Allotment Noob

A blog to document the successes and failures of a wannabe allotmenteer!

[allotmentnoob]

Spicy Pickled Shallots - 2019

Had an abundance of shallots this year. The smaller ones are to Faffy to use in dishes. But pickled shallots are amazing!!!

Adapted this recipe for one jar.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-pickled-shallots

Used Rosé vinegar and dark brown sugar, also couldn’t source any mace.

Should be perfect for Christmas to eat with the cheese board or fry up the following day!

Spiced pickled shallots

If you like pickled onions you'll love this easy preserved shallots recipe - perfect with cold meats or alongside a ploughman's lunch

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05/05/19: Finally shelving out the alcove in the lounge. Using some hefty pieces of carcassing that I have sanded and danish oiled to match the skirting board. Photos are showing a before and a just under half-way shots. Will finish this job tomorrow. Thank goodness for bank holidays!

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Shallots and potatoes sown... got Desiree main crop, Arran Pilot First earlies and Golden Gourmet shallots... boom! How little space I actually have :(

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Knocked this up this morning before we had some family visit from the new Forrest. The Fryers made it into the collage. We’ve been collecting these odds and sods for years. Finally got a wall to feature them!

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This is G H (or A) Fryer photographed outside our house in 1909.

[allotmentnoob]

Sloe gin

Making sloe gin is slow but not laborious. There's no cooking required, just patience as the sloes steep in the gin.

See if this one is a good one...

[allotmentnoob]

How to make Simple Blackberry Gin using just 3 Ingredients • Lovely Greens

This simple blackberry gin recipe uses just three ingredients and is perfect for late summer cocktails or stored for a Christmas tipple.

1st attempt at blackberry gin!

[allotmentnoob]

Home made gins make me happy...

From the left:

Blackberry 2018

Sloe 2018

Sloe 2017

Elderberry 2018

Plum 2017

Damson 2017

Yum...

[allotmentnoob]

Been a fab walnut season this year in Yorkshire! Much better than any we’ve had before. And we have managed to beat he squirells to some!

[allotmentnoob]

We did finally strip, sand, putty, prime and paint Dexter's window in the summer holidays... this is how the front of the house is road facing. Will soon remove the rusty old alarm box, doing nothing for our home security!

[allotmentnoob]

Quince and Apples... on next door's trees...

[allotmentnoob]

Haloumi bake, all homegrown except the haloumi and the olive oil! Potatoes Beetroot Basil Tomatoes Sprint onion Courgette

[allotmentnoob]

23/08/17: Added the sugar into the must and whacked it in a demijohn! Nice sight to see!

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Seemed ok, simple enough!

[allotmentnoob]

Recipe for plum wine... well why not! Thanks to Peter & Lynne next door for the kit and recipe! Let's see if I can make some vino!

[allotmentnoob]

16/08/17 Oh and I made some plum Gin too... halved all the plums, filled the mason jar loosely, added 4oz of sugar and topped up with Gin to the top... see how that goes!

[allotmentnoob]

15/08/17: DISASTER- next-door's 100+ year old Victoria Plum tree's branch broke... so loads a plums for us then! It has been a fantastic year for both plums and damsons around us, that the old brittle branches of the plum couldn't take the weight! Oh well... every cloud...