 3 May 2025 (Saturday) Woken at about 4am by noisy people in the street, and did not get back to sleep until after 5.30am… my mind was worrying, going into ridiculously ludicrous scenarios that seemed important and relevant in the middle of the night that in the light of day show their true faces as just being ‘worry thoughts’ of a busy head… Both of us are feeling a little bit slow following a late return home last night. We recorded Sunday Chat, Richard editing it as usual soon after whilst I made some lunch. Unusually, after lunch I spoke with Vanessa which I try and want not to do on a Saturday or Sunday - however, as we didn’t have a chance yesterday to talk about ordering stock for For Earth's Sake, and with Monday being a Bank Holiday, AND me not needing nor wanting to work work that day (unless I choose to get ahead) we needed to get the Suma order done so it would arrive on Tuesday as per usual. After a delay as Vanessa needed to get to the Post Office to pay in cash taken, and a customer wanting something from Vanessa, we talked and got the order through. After this, it was time to get to the plot. There was another segment of A Week at the Plot to record, and I had no idea what it was to be… in the end it turned out to be largely me pricking out our tomatoes and potting them on so that they could grow ready to be put out in a few weeks time. Despite being slightly cooler, it was still relatively sunny and a hat I wore was really quite necessary to keep the sun off. It was really busy at the allotment, with several of my direct neighbours down at the same time and therefore a bit more chat than usual, which was fine and lovely. There was a bit of plant swapping, and offers of further swapping; on my direct neighbour’s plot there's a geranium growing in several places which I really want to remove and pot up - at least a couple for me and then maybe another two for the gate sale. The geraniums are in an area that our plot neighbour wants to clear, so there's no issue about removing it. When the plot neighbour with the geranium was about to go home, she showed me her harvest basket which was an array of colours, textures and soon to be eaten flavours. In the basket were some spring onions, which I commented on as they looked so amazing AND because I always have an issue growing them - they seem to take ages to grow and I always think something is wrong, so usually they end up being put to one side. As often happens with an allotment community, and a good community generally, three of her gorgeous spring onions ended up being gifted to me, which was lovely. What was even more lovely was being gifted the knowledge that spring onions take a while to grow; I'd always thought that because they were a relatively small onion they’d take about eight weeks, but no, they take quite a bit of time so in future I know to let them do their thing for much longer, and not give up on them! By the time I’d done my work and was wending my way home, I’d already put on a hoodie as the clouds had rolled in, the sun had disappeared and the breeze had really picked up and it was feeling rather chilly. My hat was definitely not needed on my journey home, though of course the hat came home with me as it will be needed when the sun shines brightly again. When we were at the Great Green Barn a month or so ago for The Shakespeare Solitaire, the 1920s murder mystery evening presented by the Guildford Shakespeare Company, Giorgos of The Life Goddess had made some lemon roasted potatoes, which were absolutely delicious. This evening, having discussed the recipe with him a good many weeks ago, I decided to recreate them using what I had. I used four tablespoons of lemon juice from the large bottle in my fridge rather than four lemons (which I did not have), and despite not using any herbs as I simply forgot, the dish was truly delicious, and so easy to make.
Lemon Roasted Potatoes 1kg roasting potatoes, washed and sliced into 1cm discs 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 unwaxed lemons, juices and pith removed from skins and the skins quartered 2 sprigs oregano, or three teaspoons dried oregano 1 tbsp Marigold bouillon powder or 1.5 tsp of salt Add all ingredients to a smallish baking dish, mine was 20cm by 15cm - you want the potatoes to overlap and not be in a single layer. Mix thoroughly until the potatoes are coated and pop into a preheated oven for twenty minutes. Remove the baking tray from the oven using an oven glove, give the potatoes a good stir and then pop back into the oven for a further twenty minutes until cooked through and slightly browned; the tip of a knife should have no resistance when being pushed through a slice of potato. I served the potatoes with a veggie escalope and salad, using the gifted spring onions which were delish! In fact, the whole supper worked. There’s a lot of olive oil in this recipe and some was left in the tray, so I let it cool then decanted as much as I could to a small glass jar for future use. It has a slight lemon tang and smell, so just be aware of that. The lemons, if you use real lemons and not juice like I did, are edible - some can be served along with the potatoes or when cool put in an airtight container, and place in a fridge to be used within a few days chopped up in salads to give an extra flavour sensation. Weather: Definitely slightly cooler, though still warm and sunny much of the day. By 5pm there was a chill breeze and the sun was behind clouds. Breakfast: Crumpets, ProActiv Spread and yeast extract, and some crunchy peanut butter Lunch: Mixed Veg Microwave Omelette, pitta, radish and cucumber Supper: Quorn Garlic & Mushroom Escalope, Lemon Roasted Potatoes, Lettuce, Radish, Cucumber & Spring Onion
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 26 April 2025 (Saturday)
