Harvesting, preserving, eating July 2021

Mainly chard (and weeds), but also some carrots in the left foreground, July 2021

I've been using my wall calendar to tally up daily totals of garden food and this month, July 2021, has seen every day filled up--for those days with other appointments my writing has become very small to fit everything.  We've done a daily trek to the allotment for berries, first strawberries and now rasps; first broad beans and now peas.  I think the raspberries and peas are finally both slowing down a little.

Cherries, raspberries, redcurrants (and strawberries below) July 2021

So many berries this month!  We have eaten some fresh and made plenty of jam, but many have gone in the freezer as we simply can't keep up.  I even started a jug of redcurrant wine;  I anticipate it will be brewing all over winter.  It's the first time I've attempted it.

Also on the menu is plenty of leafy greens: we're daily alternating between cabbage and chard this month.  The globe artichokes at the allotment have suddenly taken off and I've been trying to keep on top of them too;  I brine the hearts after cooking and they go great in a salad.  Other allotment winners:  garlic and rhubarb.  We even got a little bit of tasty lettuce before the pigeons found it.  And those peas have just kept coming and coming:  we've been eating them daily and thankfully no one's sick of them yet.

And I've scored some free food from other allotmenters again this summer, though perhaps not as much as in the past;  maybe they think I've been there long enough to be growing enough myself!  But a couple of cucumbers were made into dill pickle relish (with our own garlic and dill), gooseberries became jam, and redcurrants joined my own in the wine jug.