Hungerford allotment blog - grow your own, harvesting and vegetarian cooking. Enjoying allotment wildlife, weather and other things that catch my attention.
Enjoying time on the Marsh Lane Allotment site in Hungerford, Berkshire.
A record of successes, failures and a handy reminder for me.
From 2017 each post title brings a song to add a little extra music to the world - enjoy!
Before our weekend away I had to do a final water in the polytunnel - outside could look after itself for a few days, especially if this was the weather September was going to bring! Between torrential downpours I picked more tomatoes and left them on the Spares shelf, we'd already given some away to neighbours. I was tempted to take some away with us, but I think they have tomatoes in Bath ðŸ¤
The two redcurrant tomato plants are producing masses of tiny tomatoes - they’re a bit of a pain to pick, it would be considerably easier if whole trusses ripened at once, but they are so tasty and photogenic I’m glad I grew them.
I made the confit “con-fee” (apparently) with some of the redcurrant tomatoes as planned. I've mostly been having them as toppings for sandwiches and cheese biscuits. There are some left which we may have with halloumi tonight - they only keep for a fortnight in the fridge. They produce a delicious pop while eating them. The oil can be used for pasta, salads or cooking. I used some for frying aubergine this week.
Confit - redcurrant tomatoes and garlic
The aubergines have done well in the polytunnel this year - these were from the Graffiti plant.
They were used, along with tomatoes (obviously) for this tasty chilli.
And the radish pods were used in this concoction with non-chicken and an onion sauce - delicious. The pods didn’t last long, they’ve gone past their best now and rather stringy so the plants will be next in-line for the compost bin.
This is our latest trug which includes some Meatball aubergines. There are still quite a few small fruits on the plant, but that’s the last Graffiti for the year.
And this trug has more dried beans and our first melon, which I think is ripe. Plus a few tiny, tasty carrots - not sure they appreciated being container-grown.
The flowers are really enjoying the sunshine and showers weather at the moment, even though the nights are getting a bit chilly for me.
We went early with making some sloe gin using sloes from the allotment hedge - they’re so abundant this year. The sloes were frozen before adding to the gin and the jars are shaken regularly so the colour is deepening for (hopefully) a tasty liqueur around Christmas.
And just to show how autumnal it is out there …. This large fungi emerged in the woodchip pile. Not sure of the variety so it didn’t get eaten!
And because this post contains some beautiful things, Benson Boone provides the title track - enjoy!
A very impressive building - and just look at the inside! The vaulted ceiling is so beautiful…dating from the early 1500s.
Vaulted ceiling in the Abbey
and the stained glass - wow!
East Window
The windows were smashed to smithereens in World War 2, but the glass was gathered up and 60% of the current East Window is original.
There’s not much of the 16th century abbey left, there have been so many restorations, but the memorials and inscriptions all round the walls and floor date back to the earliest days of the abbey with some excellent sculptures.
Obviously we had to visit the Roman baths, which are just beside the abbey - the abbey floor is warmed by the same hot spring. I enjoyed the statues around the terrace walls but was disappointed to learn they were carved in Victorian times.
In fact it turns out that much of the Roman Baths are Victorian, including all the columns and surrounds, but the more ancient elements (mostly just the foundations and some paving) were interesting and thousands of Roman coins have been found there.
Roman hypocaust pillar
This surround is Victorian, but the warm (40°) bubbling spring water was good to see, if rather green and a little bit funky. Interesting that the Victorians were basing the design on their knowledge of Romans in Britain.
The Sacred Spring
This protected channel is Roman - the Great Drain taking the overflow water down to the River Avon.
The Great Drain
This is definitely Roman - the Goddess Sulis Minerva who the coin offerings were for. She has healing powers so Jamie through a coin into the cold plunge pool for good luck.
Anyway, back to the modern world - look at this amazing meal I had at Plant.Eat.Licious - I’d definitely return there for a meal. It’s crispy cauliflower with other delicious things besides.
A proper little hidden delight in the basement of an old chapel.
We walked a lot, quite exhausting but our hotel was in an excellent central location. Just walking around is a treat as Georgian buildings are rather beautiful - look at all those chimney pots!
There were plenty of coffee-stops for people-watching when we couldn’t walk any further.
We were lucky with the weather except on our final morning when we got a drenching and there was thunder and lightning as we made our way home. Next time we’ll keep a brolly with us rather than leaving them in the hotel and the car!
So now we’re home and I should go and check out the allotment- I know there will be tomatoes to pick… but perhaps they can wait till tomorrow. Song title provided by The Offspring.
