The allotment

Now that we have decided to gut down the allotment size we have a much more positive attitude to be able to manage it and keep it looking like a space to be proud of, we have started in prepration for next year. The first step is to build the first raised bed which will also give us somewhere to put the soil out the duck pond hole.

As I don't agree with spending money for anything on an allotment (other than plants or seeds) we are using up all the wood we have, which includes some heavyweight planks which have been lying around for a long time.

More to come later as we try to work out how we are going to fill it as it is going to take tons of soil.

Pashley Poppy in Pink

This is the reason why Katy called to visit. Last week, Rebecca got a beautiful new bike from 'Brian's Bikes' of Tonbridge. When she was there she spotted a pink bike and knowing that her sister had been looking for a bike Matt mentioned it to her.

As we were going to Kent to the Sissinghurst Smallholders Fayre this weekend we said that we would pop in and have a look.

As you can see, once we got there and saw it, a quick phone call to Katy meant that it was soon paid for and in the back of the car.

She is now the proud owner of the Rolls Royce of bicycles - a Pashley. This model is Poppy and it could have been designed especially for Katy.

Trying saying it 10 times quickly - Pashley Poppy in Pink.

Katy's plums

Katy visited today (I will tell you why some other time) and brought a bowl of surplus plums from her tree. I think they are Victoria. The taste is the most beautiful I have ever experienced in a plum.

After removing the stalks I weighed them and there was exactly 3 pounds. There may have been 4 when she brought them but I may have eaten quite a few between then and now.

They are now in a pan to make a few jars of Pyotts Products Katy's plum jam.

Figs

How about these boys.

We have already had two figs from the fig tree (not sure which other trees have figs) but there were also some hidden that I found when they were slightly over ripe. I don't think it would do Nick's digestive system good to eat this number of plums in a few days so I have been searching for a recipe for fig rolls.











While searching I found a recipe for Fig and Almond tart which should look like this. Here is the recipe from BBC Good Food:

1.Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a shallow loose-bottomed 25cm flan tin (watch our video to see how to do this. Make sure the pastry comes above the rim - it may shrink in baking and the filling could spill. Chill for 30 minutes.
2.Meanwhile, cut the figs in half lengthways and sit them cut side up on a roasting tray. Mix the orange juice and honey in a bowl, pour over the figs and roast for 10-12 minutes until just soft. Drain off any juice into a saucepan and reserve.
3.Prick the base of the chilled pastry case all over with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to fan 130C/conventional 150C/ gas 2. Leave the pastry case to cool slightly before filling.
4.Cream butter and sugar in a food processor or with an electric beater until smooth and pale. Tip in the ground almonds and zest and whizz briefly to combine. Add egg yolks and 1 tbsp of the reserved fig juice and whizz again until smooth. Spread evenly over the pastry case.
5.Gently press the figs cut side up into the almond mixture. Bake for 11⁄4 hours or until it's golden all over (don't worry if the centre still seems soft - a little gooeyness is good). Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove sides and transfer on its base to a wire rack to cool.
6.Before serving, take the tart off its base and transfer to a flat platter or board. If you have juice left from roasting the figs, bring it to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes until sticky and syrupy. Brush this over the figs and serve as soon as possible, while the syrup is still glossy on the figs (it will start to seep through into the filling if you leave it too long).

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1460/honey-roasted-fig-and-almond-tart

Year of the fruit

It is definately a fruit year. We went to the allotment to get every tub and bin we could find for the spare soil out of the pond hole. We will use this to fill a raised bed (one we get round to building the raised bed.

We have decided to give up 51 as we have the duck compound of 53 to use for growing so will have a much more managable space and will get organised with making it easier to work - wtch this space for updates.

While we were there I picked some blackberries, raspberries and blueberries to eaer that day and realised that there was a glut of raspberries ready to pick. Unfortunately there wasn't a container in sight but..... I did have some large flower pots which would hold plums so we collected the reasonable ones that had faller and picked the ready plums on the trees.

Two big flowerpots later I realised that I was going to have to do something with them and as I was in Southampton on Tuesday and London on Wednesday, they had to be kept cool until today. That means today is officially named - Plum Jam Day.

Once again, good in theory but I didn't have a pan big enought for all of them so they are being done in two batches. Here is the first.

Busy sewing

I might not be doing a lot at the allotment at the moment but I have been busy in the sewing room. As I am working at home I allow myself a 1/2 hour lunch break one day to cut and the next day to sew. I have been following a sew-along where instructions for two different blocks are published every Tuesday. After 6 weeks there were enough blocks to make a quilt top.









I couldn't decide on which fabric range to use so I made two versions. All I have to do now is trim them so that they are the same size, sew them together, choose a backing, sew the three layers together with the wadding, bind the edge and then keep warm under it. Easy peasy.

Major excavations

Yesterday was duck pond digging day. All started well for the first foot but I soon found out why I had trouble growing well in the garden when the soil stopped and it became stone. Brian had to resort to pickaxe rather than spade but after an exellent work out there is a fantastic hole ready for the liner (which is now on order).

The pond is approxc 12 x 7 feet and just under 2 feet deep with a slope at one end for the ducks who like to just paddle. We are going to lay paving slabs around the edge on all sides which will hopefully go some way towards saving the lawn.






The ducks have done an excellent job of clearing all the soil of worms and grubs and Angel has done her inspection. It shows that she is taller sitting down than standing up.

You can see the quality of the ground behind where the stones are piled up. There is a small layer of just soil and then the stones start.

After the expense of the liner, the next on the agenda is a pump and filter and then a lorry load of topsoil for the garden.

Another birthday present

For my birthday Katy made me a beautiful mosaic bird . I haven't seen any birds bathing in it yet but it makes a wonderful drinking bowl.

The shed

You will see from the title that there is a bit of an ownership issue with the new shed. I call it my shed but Angel thinks otherwise. Whenever I am working in the shed she keeps guard outside the door and when I leave she goes in and checks her various sleeping positions to make sure I haven't disturbed anything.

Anyway.... I have been busy on the outside and wanted to put a flower bed in front of the shed but found that the ground was so solid that I couldn't even get a spade in. As a temporary measure, I used the blocks that are still staked up from when we took down the raised bed and put some lovely big flower pots on them. It is a bit late to plant them up but I have put some perenials in so next year they should be lovely.

I also put up two of the bird houses that I got for my birthday and hope that being under the tree and near one of the feeding stations that I will seen get neighbours.

The third house is going up on the side of the duck compound as this is also near a tree but out of cat reach.

As a special treat I will also show you the inside of the shed. There is a Lloyd loom chair, a tall cabinet with small drawers and some shelves near the door that you can't see. I have two bins one for rubbish and one for fabric scraps. I have also marked Angel's sleeping spots. It seems to vary depending on time of day, termperature and how much of a look out she needs.

Don't be fooled by the sewing machine on the bench, this is just for show as there is no power so I have to cut in the shed and sew in the sewing room.

Allotment clear up

A couple of weeks ago we had a very special treat when Matt and Rebecca visited in that Matt was spared to spend some time at our allotment. The main job that the boys tasked themselves with was having a big clear up - mainly No 53 and the area next to the little greenhouse on No 52.

Both areas look fantastic but one of the things that it brought home is what a fantastic job the ducks did of keepingthe weeds and grass down in No 53 (now known as the orchard). This is the bag of weeds and cuttings that Matt put in a bag.

One big problem is that he has now gone back to his own allotment leaving us with this bag which is so heavy we can't move it, so it is going to stay where it is and be a permanant feature for greenery that can't be composted and as it rots down we will just keep adding to it.

Bonus.