Gorgous Caulis & Poorly Broad Beans

We have eaten our first cauli this weekend which had partially bolted (so we got it just in time) and it was utterly gorgeous! So we can salvage them, if we are canny and catch them in time. There is another one that is ready on the plot, so we need to nab it before it bolts like the other ones. Such tasty veg.

Son and I ripped up the poorly broad beans and plonked them on the compost pile, and also got rid of a lot of big weeds. The two pumpkins are looking marvellous, and are changing colour, so should be lovely come October. They are still rambling all over though, I cut off a few invading tendrils. I also chopped some of the tomato leaves out but the plants are rampant, same as the ones at home. They have plenty of fruit but tons of leaves.

The runner beans are looking great, the black fly remedy seems to have worked, as there is not much there now - soapy water in a spray bottle, excellent. Will be adding that to the Tips page. The cannellini beans are looking splendid, whereas the yardlongs are still flowering and producing leaves but no beans as yet. Not sure if we will try them again, but we had to give them a go. Maybe it's just too cold in this country for them.

We also cropped some more courgettes and some raspberries. Will be making raspberry jam soon I think.

Over the weekend I made a load of courgette curry, using a jar of rogan josh sauce, and other fresh and tinned veg, we had some with rice and it was delicious. I popped the rest of it in the freezer, we now have 5 plastic tubs of lovely frozen curry stored, so at least the bountiful courgettes won't go to waste. There are more courgettes to come, and tomatoes, so I may make ratatouille for the freezer next time. Om nom nom.

The sweetcorn isn't quite ready yet, but not far off, and we still have a glut of beets in the ground, so I will be making more pickled beets for over winter again, we love them. And I spotted the first of the winter squashes on the plants, we'd had plenty of flowers but no fruit before now - I doubt if we will do them again next year, they are very space hungry plants and we simply don't have the room for them with only having a half plot. But we had to give them a go.

So next year we will do courgettes again, and will try a couple of different varieties, patty pan and round ones maybe, as well as the stripy ones. We will also do more french beans as we prefer them to runners to be honest, runners are nice but french are nicer. If the yardlongs don't do anything then we won't waste the space, they have been pretty plants but not productive just yet. We'll give broad beans another go but in a different spot, they just weren't happy where they were. Cabbages are a must, red cabbage especially, and cauli if we can stop them bolting.  And tomatoes of course, lots of tomatoes :-)