Slim pickings but at least the veg garden is underway

  


We have strawberries, lettuce, broad beans, the last of the mooli (it suffered from bolting - I shall try a late season sowing and see how that goes), and a few tiny carrot thinnings which got thrown into a pork and apple casserole (more freezer clearance) with some more substantial carrot offerings from the local farm gate stall.  




The red currants are clearly getting there as they are being got at by the fat pigeons but I suspect we will have enough and we will have white currants coming along after them.




We also have the first sowing of turnips coming along which are probably destined to be pickled with beetroot -  called torshi-lift - apparently it is a North African thing but I came across it as a Sophie Grigson recipe.  It’s an interesting and relatively healthy addition to meze nibbles.  The problem with this particular plan is that the beetroot is currently lagging behind so I will have to hope the local farm gate stall comes up trumps.




I had a delivery of jam jars which is handy as what I actually have around at the moment are better suited, size wise, to bottling (canning for those across the pond) than to jams or chutney.  Seems I got my order in just in time as I had an email from them announcing a “temporary surcharge” from later in the month to help bridge the additional charges from the current issues in the Middle East.  I’m guessing that will not stay a “temporary surcharge” for long as prices never seem to come down.


That aside things are looking up as regards garden produce and that can on,y be a good thing - assuming I can find a way of preserving and storing the surplus when we get there!

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