It's been a while, the problem is the sun keeping shining and I keep getting distracted by it, in a good way, I think. So a progress report on all things growing, the beans are performing and have picked my first few handfuls which is the most pleasing thing to do especially when you pick and cook all within minutes. Along with the beans I have been getting a great deal of pleasure from my courgettes.......they are bloody delicious and I have managed to conume every part of the plant, the flowers stuffed with a ricotta & mint mix and deep fried in a tempura batter along with the leaves again in a tempura batter and the courgette itself chargrilled with peppers on a griddle. I now have a new obsession in the form of my tomatoes which are starting to bare fruit which are growing by the day. Over the garden fence the allotments are also overgrown with all things vegetable and fruit and flowers. The other weekend the urge to going scrumping became too strong and with the back up of a couple of friends we hopped over the garden fence ( through the gate actually, but sounds more in the spirit of scrumping to say we went over the garden fence!) armed with a couple of containers to pick some black currants, rasberries and anything else that was so ripe if it wasn't picked there and then it would have gone to waste! Of course the minute we pick our first berry a neighbour, keen allotment keeper, comes out and catches us red handed, but in the spirit of what is so great about my local allotments is he helped us with our scrumping and disappeared for a couple of minutes only to return with a couple of bags full of other goodies. He also suggested that I might like to take on a plot on the allotment, which ideally I would love to do but I know how much hard work goes into growing all the produce and it's not the same when you scrump your own fruit and veg! All in all, another way to spend a perfect balmy summer day.
