Alan's Allotment

I thought I'd share this recipe. Its dead simple and I found it a refreshing change from some of the more traditional recipies for beetroot. With this hot weather we're forecast, a salad might be called for. Roast the beetroot in the oven with some thyme and garlic and slip it out of its skins. Leave to cool, chop into chunks and serve on a bed of lettuce with feta cheese and redcurrants. If you want a dressing, I chose a sweet honey and balsamic to offset the sharpness of the redcurrants.  If only I had a sheep or a goat, I'd have grown all the ingredients myself.... One day! p.s. I've just made raspberry and white chocolate muffins for afters. With all that goodness in the salad, I can treat myself!

It's been a while since my last post...what with summer holidays and then going back to work, things have been busy. But ... I'm still on top of the allotment... fulfilling my plan to be even better this season! The strawberry bed has been tidied up, and I have trays of runners potted on to pass out to friends. The last of the seasons potatoes have been harvested which will make way for my autumn onions and garlic going in. I've got my raspberries to cut down today, and to weed my winter brassica bed - hopefully for the last time as the weeds start to slow. I live in hope! This year I'm growing 3 varieties of garlic - Early Purple Wight, Provence Wight and Red Sicilian. I grew these last year and got a good harvest so thought I'd repeat the same varieties this year, and hopefully repaeat my sucess. I've tried with numerous varieties in the past - I used to get a pack from The Garlic Farm  on the Isle of Wight, but some varieties just didn't do much in my ...