Sunday 29 June 2014

It's Broccoli Week

We've been eating very well this week - there's been a distinct broccoli flavour to everything: Paella with broccoli, courgettes and whole young broad beans; Broccoli Romanesco dhal; Pasta with courgette and broccoli bolognese; Broccoli and broad bean risotto. Only today we're having a day off from broccoli with starters of beetroot salad and steamed chard with hard-boiled eggs, followed by a large plate of new Epicure potatoes with butter, salt and peeper.

All the main heads of broccoli are gone. Now waiting for the secondary growth
All the main heads of broccoli are gone. Now waiting for the secondary growth

Our first Broccoli Romanesco
Our first Broccoli Romanesco
This was the week that we discovered that chickens like raspberries. On the job list for next week: putting chicken wire around the raspberries. Luckily the strawberries are netted off and outside the hens' roaming range. The Symphony strawberries especially are delicious.

Inside, one of the cantaloupe melons had its first male flower. I've taken out the growing tips to encourage lateral growth, but it looks like I'll have to hand pollinate, just like with the indoor cucumbers.

The cantalope melons
The cantaloupe melons

The cats had been using the salad pond as a giant litter box so we've had to improve the netting and re-sow the next lot of lettuces. But since they are doing such an excellent job at vole control we can't really be angry.

Our most advanced pumpkin
Our most advanced pumpkin
The parsnip and chard bed
The parsnip and chard bed
The de-leafed celeriac is starting to bulk up
The de-leafed celeriac is starting to bulk up
One of the Brussels sprouts is making a getaway
 One of the Brussels sprouts is making a getaway
In the spring we had rescued a lot of frog spawn from a puddle on the road and deposited it in our wildlife pond. Now the next generation of pest control is leaping about the garden. Go, amphibians!

Little froggers everywhere
Little froggers everywhere










6 comments:

  1. Chicken and broccoli tagatelli. Mmmmm cream sauce with garlic and oragano.

    Here's a weird one. Brocolli and hazelnut pasta sauce. Cook brocolli and puree it and add ground hazelnuts and seasoning.

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  2. What happens with all those little frogs ?

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  3. fettlersonland30 June 2014 at 13:39

    Hopefully they'll stick around and eat lots of slugs and snails!

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  4. fettlersonland30 June 2014 at 13:39

    Ooh, I like the sound of the hazelnut recipe.

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  5. This is all looking very good indeed. The Romanesco is as pretty as a picture what a marvel they are. I am very envious of your paths - anything to keep down the weeding get a big thumbs up. Oh, how my hens would enjoy those frogs they are currently running around trying to decimate the butterfly population just as well the butterflies are better fliers.

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  6. fettlersonland2 July 2014 at 19:04

    Yes, it's all coming together and I'm enjoying the fresh veg immensely. I can definitely recommend the heavy duty weed fabric. There was an insane number of weeds on the paths and I can barely keep up with weeding the beds! Does the Romanesco normally have secondary growth like the other Broccoli types? I seem to have some plants with secondary growth but most without.

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