How to harvest beetroot

We had a good crop of beetroot earlier in the year which have now been harvested and either eaten: raw grated, cooked or cooked and bottled in vinegar (see my posting of 3.8.11).  

Now we're left with lots of tiny plants at the allotment, so I wondered if it's worth digging these up or leaving for a few more weeks in case they grow a bit:

One rule of thumb to apply next year is that they take about 90 days from sowing to harvesting, so will try to keep a diary of sowing.


Helpful sites including: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-harvest-beetroot


BBC site (probably designed for children and complete novices): http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/digin/vegetables/beetroot.shtml

Leeks

Last year my leeks we attacked by some sort of insect, just when they were beginning to flourish.  I looked it up (unfortunately, I can't remember the name) and apparently this insect only tends to attack in July and August.  
So when planting the leeks out in the summer, I covered them with a fine mesh netting tunnel (see bottom of pic below) and subsequently have planted out the rest of the leek plants since the middle of September. 
So far this seems to have worked as none have been attacked.

However, I was talking to an allotment colleague today and he said that if ever this insect does attack the leeks again, he said 'don't worry, just cut of the tops of the leeks, just below where they've been attacked and they will recover in time'.  This sounds like very useful information.


So, I'm hopeful  that in the New Year we will be eating tasty home-grown leek and potato soup (with a hint of tarragon!).


Hint: before planting out leeks, top and tail them, leaving only about 2cm of root. Soak the leek roots in some water.  Make  deep holes about 6" to 9" apart with a dibber and pop in the tiny leeks (shorter roots means they're easier to plant). Then don't firm them in, but fill up the hole with water, keep them well-watered and weeded.  Easy!

Overwintered Red Onions

On Gardeners' World tonight Monty Don suggested planting red onions now, ready to eat in June next year.  He recommends planting quite deeply, making a hole first so the soil underneath them is not so compacted.   Then put fleece over until they're growing well, to avoid them being pulled out by hopeful birds.

I'd love to make Red Onion Marmalade next summer ....

One recipe recently found is from The Good Food Magazine of October 2003 (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/):

Red Onion Marmalade

2kg Red Onions

4 cloves Garlic

140g Butter

4 tbsp Olive Oil

140g Golden Caster Sugar

1 tbsp fresh Thyme Leaves

1 pinch Chilli Flakes (optional)

75cl Red Wine

350ml Sherry Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar

300ml Port

• Thinly slice onions and garlic.
• Melt butter and oil in large saucepan until quite hot.
• Add onions and garlic and stir.
• Sprinkle over sugar, thyme leaves, chilli flakes (if using) and s&p
• Turn down heat and cook, uncovered, for about 45 mins, stirring occasionally.
• The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they're really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelising. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Slow cooking is the secret of really soft and sticky onions, so no need to rush.
• Pour in wine, vinegar and port and simmer, still uncovered, over high heat for about 25 mins, stirring occasionally, until onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two thirds.
• It's ready when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice.
• Leave onions to cool in the pan, then scoop into sterilised jars and seal
• Can be eaten straight away but keeps in fridge for up to three months.
• Can also be made with ordinary onions.

Runner Bean Glut

If, like us, we have far, far too many runner beans - then what to do with them is a challenge.



This website had some good ideas: http://everything-runnerbean.com/cooking-and-eating.html# - stir fry, spicy, stew, soup ...


and here's another fun site: http://recycleworks.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/if-your-runner-beans-are-stringy-dont-despair-turn-them-into-yummy-runner-bean-soup/

This amount of beans is not too much, but when this is picked every day ... well ..

And there's a good recipe from:  http://www.cooksister.com/2008/08/runner-bean-soup.html.  From what this site says, unfortunately they haven't had such a good summer up in London.


These recipes seems to have onions, potatoes, carrots and stock. With sherry, thyme, savoury, mint and/or garlic are, so will try this tomorrow...


Am also going to make some yummy Leek and Potato Soup to which I love to add tarragon!


7pm: Well I've made some Leek and Potato Soup and put it in the freezer and have also tried the runner bean soup recipe (the one with potato, rather than with carrot) and it does seem rather a lot of beans. 
Memo: next time weigh the beans before topping, tailing and strimming the sides, then they'll weigh much less. (Incidentally, the beans which were cooked with the soup, and then removed before whizzing the soup, we ate with a meal and they were rather delicious, both hot and cold!)

Union Flag Fruit Cake

Recent front page of  weekend Telegraph supplement - yum, yum!

