of Raspberries in the supermarket.
ReplyDeleteI know Mark not to mention currants although out greengrocer has large punnets of red and black currants for a pound which were grown locally.
DeleteYep, the freezer is the best gardener's friend, isn't it? We do make jams and compots, but freezing is a great way of having some fruit, as you said, for cakes and smoothies etc.
ReplyDeleteWe have quite a collection of freezers, Aga
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