So what have you learned this year?

I am here! Not that I have much experience in tomato cooking per se but, like pumkin, if you roast them you do indeed, get rid of lots of water and caramelize the juices making them sweeter. A fan oven does a better job of it, and if you can crack it open now and then to let the steam out so much the better. If I make a salad of some what sad tomatoes I had a teaspoon of sugar to the vinagrette, that brings them around Drying them (if the sun does not help, there are machines built on purpose,or the oven at 80° C for several hours) is another possibility, but I never did that myself. Yet another possibility is to just scald them in hot water,peel them and pot them in vacuum seal jars with a dash of oil, a sprikle of salt and some basil; they get boiled again in the pot when you seal it. In the deep of winter they will taste as fresh as a summer dew in the kitchen garden... you won't care if they are sweet or not: they will be just lovely. This is something my Granny does, and each year the whole family lines up for some pots of the delicious thing.

Talking of bark mulch, I came to the conclusion that mulching with grass clippings, compost or shredded leaves is more practical, less artificial, and cheaper. More and more I come to the conclusion that all gardens except the newest and smallest can be prectically selfsufficient. It is a concept that attracts me for both economical and ecological reasons. I hate proselitizing and I will never try to impose this opinion on others,but I will never bother with bark mulch again :D

 

I have learned that I can find much pleasure from weeding to the music of Enya and birds chirping.
Oh what bliss.

 

I think the same every year as I have done for the past twenty. If I ever see the builder I am going to *&$%* him.:hehe:

 

So what have you learned this year?

I would have said that I found out I talk way too much but then again that's nothing new.:dh:

So here's what's what;

That being very friendy towards unsuspecting 'victims' i.e. knowledgeable allotment owners allows one to extract secret growing ways from them without the need of torture!

Everyone wants to be your friend when they see you walking back from your allotment laden down with fresh fruit and veg.

That I must try and juggle my allotment working time far better than I did this year so I can at least keep my home gardens in ship shape.

Slugs and caterpillars are Satan's followers.

Finding the joys of skip jumping!
Hel.xxx.

 

Thanks Redstar - I'm a bit of a cheapskate though - and I'm trying to work out how to do all this on the cheap :hehe: That's why I bought Alys Fowler's book - but it didn't tell me where to get free Lime from :dh:

Ah well - I will have to buy some

Thanks again

 

Talking of bark mulch, I came to the conclusion that mulching with grass clippings, compost or shredded leaves is more practical, less artificial, and cheaper>
I must try that, anything rather than the mouldy bark chips

 

In the grand scheme of things lime isn`t too expensive if you keep your eyes and wits about you. Got a big box-approx size of kellogs cornflake box large size for 2.99 from the local instore

 

:flag:

Now that looks like hard work !!

Where's my wallet :hehe:

And thank's Lollipop - I will keep my eyes open - given I've got clay soil - I will need to do something.

And continuing on from the "what have you learned this year" - I've just been helping in our local church year with leaf clearing - and was told that there's the great big pile of leaves from last year - just there for the taking (except that we've now piled this years on top :dh

So - what have I learned - if you want lots of leaf mold - ask around - lots of open spaces have to do something with their leaves - they might have a big pile that they are happy for you to take away.

Brian