Allotments 4 All

Ok, so I've bought a load of seeds, drawn up a calender for when  they all need to be sown and harvested etc and I'm a bit worried about my Christmas dinner.  At the moment it looks as though it will be carrots, parsnips and sprouts!!  Can anybody suggest anything else that harvests at this time of year or can I store things like cabbages for that long?

I love braised red cabbage at christmas, it's got all those lovely christmassy spices in it.

Also have you thought about squash. It's not too late to plant now if you get a move on ( or buy the little plants if you can find any ). Harvest in autumn and they store for ages. I'm using my last one now.

Kale is always reliable through the winter, and don't forget leeks - served in a yummy cheese sauce. Swede, of course, mashed with butter and freshly ground black pepper. Mmm. My mouth's watering at the thought of it all.

Of course I've just suggested my favorites. I'm sure others will come up with more suggestions.

A winter cabbage such as January King (ok, you'll be a week early  :)) or Tundra should be ok then. You won't have to store them, just dig one up from your plot.

Yes, squash is delightful with the Christmas Dinner, don;t forget swede either, and I enjoy broad beans, frozen from the glut that is rapidly approaching ...

And leeks of course ... and roast onions with the turkey (with freshly made sage and onion stuffing)

New potatoes!

Find a seed potato and put in a tub in the greenhouse earth up as it grows but at harvest time cut the plant back and leave the tub alone to dry out. On Christams morning tip the tub out and you should have plenty of tasty spuds for Christmas dinner

Glow, this sounds a lovely idea. If I could get hold of some seeds potatoes I would be tempted to do this. busy_lizzie

Quote from: busy_lizzie on May 22, 2006, 10:59:14
Glow, this sounds a lovely idea. If I could get hold of some seeds potatoes I would be tempted to do this. busy_lizzie

A number of seed merchants do them:

http://www.fothergills.co.uk/en/content/late-crop-potatoes.aspx

Never tried it myself prefer roast spuds to go with the turkey/goose.

Jerry

I read that if you save one or two of your earlies and replant to have new potatoes from that for the Christmas table thats what I plan to do. Got 5 main seed potatoes left could use them I suppose.

Glow777 when would you plant for them to be ready for Christmas?

Any time now would be OK. The spuds stand pretty well because being in a pot there shouldnt be too many nasties in the soil

I can heartily reccoment DT Browns late cropping potatoes.  We had our first foray with these last year and it was the biggest thrill to be digging up perfect baby new potatoes on Christmas morning.  The best present  ever. ;D

I fancy all of the above, but especially the red cabbage, we have just finished off the last of last years from the shed, we still have two crown prince squash, which are great storing and eating. Too late now but HDRA heritage seed library have a tomato called Garden Peach which ripens so slowly you can store them like apples and they ripen up for Christmas, I kept one until it started to go off, it lasted until May and had loads of germinated tom seedlings inside just waiting to get out into the light and soil. It was developed before refidgeration and air transport meant we could bring Toms in from all parts of the world!
:)

leeks, salsify, scorzonera, cabbage (even if the january king ain't ready you can eat them small), squash (stored), onions, spinach, kale ... will you have room for the turkey? ;)

Quote from: saddad on May 22, 2006, 20:14:02
Too late now but HDRA heritage seed library have a tomato called Garden Peach which ripens so slowly you can store them like apples and they ripen up for Christmas,
:)

Really interested to read about this tomato Saddad
Would like to have a go at some like this.
What did it taste like?
Was ok raw or did it need to be cooked?

Trying to think what I will have on the plot for Christmas time...

sprouts, leeks, parsnips, carrots, turnips, beetroot, kale, chard, spinach and salsify.  Oh, and salad like spring onions, radish and salad leaves.  Obviously some of these will spend a month or so under fleece or cloches.

Then of course in the freezer I will have kept back a portion of peas and a portion of broadbeans and I am going to try and keep some late sown french beans in the greenhouse to see if I can harvest from those for Chrimble.

I was able to pick a few late tomatos around Christmas time last year - a late sown plant, kept warm and cosy and eventually the last few fruits ripened.

Don't think anyone has mentioned celeriac yet - a very welcome addition to my dinner  :D

The flavour improved the longer you kept them Flossie, but was never as good as the real tasty summer toms, but better than average supermarket December bullets!

Have grown Salsify, but never got roots big enough to eat, have introduced a new weed onto the allotments though! Makes a good change from the wild lettuce. Have heard that Scorzonera can be grown over a couple of years to get bigger roots, so have sown some in my perennial bed but not shown up yet!

Thanks for all the advice guys.  I have loads of things that I can harvest Oct/Nov and was worried that it would store.  I like the idea of the new pots but I'd have to have roasties as well!

Can anyone tell me a bit more about Scorzonera.  I've never had it, what's it like?

Tasty, nice texture, not sweet like a parsnip, subtle flavour of the asparagus/globe artichoke kind. On the downside, ridiculously long roots, fiddly to scrub (you don't peel them). If you've ever had japanese burdock (gobo) it's like that but slightly thinner and without the bitterness.
I'll take a photo of mine today if I remember!
... and I can let you have some seed if you want to experiment ;)

I tried them for a couple of years when I first had the plot, never got anything worth having but since my daughter's taken a dislike to parsnips I'm trying the again. It'll probably be the same story though. 'I don't like those things!'

ooo, kohl rabi!  And yup, I forgot about the celeriac, mine are growing happily on the plot as we speak!