TopVeg – growing veg,fruit&herbs

July 31, 2009

How to cook beetroot

Filed under: Uncategorized, root veg — Tags: , — TopVeg @ 6:45 pm

Beetroot is a versatile vegetable which can be eaten hot or cold.  The trick is keeping the red colour.  If the beetroot is cut before cooking (or if the leaves are cut too close to the root, or the roots are cut off) the beetroot will bleed, and loose its colour.

beetroot

beetroot

Beetroot takes longer than some vegetables to be cooked so that it is tender.

Click this link to check how to prepare beetroot for cooking.

Beetroot may be:

  • Roasted whole wrapped in foil at 200 degrees c for about 45minutes
  • Roasted whole in casserole dish, tossed in olive oil & herbs for 1-2 hours at 180 degrees c
beetroot-boiled&skinned

beetroot-boiled&skinned

  • Boiled whole in a saucepan – cover with water and bring to the boil, then cover with a lid & leave to simmer for 1 hour.  The skins will come off easily once cooked
slice-boiled-beetroot

slice-boiled-beetroot

  • Pickled – try this great FarmingFriends recipe for pickled beetroot.
  • Jellied -  Peel & cube 2lb of boiled beetroot. Dissolve 1 raspberry jelly in 1/2 pint water + 1/2 pint white vinegar. Pour over the beetroot and leave to set in a jar.  This is good with salads & cold meat.
  • Grated – and eaten raw in a salad.

There are many different recipes using Beetroot, including:

  • beetroot hummus
  • beetroot soup
  • caramelised beetroot
  • beetroot chutney
  • chocolate and beetroot cake
  • caramelised beetroot

Elisa Cabbage

Filed under: cabbages — Tags: , — TopVeg @ 9:06 am

Cabbage Elisa is a a vigorous, compact cabbage which can be grown close together. Therefore the vegetable production per square meter is higher than with winter cabbage which are planted further apart.

cabbage-Elisa

cabbage-Elisa

Elisa cabbage are ready for cutting from June to October.  Elisa stands well, that is, once it matures it lasts as it is in the garden, and does not have to be cut immediately.  This is important for a family kitchen garden.

elisa-cabbage

elisa-cabbage

Elisa cabbage:

  • sweet tasting
  • summer ball-head Cabbage
  • compact, round, shiny heads
  • good standing
  • not prone to splitting
  • good resistance to bolting
  • eat sliced raw in salads, in stir-fries or as a steamed vegetable
  • excellent source of Vitamin C
  • darkest green leaves contain the most nutrients
  • F1 hybrid
Mature-Cabbage-Elisa

Mature-Cabbage-Elisa

Elisa cabbage is a cabbage variety well worth growing in the vegetable garden.

July 30, 2009

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-30

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 11:59 pm

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Optica Broad Beans

Filed under: pea&beans — Tags: , , — TopVeg @ 6:55 pm

Optica is an excellent modern variety of broad beans.  They have masses of pods and are very productive.

Optica-broad-bean-pods

Optica-broad-bean-pods

Optica broad beans  have a compact growing habit which make them ideal for small gardens, where space is at a premium.  They are lower growing than many broad beans but still need staking.

broad-bean-plant-Optica

broad-bean-plant-Optica

Optica broad beans produce medium length pods with 4 or 5  white beans per pod.

open-pod-Optica-broad-bean

open-pod-Optica-broad-bean

The pods are quite tender & if picked when very young the pods can also be eaten.

optica-broad-bean-plant

optica-broad-bean-plant

Optica has a good flavour and the beans freeze well.

Why Stake Broad Beans?

Filed under: pea&beans — Tags: , — TopVeg @ 6:39 pm

It is worth tying broad beans to a stake if they are growing on fertile soil, as they grow tall and tend to blow over in heavy rain or wind.

LodgedBroadBeans

LodgedBroadBeans

When the broadbean plant blows over it ‘lodges’ with other broad bean plants and stays close to the soil.  Some of the leaves will be hidden from bright light so the broad bean pods will not be fed so well which means that they will not grow and fill with good sized broad beans.

lodged-Optica-broad-beans

lodged-Optica-broad-beans

The beans in the picture lodged at a late stage in their growing period, so will provide a decent harvest.  But if the lodging had happened at flowering time, the broad bean pods would not have filled properly.

broad-bean-plant-Optica

broad-bean-plant-Optica

It is well worth taking the time to stake broad beans.

July 29, 2009

Potato Skins must Set for Storage.

Filed under: potato — Tags: , , — TopVeg @ 12:16 pm

What is Setting of Potato Skins?

As the potato matures, the skin ’sets’, that is, it thickens and becomes tough. The set skin protects the potato from damage and infection during storage.

How to test for Setting.

