Become NEARLY self sufficient

... with my new starter was a huge success.

the broccoli leaves nearly to skeletons, but we got 2 more flowerets yesterday. Also yesterday, I made “fried salad” that is, stirfried greens and stuff. Most of my lettuce is starting to bolt, between 2 weeks of not being picked and almost continual rain.

The resulting forest required a large amount of weeding yesterday and I also picked enough greens to make a “mess ‘o greens” for dinner with 1/2 a tomato, a red bell pepper, and some onion. Not the most imaginative dinner I’ve ever made, but it was pretty cheap as the main component came out of the garden.

Also this year’s leeks have budded and the garlic has proud green shoots. Soon, I’ll harvest one of the leeks and let the other go to seed. When the garlic has bloomed and kneed over I’ll dig it up too.

I’m out of commercial garlic, all I have left is the end of last year’s harvest, 3 or 4 (?) heads. I need to use ‘em up before I get THIS year’s harvest!

Tonight’s dinner (DH’s birthday) is lasagna w/homemade marinara, fresh peas, salad (greens from the garden, tomato, pepper and a balsamic vinegarette). The birthday cake is going to wait until Thursday probably and that will be carrot muffins or carrot cake w/ricotta icing (instead of cream cheese).

I hope the ricotta icing works, it will make it fat free, something we try for these days!

jkd

... I’m trying a new recipe I found. This will be ready to use by Thursday.

Looking forward to seeing how the first loaf turns out..!

... for a while this morning before the rain started.

Managed to dig up potatoes, pick broccolini, check on new seedlings and tidy up some errant plants.

Pruning will have to start soon. I need a couple of drier days to get this all done.

... I found a largish handful of cape gooseberries that have defied the cold, mixed in a whole lemon and a few apples and voila ~ this beautiful creation..!

... there is definitely a reason that you do not go picking apples on a crispy winters morn. My fingers were like ice blocks by the time I had picked these.

_{the moral of the story – wait until at least lunchtime!}

... and I am so lucky to still be able to pick ~

• strawberries
• raspberries
• zucchini
• carrots
• broccoli
• broad beans

I also planted seeds of :

• mustard
• cress
• coriander
• turnips
• broadbeans
• oriental radish

All of my other seeds have popped up and seem to be thriving !!

... not a huge quantity, but it was so exciting to be able to harvest and use them this year..!

• pumpkins that I will store for the winter
• zucchini
• leeks
• broccolini
• potatoes

.. I have been able to harvest some of my cape gooseberries..

We usually have early frosts and the plants suffer dreadfully.

No frosts so far and I will be able to make jam with these little beauties.