Saturday 10 November 2012

Parsnip 9 - Celeriac 0 ( For Mal)

Well although it rained last night the skies had cleared by this morning and the air was calm and warm for November so I go myself down the allotment to get some much needed tidying done.

I started off emptying out the pots round the greenhouse and weeding the cold-frame and lettuce bed before moving onto the main allotment.

I then methodically weeded through the parsnips and celeriac and whilst I was at it thought I may as well dig up a root of each to see if  anything was happening under the ground...this is what I found.


large parsnip root







I dug up a parsnip root and found quite a fine specimen. I held it up so you  could see how big it was against my hand. I think I will roast this root for dinner tomorrow.

celeriac without a root bulb





The celeriac on the other hand again has nothing under the ground. I dug up two of these, one that I had trimmed back and one that I hadn't but both were the same beneath the ground. I am wondering if leaving them longer will improve things? I guess I won't lose anything by it.







So I think Mal is the winner of the celeriac this year...but there is always next year. I haven't given up on them yet!!

I then went on to weed the rest of the roots patch in preparation for the winter dig. Whilst going through I did find a few beetroot which were nice and healthy so brought them home to eother roast or make cake with, haven't decided which yet.

healthy beetroot dug out the ground
Healthy beetroot dug out the ground.   
Also whilst I was digging out the weeds I cam across this fellow,

a healthy looking turnip




Quite a nice looking Turnip and apparently the only one to germinate...it looks mighty fine in this photo.







healthy yet very tiny turnip


In reality though it was extremely small as you can see in this photo. I think next year I will germinate them in the greenhouse and plant out in the hopes of a few more. No matter how small though it will be savoured in a stew during the week!




I also had three carrot germinate on the allotment but when I dug these up they were roots mangled by slugs and went straight in the bin. There were some weird and wonderful shapes to them but I didn't get any photos!!

So I now have a quarter of the land prepared for the winter dig and my green bin half full with weeds. This was the worst part of the allotment to tackle though which is why I decided to start here...I always like to know that the going is going to get a bit easier.

Still haven't dug the rest of my potatoes up yet. Hopefully I will get that done tomorrow as so far the forecast is good. Also hoping to get those broad beans and garlic in the ground!!

Hope you have had some fine weather too.
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10 comments:

  1. Aww Tany you shouldn't have! This allotment business would drive you mad if you let it. Thank goodness for spadeloads of good humour.

    Nice parsnip - Mine are like good long carrots.

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    1. We all need humour...especially with the good old UK summers!!

      Carrots....oh yes, I think I remember what those look like!

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  2. I had to chuckle at your illusion of a large turnip.

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    1. It did look great in the first photo didn't it.

      I don't think I will win a prize with my turnips this year.

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  3. Lovely post! The turnip is very amusing! Hope you enjoy the amazing parsnip today :)

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    1. Well I have to lift my spirits somehow...after all it won't stretch very far.

      The parsnip was wonderful!

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  4. I think we should get Mal to give us a Masterclass on growing celeriac Tanys. He could maybe put us up on a nice luxury hotel in Edinburgh and wine and dine us before our lesson.

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    1. I'm all for that Sue...a nice break in Edinburgh would be great...and I would really like to taste celeriac some day.

      What do you reckon Mal?? Will you take us up on it??

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  5. That is a really big parsnip. I wouldn't have the slightest idea of what to do with one though. Not only am I not much of a gardener I guess I'm not much of a cook when it comes to ingredients...lol

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    1. I simply roasted it today Ann along with my potatoes. You can dice them and put them in stews and casseroles too. I have never had them just boiled or steamed though...they are quite a strong flavour.

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keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!