Early Strawberries and Last of the Rainbow Chard

So its the long weekend and I have been resting up. In between resting up and lazing, I have also been pottering in the garden which is very higgledy piggledy, but it is coming along nicely or so it appears.  

Look what I harvested on Friday - early strawberries!  They were not perfect, but they were really sweet and tasty. 

We have potatoes growing.  I also have a number of climbing beans growing: green, purple and yellow, as well as runner beans and broad beans.  The yellow courgettes are also in the ground.  I also have rainbow chard to .  

I have also been eyeing up some future fruit such as gooseberries (above), blueberries (below), plums, apples and pears (below).

I also harvested the last of the overwintered rainbow chard, that went into a Chickpea Curry. 

I am sharing this blog post with Dave over at Happy Acres for Harvest Monday. 

Strawberries and Roses

To those of you who came by last week, I did say come back and I would show you some progress, except - its been very wet and I do not wish to go and take photographs in the rain, but here are some that D managed to take a couple of days back when it was overcast.

 I harvested the first fruit of the year from the garden, some homegrown strawberries, These were hidden amongst the invasive mint and weeds.  I know I will have to be quick pickign these as I will be fighting the birds and the slugs for them. 

Some stunning red roses that are filling the trellis that I shared last week in the patio area where the birds come to feed.

 Some white delicate rose petals flapping in the breeze like dove wings.

 I got tempted and picked one to accompany my White Coconut Bliss Balls aka Ladoos.

 The yellow roses are just about to bloom.  

And finally, the last of the bolted Rainbow Swiss chard.  I have made some furhter progress, but hope that I will be able to share it with you next week.  I am sharing this short post with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave over Our Happy Acres.  

Big Juicy Strawberries for Strawberry Slices

I seem to be sharing my strawberries with not just the usual garden birds, but also a stunning Jay bird in the garden.  The number of strawberries I've picked that have a sharp razor beak mark in them, made me smile.  I am not resenting the birds in my garden at all - there are plenty of strawberries for them and for me (its the slugs I resent). 

As well as enjoying them fresh, I've made loads of recipes with them.  However the one I am about to share had been a bit of a fail.  These strawberry slices tasted good, but were rather floppy, lacking body.  Perhaps some almonds scattered over the top or a jam layer beneath the strawberries would have made them more substantial.  If your (still) interested in trying them for yourself or even just curious to see the recipe, then follow this link for the recipe, its adapted from my Rhubarb Streusel Crumblee slices.

I am sharing these fresh big and juicy Strawberries with Daphne's Dandelions for Harvest Mondays. 

Ripening Strawberries

As I wrote yesterday, its not quite summer yet, but the strawberries in my garden are beginning to reward us, ripening slowly but surely.  

Yesterday afternoon, I harvested a whole punnet.  I recently made some Strawberry Flapjacks, but always welcome recipe suggestions - sweet or savoury. 

I am sharing this Punnet of Strawberries with Daphne's Dandelions for Harvest Mondays. Sharing this time round made me smile a little as around this time last year I also shared Punnet of Strawberries. 

Strawberry Punnets keep coming from my garden

I've got quite a bit of news to share regarding the progress of my garden, but I can't resist sharing my most recent harvest of strawberries.  I've been picking punnets since Thursday, every day there is more to pick. There are four punnets in my fridge at the moment.  Two of them will be taken over to my parents tomorrow and the others have been booked for some new recipes, one of which is a Strawberry Risotto,  but I always welcome recipe suggestions from fellow bloggers, so please do share.  

If you look closer at the top punnet, you will spy some raspberries too. 

I am sharing this post with Harvest Monday hosted by Daphne's Dandelions. 
Previous Strawberry Recipes on my blog
2013 Strawberry, Caramelized Red Onion and Brie Cheese Tart
2012 Graceland Cake: Strawberry, Banana and Peanut Butter Cake
2010 Strawberry Curd
2009 Strawberry Ice Roses - Strawberry Sorbet

A bowl of strawberries

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I am a passionate vegetable gardener.  After all it was the premise of this whole blog: allotment2kitchen, but life has changed dramatically since late 2010 and things don't seem to be improving, in spite of all my efforts.  Still I hope and remain a optimist, encouraged by my husband that things will get better.

Anyway, this is a way of saying that there is not much going on in my rented garden: a small herb patch and lots of weeds.  The wildlife are happy though, especially the bumble bees.   And Oh and there are strawberries!

Some of you may remember in June I mentioned that I had unearthed a small patch of strawberry plants that I has planted last year when I had moved into the house.  Well the delicate white strawberry flowers have now turned into juicy blood red strawberries.  I enjoyed some yesterday simply with a drizzle of honey and cream,  and today I made a Strawberry and Vanilla Lassi.  I will share the recipe with you tomorrow

For now just gaze at these sweet deep red shapely strawberries . 

