Topic: First of the Season

[Jayb]

I picked my first bowlful of strawberries at the weekend, yum yum yum  Not sure of the variety/ies they are self landed runners in the polytunnel!
And today I'll be picking the first outdoor courgette for my tea  Variety is Pathernon and summer must be just round the corner?

Potatoes are a little way off, but there are a couple of volunteer ones in the polytunnel that need to be pulled, hopefully they will have some tatties under them 

What are you picking?

[BarriedaleNick]

Over wintering onions look just about ready to pull, they seem to have galloped ahead this year.  Loads of Italian rosso type lettuces, some radish, rocket, basil but nothing much else yet.  Spuds looking good but ill leave them for a bit - still eating last years crop!!

[galina]

Courgette?  WOW! Congratulations Jayb!    

Here also greenhouse strawberries, chard, lots of everlasting onions, Minogue onions, Babington Leek and three-cornered leek,  green garlic (which I missed when digging up and which has sprouted 'mini-leeks'), lettuce inside and out.  Peas are flowering, first mangetouts soon.  The fennel has sprouted from the base, not with great fat bulbs, but lots of good eating.  Celery has overwintered well and still going strong too.  Plenty of herbs too - oregano has put on a massive growth spurt, there are still landcress patches to harvest and rocket too   

[goodlife]

Not much picking going on here..bits and bobs...
I've harvested odd asparagus spear...bit of lettuce..just finishing off sprouting broccoli...TONS of climbing spinach...some ever lasting onions...chives...leeks are just coming to an end, flowers spears are forming...perennial kale is turning into monster plants with their new growth...some green garlic, from last years bulbs that I missed during harvest time.


Oooo.....strawberries.....how lovely....I shall dream of munching some and wait patiently my strawberry flowers to turn into berries...it looks promising though...LOADS of flowers in full bloom

[Bonsai Si]

Nipped this one off the planter the other day, and it was amazingly lush.

[chriscross1966]

Asparagus has been going for a while, salad leaves, radishes and carrots from troughs in the greenhouse now moving outdoors, lots of herbs just picked the first globe artichoke and it's a bit of a monster. potatoes will be a while yet and last years crop has run out (or rather sprouted beyond usability), looks like there will be epic amounts of fruit if I protect it from the birds, cherries, strawberries, all the raspberries and their hybrids, black, red and white currants all showing well, as well as what might be (fingers crossed) my first almond harvest and first peaches... trees have plenty on them and they're swelling nicely... obviously was worth getting out there and molesting them with a paintbrush back in March... need to plant out a vast pile of stuff this weekend, but meanwhile the gartenpearle tomatoes are well into flower...

New things for this year: I've started a Lemongrass bed in the greenhouse... it is a big pot sunk into the ground with half a dozen seedlings I raised in it, will also have a look at a physalis, also trying Oca in the greenhouse, it doesn't get a big enough crop outdoors for me, there's some yacon in there too as the crop is much bigger, but the outdoor ones are good for propagating stock....

[astraman1]

weve had cut and come again lettuce and some new potatoes from heated greenhouse

wont be long for my garlic and winter onions cucumbers almost ready

[pumkinlover]

Thats fantastic guys. You are all way ahead of me. though we did have a lettuce last night which must have got thrown out in spent compost into a planter by the back door. It was there most of last year in among the bedding plants and survived the winter.
Made rocket and welsh onion soup yesterday, but only just planted out one courgette!

[BarriedaleNick]

New things for this year: I've started a Lemongrass bed in the greenhouse...

I have started a few lemon grass plants this year.  Slow to get going but they are picking up now - not sure it will keep me in lemon grass for a year but worth a trial!

[johhnyco15]

pick my first outdoor strawberrys today honeye i belive

[strawberry1]

my first 3 yesterday. 3 lush alice. Such a good plant, seems to thrive through thick and through thin and past neglect

[Jayb]

I've got my eye on the first cucumber  Won't be long now, especially if the sun 

You lucky lot  my outdoor strawbs are going to be a while yet.

Made rocket and welsh onion soup yesterday

Pumpkinlover, this sounds an interesting combination, not one I've thought to try, is it a good one to book mark?

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

Made rocket and welsh onion soup yesterday

Pumpkinlover, this sounds an interesting combination, not one I've thought to try, is it a good one to book mark?

I was just about to mention that too!
PL...did you made it cold or hot soup?

[pumkinlover]

Code: [Select]

Made rocket and welsh onion soup yesterday

Pumpkinlover, this sounds an interesting combination, not one I've thought to try, is it a good one to book mark?

Its a case of using what you have got. The welsh onions are all I have onion wise, and the rocket was planted by Vince ( the allotment "character") I suspect it is a wild rocket as it just grows and grows ( unfortunately not where I want it so go to move it!) anyway I was moving some so thought I'd try it as much cheaper than buying watercress and fairly similar (but stronger result.)

I was just about to mention that too!
PL...did you made it cold or hot soup?

[galina]

That sounds an interesting and very healthy soup, Pumpkinlover.  Did you fry the welsh onions (like spring onions) first, then add rocket?  Did you blitz it at the end?  Chicken stock?   

[Jayb]

Rocket and watercress are so lovely together 
Now that you have mentioned watercress soup, I really want to try rocket soup. Soon as I get enough.....best get sowing 

[Jayb]

First poly-tunnel potatoes yesterday, some with a lovely pink speckled skin and another all creamy white looking variety. They both cooked well and tasted scrummylicious!

[pumkinlover]

 

That sounds an interesting and very healthy soup, Pumpkinlover.  Did you fry the welsh onions (like spring onions) first, then add rocket?  Did you blitz it at the end?  Chicken stock?   

fry gently with garlic then added the best parts of the rocket - remember it was out side all winter- bullion stock.  Pressure cook then blitz ! We have vegetable soup every lunch!  Love it 

[galina]

MMMMM!  - thank you Pumpkinlover   

[galina]

First mangetout peas of the year.   Very colourful this year with reds, purples, yellows, greens and blushed mangetout peas.  The storms did break a few plants, but most were ok.  Now I need to get busy with the pigeon defenses.