The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
I was reading a post on sunflowers for every occasion over at The Garden Deli which inspired me to go and seek out the different kinds of sunflowers around our allotments. I didn’t have to look far. These stunners have given us a little bit of sunshine every time I go to the water butt. […]
Since getting our allotment I have had runner bean envy of my neighbour’s runner beans. They are pristine. not a black fly, white fly or any fly for that matter on them. Each variety could have been entered into countless competitions and won. I was determined to grow my own this year but I wanted […]
I have a little secret to tell. I’ve been feeding my girls pink mash and green mash since they were little. For years they thought fairy dust made it different colours. In fact for birthdays we did have a touch of the edible glitter on top. Little did they know I mashed in beetroot and spinach […]
I really can’t get enough beetroot at the moment. We’ve harvested so much over the summer and I still have about 30 growing away nicely on the allotment. I’ve roasted it, eaten it raw, mashed it, boiled it and pickled it. We’ve even put it in chocolate truffles which were very lovely I might add. […]
I was inspired to grow a little garlic after a visiting Mark at South West Garlic Farm last year. My garlic will never be as good as his and I won’t ever be planting the volume he does but I like the idea of my allotment being busy doing something over the winter. A few tips on planting […]
Last year I planted a three different varieties of beetroot. This year I chose just ‘Beetroot Boltardy’ but with lessons learned, I thinned and replanted my little beets so I’d get nice, fat ones for roasting. There’s no space in my fridge for pickles this year with all the lemon and elderflower marmalade! I must admit it has […]
I have a confession to make. The real reason I grow courgettes at the allotment is because of the flowers. There is something magical about these and my excitement and utter joy at seeing them for the first time each year never abates. They peek through the foliage and just take make me swell with […]
Earlier this week we saw many households across the country observe darkness in remembrance and reflection of World War I. ‘The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.’ #WW1 #LightsOut pic.twitter.com/u4755PkaUR — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 4, 2014 Britain declared war on Germany […]
We were very organised on the allotment this year. We planned over Christmas holidays because we did not want to be pipped to the post with seeds running out or not getting things in time. We were keen to grow mange tout – or ‘mange toots’ as my littlest calls them. Our local veg stall […]
We didn’t plant any nasturtiums at all this year. Totally forgot. But the beautiful blooms have come up all on their own in the same place and randomly across the patch. They seem to know what needs company as a little bloom appeared right next to the Firestorm Runner Beans last week and a little sprout […]
Did elderflower season start last longer last year? I don’t know about you but I think I have blinked and missed it. I don’t even remember walking around the allotment inhaling the wondrous scent. I think that may be because they’ve moved the manure right next to the tree! An ancient and wondrous plant A […]
We are having unsettled weather in the UK at the moment and that means lots of allotment time. Either to sort out the mess after heavy rain or to bask in the sunshine while it lasts. This year, we’ve extended our allotment ever so slightly but chopping down all the nettle and bramble growth to the […]