Beans, bees and baby squashes...

A trip to the hospital for a blood test was followed by a far more relaxing (for me anyway) couple of hours up the allotment today. Whilst J ran around like a mad thing strimming, mowing and lifting potatoes I pootled around picking things and taking photos in short bursts before hiding out in the shade of the car.

The beans are bulking up really well now with the Portuguese beans showing lots of glorious red pods as promised by the Heritage Seed Library catalogue way back in the depths of winter . The borlotto, cobra and blue lake beans are doing just as well so the winter stores should be well stocked again.


The Homeguard spuds we picked a few weeks ago were really tasty and as good mashed as they were boiled in their skins so I was chuffed when J dug the next row of them and produced this lot from just 5 plants. We've still got the second earlies and maincrops in the ground so keep your fingers crossed the dreaded blight stays away!

A quick check on the butternut and uchiki kuri squash plants didn't disappoint with about 4 butternuts including this baby one and at least 4 uchikis that I hope ripen over the next month or so to join the beans in autumn and winter stews.

Back to summer veg and our lovely yellow courgette had plenty for us to pick today, including one oversized one that's destined for pie tomorrow. I think I'm glad only one plant made it as it's keeping us well stocked.





And the flowers? Well they are keeping the local buzzies happy as well as providing beautiful bunches for the house. 

Whilst it was really cloudy when we set out by the time we got up there the sun was at full beam and it's promising to get hotter and hotter as the weekend progresses so today's visit was a fairly brief one but with a good haul and a tidy plot to show for it. A bag of beet leaves; several beetroots; onions; potatoes; blackberries; cooking apples, courgettes, rudbeckia and sunflowers all came home with us ready for a long weekend in the kitchen.

Happy weekend all.

  

Sunshine on the sideboard!