 

Red Velvet Strawberry Cake with Strawberry 'Cream Cheese' Frosting

I created this seasonal strawberry cake around this time last year, but was unable to feature it on my blog due to work load and other life distractions.  Plus I didn't get round to taking a photograph of it as it disappeared within hours of making it. 

 

Well last week I was given a chance to cook some of my vegetarian and vegan delights at a local arts venue. I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and thought I'd feature this Red Velvet Strawberry Cake alongside some of my most popular and seasonal dishes, such as the Red Dragon Burgers, Rhubarb and Puy Lentil Curry and vegan BLT.    

This red velvet strawberry cake, well it was truly popular, even the kids from a local primary school who had come in to view some artwork by a young talented new artist were going 'wow'.  So it won't be any surprise to some of you that more than half of the cake was gone by the day.  Everyone who had a slice, could not only believe it was vegan, but were surprised to note how moist it was.  I know I could have added more colouring to make it a deeper red, but I was being cautious. After all its a red velvet cake, not a 'oh my bloody bleeding heart cake'. If you so wish, you could decorate it with more fresh strawberries, but personally I did not want to over-do it.

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Vegan Red Velvet Strawberry Cake with Strawberry 'Cream Cheese' Frosting
You will need a 10 inch round spring form cake tin for this cake
Serves 12
425g plain flour
11/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
180g golden caster sugar

400ml soy milk
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
200ml vegetable oil
100g - 120g fresh strawberries, sliced plus extra for topping
1 Teaspoon red food colouring
Method
Sieve the dry ingredients first over a large bowl, then stir in the sugar.  In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients, then carefully pour into the dry ingredients, along with the sliced strawberries and red food colouring and combine well.  Then pour into baking tin.  Bake at gas mark 4/180oC for 45 - 50 minutes of until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool and cover with cream cheese frosting the following day.
For the vegan 'cream cheese' frosting
Icing sugar
Vegan margarine
Vegan Cream Cheese
2 - 3 fresh juicy strawberries crushed or pureed
Method
Put the icing sugar, margarine and 1 - 2 tablespoons of crushed fresh strawberries into a blender and blitz. Allow to chill, then carefully with a spatula spread over the top of the cake and leave to set. Then top with additional freshly sliced strawberries.

Smelling like a strawberry field

Despite having wild strawberries growing in pots, these are the only two regular strawberries I've harvested from the containers. As lovely and tasty as they were, I don't think I am due to get many more. So it is onto plan B. Pick your own (PYO) from a local farm.
This PYO farm is near Glasgow Airport. A few years ago, before I had an allotment plot. I had taken my nephews here and we picked loads of strawberries to eat with cream. I am pleased to say that both my nephews actually stated it being one of their favourite and most enjoyable days out. This time between D and myself, we managed to pick just under 2kg of fat, ripe and juicy strawberries.

I also wanted some vegetables and the farms broccoli was not ready yet. D suggested instead of us going to the farmers market, we venture a little further to Geilston Gardens. The last time we went there was for the Easter weekend. D remembered that they were due to begin selling some fruit and vegetables from their walled garden to the public. Geilston Garden does not actually have a shop, the volunteers display whats been harvested on the day, as well as plants on an open stall with the prices listed. You take what you want and put the coins or notes into the 'Honesty box'.

While we were there, we took a walk around the gardens. I came across a rose bush that was covered with bees. The bees were really lively, so it was difficult to capture them on camera, unlike those I've pictured in the past looking rather sleepy. Not only were these particular bees lively, if you CLICK on the image, you will see that the bee seems to be carrying a yellow sack on its side. I am sure its obvious what this is, but I don't want to assume, so would like someone to confirm it. So if any one of you wonderful and far more knowledgeable readers know what this actually is, please dolet me know. I would really appreciate it. This was not the only bee carrying these yellow sacks, pretty much all of them were. Bizzy workers.

I wanted to see the walled vegetable garden as the last time we visited nothing was planted. What a difference a couple of months make.

As well as comparing notes, I also took interest in the vegetables that were not growing on my little patch such as these green courgettes.

onions,

sweetcorn,

parsnips,

and reddy spinach.

I came back home with some strikingly gorgeous purple kale and bites of broccoli, as well as the strawberries.

About 1kg of them were swiftly turned into strawberry jam. The others await edible transformation - that is of course if we don't pick and eat them every time we visit the refrigerator.

