Thursday 16 July 2015

Garlic, fallen tomatoes and Moominmamma's Best Buns













It's a happy time of harvests in the garden and down on the plot.  Bowlfuls of berries of every kind, colanders of salad leaves and the first of the cucumbers.  There will be Sungold tomatoes tomorrow, although the bigger ones will be a while yet.  I found the biggest green one on the floor earlier.  Everyone blamed everyone else.  It wasn't me.

I've sown more sugar snap peas to replace the ones that are coming to an end.  Should have done it earlier of course, there will be a gap in production which won't go down well with the littlest boy who likes to eat them every day.

Do you see the feathery green tops?  Carrots no less!  I'm very excited, although the tops will be wasted with no piggies to feed now.  You may recall I've never properly managed carrots before, so this is a bit of a breakthrough.

The pear is the single solitary one for this year.  Last year there were so many the branches were breaking off.

There's a little pile of summer reading.  I've no idea how Marie Kondo's book got there.  It may have fallen into my Amazon basket late one night.  I woke up the next morning and it was all like a dream.  It promises to change my life.  I haven't read it yet, but I've thrown out some of the several hundred old exercise books that the children brought home from school.  Not the littlest boy's plant diary though, it's a gem.  His seed didn't grow at all, but he still gamely wrote about it every week.  The biggest boy laughed so much he had tears running down his cheeks.  He likes to quote from it on a regular basis.  "My pant has not grown at all.  I think it is because it didn't have anuf water."  He doesn't do it in front of the littlest boy, so no feelings have been hurt.  And it is of course all done with great affection...

I'm working my way through everything Barbara Kingsolver has ever written.  And I'm reading "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" to the smaller two.  It's actually my copy from when I was little.  It cost 40p, and it's in mint condition.  I was a very neat child.  In fact it occurs to me that I may not even need my life changed by Marie Kondo, it's probably everyone else that makes a mess.

I picked up a picnic food book, although some of it is rather fancy and time consuming for the sort of picnics we have (ones thrown together at the crack of dawn).  Some of it might take most of the day to prepare.

"The Moomins Cookbook" is visiting again from the library.  The Moomins really know how to eat well.  There's Snufkin's Favourite Bean Dish, the Fillyjonk's Leftover Pie and Moominmamma's Best Buns.  All interspersed with enchanting quotes from the books.

"Eventually Moomintroll stood up and mechanically removed the picnic basket from where it hung on the branch.

It was full of small packages of sandwiches, two of every kind, each wrapped in silk paper.  He set them down in a row next to one another, but he wasn't the slightest bit hungry.

All of sudden, Moomintroll realised that his mother had written something on the sandwich packages.  Every package bore words like 'cheese' or 'only butter' or 'expensive sausage' or 'good morning'.  On the final package she had written: 'This is from your father.'  And in that package was a tin of lobster that Moominpappa had saved all spring.

At that moment, Moomintroll came to think that perhaps this wasn't so dangerous after all."

42 comments:

  1. :)......thank you for taking me down memory moomin lane....The Narnia Books are a huge hit here and what great produce, well done xx

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  2. Love the moon quotes - happy memories.
    Enjoy your fresh produce and I look forward to seeing the carrots! Plural this year!! :) x

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  3. I have the same Narnia book and, as a big Moomin fan, would really love the recipe book - Snufkin's favourite bean dish sounds interesting. The thought of your son valiantly writing about his non-germinating bean every week made me want to laugh and cry at the same time! Looks like an excellent choice of summer reading. xx

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  4. Cool plant labels CJ. What a brilliant idea!

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  5. haha! i still have loads of books from my childhood -- i was Very Particular about my books, and would never loan them to anyone who i knew might fold over the corner of a page or smear jam or some other horrific Crime Against Books. alas, my Famous Fives are all very fragile....shoddy bookbindings and aged paper. perhaps i ought to have them under glass and wear white cotton gloves to turn the pages.....

    i'm humbled by your veg production. i fear i've meandered off in search of roses and keep forgetting i have veg. our peas came and went but i can't plant another batch until at least August...it's too hellishly hot here now. we tried carrots several years running to no avail....and then last year, one grew 'wild' and it was cause for great celebration. it was all stunted and misshapen but it was Vegetable of The Year, nonetheless.

    Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is the only Barbara Kingsolver that i've read...but i enjoyed it immensely. even if it makes me feel a complete failure if i think about it too often.

    xo

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  6. I have been missing you y dear friend. I love your harvest, I finally gave up and threw all my plants in the garbage, they were ravaged by mites after the great cut worm episode. I did however get one cucumber and it was tasteless. there are still ripening tomatoes on my window sill.
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

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  7. Look at all of your garden goodies up there! Good heavens! I am flying you over to plant up my veggies next year! And your stack of books up there is fantastic!! I absolutely loved the lion the witch and the wardrobe! Such an awesome read! Hope you have been well friend....I have been away from blogging for some time but am easing back in! Happy almost weekend to you! Nicole xo

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  8. Your carrots are impressive we too have had so many problems growing them over the years. We should try them in our new garden as it is surprising how many plants have grown so well here. It's so strange how fruit crops can vary from one extreme to the other in subsequent years. I like your reading pile, I would enjoy those too. I got a picnic book out of the library recently and I hoped it would give me some inspiration with simple recipes. I also found the same result as you! Sarah x

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  9. Wow what a lot of produce there, yum. I'm afraid picnics here are a very last minute affair, it I can't put it together in 5 minutes it doesn't get done! Have a lovely weekend :) xxx

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  10. That garlic looks wonderful... Your photos are lovely. As for everyone denying knowledge of the tomato breakage, we have the opposite problem: Joe continually asking 'Are they ready yet?' then scoffing things before they get the chance to ripen. We had a beautiful big fat strawberry on the cusp of perfection, just a few days away. And he came into the kitchen and told me, 'I bited it'. I give up. Maybe next year...
    Your little one's plant diary sounds so sweet. Definitely a keeper. And the tidiness book sounds great. I know a few people who could do with a copy!
    Have a lovely weekend.
    S x

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  11. I am just packing books for a reading marathon next week... Your plant tags are very pretty, so much attention to detail is lovely. I hope the carrots continue to thrive and the one pear stays on the tree. Ours carries about seven. Quince: one. Wishing you a happy weekend. x

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  12. Moominmama and Moominpapa and Moomintroll! A blast from the past. Brilliant. What gorgeous, healthy looking veg you have CJ. And your littlest's diary sounds adorable. Love your plant labels too – great idea. My family needs that tidying up book! Sam x

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  13. Yay for carrots, I've got lots of feathery foliage too. Won't we be disappointed if there's nothing underneath? Our tops will be going to waste too, my bunnies used to love them. Awww, the littlest boy's plant diary made me smile, and isn't that just like a big brother, laughing until he cries.

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  14. What a lovely blog! I enjoyed your photos and seeing your garden....love the rustic plant stakes! I'll be back!

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  15. Wonderful post, CJ! Congrats on the success with your carrots. A garden victory can make all the hard work seem worthwhile. That plant diary sounds like a real treasure. I've saved a few things like that from when my kids were little. When we were packing to move two years ago I was reading some of the birthday cards they had made for each other and I was laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face.

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  16. A lovely post, and wonderful pictures. I'm a touch envious about the carrots as I never have much luck either, and look at those tomatoes. Well done to littlest son for writing up his plant diary regardless.
    Happy reading, and enjoy the weekend/. Flighty xx

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  17. Your carrots brought to mind a photo of my girls when they were around six and four and were so excited to see their carrot plants growing that they yanked out the carrots from the soil when the carrots were less than pencil thin and two inches long :) Your patience and care will no doubt produce better results. I am certain that you are correct; "it is probably everyone else that makes the mess." I just read a book about minimalism and started following the Minimalist blog :) I'm glad you are keeping your son's notebook...a grand opus for sure, CJ!

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  18. Oh my gosh look at all that garlic!!!!!!!!!!!! This makes me want to grow them too hahaha Good job lady!!!

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  19. A great selection of books, especially the Moomin one! That must surely be fabulous!!! xx

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  20. Lovely, lovely, lovely :o)

    Your allotment efforts all sound marvellous. You could of course make things from the moomintroll book to take on the picnic... xx

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  21. I have a severe case of carrot envy - I hate slugs with a vengeance

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  22. the best picnics are the unplanned ones I think. perhaps a few sugar snap peas when they've grown.

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  23. What a great post with lovely photo's ... enjoyed the read, thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  24. Oh your garden looks wonderful! I'm curious about the sugar snap peas, are you planting them from seed now to harvest in the autumn - I'm looking for something to pop in where the garlic was and I know we'd eat peas. And I love the sound of th Moomins cookbook - that sounds like my kind of picnic!

