My veg basket

This year, like every year, I’m growing some vegs and herbs. Except this year, it’s a success!!!!!

Every time it’s the same story, the plants will be eaten over night by an army of bugs and birds, what’s left will die, all alone while we are on holiday.

But every year, I decide to try again, convincing myself it will be different. And this year it is!

Few months ago (I didn’t take any pictures back then as I thought it would be another unsuccessful season) I started to seed some broad beans and courgettes and kept them warm in the conservatory (the green house is full of boxes unrelated to gardening…). 


From there, I did some trading with my friends Kelly & Pete: I gave them some of my plants and they gave me some tomato plants. And that’s how it all started!!

Strawberry

I bought some strawberry plants and as soon as I got home, I wrapped the roots in newspaper and planted them on a sunny spot.

The reason why I used the newspaper is because it will quickly turn into compost but before that, will keep the plant warm at night and moist longer.

I then covered the ground with softwood chips. This, once again, keep the plant warm and moist. But it ALSO keeps the slugs at bay!!

Sophie 1-0 slug

Then, a few weeks ago, after a lot of love and care for my strawberries, they started to turn red! I was as excited as a kid on Xmas day! But, I wasn’t the only one to notice the change: The birds too!

Sophie 0-1 birds

After I discovered a half eaten strawberry in the middle of the garden when I came back from work (And Mister Lapin strongly denying being involved) I decided to fight back! …With a net! Your garden doesn’t look pretty with a net in the middle but at least it works!

Sophie 1-0 birds

We eventually managed to harvest them and enjoy them! I think it was the best strawberries I ever had! They were picked on a warm day and they were sooooooo sweet and full of flavour…

Sophie 999999999 – 0 Nasty birds & bugs

Try with:

Eton Mess

Broad Beans

I told you I would bother you with my veg patch and here I come again!!

This time introducing the broad beans!

I very much like broad beans, I find them sweet, tasty and convenient. During summer time, I sometimes make a bulgur salad to go with the barbecue. And all I’ve got to do is throw a handful of frozen beans when the bulgur is still hot and ta-dah!

I started to grow the broad beans from seeds in the conservatory. Once they looked strong enough, I planted them in the veg patch.

Closely next to each plant, I added a stick. Go for strong ones, as the weight of the broad beans when fully grown can be heavy. On a regular basis, I added strings around to support them.

I then had my first harvest last week!

The best way to keep them (unless you wish to eat broad beans non stop for a week) is to take the pods from the shells and put in a salad bowl. Pour boiling water on top and leave for 20 mins.

Drain and put some kitchen roll at the bottom of the salad bowl. Put the broad beans back in the bowl and top up with more kitchen roll. Leave it to dry for a few hours.

Put a kitchen cloth on a tray and “spray” the broad beans on it. Make sure there is enough room between each pod. Put in the freezer for an hour or two.

 

All you have to do now is put the frozen been in a bag and it will be ready to use whenever you want!