21 September 2006
Stocking up
(which has nothing whatsoever to do with suspenders)
You have probably noticed a distinct lack of allotment-related posts here recently. There is a very good reason for this. Our visits to the plot are pretty same-y at the moment:
- Visit allotment and roll our eyes at the overgrown weeds
- Harvest excessive amounts of courgettes, french beans, potatoes and sweetcorn
- Do a bit of weeding
- Pootle aimlessly in some of the beds pretending we’re preparing them for over-wintering plants
- Trundle home laden down
It doesn’t exactly make for a right rivetin’ read, now does it?
Reaping the rewards of all our hard work (stop sniggering at the back there! We did work hard, I’m sure. Didn’t we?) is wonderful. We’ve had plenty of produce to pass on to our friends and family. Plus we’ve been cooking up soups and freezing extra veg like there’s no tomorrow (though if there really were no tomorrow it would be a bit pointless to have all that food in the freezer, wouldn’t it?).
This book has been invaluable as we have learned the process. I have lots of other books that say the same things, but this is easier to make use of in the kitchen. And it’s published by the rather wonderful Green Books so it’s an all-round winner as far as I’m concerned.
All this storing activity is all very well, but it has resulted in one problem:
Zero remaining freezer capacity.
This would not cause us any difficulty if the courgettes didn’t keep on coming, but they do and so now it’s time for desperate measures. On Saturday we’re having some friends round for dinner. They don’t know it yet but they will be having a courgette feast – courgette and brie soup followed by lasagne (with added courgettes) with chocolate courgette loaf for dessert. After which, I think that if any of us even sees a courgette again we just might throw up.
It might be easier – and kinder – just to get hold of a new, bigger, freezer.
Filed under: Harvest, Today's Bible — Clare @ 10:41 am
“Stocking up
(which has nothing whatsoever to do with suspenders)”
In that case, I’m off.
(21.09.06 @ 11:15 am)
One of the things I insisted on when the mistress & I were planning the recent extension was a new freezer. I have this Monty Don inspired dream (thanks to “Fork to Fork”) that we will grow 5 metric tonnes of tomatoes and basil and make enough pesto to see us through a year of pastas
Now, back to these stockings – are they on your flickr account yet?
(21.09.06 @ 11:22 am)
As part of the GBBP we are having the downstairs understairs cupboard ‘done out’ so we can use it as pantry / larder and the plan is that we will have an additional freezer in there that we can use when we have too much stuff, but can turn off once we’ve emptied it of all its goodies!
In the meantime, I am definitely learning far too much about your predilections.
(21.09.06 @ 11:29 am)
LOL! Can you ever learn too much about such things?
In related matters, I was in a meeting this week and offered my guests a brew. One bloke said “Water for me please. I’ve been ill.”
“Oh dear,” says me back, “hope it’s been nothing serious”
“No,” he replies, “probably something I’ve eaten. I was up all night with the runs.”
Cue quiet room as people try not to look at each other in the eye for fear of laughing or puking. Or puking while laughing and it all coming through their noses.
I broke the silence with “Right. Well, that’s more information than I ever wanted to know about anyone in here.”
(21.09.06 @ 11:38 am)
Not as much fun as being up all night with the nuns.
(21.09.06 @ 11:44 am)
No. No, that was fun night, even if I couldn’t cross my legs for a week.
(21.09.06 @ 11:46 am)
And why on earth would you want to cross your legs? Don’t all men always sit with their legs wide apart at all times? It seems to the be equivalent of a neon sign – “look at my crotch!”
Nuns and stockings. What a wild boy you are.
(21.09.06 @ 12:03 pm)
I could almost hear the voice you said that in – like a posh, disapproving aunt
(21.09.06 @ 1:31 pm)
(21.09.06 @ 1:41 pm)
Wordpress dowsn’t like my smiley!
(21.09.06 @ 1:42 pm)
See – even WordPress is on my side!
(21.09.06 @ 2:04 pm)
Hey! Putting all thoughts of strict aunts in underwear to one side, how about some piccies of the plot – you haven’t posted a new set of allotment shots for ages
(21.09.06 @ 2:35 pm)
Funny you should mention that… come back tomorrow!
(21.09.06 @ 3:08 pm)
What? Oh go on then. I was leaving tonight to start a new life with a travelling circus, but I guess I’ll stick around now *sigh*
(21.09.06 @ 3:45 pm)