I don't know if this is a tea towel - if not it certainly should be.

Supporting and Helping Wildlife

From September 2011 issue of 'Country Gardener', page 42:


"One of the key changes in gardening in Britain over the past ten years is the importance we all give now to sustaining and helping wildlife.
Country Gardener: http://www.countrygardener.co.uk/

This includes using nature-friendly products and materials. You also need to be prepared to leave the garden alone to get on with its business.  The popularity of wildlife has also led to a whole variety of places to visit and things to see where wildlife is a major attraction.


Bird Care Weekend - a 'tweet' for all the family: Bird lovers from Somerset are being invited to a garden in the county this October to find out more about their feathered friends.  Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre is hosting a Bird Care Weekend on 29 and 30 October to tie in with the Royal Society for the Protection of BGirds (RSPB) 'Feed the Birds Day' on 29 October."

The site http://www.rspb.org.uk/feedthebirds/ gives ten top tips to help you be a host to all kinds of wildlife in our gardens.  Ideas are also given on creating homes for wildlife: feeding birds, bird baths, shrubs and flowers, nesting boxes, wildlife stacks - and they also offer free advice via this site.

Here's a link to other events listed by the RSPC as part of 'Feed the Birds Day'  http://www.rspb.org.uk/feedthebirds/events.aspx

Green Tomatoes

We have lots of green tomatoes but are still (beginning of September) waiting to enjoy some ripe ones.  However, others are turning brown in parts, whilst still on the bush.  I'm afraid they'll affect the healthy tomatoes so have picked them and cut off the brown bits, leaving about 1 kg of tomatoes to do something with.


I've also picked some of the healthy green tomatoes and put them on the windowsill to ripen, and another idea I saw on the internet was to ripen them in a paper bag.

• A friend said that green tomatoes are very tasty if sliced, dipped into egg and then breadcrumbs and fried in some oil, could also add parsley, tarragon, garlic salt and pepper to the breadcrumbs first.
• Apparently the Mediterranean way is to coat the sliced tomatoes in olive oil and champagne vinegar, salt and pepper, put a thin slice of pancetta and feta cheese on top of them as a raw salad.
• Another, more British, way of eating green tomatoes is to make Green Tomato Chutney, for which I have found a recipe but not yet tried. 

7.9.11: I made Green Tomato Chutney from a Delia recipe and it's rather tasty.  Just in case we weren't too keen, I made a quarter of the recipe which has resulted in three jars of chutney.  It's good with lots of things, including ham, sausages, fish and cheese.  So here's a recipe.


Delia Smith's Green Tomato Chutney
1 kg Green Tomatoes
1 kg Cooking Apples
900g Onions
450g Raisins
600 g Soft Brown Sugar (or Demerara)
25g Pickling Spice
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 level dssp Ground Ginger
1/2 tbsp Salt
1.75 litres Genuine Malt Vinegar

• Cut tomatoes into quarters; peel the onions and quarter them; and peel and core the apples.
• Chop finely tomatoes (or quickly whizz on food processor).
• Place tomatoes in the pan, then onions, then raisins, followed by the apples.
• Now stir in garlic, cayenne, salt, ginger and sugar.
• Tie pickling spice in a small piece of double thickness gauze and attach it to the handle, so that it hangs down into other ingredients.
• Pour in the vinegar, bring to simmering point, remove any scum from surface, then let it simmer very gently for about three and a half hours with lid off (I cooked mine in the pressure cooker for much less time then finished with lid off).  Stir it occasionally to prevent sticking.
• It's ready when vinegar is almost absorbed and chutney has thickened to a nice soft consistency and spoon leaves a trail.
• Be careful not to overcook and it does thicken as it cools.
• Pour hot chutney into hot jars, cover with waxed sealing discs and seal with tight lid at once.
• Wipe jars and label when chutney is cold.

13 September:  Today we were given lots of green tomatoes and made this Green Tomato Sauce below (another Delia Smith recipe) and it was really nice.  We had it as a vegetable with jacket potatoes and Delia says that it's good with sausages and also with fish.


Delia Smith's Green Tomato Sauce


1 lb green tomatoes
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
chilli
s&p


Cut off any brown bits on the tomatoes, no need to remove skins.
Mince/whizz tomatoes.
Fry pepper, garlic and onion in the oil.  Add the green tomatoes, cumin, chilli, s&p. 
Cook with lid on for about 15 mins, then about 10 mins with lid off.
Very nice hot or cold.