Harvesting Bountiful Beds of Vegetables

Hello Everyone,

Well, we asked for rain and this week we certainly got some. More like April than June! But it has been needed. 

This week two thirds of our Crew members have had a week away from work. Graham the Great has been here alone but that has not stopped him cracking on with the tasks in hand. 

The Farm

Work this week has been inside, then outside, jacket on then jacket off! Thankfully we can work inside when the weather is inclement. The Polytunnels are ideal for rainy day tasks. All the Tomatoes are now strung up and nipped out. Stress from being strung around the string seems to inject a growth spurt into each plant. The Tomato plants are now looking tall and slender. On completion, hands are full of dark green sap and smell of Tomato Vine (not wine…vine!). A smell of Summer on dirty hands which require a good scrub to make clean. 

We are now seeing the fruits of our labour. The seeds sown, planted and tended are now providing crops for harvesting. The restaurants have been able to receive Fresh Local Organic Carrots, Spring Onions, Kohl Rabi, Broad Beans and Radish alongside our leafy goodies. Within the next week the Peas will also be on the list for the kitchens. 

I always have a little tingle moment when the first of a fresh crop is harvested. The vegetables taste delicious, obviously, but that a tiny seed can provide food for us to eat and enjoy always astounds me. Mother Nature at her finest. 

The Summer Soft Fruit Season is nearly upon us. The Strawberries are hanging on the plants, waiting for a few days of sun to turn each fruit to a post box red. The rain has been a huge help as it has been pouring onto the Strawberry beds at the perfect time…just as the fruit begins to appear. 

If you remember I did say how Chef Alex requested White Strawberries to be planted. This we did, growing inside tunnel three and four. They have produced fruit and runners. Although we are not harvesting from these new plants until next year we have needed to do a little research…yep! they taste delicious. Being white in colour I have not been totally sure when the fruit is ripe. I now feel that a rose hue over the berry suggests it is ripe. The fruit is sweeter with a slight pineapple taste to my palette. A good suggestion Chef!

The Gooseberry bushes are laden with little pale green berries. The Gooseberry sawfly has attacked a few of the bushes once again. It does make each bush look a little unhealthy as the fly demolishes each leaf. However, they do not attack the fruit and we are able to see the berry much easier. We will wait for them to ripen and cross our fingers for a full harvest.

The other berries of Tayberry, Raspberry, Blueberry and Blackberry and the Rhubarb all are looking healthy and have enjoyed the perfect Spring weather and now the more wet weather. The perfect combo of heat, light and water for the growing vines and bushes.

Everywhere is luscious due to this last week of rain. There will be plenty of goodies coming from the Farm to the kitchen.

The Walled Garden

The rain has been perfect for us as we have not needed to water the soft fruit bushes. Watering in the garden can be quite time consuming, just until the watering system is in place. The bushes are looking really full of new fresh leaves. We may get a little harvest from the bushes, but this is not guaranteed for this year. Next year will be perfect timing for a generous supply of Currants and Berries to add to the kitchen. Hoping that, along with the fruits from the Farm and the Garden preserves will be available.

The trees growing along each wall are now above the wire supports secured to the walls last year. Graham has begun securing more wires and tying the growing trees to the wire. This is great news…proof the trees are becoming established. 

Unfortunately, weeds growing in the walls are also established! Last year we removed many, many weeds from the walls. Clearly, roots from the weeds are living strongly in the brick work and this will be a constant chore till we win and the weeds give up!

As you can see from this picture, the view from the garden is spectacular. The variety and colours of the trees growing around the garden is magnificent. Our Pear trees, which you can see growing up against the wall look tiny compared to the trees beyond our walls. I assure you they are growing. I should also mention that in amongst those huge trees are Heron nests which are amazing to see as they take off and off to the River Tyne, which is not far away. How lucky are we!

The YouTube Channel

This week’s YouTube episode is Chef Alex showing us how to make Hong Kong inspired Pancakes – so tasty!

Well, as we all find at this time of the year, there will always be some tending needed to rid areas of unwanted growth. That is where I am going now…weeding!

Till next week, take care,

Ann