Friday 2 July 2010

Here's one I grew earlier

We have enjoyed the fruits of my sister's allotment for quite a few years now. Both she and my brother-in-law work very hard to produce the most amazing vegetables. There really is nothing like growing your own for flavour and freshness.

As Lynne has got a rather large allotment she suggested that we might like to take on a couple of plots and have a go at growing our own too. "You'll enjoy it" she said. "It will be fun" Mmmm.

So, a couple of weeks ago, having bribed Tiny with a post-digging pint or two of foaming ale, we dug, weeded and prepared two plots and planted carrots, spring onions, beetroots and three types of beans: runner, climbing and dwarf.

Three of my babies still in the nursery

I have to say, that harvesting our first beetroots and spring onions has been quite exciting (I don't get out much).

Along with some of Lynne's broad beans, we decided to have our 'first born's' in a warm goats cheese salad.

I roasted the beets and blanched and peeled the broad beans. I then fried up a few smoked bacon lardons, made a mustardy dressing and toasted some walnuts. Finally, I warmed the goats cheese in the oven until it was a bit oozy, then assembled the salad.


It was delicious. The beetroots were sweet, the cheese unctuous and the bacon, well, there's nothing that bacon doesn't improve in my opinion.

Lynne was right, the allotment is worth all the hard work. In fact going over on a sunny evening to water and weed is the perfect way to unwind. All you can hear are the birds singing, the other allotmenteers always smile and say hello and you go home with some really fresh veg for your dinner.

I think I'm hooked.

6 comments:

  1. Excellent for your first go Jan and Mike, I hope you'll be back for more next year and grow even more. Go on... admit it, you are enjoying it a bit ;o)
    Lynne

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  2. You are right there is nothing better than eating your own fruit and veg grown by your on fair hand.

    Or in my case, mostly by my Dad's fair hands.

    Keep allotmenteering!

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  3. Superb, nice to see a new post Jan - it's been too long. I'm extremely jealous of you're allotment. BTW, thanks again for lunch the other day :)

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  4. I was wondering where you had gotten to - now I know you were digging!!! There is something so tasty about produce that you have grown yourself. Looks sooooooooo good. xxxx

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  5. When did you go blue? I like it.

    I wish I could grow things.

    That salad looks beautiful and I don't even like goats' cheese.

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  6. Lynnyrobbo - Ha ha! Yes we are - well I am! Tiny still has to be coaxed over there with the promise of beer :D

    Danny - I'm defintely going to try to. It is SO rewarding.

    Dan - Well whenever you come back, there will be a beetroot with your name on it :)

    Diane - Thank you! Yes I know, I'm going to try much harder to post more frequently.

    MiMi - Thank you very much. I've always been blue - honest!

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