Showing posts with label fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fire. Show all posts

Monday 16 October 2023

Rainbow

We have a LOT of mini pumpkins (Jack-Be-Little). They're actually a bit too small and may be a bit of a pain to cook, but they'll look nice in a Halloween display. My sister and a local nursery school will benefit from a few of them and I'll keep the slightly bigger ones for roasting.

We put them all in the polytunnel and zipped it closed ahead of the forecast frost at the weekend - and it did arrive. Brrr, we weren't used to it at all! 0.3° on Saturday night.

We weren't cold during the day on Saturday because it was a HAHA Workday. Lots of hedge-cutting - only to stop the fence getting overgrown; the birds are enjoying the berries far too much to cut back the laden branches. The bonfire was mostly old rotten wood from pallets and the like. The Sun shone for much of the day and it was a nice gathering of plotholders. We were watching the activity on the ivy in the hedge - so full of life!

Literally buzzing with flies, bees, hoverflies, ladybirds and wasps - all enjoying the nectar and pollen.

The frost has taken out some dahlias on site but our plot is a bit more protected because of its proximity to the hedge and our flowers are still blooming - the hummingbird hawkmoth was enjoying the verbena again at the end of the day yesterday.

I pulled the first parsnips yesterday - look at that monster. Of course I stuck the fork through that, so it went into the compost bin but I was pleased with the one on the right. Though they need a bit more frost to get the true parsnip flavour out of them, I'll try roasting some to see if that draws the flavour out.

The leeks were some which weren't transplanted but have grown quite thick in their original sowing location. That Wintery trug formed the basis of our gratin dinner - I added some chopped nuts and cheese to the top but I think the all-home-grown dish looked better before the cream and topping was added.

On Saturday, just when we were feeling ready to go home, there was a very timely (it damped down the embers) and very heavy shower! It was quite unexpected and we had to run for cover.

And then we had a lovely rainbow to enjoy!

And when the big black cloud moved on, we were bathed in sunshine with blue sky again - crazy weather!

So that's why today's song is provided by Marmalade - love the hippy lady, she reminds me of my sister back in the day 😀

Tuesday 11 April 2023

These Days

What a welcome long Easter weekend that was! The site was full of plotholders each day and it was great to chat to newcomers and old-timers, like us 🤭

The rain stopped for a couple of days so on Saturday we managed some digging - where the carrots and parsnips will be grown this year. It was so warm even I was down to short sleeves. The birds were singing and one of the robins has found a mate to feed. There were quite a few butterflies on site including brimstones, peacocks, whites and tortoiseshells.

Comma butterfly

This is a comma butterfly with its wings closed. The little white mark is why it’s called a comma - funny isn’t it? The most striking thing about it is the wing shape; I’d expect it to have a name associated with that!
There were other interesting insects about too, including masses of bee flies and mining bees of different varieties. I managed to get some nice close-ups of these three. Based on data from various sources I'm pretty sure the ids are correct - more photos and info on my Allotment Wildlife Blog.

Various insects
The dandelions are really putting on a show at the moment so these pollinators have made a very timely arrival and the dandelions have timed it so their seeds will be dispersed into the wet and windy weather this week.

Strong winds started on Saturday but it was still mostly sunny and it was warm enough for crop trousers. We burned a lot of gathered up wood and cuttings which finally had a chance to dry out. The wind was carrying the wind through the hedge to the canal, rather than towards our neighbours. We couldn’t have done it yesterday (Sunday) as the wind force was significantly higher and it rained again 🙄

Jamie's planted up two strawberry plants into tomato bags, with a pot to water through in each bag. We're hoping that the three bags and black covering will curtail the bindweed which is growing underneath in the original strawberry bed... We'll see, but at least should get a few more strawberries this year.

That freshly cleared patch now has a row of beetroot - I sowed them quite thickly as I enjoyed the early thinnings in salads last year and hope to eat the beets while they're small. I sowed mangetout into guttering in the polytunnel a week ago and it's just beginning to germinate. Along with other digging, clearing and weeding in various spots, the garlic got a chicken manure feed and we had some more tasty purple sprouting broccoli to harvest.

And these were some beanburgers I made at the end of March, with stored borlotti beans, fresh chives and shop-bought peppers - to be honest, they need a bit more seasoning so the two remaining I will have with some sort of spicy tomato sauce, but they look nice 😏

Song provided by Nico, aah these days.... and now, back to work.

Sunday 27 November 2022

Happy Together

I learnt a new word today after spotting this teasel amongst the dried flower heads.