When the skins are mature (set), the skin will not scuff when rubbed in the hand, or gently scratched by the thumb. Skins of new potatoes will easily be removed by rubbing with a thumb, as they have not set.

potato-leavesKingEdward

potato-leavesKingEdward

How does the Potato Skin Set?

The green leaves and stalks of potatoes, known as the haulm, will start to die down at the end of the season. The potato tubers will then stop growing and the skins start to set. It usually takes three weeks for the skins to become set, but it is worth digging one tuber up and checking
the state of the skin, before lifting. The potatoes should not be harvested for storage until the skins have set.

Potatoes should be stored in a dark place in Hessian sacks, so that the air can circulate through them.

Related articles:

Maincrop potatoes are starting to senesce
The difference between New Potatoes & Maincrop.

July 27, 2009

Winter Salad Leaves to Sow in the Autumn

Filed under: salad — Tags: , , , — TopVeg @ 6:33 pm

Winter salad leaves are excellent value, especially oriental varieties
and they should be sown, now, in the autumn. These cut-and-come-again
salad leaves can be grown outside in the vegetable garden, in tubs or in
window boxes. They grow well in the cooler temperatures and lower light
levels of autumn.

Salad leaves to sow in autumn are:

Rocket
small, mild tender leaves

rocket

rocket

Land Cress – Variegated Winter
crisp & tangy

land cress variegated

land cress variegated

Mizuna – good taste & crunchy stem

Mustard---Mizuna

Mustard---Mizuna

This patch of Mustard – variety Mizuna – is doing well in Yorkshire. The
center leaves are cut out with scissors, & provide fresh winter salad
leaves with a bite!

Cutting Tops off Potatoes

Filed under: potato — Tags: , , , — TopVeg @ 6:25 pm
King-Edwards-October

King-Edwards-October

Cutting the green tops off potatoes has to be done if the leaves are still green at the start of October.

Potatoes will not store well if the potato leaves are still green and the potatoes are still
growing.

cutting-tops

cutting-tops

cut-tops

cut-tops

Once the tops have been cut off, the potato skins will start to mature.  This will take at least two weeks.  The skin is mature when it cannot be scuffed off with the thumbnail.  The potatoes will store right through the winter if the skins are mature. 

It is important to cut the tops off the potatoes so that sufficient time is left for the skins to mature before the first frosts.

Bean and Pea seed fly

Filed under: pests&diseases — Tags: , , , — TopVeg @ 8:01 am

Bean and Pea seed fly (Latin name – Delia platura, Delia florilega)

    * Adult fly is very small (3 to 6 mm long) & grey in colour

    * Eggs are pearly white, elongated & 1 mm long, laid on the soil surface

    * Larva or maggot is white & grows to 8 mm long – feeds on germinating seed

    * Pupa are red-brown, & 5 mm.

pea-seed-fly-pupa

pea-seed-fly-pupa

Damage Caused by Bean and Pea seed fly:

    * partial or total failure of seedlings to emerge.

PeaSeedFlyDamage

PeaSeedFlyDamage

    * Seeds often tunnelled and the maggots can be found inside the developing root or stem.

peaseedfly-damage

peaseedfly-damage

    * malformed seedlings due to damaged stem & leaves – if growing centre is damaged the seedling ’snakes’.

pale-pea-seedling

pale-pea-seedling

Damage is caused by the larvae of the bean/pea seed fly, which develop from eggs laid on the soil surface and feed on the germinating seed. The larvae turn into pupae, which can be found in the soil around the damaged seedlings.

pupa-pea-seed-fly

pupa-pea-seed-fly

Control of Bean and Pea seed fly:

    * Chemical control: use treated seed

Cultural control:

    * use stale seedbed, as the fly lays eggs in freshly disturbed soil.

    * soils high in organic matter also attract flies

    * avoid soil with dead vegetation as maggots are scavengers & flies are attracted to vegetable matter
    * do not plant seed too deep

Bean and Pea seed fly can cause severe damage to peas and beans in the garden, but the severity of attack depends on the season.

July 26, 2009

Use Cloches for Simple Vegetable Gardening

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — TopVeg @ 7:50 pm

Keep the vegetable garden simple so that it is easy to manage. Return on effort is the key. Simple gardening is more productive in the end.

To improve efficiency and productivity make use of the latest accessories available in the shops and on the web.

Plastic cloches help seeds germinate quickly, as the soil is warmer under plastic. Rapid germination means that the seeds are less vulnerable to pests and damage.

Once the seeds are up, the warmth in the ground provided by the plastic is not essential. The seedlings may become leggy   if left under plastic.

net protecting seedlings

net protecting seedlings

But the seedlings do need protecting from slugs and birds. Net cloches keep the birds off. Pigeons are a problem now, particularly very early in the morning.

Cloches help to make vegetable gardening simple and productive.

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