I got to spend some quality time on the plot today and spent most of it just staring at things with a mix of awe and bemusement. The autumn flowering raspberries confused me because I'm pretty sure it's only July but there's definitely fruit on it already...not that I'm complaining!
I have no idea how my borlotti beans that only a few days ago looked like they just might not bother, have suddenly shot to the top of their supports and now look pretty annoyed that there's nothing for them to get to the moon on...
My pea plants have literally fallen over themselves with the number of pods. It's been lovely to be able to give them straight to small boy to eat like sweets though I'm still not sure he'd choose them over chocolate:)(what am I saying.. of course he wouldn't, he's 4 and he's my son!)
I got very excited when I saw this beautiful thing...it's quite small still and the leaves have been got at so it's not perfect, but to me it is...my very first Romanesco broccoli. Think I might be growing it for the wrong reasons...I don't want to eat it....just to admire it's spiralling symmetry;)
This is also a first for me...my first artichoke starting to form on a plant that I grew from seed last year. I have 4 plants and they are all getting huge. I knew they were big plants so I've given them plenty of room but it's like when you realise your children aren't little any more when they invite their friends round and suddenly your house is filled with teens, they take over and their shoes in the hall are just enormous. My artichokes have become teenagers, they just don't talk to me any more!
My asparagus peas which I have brought home proudly then realised quite quickly that I haven't a clue how to cook them and neither has any of our vast collection of recipe books! If you look up recipes online for them you get recipes for asparagus and peas...not helpful! I'm just going to simply steam them I think and have them with a tiny amount of butter.
Ladybirds...so many ladybirds! I can only think it's why the blackfly that had just discovered my broad beans suddenly, mysteriously disappeared. It's like when I was little in the summer of '76...sounds like the start of a song...don't worry it isn't;)...all I can remember (because I was quite young...honestly) were the ladybirds, they were everywhere, literally because I loved to collect them in jars (to the horror of my grandmother) so they were in the house, my bedroom at school...everywhere....I sometimes forgot to put the lids back on. I'm really happy to see them on my plot and they are the ladybirds from my childhood...little black legged, 7 spotted ones, not those enormous harlequin ones with the brown legs. It amazes me how those funny ugly little juvenile bugs become the instantly recognisable adults. Every time I lifted a leaf today I found the remains of the pupae sometimes with the adult newly emerged right by. I still find them fascinating but I might just keep my empty jars for jam;)
My beautiful but spikey Borage...I wouldn't be without it, even though brushing passed it to get to the peas is not such a lovely experience! You can eat the flowers, I'm quite tempted to freeze them into ice cubes...they'd look great in a mojito;) Lots of flowers, lots of ice, lots of mojito...what's not to love?
My celeriac was a bit of a disaster last year, they just never formed the bulbs and I left them for such a long time ever hopeful. In fact I've left them so long that they have turned into celery...no, not really but they look very similar and now they have flowered. They look quite spectacular actually and they are buzzing with all kinds of insect life so I will leave them until the flowers fade. They might not have fed me but they are now feeding plenty of others, not such a disaster after all;)
