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| Look! Mangetout! |
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| The “beanbags” |
One of the blogs that I read is the lovely Daphne’s Dandelions. And so now that I’ve finally got some of my plants to start producing things I can eat (more than just herbs that is), I have decided to pluck up the courage to join her link party on Harvest Monday’s. So now every Monday I’ll be posting the harvest of the previous week.
This week, the harvest was somewhat small. Less of a harvest than a scraping. But still, something I was enormously proud of. We managed a tiny side serving of sugarsnap peas and mangetout peas from the garden! Peas and beans haven’t really gone well for me this year. I thought they’d be the perfect crop to squeeze along the side return to use that part of the garden, but I planted them too late and didn’t give them proper support with the result that they’ve grown to be straggly and vunerable to snails. I suspect that this might be the only harvest I get from them this year and that next year I’ll need to rig up something more robust than the shopping bag containers I used this year.
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| “Golden sweet” mangetout, “Shiraz” mangetout and “Sugar Flash” sugarsnap peas |
The three types of pea and mangetout that I pulled together from the garden to have with Mr Garlic’s excellent chicken kiev (I’m lucky to be married to an excellent cook) were “Golden Sweet” and “Shiraz” mangetout, chosen for their unusual colour, and “Sugar flash” sugarsnap peas. The taste was extraordinary. We topped off the serving with some normal mangetout bought from our supermarket and the difference was incredible. The fresh mangetout, picked not twenty minutes before being steamed, were sweet and juicy enough to make me shiver. The supermarket mangetout, by comparison (hitherto one of my favourite vegetables) were dull and lacklustre, lacking both crunchiness and sweetness. There is no comparison really, food harvested from your own garden, however small, is better than bought! I am well and truly hooked. 50g of our own harvest is better than none!
London to Land Girl 
I couldn't agree more – there's nothing like fresh from the garden veggies!
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Absolutely! There's nothing better than home- grown food. I stopped by our house on my way out of town to pack (I travel a lot) and as my wife and I were cruising the garden I mentioned that the romas could be picked tomorrow. Next thing I know she's eating half of one and giving me the other half! Fantastic on the space you have and keep it up. I tried to join but google has other opinions. Try again later 🙂
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So glad that you have joined the harvest posts. This is my first week too! How wonderful that you are growing veg on your small patio. My mom and sister lived in London last year for 3 months and I was able to come visit for 2 weeks. Wonderful.
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Dave: There really isn't is there? I was astounded by the difference in taste!
Tossing Dirt: It's so lovely to be able to graze the garden isn't it? I'd love to get to the point where I decide our menu based on ripeness rather than what I'd like to eat!
Lexa: How exciting – I'll come over and visit you on your first harvest post! London is a lovely city, but I have to say that proper gardens are in short supply. Still, we work with what we're given!
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