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Tuesday 29 April 2008

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)






This is Garlic Mustard (also known as Jack-by-the-hedge and Hedge Garlic). It's VERY common in the UK, and you can find baby leaves from late winter through to late spring.

It has a mild oniony flavour, and is apparently very good with fish or in mint sauce.

These pictures were taken on Sunday at the allotments (click to view bigger).

Saturday 26 April 2008

Stuff I'm growing...

Spinach (harvesting)
Rocket (harvesting)
Lettuce (harvesting)
Mustardy things (harvesting)
Cornsalad
Lemon Balm (must try tea!)
Mint (harvesting)
Rosemary (harvesting)
Thyme (harvesting)
Sage (harvesting)
Chives (harvesting)
Garlic
Onions
Currants (cuttings from wild)
Raspberry (cuttings)
Carrots
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Potatoes
Calabrese
Kale
Parsnips
Celeriac
Leeks
Broad beans (first flower today!)
Peas
Plum trees
Teeny Apple tree
Leaf beet
Beetroot
Burdock (?)
Jerusalem Artichokes (no-show after 2 months)
Jalapeno peppers (windowsill)
Tomatoes (windowsill)
Basil (windowsill)
+ various ornamental things!

Tomorrow I plan to sow courgettes, squash, beans and coriander in pots : )

Thursday 24 April 2008

Hops (Humulus lupulus)




I recently tried hop shoots for the first time. I only had a few (because I was scared!) in an omlette. They were quite pleasant - a bit like nettles maybe, but milder.

On my lunchbreak today I picked a large handful as I wandered by the river. I also took a few pictures (click photo to view bigger).

This evening for dinner I made a quick cheese sauce for pasta, and threw them in to add a few vitamins : ) I would recommend using only the very tops (3 or 4 inches) and cooking them quite well, as they're covered in strange sticky hairs!