Saturday 29 August 2009

The Wheel.

As the wheel of the year turns, so all things change. They take their turn on the wheel and then move on until their turn comes again. So it is with all things, but most notably the seasons. We can't stop them from rolling into the next one as the year draws closer to it's end. That shouldn't be too depressing, it's just how it is.

When I left the house early this morning to feed the ponies, it was in bright sunshine, but there was a definite nip in the air. Autumn is knocking on the door of Summer and for the first time in months I came home and put a big pot of porridge on to cook.

The vegetable harvest continues as I have the last of the potatoes to dig up and store, and the beans are having a last minute abundance. I wonder if they are a late variety, or whether they would have been better if the deer had left them alone. They are called Monastic Coco and are a sweet and tender bean when picked young, but if left to mature, they make a great soup bean. I will definitely grow them again.

My Graziella squash have grown very well, despite the fact that I nearly lost the lot to rabbits. I hope to have enough seed to send some out to people for next year, so when the time comes, sign up if you want to try them. They are pure Sunshine, captured in a golden shell, with the smell and taste of hot, lazy August days. They are an old French variety, brought over by my lovely neighbour and named in her honour, as their original name has been forgotten.

I hope to try some more exotic vegetables next year, as I'm learning about what works well and what not to waste time with. That's the beauty of growing your own vegetables. You can try foods that you'll never see in the Supermarket and at the same time, do your bit for the Heritage varieties. This is a topic very close to my heart and one that I want to explore more as time goes on.

The Heritage seeds come from the Real Seed Catalogue and you can find them here: http://www.realseeds.co.uk

I'll be back later with some pictures, hopefully, so have a good day all and enjoy this lovely weather while it lasts.

3 comments:

Tammie Lee said...

I am so happy you visited and let me know where you are now! Your garden and the harvests sound divine. I have not had a garden for so long. I now try and learn wild foods. I ate puffball mushrooms a few days ago and keep my eye on the ripening rose hips. A garden will be great fun someday. It is also plenty of work!
Spirithelpers

Bovey Belle said...

I can recommend Cherokee Trail of Tears french beans and also the Italian flat beans which I have grown for the past three years and have cropped really well and taste fab. My plot needs LOTS of feeding this winter though and preferably a bit more sunshine next year as we had a fairly poor summer here again (though it perked up no end when you visited!)

Yarrow said...

Glad you dropped by, Tammie. It's a big responsibility, keeping the weeds down in a garden or plot, but I hope you get one again, one day too.

Thanks for the beans tip, and what a lovely thing to say, Jennie :)

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