Dave & Marion’s mid-July Harvest-to-Table Haul
Blackcurrants From Dave & Marion’s Garden
Hi, this is Marion, back with another blog for you!
We are now well into the growing season and we are loving reaping the rewards of Dave’s expertise in growing fruit and veggies in our garden.
Dave shows me daily the progress everything is making in the greenhouses and raised beds, and honestly, I really marvel at nature. And it’s such a lovely feeling to eat fruit and veggies from the garden, knowing they’ve been sown by Dave and nurtured by him, right through to fruition; they taste so much fresher and have loads more flavour than supermarket produce.
So far we’ve had strawberries, heaps of new potatoes, an abundance of blackcurrants, rhubarb, raspberries, courgettes, cucumbers and radishes. The runner beans are coming along nicely and the first few have been picked. Blackberries and redcurrants too, are appearing. Broccoli, jalapeños and peppers are just beginning to make their presence known. We’re growing both red and yellow cherry tomatoes, and they’ve started to ripen; Dave picked a small handful over the weekend.
I really enjoy cooking and I’ve been making blackberry coulis, stewed rhubarb (which is delicious swirled into Greek yogurt, with a few sunflower seeds sprinkled on top, or made into a crumble), and ratatouille, which is a great accompaniment to barbecued meats when dining al fresco. The new potatoes I’ve simply steamed and tossed in butter, or cut into small wedges and sautéed with garlic.
If you haven’t planted anything yet, there is still time as July is a good time to sow seeds. The warm soil and air, together with the longer, warm days with more light means that the germination process is faster, although you need to ensure plantings are watered well. Aim for fast-growing crops, such as carrots, radish, or French beans. If you would like cabbage for Christmas, and you can get hold of some plants that have been started earlier in the year, plant them now, and they’ll see you through Christmas and beyond.
If you don’t have the space for a vegetable garden, but have a window box or balcony, or even a small space in a sunny spot where you can lay a grow-bag or two, you can still grow some produce such as radishes or carrots. Give it a go!
Happy growing to all!
Look out for our next blog…