I’m having a bit of a potato digging rest this week. I’ve dug up most of the first batch of tatties and I’m not convinced that the next lot are ready yet. They have an abundance of nice, shiny leaves though, hopefully whatever is growing underneath the leaves is just as abundant! This year half the potatoes are in raised beds. This is a really good environment for potatoes as a raised beds tend to be better drained than a dug bed. The next round of potatoes should be Jazzy or maybe Charlotte. I did want to grow Sarpo Una again this year but the big seed potato farms didn’t seem to have any, or they were only available in tiny bags.
The tomatoes are looking great now, lots of ripe cherry tomatoes and it looks like the bigger ones are about to start turning. I would like to add Tomato and Courgette chutney to the preserves range so the really big tomatoes are reserved for that. There should be plenty of medium sized ones for the customers though. The medium variety is called Shirley. I haven’t grown it before but it’s done very well, the plants haven’t produced endless side shoots and they’re not too tall. Honeycomb – the cherries I grow, can easily reach eight feet. I don’t have any eight feet tall humans to pick from the top so I have climb a ladder.
I have the first aubergine, it’s almost full size for some reason while the other plants have only just started to set properly. My kids hate aubergine and I only have six plants so I’m growing them purely for chutney. Even six aubergine will make a lot of chutney. There are loads of squash in the Polycrub, enough for customers and chutney.
The crab apples are coming on well, they are the finest jelly ingredient, but quite time consuming to prepare. We’ve also got hedges full of rose hips, another great jelly ingredient.
This week’s Croft Shares will have:
Small – Courgettes, French beans, tomatoes, beetroot and sugar snaps.
Medium – Courgettes, French beans, tomatoes, beetroot, kale, onions and chard.
Large – Courgettes, French beans, tomatoes, beetroot, kale, onions, chard, sugar snaps, Spring onions and garlic.