Ruby, ruby, ruby, ruby

This is the biggest strawberry I’ve ever grown – A real beauty
Ida the West African woman who has a plot opposite mine, gave me a bunch of ‘rape’ this afternoon in exchange for some lemon balm.

This is what ‘rape’ looks like, its quite tough and fibrous.

I previously blogged that my mother wanted me to acquire some seeds from Ida, to which Ida kindly obliged. My mothers seeds are growing along nicely. I think my mother is going to be making saag with it, but my skills and patience does not extend that far in the kitchen. I simply steamed the leaves, and then added it to olive oil and garlic for a few minutes until it was well covered with the garlicky juices.

We ate the greens alongside boiled maris bard potatoes and a ready made vegetable country pie, one our work standbys, when neither of us has the energy to cook after a long day at work.

Summer Solstice Strawberries

How lucky am I?!

No recipe needed.
Just add (own grown) strawberries, raspberries and fair trade bananas with a touch of cream.

Juicy and delicious. And look at those shades of red.

Strawberry cheesecake

My in-laws are coming up to Scotland tomorrow, so we have been tidying up the ‘cottage’ flat and putting our mile high pile of laundry away.

I like it when family come up to stay, it gives me the opportunity to travel and see other parts of Scotland, and do things you don’t often get to do when you stay local, but when family and friends come up – you too can play the tourist or Tour Guide in Ds case. As well as dragging Ds parents over to the allotment, we are also planning to take a drive out to the East Coast this time. We’ve done the West of Scotland trail a number of times, and have even been out to a couple of the Islands: Arran and Mull, so a change of direction is due. Here is a welcoming cheesecake made with Scottish strawberries. I love this picture, it looks quite professional!

Unfortunately this cheesecake is not made with my allotment grown strawberries as they are still in the flowering stage, but these are as good as for now. On cooking I noted that the strawberries in the cheese mix had completely disintegrated, but it did not detract from the taste, just the look. Therefore, I would advise topping the cheese mix with strawberries (see below) as well.

Strawberry cheesecake
Serves 6
Ingredients
200g strawberries, washed and halved
225g cream cheese
80 ml of sour cream
40g caster sugar
2 free range eggs
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon or cornflour
Juice of ½ lemon

First make the cheesecake base
175g digestive biscuits
50g Butter, melted

Crush the biscuits then mix well with melted butter and put into press into cake tin.

Heat the oven to gas mark 6.

Now the cheesecake mix: Blend the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cornflour and lemon juice together.

Pour the cheesecake mix into the pastry case and bake for 40 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

If you can resist it, this cheesecake is best served the following day.

Signs of the first berries

Look signs of my first strawberry! The ones in the bed are starting to bud. I know I have placed these unsightly plastic tubs around, but I do not have enough, and I think I need double reinforcement. I don’t mind sharing my strawberries with beasties, but last year I got none. This time I am determined to have some. So I am considering planting some sacrificial lettuces and marigold around the bed to, so that the slugs are attracted to them rather than the juicy red berries. Let’s see if it makes a difference, otherwise I may have to consider organic slug pellets and I really don’t want too.
Other pretty berries starting to establish themselves are the currants: red currants, white currants and black currants.

I will be throwing netting over these in not too long, as I am sure the birds are watching them closely too!

Delicious strawberries to come

Ooh sometimes I like doing the Early shift, as I get a chance to spend unexpected time at my plot.

A few months ago at work, they were getting rid of these large plastic containers on wheels simply because they were superfluous. The little recycler in me said I would take them off their hands for my plot, hence redirecting their journey to the allotment site rather than the councils tip. I thought with a little bit of creative artwork on the outside (when I have time on my hands), they would make good carrot containers, especially as they are well over two feet above the ground to distract that dastardly carrot fly.

So in one of the tubs, I planted some purple haze carrots and in the other I transplanted some strawberry plants given to me by Polytunnel Alan. This should keep the slugs away. Last year, most of my gorgeous, juicy red strawberries had been nabbed by some of these beastly creatures, this year I am determined to keep them protected the best I can.

Below is one of my raised beds, half of which has strawberries and the other half has asparagus. I weeded the bed and then surrounded some of the strawberry plants with plastic pot containers, which have had their bottoms cut off. They are rather raggedy, but hopefully they will keep those slimy slugs from trespassing. I just don't have enough plastic pots to surround each strawberry plant. So I will have to go and get some more fat balls for the birds in the garden, which come in these large clear plastic containers, and then recycle them for my strawberries.

I know the plastic containers make the patch look a bit unsightly, but flavour comes before beauty and if you want good looking and tasty fruit from your plot, you do have to protect these from those little beasties, who are just as tempted by your good looking grub. For me this is both economical and organic.