Carrots and Kids

Firsts

It has been another lousy year in the garden. Partly my fault and partly the weather. And there appears to be an all-you-can-eat evening cafe for rabbits that has set up business at the allotment.

But let's not focus on the negatives.

Let's celebrate the positives. There is much to be grateful for but I admit I am struggling a bit at the moment. I am in the doldrums and I haven't a clue why (so unlike me).

I aim to combat that with knitting and baking bread. I had a book token (I know, how quaint!) so treated myself to Dan Lepard's The Handmade Loaf. I like his Short and Sweet which I received for Christmas so I'm hoping this will be just as good.

It was published a while ago and should be just the ticket for making fancy pants bread. It's subtitled Contemporary European Recipes for the Home Baker.

I've also been enjoying the first strawberries from the plot and the first sweet peas from the garden. Everything seems so much later this year but all the more sweeter for it.

How Safe Is Your Allotment?

Allotments may seem innocuous and wholesome but, if you think about it, they're quite dangerous places for the lone gardener and for children.

Nowadays I mostly visit alone which doesn't bother me from a safety point of view, although a blog discussion about solo allotment visits did make me think. I'm very clumsy so it does cross my mind occasionally about how I'd fare if I was to have an accident.

But what I'm now wondering about is how safe your allotment is for children? I'm not one of those who think that such places are not really for children. For some it's the only place they'll have to get their hands in soil.

I suppose allotments are not really safe places for kids. Some people might use chemicals on their patch, next door's dog doesn't look too friendly and those troughs to catch the water drips from the tap are quite deep.

Then there's stakes with tops left uncovered at children's eye level, poisonous rhubarb leaves and no doubt lots of other things I haven't thought of.

But that's ok. There are dangers everywhere (particularly walking to and home from school we're discovering, where we've witnessed two parents mount the kerb close to us).

When we're at the allotment my children have a fair degree of freedom. There's a wood behind into which they disappear. And when they're actually with us, we make sure they don't wander onto anyone else's plot. That's as much about manners as it is about keeping them safe.

I started thinking about this after reading the Guardian's gardening Facebook page where editor Jane Perrone had asked for ideas on how she could use a bath she'd inherited on a new allotment (I don't think I can link to it, sorry).

The ideas were interesting and varied but a couple of people said, for health and safety reasons, they wouldn't turn it into a pond. Someone even suggested that she got rid of it.

As a mother who has visited her allotment with crawling babies and inquisitive toddlers I was a bit surprised at this.

No one has a pond on our small site but there are the water troughs in which a child could easily drown. And it's never occured to me they should be removed. My children are my responsibility and I wouldn't expect allotments to be a safe place for them. So we keep a close eye on them and instill a few rules.

What do you think? Should you manage your plot with an eye on the saftey of curious children? Or is it the parents' duty to ensure they are kept safe? Perhaps allotments and children don't mix...

{Feels Like Spring}

I admit I have been enjoying this weather. Out and about the other day, it really felt like spring. And I know, I do, that isn't good.

No doubt we will have some bad weather, I keep seeing snow shovels and sledges for sale everywhere. That in itself is unusual, I'm sure I never used to.

I read about someone hearing a blackbird singing the other morning. And how it might turn out to be a challenging gardening year because there has been no cold snap to kill off pests.

Although I haven't missed the snow this year, I have missed the crunchy, frosty mornings. But despite all of that, all the misgivings about the mild weather, I did gasp with delight at the allotment when I saw my calendulas still blooming.

Admittedly, I was less enamoured to see lots of nasturtium seedlings sprouting. Thinking of sowing a few at your allotment? I wouldn't, not unless you know it'll be a hard winter to kill them off.

{Found: Gardening Mojo}

This year, as reflected in the blog, my focus changed a bit from the garden to the home. Some of it was through necessity; we had a foreign visitor and, previewing the house through a stranger's eyes, there appeared to be lots to do. Oh my.

Work also ramped up slightly. I mean, I wasn't running a multi-national corporation or anything, but with no outside help or multi-tasking skills it meant something had to slide. And that was the garden.

It suffered as did the allotment. And yes, I did feel guilty. Horribly. But now I'm back, armed with a newly found mojo and some plans/seeds/bulbs to sow and plant now.

I've been up to the allotment and attacked it. There was no other word for it. I'm going to sow some onions, broad beans and potatoes for Christmas.

Then I'm going to get the strawberries under control, keeping five runners from each plant (by planting them directly in the ground if there's room or in pots) and hauling up some lovely well-rotted manure to spread on the other beds (leaving the one marked for carrots free).

Lastly I'm going to cover the empty, manured beds with old carpet or black plastic. And I shall do the same at home, except I plan to plant some salads and direct sow some flower seeds.

That's the plan. I was going to make a start today but life (namely small boys and cold bugs) had other ideas so I'm here telling you about it instead.

What I've discovered is that I no longer feel happy taking solo weekend allotment trips, not when I have all this time during the week. But I've also got to be more organised. I could have spent yesterday up there instead of working in the house but thought that's tomorrow's job. Little and often shall be my mantra. And particularly when it's dry. I have to remember that.

What are your gardening plans this autumn?

Allotment Wildlife

On one small part of the allotment I have some old carpet. I'm not sure what purpose it's serving but it's there and not hurting anyone.

The other day I thought I'd peek underneath and turf out any hiding slugs (there were a few but not as many as I thought). I also discovered this little visitor.

Of course, not being very knowledgeable about such things, I thought it was a newt but was puzzled as there wasn't a pond nearby. No one has a pond on their plot as all but two of us have half plots which are actually quite small so every available space is given over to growing.

