Yes, the funky little UFO spaceship like patty pan squash have landed. Like perfectly crimped little yellow pies these are a nice alternative to courgettes. They have buttery flesh and a slightly nutty flavour. You can simply slice or chop them and use them as you would courgettes, or you can stuff them with a nice summery mixture of rice (or couscous), onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes, with some herbs and spices. There are lots of recipes if you Google them, many of them have a cheesy topping. They are best when they are quite small, so it’s a bit of a fiddle, but worth it. Another simple mid-week recipe sorted….you’re welcome.
Another very welcome new arrival is the good old runner bean. As mentioned previously they have been a little bit petulant this year, producing lots of flowers but no beans. Well finally they have just begun yielding enough pods for me to pick for you lot. As commander in chief I am in the privileged position of having first dibs at any new crops, so I have been enjoying them for a couple of weeks. I could happily eat a plate piled high with them. There are still not tons of them so they are on the ‘limited availability’ list, but they will be in the shop this week until they are all sold, so I suggest that you stake your claim early.
I got some planting and sowing done last week, even though conditions were not really right for it, but with some strategic and targeted watering I am hoping that I will get away with it. I planted a batch of lettuces and another row of radicchio, and I sowed some perpetual spinach and turnips, I’ve just got to try to keep them alive now. With absolutely no rain in the forecast for the next couple of weeks that will be easier said than done. Fortunately as a business I am exempt (currently) from the hosepipe ban, but I still want to be responsible about how I use what is becoming a fast diminishing resource, so I am using it wisely.
I can’t really afford the time, but I am thinking about taking the day off tomorrow. I haven’t yet had any sort of holiday this year, so I think that I can go AWOL for a few hours guilt free. I’m not sure what to do, but a trip to the coast would make a nice change – maybe a dip in the sea, a stick of rock (yuck), and a stroll along the promenade with a kiss me quick hat on. It has been a while since I last went to Walton-on-the-Naze, of which I have fond childhood memories, so maybe it’s worth a visit. On the other hand I might go somewhere quite different, but I think it will involve sea air wherever I choose.
So, back to the shop. This week there will be broccoli, curly kale, French bean, runner beans, cucumbers, courgettes, marrow, patty pan squash, carrots, onions, red onions, beetroot, celery, red cabbage, red pepper, red and green chilli peppers, and padrons. Tomatoes are disappointing this year, I’m wondering if it’s just been too hot for them, even though they are a warm climate crop. Yields are way down on last year, but there should be enough for everyone this week. Cucumbers are also struggling, the plants are now very stressed, but we should be okay for now. They are smaller than they have been so I have dropped the price a bit. I am hoping that there could be some Discovery apples next week, I tried one on Friday and it definitely needed a little longer.
Because of my day off I need to get off now to find my Speedos, I just hope that the moths haven’t been at them. Have a good week.
Phil