We were both up early; me at my desk very early to edit together yesterday's A Week at the Plot footage and upload to Planet Vegetaria. Sunday Chat filming day, and whilst Richard started editing it together I made lunch of homemade hummus - a staple in our house which freezes REALLY well! I’ve popped my recipe below. It’s also so easy, and you can use your own cooked chickpeas instead of a tin, just ensure if they’ve been frozen they are well defrosted. After lunch, I was at the plot doing the usual watering, checking on germination, tidying and weeding… at the end of my work there, sitting on my wooden chair outside the shed and mulling wending my way home, I checked the time on my phone… 5:03pm. My eye wandered to my left, spying the overgrown flower border bed… Into the shed I went, and grabbing my kneeler, putting my gloves back on, and laying my hands on a big 30l tub, I got to work. Half an hour later the bed looked very much better - at least I can now see the plants for the weeds! LOTS of weeds still to pull, and especially sturdy roots of tufted grasses and that pernicious Cinquefoil, though I can take my time doing some each week. It will never be perfect, though in reality very, very few things ever are! Whilst cooking supper I read another chapter or two of The Beautiful Mystery. I’m now at that stage where I’m keen to finish it, though don’t want to as I’ve enjoyed reading it so much - a bit like when you meet a friend irregularly and after hours of chat you know you need to leave and make your way home, though at the same time you want to stay and chat for just that little bit longer. If youi don't know the Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series, I highly recommend them! Supper was followed by some TV, and we stayed up late, both fully engaged watching a fab series called 40 Hidden Music Treasures at the BBC… we watched volume two and there's volume three too, so two others to watch! Happy Days!! My Hummus Recipe I drained two cans of chickpeas very well, and added them to our food processor (keep a few tablespoons of the liquid - aquafaba - for if you want to use any later) and four cloves of garlic, roughly chopped. I actually used a block of garlic from the freezer - I heated it through in the microwave to bring it to a steam, just because I don’t like eating vegetables from the freezer without cooking them. In next, one tablespoon of Marigold bouillon powder (use a teaspoon of salt if you prefer) and five tablespoons of lemon juice (love fresh lemons, though I always have a large bottle of bought lemon juice in the fridge, which I use for this). If you like your hummus less lemony use only four, and if you like it extra lemony use six! Blitz this all up in the processor, or mash with a fork if you are doing by hand - doing this by hand you can keep this as chunky as you wish, or not, though it will never be smooth like you get in the shops. I’ve not used a stick blender for this, though I would be interested to know how it works so please let me know, or I’ll give it a go myself at some point. The fridge always has a large tub of tahini, which is sesame paste, and four generous tablespoons goes in, and I blitz again (or carry on mixing and mashing if doing by hand). Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl to ensure all is incorporated, and blitz till smooth, or until you have the texture you wish. If you like your hummus thinner, add some more lemon juice or a tablespoon or two of the drained aquafaba from the can. I portion this up into plastic Tupperware or similar and freeze; I do 150g servings for two. It will keep in the fridge happily for several days, and in the freezer for several months. In the summer if I take out a tub at breakfast it's defrosted by lunch, and I give it a good stir. In the winter it might need a quick wizz on Defrost in a microwave, or bring it out the day before and pop in the fridge to fully defrost. I don't have a photo - though when I find one or make the next batch I will add! Weather: Overcast start to the day, and remained so much of the day with the afternoon being bright and much warmer. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt and sultanas Lunch: Homemade Hummus, Pitta, carrot batons, cucumber slices and a little leftover coleslaw Supper: Lidl Vegan Cumberland Sausage, roasted carrot, parsnips, onion and potato wedges with an instant onion gravy  I was up early and made tea and checked on the edit of A Week at the Plot so far, and in doing this I know what running time I’m currently up to.
Richard and I were both up and at it pretty swiftly this morning, which did for an early filming of Sunday Chat, followed by the recording of a podcast for Ko-fi members for which we'd asked subscribers for questions in advance. After lunch, I was at the plot. I’m really enjoying my time at the plot this growing season... despite this week being mainly weeding jobs of one type or another, mainly bindweed and couch grass. I really feel just where I need to be in terms of preparation and what’s been sown and is germinating. I was delighted to see further tomatoes had germinated, and all else is doing fine. I’ve also been offered some Verbena Bonariensis that's self-seeded on a fellow plotter’s plot, and a marjoram, so I’ll get those tomorrow. Very late in the afternoon I made my way home, to get in and make supper before some TV… and bed with my book! Weather: Moving between overcast and sunny, and feeling cool in the house though lovely outside in the sunshine. However, the clouds rolled in about 5pm and it felt chiller at the plot. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, sultanas and a banana Lunch: Lidl No-Steak Bake and baked beans Supper: Linda McCartney Mozzarella Burger, bough bun, homemade chips and coleslaw |
Paul SavidentFollowing on from A Guernsey Gardener in London, I've decided to try and write a regular blog, and we'll see how it AND 2025 go! Archives
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