Pumpkin Patch

Down on the allotment we've started clearing the raised beds before winter sets in.  There's still plenty to harvest though and yesterday I enjoyed collecting the squashes and pumpkins on our pumpkin patch. After the spell of sunny weather the pumpkins have turned from green to vibrant orange.

I enjoyed my break from the back-breaking digging to arrange them all in a pile. Quite a collection isn't it?  Those pumpkins are destined to become pumpkin pies.  Mmmmmmm! We love a good pumpkin pie in this household.

I'm particularly looking forward to trying these Turk's turban squashes. They look so attractive and you can see how they got their name! Anyone got any recipe ideas?

Wave that flag!

It had been like this for much of the past week......

But, on Saturday I had my fingers crossed for blue skies as we were off to....

Have you guessed yet?......

The last night of the Proms in Hyde Park!

What a great evening it was! Pimms and wine in our glasses, flag waving, patriotic singing and picnic eating in abundance. A night of celebrating being British.

I've been going for the last 11 years and wouldn't miss it for anything! It's a lovely way to end the summer in the open air.  A highlight for me was explaining the genius (!) of Rolf Harris along with his didgeridoo and wobble board to a Mexican friend who was visiting London.  I'm not sure he quite followed what was going on whilst the rest of us loudly sang 'Tie me kangaroo down, sport'.....!

Sunday was a homely day.  I went down to my allotment plot to collect my veg for the week and found that I still had lots of beetroot to eat up.   Hmmmmm......what to do with them all?

I fancied trying something a little different and stumbled on this beetroot and chocolate cake by Nigel Slater.  What could be better than chocolate cake that actually counts towards your 5-a-day?!

It's really gooey, chocolate-y and well, just plain-all-round-YUMMY!

If you, too, have plenty of beetroot lurking about I would recommend giving it a go. 

I enjoyed mine served with creme fraiche and poppy seeds as Nige (do you think he'd mind me calling him that?!) suggests.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

I've never seen these before...

The allotment plots are looking so cheerful at the moment.  I'm in love with these flowers (Californian Poppies I'm told). I've never seen them anywhere before, have you? They have grown wild and the different shades across the plots look sooo beautiful. I'm drying some pods out so that I can keep the seeds and scatter them in my garden one day.  My fingers are crossed for my own garden as we've been living in a flat with a shared one for the last five years.  My dream garden definitely includes these beauties!

Isn't nature just wonderful?
*Sign of contentment*

Ripe, strawberries ripe!

As a child I had the part of the strawberry seller in our school production of Oliver! "Ripe, strawberries ripe!" was my one line (I was so proud!). Today, as I picked my strawberries down at the allotment, the song sang out in my head.  The unusually warm weather has led to a bumper crop of the delicious things this year..WOOP!
Check out my beauties!

We've had about 300 strawberries over the past 3 weeks! It's hard to believe that something soo sweet is actually good for you. :-)

As the slugs and snails seemed to be chomping through more than their fair share I decided to pick all the ripe ones today and managed to pick 1500g worth!!!

What to do with all those strawberries????

My first ever attempt at making jam!

The jam pan has been somewhat a cause of tension in our household.  We live in a small maisonette. 

If you open a cupboard be warned, something will fall out.

Our usual scenario begins like this.....

Mr C: ARGH! OUCH! All your things are cluttering up our cupboards! What's this? A jam pan?

But you've never even made any jam! Can't you give it away to someone?

 I'm pleased with my first attempt! And now the jam pan can stay!

Bring on the preserving!

Any ideas about what to do with the next batch of strawberries??