Vivipary

Vivipary- when seeds germinate whilst still on the parent plant. Viviparous germination isn’t uncommon, particularly when it’s been rainy and warm. I have noticed it before on Nigella and calendula but it’s a bit more obvious on a teasel. We still haven’t seen any birds enjoying the seeds - we were particularly hoping to see the classic goldfinch shot - and they clearly missed a few on this seed head!

HAHA Workday
It was a HAHA workday yesterday and there was a friendly group of volunteers cutting back the hedgerow, particularly the bits growing through the fence, and clearing rotting wood from around the site including, sadly, the Wildlife Plot bench that the vandals smashed up - it was beyond repair. 
HAHA Work Day
The spikiest prunings (blackthorn and hawthorn) were used to plug gaps in the hedge in the hope of spiking any would-be intruders! The rest of the clippings were added to the marvellous bonfire.
Bonfire
Some of the wood was spared from the fire because it had interesting life forms so we added that to the wildlife plot wood instead. Like this fascinating fungus - Candle Snuff fungus. It’s common in the UK, but I don’t recall seeing it before. It’s also known as Stag’s horn fungus for obvious reasons.
Grey and black fungus
Another fungus, that looks more interesting up close is this resupinate polypore. New word of the week #2, resupinate = upside-down. This fungus manoeuvres it’s gills to point to the ground for quick spore dispersion. Up close it looks a bit crumpet-y to me and rather pleasing.
Crust fungus on decayed wood
Apart from fungi, one particular piece of rotten wood was home to many insects including millipedes, wood lice and centipedes. And something that does tiny rectangular poops…
Centipedes and millipedes
And a handy hint regarding garden critters: Fast moving insects tend to be good for gardens, as they’re often predators of the slow moving insects which are more likely to be pests due to being herbivores. It isn’t always the case and not all herbivores are slow (being a herbivore myself, I find that insulting 😄). We also found a few snails where they are probably preparing to hibernate. These lucky ones were found by Kate so were put back somewhere cosy rather than being slung over the hedge 🤭
A handful of snails
These and other interesting subjects such as the dredging of the canal which is currently ongoing, birds over the marsh, otters, the vandalism, obviously, and so much more were discussed during snack time after the work was completed.
HAHA Work party snacks
And the fire kept going until we left after sundown - 4pm…. The weather was dull all day and we were very lucky that the rain arrived later to dampen down the pile of ash.
Roaring fire
It was a fun and productive day, we won’t let the haters get us down too much. The song title is brought to us by The Turtles.


Monday 28 March 2022

Making a Fire

The clocks have moved forward an hour, so now we’re in British Summer Time. The blackthorn thinks it’s May already. So beautiful against the blue sky.

Blackthorn in Flower

It felt really summery on Saturday, I even wore cropped trousers while we had several hours on the plot, with a trip home for lunch. It was nice again Sunday afternoon when the Sun emerged through the mist. We had a bonfire so that kept us toasty for a while. We used the new HAHA incinerator; it's not so shiny now.

And that bonfire spelt the end of the sage plant. I finished clearing the area Saturday so we flattened and levelled it down and Jamie edged it with a plank.

Hungerford allotment

And now our seating area is in its new place; we're going to get some decking or something to put over the weed fabric. So now we can sit watching our own plot growing. I’ve moved the bulb tubs next to the seat, they're mostly grape hyacinth at the moment, but tulips and iris are on their way. Eventually that area will be a flowerbed and I think the area in front, next to the pond, will be for herbs (in pots, so they don't take over the world again!)

Hungerford allotment
Directly in front of the bench is a lovage plant. It’s not been looked after for the last couple of years but it struggles on. I’m hoping it’ll grow tall this year; it can grow to 2m apparently. It has a celery scent, which I love and it can be used in salads, soups and stews.
Growing lovage
I used fresh chives for the first time this year. They added a bit of extra colour to this harissa-flavoured What-the-Cluck and peppers meal, served with spinach-coloured noodles. I really like the plant-based chicken-style cluck, but Jamie finds the texture too close to chicken for his liking. He likes the Beyond Meat burger, but for me that is too much like beef.
Rose Harissa flavoured meal
I had the rest of the What-the-Cluck and peppers with rice and a leek from the allotment - just a bit of garlic salt and pepper was added as flavouring for this meal. Both really tasty and quick meals. I hope we manage to have more home-grown peppers this year.
What the Cluck, peppers, leek and rice
The birds are full of song at the moment. The robins have paired up and we've seen blackbirds, blue tits, wrens and pied wagtails squabbling meanwhile the kites soar overhead and just keep an eye on what's happening below. We saw a tiny goldcrest the other day (far too nippy to get a photo) and Jamie saw a greenfinch, which is good news as I've not seen one for a few years. The wildlife plot is greening up nicely but there aren't many flowers yet; just the cowslips, some grape hyacinths and a couple of these particularly large-headed daisies. They must have been included in a seed mix.
Daisy

So that's nearly the end of March and I need to logon to work on this foggy morning - I'm glad I don't have to drive in that. The title song is provided by The Foo Fighters, sorry to have seen that the drummer died at the weekend, but at least he seemed to enjoy his life.


