I’m back. I sort of went on a bit of an unplanned mini hiatus from blog writing. Life got a bit intense this year. If you’re curious as to why, there are two main reasons. One being that I was planning a wedding. Sam and I got married last month. It was a beautiful and overwhelming day that I will never forget. If you have ever planned a wedding or any other big event, you will know how completely time consuming they can be, especially the nearer you get to the date.
It has also been quite a tough summer; I was diagnosed with epilepsy following two completely unexpected seizures in the spring. I won’t discuss my experience in great detail now – I am still trying to get my head around it. But I thought I would share my diagnosis, because it is something I may well write about in the future. I also want to say that generally, day to day I am ok, and I am very fortunate that my medication appears to be working, in that I haven’t had any further loss of consciousness or convulsions. I am also surrounded by amazing friends and family who have really supported me.
All that to explain why I haven’t written a blog for a while! Let’s move back to gardening! It’s autumn, and although I have a few vegetables growing in my raised beds, they are not quite as bursting with life as they were a few months ago:
I had such grand plans for my vegetable beds this year. And I did grow a lot, much more than last year, so I am proud of that. I also took my eye off the ball (life and stuff) and had quite a few fails, but more about that on another occasion – let’s stay positive for this one. I thought I would share some details about the fruit and vegetables we grew and enjoyed this summer. When I say we, I mean mostly me. Sam doesn’t get quite as excited about eating vegetables as I do. He does get excited about the fact that we grow them though... he’s a funny one.
1. Beetroot ‘Boltardy’
I went for tried and tested with my beetroot choice this year. ‘Boltardy’ is a very reliable cultivar and they grew well for me. I’m happy that I have a few young plants growing away now for harvest late winter/early spring. I love beetroot and I always have. I love the dark red colour, and the pink stems. I love the fact that you can eat the root, stem and leaves. I love the slightly sweet and earthy taste, I love how easy it is to grow from seed, and how well it grows in the British climate.
It is the marmite of the vegetable world, but if you don’t like beetroot, I would suggest to keep trying it because it is so good for you and so versatile. I grew up eating pickled beetroot, so it has never been a vegetable I have had to develop a taste for – unlike Sam who hates it!
This summer I really enjoyed beetroot fresh in salads. I would chop up the stems and leaves and lightly dress them in sesame oil, and then add in the peeled root with other raw vegetables. If I could be bothered, the beetroot would be finely sliced or grated, but most of the time I would just roughly chop it up. Its definitely a strong taste raw though, and probably more palatable when its cooked.
If you boil the roots, you can then blend them and make a great soup called Borscht. I think traditionally you swirl in sour cream. I found adding some crumbled feta cheese and chopped chives were a delicious alternative. If I have one tip, I would wait until the hot beetroot roots have cooled a bit before you add them to the blender, otherwise you get this situation:
2. Cucumber ‘Mini Muncher’
There is nothing nicer than picking a fresh cucumber and just chomping away at it. This is how most of the cucumbers I grew were eaten to be honest. Many didn’t get as far as the kitchen, let alone the salad bowl. I was impressed with the ‘Mini-Muncher’ cultivar. Although they are expensive (Only 6 seeds to a packet and only 4 germinated) the plants themselves were strong and steady growers, and flowered a fair amount given how little I fed them. And just like courgettes, if you leave the cucumbers on the vine too long they become monsters. As cucumber plants scramble and climb all over the place, Sam built a wooden frame to sit at the edge of the bed, and I trained two cucumber plants up it, which kept it tidy(ish) and made pretty efficient use of the space. I will definitely be growing this cultivar next year.
3. Tumbling Tom Red – Cherry tomato
I don’t know who bred this tomato, but whoever they are, they are a genius! This cherry tomato grows quite happily in containers and tumbles down rather than out and up, which adds to the ornamental element. It also flowers and fruits profusely. We almost had a constant supply for a good couple of months from about six plants, three of which we grew in completely unsuitable, shallow terracotta pots hung on the front of our greenhouse. Yes I did have to water them daily when it was hot, but I quite like watering – I find it relaxing – and all tomatoes need to be watered regularly anyway.
Just like the cucumbers, I tended to snack on these as I pottered around the garden. But I also ate them a lot in salads and I made a pasta sauce out of them. I have frozen a few as an experiment so I shall see how these fare as I defrost them to add them to various cooked dishes.
The tumbling tom cultivars are excellent value for money - they grow well in containers, they produce a lot of fruit, and as they are so small and sweet, I think they are a great variety to grow with kids. I pre-ordered the plugs plants from Suttons in late winter, and Waitrose sell them as young plants from about April onwards. I would definitely think about ordering the plugs again, and if you happen to see them in Waitrose next spring, get them straight away!
4. Pea ‘Blauwschokker’
I admit it, it was the purple pods that attracted me to this cultivar rather than its reputation for being a good cropper. But it turns out it had the goods to back it up! This cultivar germinated well, and grew happily up the pea netting I had attached to the fence. It flowered profusely too, and we got lots and lots of lovely peas! And it is a beautiful sight seeing purple pods form, if nothing else because you spot them straight away against the green leaves. Sam really enjoyed picking and eating the peas fresh from the pod - something I never thought I would see from a vegetable tolerator. I added them to all sorts of dishes; from salads to curries and risotto. So, in summary, Pea ‘Blauwschokker’ gets a big thumbs up.
5. Sprouting Brocoli ‘Summer Purple’
I like to look at this vegetable as a success story, because I got a good crop of sprouting broccoli from my plants before I had to pull them out when the cabbage white butterfly caterpillars appeared as if from nowhere and caused mayhem – but more about that on another blog! I was very proud of growing this crop because purple sprouting broccoli is so nutritious and best eaten as fresh as possible, as it loses nutrients the more it is handled. It is also just a beautiful looking plant.
I am fairly unadventurous with cooking broccoli – I like to lightly steam it rather than mix it into anything. I will definitely be trying this cultivar again next year and I recommend purple sprouting broccoli to anyone who grows vegetables. Even if you just have space for one plant in a container – it will be worth it!
6. Calamondin – Kumquat and mandarin hybrid
This was an unexpected delight. I received this plant as a gift from some friends when I came out of hospital. It was a well-chosen plant for me as I have always wanted to try growing a citrus; and now I have a greenhouse, I hope I will be able to overwinter it – fingers crossed this winter isn’t severe. It is very ornamental on its own, even if you don’t harvest the fruit. But if you do, they are edible. This citrus plant is a cross between a kumquat and a mandarin. The fruits are very small and tart, so not one for your kid’s lunchbox. However, one fruit cut in half and squeezed into a gin and tonic with a bit of fresh mint is just the ticket on a warm summer evening.
So there you have it, my fruit and vegetable successes of summer 2019! Thank you for reading - I hope you found it helpful or inspiring.
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