 But Hubby, who knows about such things after an idyllic childhood immersed in cow poo and countryside, said it was a lizard and started reminiscing about how he used to catch them when he was a lad.

I won't bore you with those tales but I was chuffed to find this little creature at home on my allotment. What's the most unusual wildlife you've found on yours?

My Little Allotment Routine

When I was up the allotment recently I realised, with something akin to dawning horror, that I have a routine when I first arrive. I think we can blame advancing old age...

Now this works best when there is no one else up there but the first thing I do is pour a drink out of my flask, even if I haven't long just had one. If I was lucky enough to have a shed (with kettle) I would put that on instead.

Then, drink in hand, I wander round my plot. Taking a mental note of what needs attention (I have a very loose idea when I first head up there), I spot any problems or pat myself on the back if things are actually growing that should be. Always a bit of a surprise, that one.

Then, and this is really a favourite part, I will take my photos. This usually involves lying on my stomach in the dust so I really do like to do this in as much privacy as a public allotment can muster. Plus, I am pretty sure that in all my nine years of renting a plot, I have never once seen anyone else take a photo of their handiwork. Weirdos.

My other favourite thing is to nosey at all the other plots. I notice what they're growing and do a fair amount of admiring. Then and only then, do I actually get down to some work.

It probably comes as no surprise to anyone reading this, that my work rate is a little....light. If this was a job I'm sure I would have the sack by now.

Do you have any allotment routines?

My Essential

I'm not entirely sure how I managed to fit in things like blogging when I had children at home all day instead of at school. How do other mothers do it? I'm only able to write this because I am sat at the kitchen table, loosely supervising a very lovely sleepover happening in the sitting room.

So, I thought I'd use my time productively and here we are. As usual I'm not entirely sure what I do with my time but I know that while the children are home for the Easter holidays, gardening has got squeezed a bit.

Of course, they can help and do their own gardening. And some of them do. But I just find it hard to squeeze in a bit, mainly because I want more than ten minute snatches before I have to push someone on the swing, or break up a squabble.

 

So at the weekend I made myself go up to the allotment. It was hard. I do not want to give anyone the impression that I spring out of bed like Tigger, happy and ready to start my day. Oh no.

I was awake for ages and had to give myself a Good Talking To before I stirred my bones. But, as always, I was pleased I had. I knew I wouldn't get the chance for some quiet, vital, allotment pottering this week really.

I was a bit amazed at how little I got done (there seems to be a theme here). But I went and I did sow some more lettuce and carrots. Little and often. That's the way to do it. And it was good.

I'm all for gardening with children, showing them where carrots come from, but equally I need this Quiet Lottie Pottering Time. It is vital.

:: Edited to add that I've just found out, via Twitter, love Twitter, that the Government may put allotments under threat by removing the statutory duty of councils to provide them. If you've read my blog previously you'll know how important my allotment is to me. Other lottie holders feel the same too. And it won't affect just current plot holders - it affects every future one too.

This site explains it better - but if you want your views to be heard you only have until April 25. Don't delay, help protect allotments now ::

Rhubarb Cake Recipe

Like lots of people, well ones that grow their own, I have a glut of rhubarb. I have gone the crumble route so fancied making something different. Hence a lovely rhubarb cake.

I trawled my numerous cookbooks and the internet and I have to say it was quite tricky finding one that fitted the picture I had in my head and that didn't use buttermilk (because I didn't have any kicking around).

But eventually I hit the jackpot on the BBC Good Food site which also has numerous comments to go with this recipe. Who knew cake baking and eating was such serious business?

I have modified the recipe slightly (it had one ingredient in ounces and everything else in grams) and used less golden syrup but the cake turned out lovely. I did burn the top slightly at the edges as the Aga tends to do and my foil covering obviously didn't fit it quite right.

But you won't need to bother with foil if you're sensible and have an oven you can control. Hopefully your portion size will be under your control too too after you've made this but I'm making no promises...

140g butter (the original calls for 5oz so I rounded down) Oven: 180f/160c/Gas 4

300g self raising flour

2tspn mixed spice

1 tspn ground ginger

100g dark muscovado sugar

200g golden syrup

1 tspn bicarb of soda

200ml boiling water

2 eggs

        300g chopped rhubarb

1. Put the kettle on and line your cake tin (I used a loaf tin)
2. Sift flour and spice
3. Beat the butter and sugar til light and fluffy then beat in golden syrup
4. Dissolve the bicarb in 200ml of water and mix into the butter and sugar mixture
5. Add the flour, then the eggs and beat briefly
6. Stir in the rhubarb (apparently you can use a food processor for all this, I just used arms and a wooden spoon)
7. Pour into your cake tin and cook for about an hour. Eat within three days (if it will last that long).

The Husband, who was the one that devoured this, declared it "lush". I'm not eating cake at the moment. Sigh. Let's not even talk about that.

:: Edited to add, thanks to the eagle eyed Colleen who spotted I had omitted the golden syrup. Thanks so much Colleen. I think we can safely say a career as a food writer does not beckon...::

My Strawberries Are Confused!

I know we've all been enjoying (hopefully) this lovely, warm unseasonal weather. It has felt like May instead of March. Obviously I'm not the only one to think so. A couple of my strawberry plants at the allotment have come into flower. This is the earliest I've seen them flower. I haven't even picked all my daffs yet.

Sunshine

Sometimes I forget what a blast of sunshine my allotment is. Literally and figuritively. I picked some daffodils yesterday, which is much earlier than other years. And being there reminded me how wonderful it is. Bring on the sun.