That's spuds done.

Well that's the spuds sorted and bagged up for over winter,I managed to get a bag and half done so quite chuffed. I have saved some small spuds to try and save them for seeds next year,I've been told I  can keep them in a box with sawdust in then in a bigger box. I will buy some spuds anyway but will see if saving them works,even if I only get a few it's better than non. Also I've dug a little more in the Polytunnel ready for next year,I still have a bit to do but do a little each time I go down. I broke up the soil then drenched it with water just to let it soak in then will dig it again,just have to keep doing it may have to do the other greenhouse as well. 

Tidy shed yeahhhhh

Only thing I've done this weekend was tidy the shed out on the allotment,don't know how long it will last but if it lasts longer than a week I'll be happy. Throwing a bit off rubbish away what I've been hoarding,it's surprising how much rubbish we all collect well me anyways. Knowing my luck I'll throw the rubbish away and then I'll need the bits back,always get told off at home for hoarding. Don't like throwing stuff away incase I need it later,also it's recyclinf  on a small scale. 

Update on swede wine

I made some wine the other week from some swedes I'd been growing,so this week I decided to bottle it up ready for drinking later on in the year. From a demijohn I managed to get 6 bottles from it so that was good,only problem when I had a quick taste it was vile. I'm hoping in 6 - 12 months it will be better to drink,also I did a reading and it worked out to be around 19% should of stopped it getting so high. 

Netting down

Well it was that time I needed to take down the netting to expose all what I had left,I still have a few swedes and cabbages left and maybe the odd sprout. I even have some spinach what i forgot about some of it's bolted,so will have to pick what's left or give away. The allotment looks odd now with the netting down but it had to be done, I will do it again next year I was quite happy with it. It did stop most of the birds from getting in but never stopped the butterfly's getting in,we had hundreds if caterpillars all over the site. Even if I stopped the butterfly's from getting in you could see the caterpillars crawling from one plot to the next,it was like an little army ready to attack everyone's plot. 

When I removed the netting I gave it a quick weed with my good old friend the weeding pallet,I've had this trusted pallet for a few years now and does the job just fine. 

It's that time of year again when I'm out collecting leaves for next years use,I managed to scrape up 3 big bags of leaves this time and will go back and get some more. Just have to look out for dog mess between the leaves,it a little grass  field near me I go to it a few times with juke. 

Beans and wine.

I got given some loads of dwarf beans for storing for next year,will plant them out and see what happens. Never did them this year but did last year but wasn't that good,nothing wrong with the beans but id left them in to long. Even if I don't eat them I'll give them away and save seeds for others to grow,don't mind sharing saves wasting them. Oh i do like the look of the beans just remind me of fossils for some reason,think I must be losing it. 

I bottled up some wine the other day it was Bramble and elderberry wine,it didn't taste that bad when I bottled it. Will leave it for 6 months to mature before I drink it (hope I can last),if it is nice I will make sure I get loads next year from the plot all FREE. 

Well I've picked all the chilli's I had growing in the greenhouse,will be freezing some and blitzing some of them. Even picked a few more broad beans that was still hanging around,didn't have much so made a broad bean soup and it was very nice will do it again. 

Chilli's

With this year being a good year for chillies for me i needed to try and preserve some,so some of them are chopped up and frozen. The rest are mashed up and put in a jar with white wine vinegar, then we can add to curry's or stir fry's when we like (well I'll add them without them knowing). The chilli's I have Pepper Cayenne Red and chilli long slim ,still got loads left in the greenhouse ready to pick. 

Well it's nearly time

Well it's that time of the year when everything is nearly used up, still a little bit to pick but it's mainly red cabbage and chilli's. Well may have some sprouts/beets/marrows/swede/spuds,oh looks like I have still a bit to pick. On Sunday when I went to the plot I just went to get some onions and some peppers if I had some. Ive bagged up all my onions up now so hoping these last me till next year,picked a few chillies and the odd tom and cucumber. 

I've still plenty of red cabbages to pick so some of them will be given away,it's the first time I've took some home this year. 

Can't get to the plot.

