Harvest Festival

| 24th September 2024

It was such a delight to gather in these tomatoes this morning, I’ve been watching them grow and waiting patiently since MARCH – Six months of tending which included building them a new tall raised bed, feeding and weeding, regular watering, pinching out, top trims and more. But they taste amazing!

I’m also rather thrilled with the large leafy savoy cabbage that I lifted today – it was so delicious shredded, steamed and slathered in butter for dinner. The red chillies are threaded and hanging up to dry, the huge quinces are primed for both poaching and jelly making and I’m holding back the cucumber for another batch of piccalilli (just waiting for the cauliflowers and the last of the runner beans).

Harvest is such a special time to celebrate, but with careful planning – there should always be something ready to bring in to eat. As the summer salad crops stumble to towards the finishing line, I’ve sown chicory, mizuna and lambs lettuce to keep a supply of winter leaves to hand.

As beds are cleared down at the allotment, we are planting and sowing crops that will benefit from a head start whilst the soil is still warm. Onions and garlic went in today and I’ve always found broad beans to be most successful when sown in October.

In Sunday School last weekend, we were talking about Faithfulness and I used a branch from the fig tree in the church garden to explain the faithfulness of perennial fruit trees – how they will give us fruit year on year, even if we neglect them. We then cut sections off the branch to propagate brand new fig trees for each of the children to take home.

As the nights start to draw in, I’m looking at the wax cappings saved from the honey harvest and am thinking about which style of candles to make this year, the soft light from beeswax candles is so beautiful and the smell is quite evocative.

Special Offer for one week only…

We have spaces available on our courses in a couple of weeks and are offering them to blog subscribers at a special discount;

Introduction to Making Cheese – Thursday 10th October – 20% discount
Introduction to Making Pasta – Wednesday 9th October – Buy One Get One Free!

Just reply to a recent email from us and we’ll get you booked in…

Coming up at Hen Corner:

October

Introduction to Making Pasta – Wednesday 9th
Introduction To Making Cheese – Thursday 10th
Introduction to Scandinavian Baking – Tuesday 15th
Full Day Making Sourdough – Thursday 17th
Cheese Together (Families) – Wednesday 30th (Half Term)

November

Introduction to Making Bread – Tuesday 12th
Introduction to Scandinavian Baking – Thursday 21st

Christmas Courses!

Page 8 Hotel, Trafalgar Square Friday 29th Nov, 6-8pm

Chiswick Flower Market Sunday 1st Dec, 2-3.30pm

+ Making Christmas Food Gifts

At Hen Corner: Tuesday 10th December

+ Introduction to Christmas Baking

At Hen Corner: Wednesday 18th December

Don’t forget – if you’ve been on a course before, email for your 20% discount!

Other news:

Our honey harvest is finally extracted from the beehive frames – straining as I type!
Fruit and veg is being collected daily from the garden
The chickens are slowing down their egg laying as they focus on growing new feathers for winter