Heres One I Planted Earlier..and forgot about
Unearthing hidden jewels in the kitchen garden
Occasionally I forget that I have planted something, sometimes I forget what I have planted and at other times such as this I forget where I’ve planted it.
Every so often I am fortunate enough to receive plant donations from generous fellow gardeners, these are usually sprung upon me when I have little time to prepare a growing space worthy of their kind gesture and time, which is seldom on my side dictates a speedy decision on where to plant and so the problems begin.
If I have a glut of something which has sprung up due to my heavy handed sowing or over ambitious plans for world wide domination of the beetroot market then I am forced into applying makeshift beds for the seedlings to grow. Often this can mean a patch alongside, behind or next to whatever and it is the whatever which tends to trip me up.
The whatever this year is a row of cardoon plants which have shot up like a rat up a drain pipe, in my quick thinking wisdom I positioned a random courgette plant nearby and completely forgot about it until last week when a bright yellow ball shone out from under the depths of the cardoons.
Despite being orphaned by yours truly from an early age it has managed to beat all the odds and fruit exceptionally well, such is the power of plants. All of this leads me back to a certain train of thought regarding wild food. All shop bought fresh fruit and vegetables originally come from a wild harvest, a crop which,by nature is left to its own devices, no watering or clipping to aid productivity etc, just a plant doing what is most natural.
Does this mean that we over complicate our vegetable growing? Are we too concerned with exact samesize/weight vegetables which fall in with EU regulations rather than selling odd shaped legumes where the emphasis is on taste and taste only?
All I know is that I shall enjoy eating a vegetable this weekend which has no artificial rubbish inside itself and has managed to grow to a healthy size regardless of man’s ability to produce a vegetable which grows to a certain size specification in a certain specified time.
Thanks for the free meal, Frank.
I just ate the first ever crop to come from my kitchen garden
Fresh fennel - eaten withing 5 minutes of being cut.
Absolutely superb !
Thanks for the free meal Miles !
August 24, 2007 @ 9:24 am
Rod,
Actually it was Frank not me!!
congratulations though-it makes the work worthwhile.
Miles
August 24, 2007 @ 11:13 am
Pass on my thanks - it was absolutely superb.
I ate half raw and half with cous cous and cajun chicken !
You can pinch the idea for your menu if you want
August 24, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
Miles
You are not on your own in forgetting where and what you might have planted. Whilst weeding I spotted a strange looking plant with little white flowers on it. As I had never seen one like it before I thought it must be a weed and pulled it up. Whilst crunching it the most intriguing scent arose and I remembered, albeit too late, having been given a herb some time ago. Please don’t ask me which one it was!
August 24, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
Christine,
If I had a pound for every ‘weed’ uprooted in error….the herb in question sounds intriguing, if you have one left then send me a photo and I shall try and identify it, alternatively please feel free to check out the herb section on my food website-most herbs are covered although it remains very much a work in progress.
Miles
August 24, 2007 @ 11:11 pm
Miles,
I have just looked and there is actually a little bit left of the plant. I will try and take a photo it will, however, pale into insignificance next to yours. We can’t all afford top quality Cannon cameras, you know.
August 25, 2007 @ 9:18 am