Can't get to the plot sometimes because someone has to babysit these baby's. 

Nothing much done this week.

Just been to the plot once this week and quite disappointed as I wanted to so more,I was a tad busy at work and looking after the dogs while others are at work. I've still got a bit more digging and picking left to do,so need to get fingers out and crack on. Think I've got a few days at the plot next week so will have to dig and not chat,that's what I say now come next week it will be different. 

Well the only day I made it to the plot I dug up another row of main crop spuds,I did get a good amount from the row but not as good as the first row. Still have plenty to bag up and save,the scabby ones and the ones with holes will be eaten first. Still got 2 more main crop rows to dig up and will do that next week,it's a bit wet this weekend to do it so will pencil it in for next week.

I'd also picked more peppers and toms for our teas this week,quite chuffed the daughters been using them more in making curry's this week. Picked another small butternut squash to do another soup,also got around to pickling  some beetroot for the first time this year whoop whoop. Going to do some more this week and even  make some more wine I think,love doing the wine and beer making at the moment. I've just filled a demijohn up with some swede wine I've been making,it's finished fermenting so strained it and now wait for it to mature. It was quite cloudy when I strained it but it's starting to clear up,I've got a picture of it cloudy but not clear yet. 

In other beer new I got given some apples to see if I can make something out of them,from the apples and pears I took out of the fridge I did get 2litres of juice. I should of got a press to get more juice from the apples but did it by hand,also added 3litres of carton apple juice to make a gallon. I added the yeast so now it's just a waiting game to see it works,I didn't add any sugar just used its natural sugars in the fruit .

Toms peppers and booze

Picked a few toms up the other day way to many just to leave in the fridge,I was going to slice and freeze a lot of them for later on during the year. Well mainly to add to curry's or spaghetti Bol,but most of them didn't make it to the freezer. I made a curry and I used about 2 1/2 to 3lb of them instead of tin toms. Even a lot of the peppers never made it to the fridge l,all went into a curry well 3 up to now. Still a few peppers down on the plot as well as loads of chillies,I need to freeze or dry them out to last is till next year. 

Just an update on the wilkinson's pilsner I made last month it's ready to test,I've tried a few and it's really nice. It will get better with age but it might not last that long, I compared it to the beer the lad was drinking and it's the one on the. Left. 

Spuds

That's one row main crop potatoes took up just 3 left to do, think I will do them this week and get them stored. The ones I've took up look quite good so will be doing them again next year,so if the other 3 rows are good I'll be chuffed. 

This year like the rest of the plot holders we have been over run with caterpillars,we have still got loads of the buggers hanging around the plot. 

I did notice that I have some sprouts growing considering the caterpillars had eaten all the leaves,so hoping the rest of the sprouts fill out and are ok to eat. 

Not much to report.

Only done a little on the plot this week and that was only on Tuesday,I've been in holiday the rest of the week decorating. Now that I've finished painting I can go to the plot,well I can between the rain and sun. May have to leave it till  the weekend when the weather is better,knowing my luck it will rain. 

Anyway the short time I had at the plot I'd finished weeding around then strawberries, then covered them all over with leaf mould. I did the same last year but forgot to put some netting on to stop them blowing away,this time i remembered to cover over an hope it works.

I also fed the raspberries with a bit of manure and comfrey feed,only to give them a fighting chance. I may have to put some screens up to stop the wind harming them,some of them didn't look well after I planted them so hoping some survive. 

At the top of the plot behind the sheds we have brambles / hawthorn / and elderberries,all of them needed cutting back but one of those jobs I'll do in a minute. So I decided to trim them all back and try and train the the bramble to grow all over the back, that way I'll have plenty of brambles to pick for next year well I hope anyway. I haven't cut the bushes back in nearly 2 years,only because I pricked myself with the hawthorn bush and still suffering. I've been suffering with tennis elbow since I pricked my elbow,that the only thing I think that's caused it. So when I know I have to do a bit of graft,I take a few pills before and after to ease the pain. I'm back at the physio next week to try and sort it out again,hope it does because if I don't take any meds I can't sleep it keeps me away most of the night throbbing.