Welcome to Talent Tuesday! Today's guest is historical author Rosemary Morris. Take it away, Rosemary!
I am a historical novelist, living in Hertfordshire England
kobo and elsewhere.
Apart from reading historical fiction and non-fiction, visiting
places of historical interest and writing, I am a keen organic gardener. So much
so that I included a recipe for my favourite curry at the end of Far Beyond
Rubies; and, one day, I plan to write a novel about gardening in
Unfortunately, last year was a disaster. Heavy rain rotted my
strawberries, and the biggest slugs I’ve ever seen were voracious. This year
there has been heavy snow, icy cold weather, bitter winds and rain. The soil is
too cold and water-logged to sow seeds or plant seedlings.
In spite of these setbacks I am hoping to harvest herbs, soft fruit,
stone fruit and vegetables. Slowly but surely the weather is improving. I have
chitted early potatoes i.e. put potatoes in a light, warm place to sprout. Some of the sprouts are so tall that I hope
the potatoes will thrive when I plant them out, some in containers in the
greenhouse and some outdoors at the end of next week when warmer weather is
predicted. I am now about to chit my second early potatoes and in a couple of
weeks will chit maincrop potatoes. When choosing which varieties to grow I look
for those resistant to potato blight and scab.
I am writing this in April while really looking forward to warm
weather but while waiting for it I have sown seeds in heated propagators which
are on the kitchen windowsill. There are eight varieties of tomatoes, tiny
cherry ones, delicious small yellow ones called Idli and several types for
salad or cooking. Fingers crossed this year blight will not attack the plants. I’ve
also sown a variety of squash called Sweet Dumpling, pumpkin, courgettes aka
zucchini, and green peppers called Big Boy.
This week I’ll be sowing spinach, New Zealand Spinach, cauliflower,
curly Kale and other kales, either in the greenhouse or outdoors. I’ll also be
sowing cucumbers and lettuce in the greenhouse and carrots and parsnips
outdoors. It is late to sow parsnips, but the seeds should produce small, sweet
roots.
Yesterday I walked round the garden and noted the rhubarb is pushing
its way up through the earth. Last year the crop was not very good so I’m going
to move it to soil enriched with manure. Hopefully there will be a good enough
crop to provide rhubarb pies, rhubarb crumbles and rhubarb chutney which is
delicious in cheese sandwiches. The buds
on my apple, pear and plum trees are swelling but my peach tree is not doing as
well as I had hoped. Every year I grow something different, two years ago I
bought the disease resistant peach tree and planted it in a large terracotta
pot. So far it has yielded only one delicious peach. Maybe I should plant it in
the ground. Last year I planted blueberries in pots of ericaceous compost; they
have grown in size and cropped fairly well. As for my soft fruit, the
redcurrants and blackberries crop profusely. Redcurrant jelly aka jam made
after straining the fruit is delicious, and like rhubarb blackberries are very
versatile. I still have enough blackberries in the freezer to make another
blackberry and apple pie. My raspberries look promising but, this year I need
to plant a new strawberry bed. I also plan to buy a dwarf nectarine which I can
grow in the greenhouse. It might do better undercover than my peach tree has
done outdoors.
Every year, some crops flourish and others are a disaster for
various reasons. For example, two years ago my plum tree was loaded with
honey-sweet fruit and last year it produced nothing. However, in spite of battles
against slugs, wood pigeons from the woods behind my house which peck at my
greens and squirrels that steal my fruit I usually have enough surplus home
grown fruit and vegetables to give away. (One year, to my astonishment,) I even
saw a grey squirrel picking my brussel sprouts and burying them!) However I am
always optimistic when the growing season begins, and later, even at the
coldest times of the year, either have something fresh to eat straight from the
garden or hone-grown from the freezer. At the moment my curly kale has survived
freezing conditions. Sometimes I strip the kale from the stalks, shred it add a
little sea salt and then steam it. Next I add sesame seeds to a little olive
oil, stir fry them very briefly and add the kale which I stir fry for a minute.
It is delicious with a little lemon squeezed onto it.
Why do I go to so much trouble to grow my own? There are several
reasons. My garden is organic, and I believe organic food is beneficial for
health. Freshly picked fruit and vegetables taste delicious. Herbs add flavour
to almost anything. I enjoy deciding what to cook and going into the garden to
gather it. Also, I am a strict vegetarian, which means I do not eat meat, fish
or eggs, but I am not a vegan, I enjoy organic dairy products.
Even if you do not have a garden I suggest you experiment by growing
a few tomatoes, lettuce, or anything else you fancy in containers. I’ve even
seen lettuce growing in old trainers!
By the time you read this I hope my garden will be fruitful – in
other words, my very own little Garden of Eden.
www.rosemarymorris.co.uk http://rosemarymorris.blogspot.com
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