Eats plants
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… Continue reading Home-grown and a Rocket update
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… Continue reading Potato planting and wallpapering
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… Continue reading Hedgehogs eating the snails and berries from my allotment
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.… Continue reading Allotment produce in January and Veganuary
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… Continue reading Snow and storm Arwen
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… Continue reading The wasp and the sticky bun
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… Continue reading Pancake Sunday
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… Continue reading Spuds
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… Continue reading Bees in the artichoke
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… Continue reading Haircuts, avocados, allotments, scones, and buying undies
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… Continue reading Perennial vegetables
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… Continue reading Rachel’s allotment and hot cross buns
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… Continue reading I’m in the newspaper, allotment signs, and more jumping
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… Continue reading Kale, parsnip, and a recipe for bannocks
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.… Continue reading Eating during a pandemic
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… Continue reading Let the battle begin
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… Continue reading Wonky parsnips and the winter solstice
Yesterday I picked all these tomatoes at my allotment and even discovered a cucumber! This must be a first for Aberdeen: a cucumber in November. I thought my cucumber plant had died but it's a bit of jungle in the glasshouse and I didn't notice this cucumber until yesterday. I picked all the green tomatoes… Continue reading A cucumber in Scotland in November
I got a funny mix of summer and winter veg at the plot today. The tomatoes in the glasshouse are still fruiting, although more slowly now, and I harvested the first of my leeks. I also harvested my one and only pumpkin. It has been small and green for several weeks now so I decided… Continue reading Pickings from my allotment and buffet breakfasts
Last Monday was a bank holiday here and we took the opportunity to visit Pitmedden Gardens. Despite being only 14 miles north of Aberdeen, we've never seen them before. We visited the café once on a trip to Tolquhon Castle but have never stopped to look at the gardens. Pitmedden Gardens is a recreation of… Continue reading Pitmedden Gardens
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