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 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.
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 .
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.
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.
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.