Sunday 24 November 2019

Light My Fire

We had a HAHA Workday yesterday - our first proper visit to the site for over a month! It was great to be working out in the fresh air again. (I hope this video is working, it's using the slow-motion feature on my new phone).
Luckily the rain stayed off for most of the time and all the volunteers did a great job of clearing the site; chopping back overgrown hedges and getting rid of all the rotten wood around the place thanks to a great big bonfire.
It's been such a wet few weeks I'm sure we were all glad to be out. And naturally, cakes were provided by Ted so we had regular tea-breaks and time for a catch-up.
Jamie and I (with help) spent the time clearing our Plot 46A - we didn't do anything with it this year, so we're clearing it for someone on the waiting list. It would have been nice to have a plot in the middle of the site, but we're stick with our original ones for now.
We were pleased to be able to clear all the structures and all the rotten wood was burned. The barrels full of soil were left by the previous tenant, we didn't manage to empty all of them but we'll help the new ploholder if necessary. They have lovely soil in them, but unfortunately there's a lot of weed seed in there too.
The bonfire provided us with some extra warmth as the sun was going down when we left - well, it's November, it was only about 4:00pm.
Over the last few weeks I've been enjoying the last of our harvest of pumpkin and am still loving the dried beans. I must be sure to pick more for drying next year. This meal I had was so delicious, based roughly on this veggiedesserts recipe.
I intended for it to cover 2 meals but ended up going back for seconds and scoffing the lot in one sitting, and with a bit of cheese on top. What a piggy :-)
We've not quite finished all the Dido potatoes - they are a lovely yellow maincrop variety and have been delicious as mash, patties and as wedges. Today's song is, obviously, provided by The Doors - enjoy.

Sunday 20 October 2019

Fire

These pictures are from last weekend's Fire Garden event in Newbury, hosted by the Corn Exchange.
 
It attracted a good crowd and the live music was great.
Lots of flaming structures and mechanical items spotted round the town centre and along the canal.
We went on Sunday evening as the previous two days had torrential rain, as has much of the last week. We only made it to the plot last weekend to pick a few bits.
The tomato plants in the polytunnel have finally succumbed to blight and Jamie cleared them out yesterday. It's quite nice having a polytunnel that we can get into again, though the ripped cover won't provide us with much protection from wind and rain this Winter!
I actually used some of the borlotti beans that we grew and dried last year. I soaked them overnight and then, after cooking, I marinaded them with soy sauce, smoked paprika and some olive oil. Warmed up with a few tomatoes and some of the Gigantes beans made for a couple of very tasty lunches.
Yesterday was actually a pretty warm day with plenty of sunshine so while Jamie worked (and disturbed a few mouse nests) in the polytunnel I did some planting - Cristo garlic is in the raised bed. We got about 20 cloves from these two bulbs.
And then I planted 3 rows of onions - we bought this mixed pack from Thompson & Morgan.
And I sowed two rows of Aquadulce Claudia broad beans. The rows should be close enough so we can use a net cloche if we get any heavy snow this Winter.
Our leeks alongside are the skinniest on site, so I think we'll be eating baby leeks next Spring at this rate!
Over the last couple of weeks we've been eating Erika potatoes - a really tasty white variety. We need to remember to grow them again next year - they were planted in a bag and had no slug damage or scab. And  yesterday Jamie emptied the bag of Estima potatoes - they look good, but we haven't eaten any yet.
Yesterday evening was our annual skittles challenge between HAHA and the Hungerford Twinning Association. There was a good turnout with plenty of food and raffle prizes included. HTA were hosting this year but HAHA won overall - 3rd year in a row, they need to get some practice in :-)
Right now I'm making butternut soup, with a huge butternut grown by our plot neighbour Kate - there's plenty left. I'm roasting the butternut in small chunks. The onion I fried in butter and have added some garlic, turmeric, cumin and soy sauce along with plenty of pepper. With all those flavours I won't need a stock cube.
Actually, right now I'm eating some of it - delicious! But I've just remembered I'm out for lunch tomorrow. Not to worry it often tastes even better a couple of days later anyway :-)
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown provides us with the songtitle.