RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY, COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY!!

First published Tuesday, 8 August 2017

Well it seems everything I had planned for today has just gone out the window. The veggies however, are clearly loving all the rain we are having, as the garden is looking so lush right now and my climbing and runner beans have gone crazy. I have had masses of beans ripening daily and it has been a real task trying to keep up with all the pickings. My poor kitchen seems to be permanently shrouded in steam, from blanching batch after batch for the freezer… but on the plus side, my freezer is filling up nicely and I get a free facial too! 

My sweetcorn is also loving the constant rain. It has grown the tallest I have ever known it. At seven feet, it is now towering over everything in the garden, including me! 

I can’t wait to pick the first cobs! 

But, despite the disappointing weather, I still managed to pull up all my onions at the weekend. I had originally planted out eighty onion sets in the spring, and successfully dug up seventy-six of them as healthy fat bulbs. These are now racked and drying out in my poly-tunnel. I reckon these should last the whole of the winter once they are strung up. This makes me very happy... so please forgive me while I slip into 'smug mode'!

Anyway, talking of the poly-tunnel...some infiltrator has nobbled my cauliflower's!

It seems that Mrs Cabbage White must have sneaked in behind my back one day when I wasn't looking and cheekily laid her eggs on the underside of my plants.

I first noticed some damage yesterday morning and on closer inspection was horrified to see just how bad the infestation was. I then spent what seemed like forever frantically picking off the masses of tiny caterpillars that were happily munching away at my leaves! I have tried to limit any further damage by continually removing them, but despite my best efforts, each time I take a look, I find more! It's a wonder to me just how much damage the cunning little blighters can inflicted on one plant and in such a short space of time before even being noticed!

Anyway, I don't want to use chemicals as I grow organically, so all I can do is just continue to pick them off....but I have declared war!! 

I guess you can't win every battle, so as I am stuck indoors I might as well do some cooking! I have lots of courgettes and many more coming, so might have a go at making a few cakes. I usually make a chocolate and courgette cake which freezes well, but have seen a new recipe for a lemon and courgette cake too, so might just give that a try instead! Another favourite of mine is courgette, potato and cheddar soup. This also freezes well, so I like to make it in large batches and save individual portions in the freezer. 

Whatever the weather, there is always something to be done.....oh look, is that the sun coming out....