Dachstein Alps photos

Photos from the hut to hut tour in the Dachsteingebirge that I did with my pal Ernie in early July this year.
Lots of wonderful flowers as well as scenery and you'll see that we didn't suffer on the food and drink front.

More summer veggies

The bottom half of the plot sown at the end of May is now producing a lot more stuff.As long as there's a bit of sun the plants seem quite happy sitting between the lumps of wet clay.
Got caught in a downpour this evening going over the allotment to fill a colander with veggies for my tea so took the photos when I got home after the rain stopped.

Beetroot,two types of chard and dwarf beans and the last of the peas

Red chard "Fantasy" and Lincoln peas

Swiss chard "Lucullus"

Butter bean "Golden Glow"

Dwarf bean "Delinel"

Beetroot "Cylindra"

Have just discovered the delights of roasted beetroot ,cooked in olive oil until slightly caramelised and finished with a little balsamic vinegar. Eaten hot or as cold leftovers. Yum.

The smell of drying garlic is keeping the vampires away.Here's the crop that I dug up last week. I'm pleased with the results considering it got a late start and a move between the garden and allotment part way through.

Pea and potato bonanza

I'm pleased with the Lincoln peas from the garden and allotment.Having only grown mangetout in recent years I hadn't provided sufficient support for this traditional variety and some of the burgeoning pods are well hidden in the thick mass of growth. Perhaps it's all due to this year's high rate of natural watering. I must try out more successions next year as you can't beat the taste of peas fresh from the pod.

Also lifted most of the second bed of potatoes planted after Easter. I think that they are mainly Nicola
(cream skins ) with a few Catriona (white with purple blushes).

 
There was an attack of blight on the site a couple of weeks ago and while most of this crop seem clean there are some with blight spots ,so I'll need to eat my way through the good ones rather than try to keep them.Of the five varities that I've grown this year the Nicola have the best texture (waxy) and are equal first on flavour with the Edgecote Purple (which I previously thought were a blue variety)

Early August on the allotments

Spent part of today digging up the rest of the top bed of potatoes and remodelling this section to fit in with the fencing.Instead of unlucky 13 I'll now have 12 full width beds with narrow borders at the top and bottom of the plot.
Planted out four globe artichokes in the border and also sowed some speedy veg Californian Mix salad in the widened 12th bed. I'll probably add some perennial flowers to the top border and settle them in before the colder weather.

I also took some more photos of  the site.
It's still less than 5 months since we got onto the land in late March. Pretty impressive progress all round.
Try hovering on the photos!