Allotment

Clearing Ground

Spring feels as though it has been shoved back another month, it is still so cold and currently snowing. But it will come and I need to be prepared for the madness it will bring. I popped to the plot on Monday to harvest the last of the parsnips I forgot about, fresh little leaves appeared giving their position away. Anyone who has left a parsnip or two behind in the soil will know how mahoosive they grow in their second year (not the root, that stays the same but grows more hair than a woolly mammoth), the flower spikes can grow well in excess of 5 feet and are yellow, similar to carrot and absolute magnets for wildlife. Great if you want to save seed from non F1 types.

My last harvest look good, just a touch of canker on 1 or 2 but nothing major. This leaves another bed empty and ready for mulching, then it will be all set for spring.

I also harvested some leeks which are still looking great thanks to covering them last year during the growing season, I will do the same when planting out later this year, after harvesting early potatoes.

The remaining leeks will come out over the weekend for soups and the freezer, provided the snow doesn’t settle as it has in other parts of the UK which are currently blanketed.

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10 thoughts on “Clearing Ground

  1. Lovely! Your leeks are especially beautiful.

    I pulled out our mandolin (slicer not instrumentation) and sliced parsnips, tossed with some oil and a dusting of potato starch and baked. Parsnip chips (fries here). They also make a yummy fritter, and a slaw too! Parsnips and celeriac are both odd winter hardy veg we’ve come to appreciate recently.

    Our leek tops get washed and tossed in the dehydrator, ground finely and leek powder is finding its way into soups, chops, omelets.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Beautiful leeks and parsnips !
    We have a few leeks and parsnips left in the veg plot.
    The weather in Brittany is not so cold so we could begin to sow and plant ( shallots, early potatoes and peas) between two showers !

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    1. It’s lovely to have fresh vegetables to enjoy this time of year. How lovely you are sowing and planting, I think I will hold off for a while longer. The snow did settle but was gone the following day, followed by more snow and very heavy rain causing flooding in places. Overnight and today we have gale force winds – not very cheery weather so far!

      Liked by 1 person

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