The first aubergine flowers opened this week.
As pretty as they are, I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get some fruit this year.
The garlic took a battering against the wind this week. I wasn't sure if they had keeled over because they are ready for picking or if the wind did it.... so I pulled one up.
When I cut it open, it didn't look as if the cloves had separated properly so I'm guessing they are not quite ready yet. I'm wondering if this is what people are talking about when they mention wet garlic? I'll leave them in a bit longer but keep an eye on them to make sure they haven't been damaged and need to come up anyway.
My relationship with radishes is a strange one... I don't like them, but grow them because I have free seeds and they don't take up much room. These ones are called hilds blauer herbst und winter and I'd not grown this variety before.
I decided this time that if I didn't like them I would stop growing them and give the seeds away. I nibbled on a little bit and still didn't like it, but what if I cooked them?
A quick scout through my vegetable cook book found a recipe for citrus radish confit. I also had some turnips and had previously glazed them, so decided to make a combination of citrus glazed turnips and radish - what a difference cooking them makes... delicious!
... cucumbers that is. I've been picking 3-4 every day, all mini-whites, but yesterday the first marketmore was ready.
So far I have pickled some and made chutney, and I've got another batch being pickled today.
The end of the mange tout and peas, signalled the beginning of my seed saving exploits for this season. I hadn't planned on saving legume seeds this year, but as I was cutting down the plants I came across numerous pods that I had missed when harvesting... they were too far gone to eat so I thought I may as well save them for future sowing.
Similarly I hadn't intended to save alium seed either, but my shallots persist in throwing up seed heads so I decided to collect them this time rather than composting them. I'm not sure even sure if it will work, but I may as well have a go at drying these out, collecting the seed and sowing next year.
I picked the last of the mange tout and peas yesterday, and cut down the plants.
I'm not sure how long they are supposed to crop for, but having checked my records from previous years, the mange tout last for about a month before the leaves turn yellow and production slows down. Plus, during the week the plants took a battering from the wind and collapsed on themselves so were even more tangled than normal.
They always seem to stop just before the french beans start producing too... not sure if that's coincidence or design, but I'll be picking a few of these later today.
My first attempt at pumpkins has produced these three beauties
During the week I removed the decaying / mouldy leaves and unpollinated fruit, and was left with one pumpkin on each plant.
Having read up on these things, you are supposed to raise them off the ground away from slugs etc., so this is what I have done.
They are jack o'lanterns which are supposed to produce huge, round, orange fruit ideal for halloween carving... one of them is a bit elongated but I'll just watch and see how they develop.
