Its started!

[jansman]

Processing food from the garden- its started.Today I shall be sorting peas,broad beans and Japanese onions.The first two for the freezer,the onions on strings.I need to free up freezer space,so all the chillies from last year( I grow and use a lot) will be dehydrated.The chillies in the tunnel are looking abundant this year!

It all happens in a relatively short time doesn't it? What I find absolutely amazing in the bigger picture is the ability of the industrial food machine to produce and store the massive amounts of grub needed by our world. We are an ingenious species for sure.

[Plymtom]

What I find absolutely amazing in the bigger picture is the ability of the industrial food machine to produce and store the massive amounts of grub needed by our world. We are an ingenious species for sure.

What I find astounding is the instability of the oil driven system which does it, I suppose the world is slowly waking up to the need to do this stuff in a sustainable way, humans in the past had the sense to understand that if they needed to do something a certain way to feed their tribe, they would nurture the things which made it work like horses and make sure they could feed them too.

[Brambles]

Dammit! you beat me to it J! I picked the first Broad Beans yesterday. Got a couple of pounds from the 16ft row. Peas are covered but not quite ready. Once I start harvesting Peas I freeze a mix of Broad Beans and Peas. Boy are they good together! I did it out of necessity a few years ago when I didn'y really have enough of either to make it worth while blanching etc and now I do it on purpose coz they is so good.

[jansman]

Broad beans with peas...mmm.Good idea that!

Plymtom,I agree about the instability.In my own game,it never ceases to amaze me where meat is sourced from.

[ukpreppergrrl]

I can understand that sense of pride! Today I harvested my first apricots from the dwarf patio tree I've had the tree three years and although it's flowered every year, this is the first year it's borne fruit. I'm so proud of it! Though I did practice a spot of fruit husbandry earlier in the year in an effort to get the apple, pear and apricot trees to fruition this year!

[diamond lil]

Wow preppergirl that really brings home the difference in climate between London and up here... we can't even grow apple or pears here, too high and season too short. God I love apricots too..

[ukpreppergrrl]

Wow preppergirl that really brings home the difference in climate between London and up here... we can't even grow apple or pears here, too high and season too short. God I love apricots too..

No apples even! I thought they grew everywhere... Don't wish to rub salt into wounds but at my particular location last expected frost is mid March, first expected frost is mid November (Obviously though this is the UK and these frosts are not an exact science!) My patio, which is south facing, gets very hot when the sun shines. Providing we have a reasonable summer I can grow aubergines on it without any protection. It's a haven for chillis which I grow every year just because I can! Am trying sweet corn for the first time this year, not sure if they will work but giving it a go. But even I struggle with having a long enough season for soya, which is a pity as I love edamame. Have tried it on and off for several years, just not happening. However, one area I think you will definitely beat me is onions: I am struggling with very long day onions! My red barons are not plumping up

[pseudonym]

.....My red barons are not plumping up

Must resist......

[jansman]

.....My red barons are not plumping up

Must resist......

Ignore him

Red Baron are ( in my experience) a difficult onion to grow.I came to the conclusion that they just don't suit my soil,or vice versa.

[Deeps]

We manage to grow Cox's apples up in darkest Fife, made a load of cixer with them last year.