Feral Raspberries

I picked these from the edges of the allotment site. There are lots more in the nearby woods. I just love the idea of "escaped" plants, as these most probably are...

Summer's here...

I picked my first little courgette today!

Just been watching River Cottage, in which Hugh sliced and fried baby courgettes with a bit of garlic and a lot of mint, and ate them on toast with a yoghurty topping. Must try...

Speaking of mint, I added some of the wild stuff (water mint I think) to some homemade lamb burgers. They were nice... even though they tasted like toothpaste. Next time I will add slightly less! :)

Lunchtime forage (yesterday)...

Mixed cherries, from hedgerows by the Thames.

Allotment update

Lately I've been harvesting peas, broad beans, potatoes, a few tiny strawberries and the usual leaves and herbs. This evening I would also have dug up my garlic but I accidentally injured myself whilst collecting peas (chopped my finger with scissors!) so I went home early...

I'm getting excited about the fast-approaching runner bean and courgette glut (loads of flowers on both already). My onions, tomatoes and beetroot are all looking promising too. Some would say it's a crime to pickle beetroot but I can't wait (never done it before)!

Unfortunately I seem to be failing with the carrots again, which is a shame because they're one of my favourite vegetables. And no, it's not because I'm trying to grow them in the sky...

Meet Liz...

This is my lizard!

Actually, it's a wild lizard who lives amongst my carrots and beetroot. I think it's a lady because since the picture was taken she's become very pregnant-looking! I had baby lizards on the allotment last year and they were very cute (also fascinating to watch) - I'd love to see some this year too :)

More lizard photos (including some from last year) on my flickr, click the photo for a visit...