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    1. Yes, I'm hoping they'll be ready to harvest before the end of the growing season, they're quite a quick crop. CJ xx

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  25. Lovely photos and blog, our veges are so slow, its colder than usual up here. Your plant labels are exactly like the idea I had for plants in the borders in my nursery, how well do they work? Have a great weekend :)

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  26. You have carrots! - so do I for the first time ever. It must be an auspicious year for growing carrots or something in the air!

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  27. I always enjoy reading over your thoughts and adventures. It's very nice that I had time to do so today. I'm wishing I had plated some cucumbers myself. We do have pumpkins coming in, but that's all I can say for my little garden. I really enjoy reading about the harvest of yours. Hope you have a nice weekend CJ. Thanks for all your sweet words about our new family member!

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  28. Everything seems to just be so hunky dory and I'm super happy for you. Barbara Kingsolver is great. Love all your photos!
    I'm so behind with my blog and photos these days, you have encouraged me to get chronicling. xxx

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  29. Love the plant labels, I might copy that as I have some pruning to do & it would be lovely to use the thicker twigs as labels. Everything seems to be growing wonderfully well for you & well done on the carrots. I hope you get lots of lovely juicy ones x

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  30. So many beautiful images of your wonderful fruits, vegetables, flowers and books...the golden tomato and lone pear look perfect.
    Happy week dear C.J.
    xoxoxo ♡

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  31. Beautiful garlic! I will post a photo of mine so that you can have a giggle.
    Love glimpses of other people's summer reading. Any of the Narnia books is good at any time of the year. The tidying book is very enticing. I may have to get a copy and 'strew' it in front of my husband, or do nightly readings of it in subliminal way.
    Annie Bell did recipes in 'Country Living', didn't she?

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  32. how wonderful to see your abundant garden crops. all those carrots! they make pretty foliage in the garden, don't they? soft and delicate. there must be something you can do with them?
    I am reading a book on 'hot feminism' at the moment, but am waiting for the tidying book to come from the library. everyone has reserved it; I have a long wait!

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  33. I smiled when I saw Jo's comment above, I was thinking exactly the same - fab plant labels! I need big plant labels these days, it's too tedious trying to find those teeny ones among all the foliage. I adore the Moomins, they were my absolute favourite books even throughout my teens; I wonder if my library has a copy …. I know what you mean about picnics, I have a couple of picnic books, full of fancy portable food to be made in advance, but all anyone really wants are sandwiches and crisps - although those tubs of M&S prepared fruit are always good! Have a great week, CJ - school's out this week, I think? Caro xx

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  34. Your produce looks amazing, so fresh and appetising. I remember the Moomin books from primary school when our teacher read them to us every day before home-time, and I have the very same copy of 'The Lion,the Witch and the Wardrobe' from my own childhood. I still treasure it. I love picnics and so does my husband, but our offspring tired of them years ago which is a shame. You can't beat food eaten outside - it just tastes better, doesn't it?
    Cathy x

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  35. Its been a real treat to catch up on your blog posts which I've missed over the past few weeks. So much productivity and affection in these posts and pictures. I hope you have a wonderful summer holiday and your sugar snap peas don't take too long to grow 😋 x

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  36. So much loveliness CJ ! And I just love the Moomins ...
    Have a great week, Katexx

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  37. Hey CJ,
    Oh bless his heart with his seed diary. That will stay with me for avlong while. Olly wrote about a wolf who ate a mouse last week. It was all very Grimm. We have carrots too. About the only thing that has survived up at the plot. I have not long finished Prodigal Summer. I will save the next Kingsolver on my list until after the summer hols. I'm worried about reading them all, and then having none to read.
    Leanne

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  38. I so loved the moomin books and you have made me feel like reading them all again. I love the seed diary too, and your older boy's mixture of hilarity and sensitivity. Great stuff.

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  39. Given the very sad lack of guinea pig you could use those carrot tops for dye ;o)

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  40. A lovely post with beautiful photos. I think a moomin themed picnic would be a very good thing indeed. Xx

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  41. Your produce is looking fabulous, CJ. I didn't know there was a moomin cookbook, I'll have to look out for that. Love the moomins.
    It's funny, when something ends up on the floor or is broken, nobody seems to know anything about it, or they all blame somebody else in this house too. xx

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