ON THE
ALLOTMENT
Bees, Fruit &
Veg
I must confess, when I first got my allotment, I really just wanted to put my beehives there. But my allotment neighbour – and now friend – Jill persuaded me to grow so vegetables. With her expert advice and a lot of hard work, I now have a thriving allotment and I am totally converted – I love it!
I now grow tomatoes, runner beans, carrots, squash, garlic, potatoes, even artichokes – and a range of herbs. I also have fruit plants and trees like rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, pears, plums and lots more!
Allotment
Receipes
As well as having an abundance of fresh, organic, tasty home-grown fruit and veg, there is often enough to make chutneys and jams. We’ve tried and tweaked many recipes, here are a few of our favourites:
Really easy to make and delicious with hard, mature cheese
Ingredients
1kg tomato, chopped
500g red onion, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
4cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped
250g brown sugar
150ml red wine vinegar
½ tsp smoky paprika
Method
Put all the ingredients into a large heavy-based pan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer for 1 hour, then bring to a gentle boil so that the mixture turns dark, jammy and shiny. Place into sterilised jars and allow to cool before covering. Will keep for 6 weeks.
Based on a recipe from Homemade tomato chutney recipe | BBC Good Food
Another easy recipe and a great way to use up rhubarb as an alternative to crumble!
Ingredients
1kg rhubarb, trimmed
1kg jam sugar (which has added pectin)
zest and juice 1 lemon
50g stem or crystallised ginger, finely chopped
4cm piece ginger, peeled
Method
Wash the rhubarb and slice into 2cm pieces. Put into a large bowl and add the jam sugar, lemon zest and juice, and chopped stem ginger. Finely grate the peeled ginger directly over the rhubarb.
Stir the mixture thoroughly, cover loosely with cling film and leave to one side for about 2 hours to allow the sugar to dissolve into the rhubarb juices. You may need to stir the mixture occasionally to encourage this process along.
Pop a few saucers in the freezer. Scoop the fruit and all the sugary juices into a preserving pan and set over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, and bring to the boil. Continue to cook at a fairly swift pace until the rhubarb is really tender and the conserve has reached setting point – this should take about 10-15 mins.
To test for a set, drop ½ tsp of the jam onto a cold saucer, leave it for 30 secs, then gently push it with the tip of your finger. If the jam wrinkles the setting point has been reached. If not, continue to cook for a further couple of minutes and test again.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to one side for 2-3 mins before pouring into sterilised jars. Seal immediately.
Based on a recipe from Rhubarb & ginger jam recipe | BBC Good Food