Sunday, July 01, 2012

Strawberry Season

The recent wet weather dosen't seem to have hampered the growth of the strawberries.  We, very luckily,  had a day and a half of dry weather on Monday whilst the old conservatory came down and on Tuesday when the new one went up.  The workmen had just got the roof on the new one when it started to rain again.

Since then we have had a deluge of rain, wind, thunder, lightening with the occasional glimpse of a watery sun, we don't like it very much, neither do the other plants and flowers but it is obviously fine weather for strawberries.

 I bought these strawberry plants a couple of years ago for £1.99 for six at Aldi, they produced some fruit in the first year and last year but this year they have excelled themselves.

 We've filled bowls full, taken some to neighbours, chopped them onto cereal for breakfast and eaten them with strawberry yoghurt as a pudding after dinner.

There are loads more to be picked and it's a race against the slugs but we pick them just as they are going red and ripen them indoors.

Yesterday I made a flan with some of them.  I cheated and bought a sponge base from the supermarket along with some vegetarian jelly mix.  It was so easy to do.


 As well as being very tasty served with some plain ice cream. 


It may be cold, wet and windy outside but there is a little taste of summer inside!

17 comments:

  1. Oh they do look delicious, my plants never produce enough at the same time for me to do anything with.

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  2. Mmmmmmmh yummy!!! It doesn't matter if you cheated :)
    So envious of your weather..I'm stuck indoor because of another nasty heatwave :(

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  3. You were very lucky with your conservatory to get in done just at the right time before the weather turned again!

    You strawberries look delicious!

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  4. Those strawberries look delicious. I notice from your reading list that you have discovered Jaceuline Winspear.. I love the Maise Dobbs series! Jx

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  5. Great timing for the conservatory! Now you can sit inside eating your delicious strawberries whilst it pours down outside!!! I hope you are going to make yourself a delicious lot of strawberry jam so you can preserve 'summer' (what summer eh?!!! for the coming months.x

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  6. Mmm, delicious - we've been munching on strawberries from the allotment. Interested in the veggie gelling agent - agar agar? I haven't found one that works v well yet.

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  7. Can't wait to see photos of the new conservetory - Straws look delish!!!!! xxxx

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  8. I have had a good crop of strawberries this year too- although the woodlice seem to have just discovered them and a net is no deterrent to them!

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  9. My strawberries are a bit hit and miss this year but saying that we've had two good pickings in the last week so hopefully we'll get some more good ones. Your flan looks divine! x

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  10. They look lovely> Our nemesis are snails, grrrrr.

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  11. I put my scavenger hunt online waiting for....

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  12. Hi Rosie,

    I just love strawberries! I bought some plants a few weeks ago and they have berries starting to appear. We had a cold, wet spring too, so I'm still awaiting my first taste of home-grown berries...

    Marie x

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  13. Thanks everyone for your kind comments which I love reading.


    Jan - yes I've really enjoyed reading Masie Dobbs's adventures:)

    Abby - the gel I used was bought at Sainsbury and is Greens brand - it works ok for a flan but wouldn't make a firm moulded jelly like the non veggie cubes do.

    Diane - photos of the conservatory on Paul's blog:)

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  14. Ruth - Even though I haven't joined in with the Scavenger Hunt this month I've looked for a link to June's entries on Kathy's blog to see everyone else's photos but couldn't find one. I do hope she is OK!:)

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  15. What a blessing that the rain held off until the roof was on your conservatory! Hope you will show photos?

    How lucky to have your own strawberries in the garden. I have never grown them but don't really know why. They look so tasty and I agree they are the taste of summer.

    Hugs from Holland ~
    Heidi

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  16. Thanks for your comment on my books post - it was 'Secrets' that was set in Saltburn - I really enjoyed that one because of the visits to the bridges they had in it and the descriptions of Saltburn - I've wanted to go there ever since I read it!

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  17. That's a nice presentation: from garden to plate. Nice progression; thanks, T.

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