The end of the hungry gap, June 2025

My first cauliflower of the year, May 2025

I picked this beautiful 2.5# cauliflower at the weekend from my kitchen garden;  I have ten plants still growing, hopefully to get just as big (the plants are all huge).  They overwintered in one of the beds nearest the house;  it's about time to start seed for next spring's cauliflowers.  I also want to replant the bed as soon as possible with either leeks (ready to transplant now) or beets (from seed).  I need to get my leeks in as soon as I can, and I have three beds near harvest now:  cauliflowers, broad beans and new potatoes;  the first to finish gets the leeks and everywhere else gets the beets.

I got my garlic at the allotment harvested a few days ago: 112 bulbs.  All but two are a good size and some are absolutely massive.  I washed them, trimmed off the stems and put the bulbs in trays to dry on my patio.  The biggest 12 bulbs will be broken up and the cloves replanted in September or October;  I've been saving and replanting my own garlic for many years now, fully self sufficient in it.  I even still have a small amount of frozen chopped garlic from last June's harvest:  it lasted me all year long.  With this small bed cleared, I mulched and replanted immediately with another five squash.

In addition to the curing the garlic bulbs, I decided to ferment the stems too:  I trimmed away the outer leaves, chopped the tender part of the stems and filled two big jars with them.  1.8 L of just a plain brine (salt and water); and 3.3 L of a water kimchi brine with salt, ginger, fish sauce and gochugaru (Korean chili flakes).  Both jars are bubbling happily on my countertop, waiting for a space in the fridge.

What's more, I'm picking lettuce pretty much every day now:  red and green oakleaf as cut and come again, and butterheads one by one.   Also picking my first spring onions as chives (that is, cutting off the tops to let them regrow);  these are tasty with the lettuce, and also on my scrambled eggs in the morning.

It's so nice to have something fresh, and the anticipation of more very soon.  Hungry gap over?