Tag: allotment
-
Allotment berries
It has been a couple of weeks since I visited the allotment and we’ve had lots of warm weather and rain which was meant it was an overgrown mess. Fortunately I enlisted the help of my family although it’s debatable how helpful Daniel and Elizabeth actually were. Still we managed to tidy it up much…
-
Home-grown meal
It has been several weeks since I’ve been to the allotment and I knew it would be overgrown with weeds so yesterday I enlisted some helpers called Ben, Daniel, and Elizabeth. We managed to get a lot done in a short period and I think the kids even enjoyed aspects of it like harvesting potatoes…
-
Grandad visiting, end of school, and allotmenting
There’s lots happening at the moment but the big news is grandad is visiting which is fantastic. Daniel is keen to catch up to grandad’s height and he’s getting close! Daniel is still growing and grew almost 1cm just in the last month so he may yet make it. Yesterday was the last day of…
-
Home-grown and a Rocket update
This is my lunch most days. It consists of my home-made sourdough which I bake several times a week now. As well as avocado, beetroot, tofu and today I have home-grown radish and rocket. Not much grows at this time of year but radishes and salad greens do. I’ve also had a constant supply of…
-
Potato planting and wallpapering
We planted some potatoes at the allotment today. Lately Elizabeth has become interested in gardening because she has idyllic visions of being self-sufficient. I can remember going through a phase like this when I was about her age. At the time it motivated me to try making my own soap which I did with a…
-
Hedgehogs eating the snails and berries from my allotment
Are you sick of hedgehog updates yet? We’ve been seeing the hedgehogs a lot. Last night we saw one of them clambering up the compost heap. Then this morning I saw one eating and drinking from the food bowl I put out. That green house is the Hogilo which you can buy from the British…
-
Allotment produce in January and Veganuary
I got four leeks and lots of kale at my allotment today. There’s still a number of leeks left; definitely enough to last us until spring. My pond is filled with leaves and I had this idea that I’d pull them out until I actually tried. They’re frozen in! I took this video of it.…
-
Snow and storm Arwen
The first snow of the season arrived last Friday. We didn’t get a huge amount in Aberdeen but enough for me to get excited and for it to look Christmassy. I went for a bike ride on Sunday and this was the scene. On Friday night we got hit by Storm Arwen which was fierce…
-
The wasp and the sticky bun
I had an encounter with the local wildlife on the weekend: a wasp stung me on my lip. It was not a particularly nice experience. I blame the cinnamon bun. I had gone to Bandit Bakery to get some bread. Bandit Bakery is the best artisan bakery on the planet and they make the best…
-
Pancake Sunday
It’s still lockdown here. We’ve been in lockdown since Christmas. I was sure back then that restrictions would be relaxed in January. How wrong was I? We have had to cancel our April holiday. This is the same April holiday we cancelled last year in April – we moved it to this April. Now we’ve…
-
Spuds
I’ve never been a huge fan of potatoes but it’s funny how when you start growing something yourself it takes on a new value. Potatoes are so easy to grow, they’re not affected by slugs, or pigeons, and they don’t need any special netting. All you do is bung them in the ground in spring…
-
Bees in the artichoke
Another Sunday of weeding at the plot has come and gone. It’s amazing how much the plot changes from winter to summer. This was the plot back in April. Here it is today. The artichoke has started flowering and it’s beautiful. I counted 5 bees in the flower head. Something was decimating my kale (deer…
-
Haircuts, avocados, allotments, scones, and buying undies
I gave Daniel a haircut today. His hair was annoying him and he’s been asking for a haircut for several weeks. I don’t think he’s going to be a grungy musician when he grows up. Here’s the before and after photo. Many months ago I ate an avocado and decided to grow a plant from…
-
Perennial vegetables
I harvested lots of green leafy veg at the allotment today. I’ve remembered what the cauliflower-looking plant is. It’s a perennial broccoli that I planted last summer called Brassica Oleracea Botrytis Asparagoides. It should continue producing these cauliflower-type heads for five years as long as I continue to harvest them. It’s only just starting fruiting…
-
Rachel’s allotment and hot cross buns
I’ve got the day off work today so I cycled to the allotment to put up my new sign. I met a couple of other people there and one fellow told me he received a phone call from the city council because his plot was also missing a number. Of all the things going on…
-
I’m in the newspaper, allotment signs, and more jumping
I received another email from the council this week about my allotment. You may remember that they emailed me (and presumably everyone with an allotment in Aberdeen) a couple of weeks ago to say plotters would not be able to go to their allotments while the pandemic restrictions are in place. However, this was quickly…
-
Kale, parsnip, and a recipe for bannocks
I went to my plot today to pick some kale. I also found this huge parsnip. It was pretty quiet at the allotments with practically no one there on what is a beautifully warm and sunny spring Sunday. Everything is starting to come to life including the rhubarb. We’ll be eating rhubarb crumble before too…
-
Eating during a pandemic
On Sunday, for Mother’s Day, I felt like a fry-up and since all the restaurants and cafés were closed we made something at home. We had mushrooms, baked beans, toast, vegan sausages, spinach, my home-made sauerkraut, and vegan black pudding. The black pudding is made by The Bury Black Pudding Company and contains black beans.…
-
Let the battle begin
We had a nice afternoon at the allotment today planting some tatties and spreading lovely soil from the compost heap over the garden beds. There’s something very satisfying about getting your hands stuck into a heap of compost and spreading it around. The kids were initially very bored and complaining until Ben suggested they plant…
-
Wonky parsnips and the winter solstice
I went to my allotment today having not been there for a few weeks. I picked some leeks and parsnips for Christmas dinner but my leeks are looking a bit wonky. Does anyone know why this happens? It’s the first time I’ve ever grown parsnips so I’m excited even if they look deformed. It was…
rachel.blog 