Showgirls and Giants...

This weekend the gardeners of Yorkahsire gathered en mass at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show to celebrate the great and the gargantuan of garden produce. It was my first time visiting the show and after hearing tales of the the giant veg competitions I was looking forward to some treats, but nothing could have prepared me for the displays in the exhibitors tent...

Dahlias to die for..

Chrysanthemums the size of footballs...

And the Roses were just about as good as it gets...

the blooms were definitely the showgirls of the day, with every colour imaginable on display, puffed up, blousy and demanding attention. We loved it! and wandering from tent to tent in a Pimms induced state of bliss, we had no idea what the produce tent had in store for us as we quite literally went from the sublime to the ridiculous!

I quite literally have 'never seen anything like it in my life'! Row after row of trestle tables groaning under the weight of veg so gigantic you have to wonder how they got it there!

You've got to really like cabbage to grow these - lets face it you're going to be eating it for weeks!

I didnt know whether to gasp or giggle at these marrows - they were HUGE! We agreed they wouldn't look out of place with a dinosaur chomping on them!

And the onions! The onions were - staggering! This was the record breaker

Yep - thats right 17lb 15.5 oz That's definitely going to make someones eyes water!

All in all the show is a testament to peoples passion for growing things, everything from Delphiniums to Dragons Egg Cucumbers ( I bought some seeds so I'll be showing you them soon!). I loved seeing the individual growers by their stands, guarding their produce and glowing with pride, that feeling that we all have the first time we grow something that makes it to the table - its just that these guys have turned it into an art form! And striving for excellence is something we all share as gardeners whether we achieve it or not - I know I won't be alone in ending the growing season already planning for what i want to do differently and better next year. Im certainly planning a trip to the Spring next year to get me off to a head start...

Back to the home front...

It was a long drive home from London yesterday, with some very tired little ones...





I think the hood was to drown out her brothers singing! We had an amazing time in London but there's nothing quite like coming home...especially when these greet you...




And these...




and even these...




I think my garden must be shy as it always waits till we're away to burst into flower! Every time I look away something else happens- dare I go away again? who knows what will happen!

The peas and lettuces which have been struggling have put on more growth in the past three days than in the last month!







Unfortunately so have the weeds - oh well, they're a good excuse for a morning out doors - the laundry can wait...

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Pumpkins, pasta and plenty of painkillers...

Well I feel as though I'm a stranger to my own blog at the moment. Once again being able to sit down and type seems like the greatest luxury, perhaps when I talk you through the last week you ll see why!

It all started pretty well, I was following Jamie's thirty minute suppers and we made porcini tagliatelle, mushroom pasta in fact. The raw materials were assembled, the timer was started and I'm pleased to say that before the thirty minutes were up...pasta was served.

That Jamie really knows his onions, and his mushrooms for that matter. The result was delicious...

The only thing I would question are his portion sizes, this made enough for both of us and packed lunched the following day, Jules Oliver certainly doesn't fit into those frocks on this this diet!

So far so good... then came the day of the great support. No, not a fitting for ladies undergarments, but the the day the steel support were lifted in through the window and put into place ready for the hall wall to be knocked out. Now on Grand Designs this always involves a crane and lots of men in hard hats shouting 'steady on ' - not in this house it doesn't! Instead the sturdiest chaps we could muster were assembled and the thing was lifted in by hand to cries of , well its probably best not to repeat them to be honest!

So the blog was put on hold again...

And then just as the skip arrived and the all of the rubble needed removing BHs back took a turn for the worse. Skips don't fill themselves so sleeves had to be rolled up and wheelbarrows had to be filled. Of course children had to be fed and pumpkins had to be carved too!

So the blog was put on hold again...

So now I'm glad to say wall have been demolished,  rubble is removed, children have been fed, pumpkins carved, tricks treated, invalids medicated and were all well on the way to recovery.

Its nice to be back...Happy Halloween!!!

From all of us xxx

Dilly Beans...

Now the Courgette glut is coming to an end Ive been looking for things to do with the runner beans. Even when we lived in a tiny flat in London I've found ways to grow runner beans that have gone straight to the table. But since moving here I swear the Yorkshire air has either gotten to the beans or gone to my head because our beans have gone crazy and are producing pound after pound.

There's not much space left in the freezer (its full of courgettes) so I've turned my mind to pickling. Alys Fowler made Dilly Beans on TV the other night so I thought Id give them a go. Just white vinegar, water and salt brought to the boil and poured in. then packed with some garlic and dill. I did fiddle about with the recipe on jar number 2 and added a packet of pickling spice to try a different taste. They need to stand now for at least a couple of weeks and then we'll give them a try. Let me know if you've ever made these, I'm dying to know if they're worth it!

Now I'm starting on the tomatoes! Pasta sauces are already underway, I guess I'll have to find some freezer space after all.



To top it all our first batch of damson jam arrived to day from freerangenans production line. It definitely passes the taste test. I am very lucky to have the jam maker extraordinaire just around the corner, the damson harvest is so looked forward to for the jam we get I don't think BH trusts me not to turn it into damson soup by accident!