Tuesday 2 July 2013

I coulda been a contender


The biggest boy is incredibly competitive.  It's not something I understand, but he turns everything, everything, into a competition.  The littlest boy reads a book, the biggest boy read it when he was four.  I see a goldfinch, the biggest boy saw four together with a hawfinch and a yellow wagtail.  If we ask his other brother to spell a word or do a sum, the biggest boy is like to yell out the answer first, he just can't help it.  So it is no surprise that growing our own has an element of which is the biggest, the longest, the fullest pod, the earliest fruit.  I made the mistake of weighing a big strawberry the other day, and now we're a little bit obssessed.  Today's offering was the heaviest so far, but a little nibble had been taken out of it, so it failed to reach the holy grail weight of 30 grams.

Several people have said to me that strawberries are wonderful this year, and they are certainly doing well in the garden.  The boys are (sacre bleu) proclaiming themselves fed up with having them for tea. 


So today's pickings ended up as jam, which seems like sacrilege so early in the season. but I'd hate to see them go squashy.

Elsewhere in the garden things are looking promising too.



Blueberries, cherries, the odd artichoke, tayberries, tomatoes, aubergine, grapes and radishes.  I think the cherry tree will have to go, as this year the top half of it died part-way through spring when the weather turned nasty.  So now it's an odd shape - it's just the bottom of a tree with no leading shoot.  I find artichokes a bit intimidating.  I love them when they're in a jar, all ready to eat.  But how to get from this big tough bud to that tender deliciousness?  The ones in the jar aren't in my price bracket any more though, so this is it.  And really, I am sure that homegrown ones must be nicer.  I shall have a bit of a google and tackle it tomorrow.

All is end of term excitement in the Above the River household this week.  There are school trips, cricket tournaments, sports competitions, step-up days to visit next year's classrooms and all manner of summer treats.  Then after school there is tennis in the garden and new library books to read and nature diaries to write and more tennis in the garden.  My grass is not holding up as well as the Wimbledon grass.  And one by one the balls are disappearing over the fence and not being returned.  Can't imagine where they are going.  And unlike Wimbledon there isn't an endless supply.  Might have to screw up my courage and have a Word.  Because the budget is also not stretching to new balls every week, along with artichokes in a jar.  But summer is here, the sun is coming and life is good.  Hope it is with you too.

10 comments:

  1. Had to laugh about your biggest boy, nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition, and how more healthy can you get than home grown fruit and veg? Your strawberries look delicious, I don't think we're going to get a huge harvest this year as I've got new plants, but I'll take whatever I get. It looks like there's plenty more lovely things to come soon too, your tomatoes are further on than mine.

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    1. I've waited about three years for decent strawberries from these plants. Most of my tomatoes aren't as far along as the ones in the picture - I found them at a local garden centre and they're a variety called Arctic Plenty. Apparently they were developed for scientists in Greenland to grow, and they are the earliest variety around. So I thought I'd give them a try.

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  2. The fruits of your labor look so delicious! What a beautiful garden you have!

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  3. Gorgeous photos of your fruit and veg! We've got a bumper strawberry crop on the allotment - they taste delicious so fresh, don't they? x

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    1. They really do, I could eat them every day when they're in season. I'm almost disappointed to be going away for a few days and missing them!

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  4. I love the way you write. It makes me feel at peace. Your garden looks and sounds ideal. I'd love to have one that provided some much food someday. As for the artichokes, I can't say I've made them myself, but my mom used to make them all the time. I found this tutorial on how to cook them on Oh Dear Drea. It seems to explain it in a simple way with pretty pictures. Maybe you'll find it useful: http://ohdeardrea.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-cook-artichoke.html I hope to apply it to my own artichoke cooking soon.

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    1. Thank you for that link Devon, that looks like a great way to cook them. And thank you for your kind comments.

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  5. Whoops I nearly forgot to comment on this post. The strawberries look good, I've had some but I'm waiting for the raspberries which I much prefer.
    Good luck with the artichokes, I've only ever grown them to look at.
    It sounds like you've a busy summer ahead, which isn't surprising with three boys. Flighty xx

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    1. I prefer raspberries too, and they're almost ready. In fact I've had one or two already. I'm going to miss them when I'm away!

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