Winter harvest

I’m down the the final half dozen leeks and the last dozen parsnips yet to be dug. Having sown various seeds yesterday and noticing new perennial salad and veg growth popping up here and there, I decided I’d better continue to make inroads into these winter crops.

The parsnips have a bit of rust, but it is superficial. They have also developed quite woody centres, but it is easily cut out and they are so huge that there is plenty of edible parsnip left to cook. I do love them. Today I simply steamed, then mashed them with butter.

It has been a glorious day during which I had to change out of winter gardening clothes into lighter items: I was far too hot. Partly that was because I was building up a sweat clearing two raised veg beds and barrowing compost onto them, then raking and laying hoses and weedmat. 

By the end of the working day I was part way through weeding the final bed: the long bed in the tunnel. It’ll be three hours’ work to finish it.

Sheila went into a sourdough which is proving in the fridge overnight, to be baked first thing tomorrow. I used the sourdough discard to make four crumpets which I ate for lunch with the last few slivers of Manchego cheese and tomato relish.

Bean loved the sunshine and slept in it almost all day.