Bean loaf

The battle to recover storage space for our forthcoming crops meant we did another check through our four freezers recently. I found a bag of broad beans so I turned them into a bean loaf. I also had a load of quail eggs laid in May and June and potatoes from last year to use up. A salad was the result.

Adding the ducklings to the flock

The three ducklings hatched a few weeks ago were big enough to be moved to the allotment to join the other ducks there. I put them yesterday in the newly refurbished duck run and they took immediately to the refurbished pond.

More work on the duck run

Work continued on Friday on rebuilding the duck run. The wire netting was added to the posts and the gate was built.

Raspberries

We have had a good raspberry crop this year but while walking in the local meadow, I spotted lots of wild raspberries ripe for picking. I will be back soon to gather them. So far, most of the raspberries from the allotment have gone into the freezer. Jam making is to follow soon.

Rebuilding the duck run

Our duck run needs replacing. The netting over the run is constantly being repaired and stitched up. The holes in it are a security risk as the foxes can get through. Rolling back the netting to let the ducks out in the morning and then rolling it back in the evening and placing bricks along the edge of the netting every evening is a pain.

So we have started rebuilding the run. It is much bigger, includes the pond and is being built around the existing run which will stay in use until the new run is completed, hopefully in the next few days.

Whinnies BBQ

The volunteers who help run the Whinnies Community Garden had a BBQ on Tuesday to celebrate the birthdays of two helpers. My job was to supply the pigeon and pork burgers. A good event enjoyed by all.

A bee swarm at the Hop Garden

David and Sarah, who run the Hop Garden in High Spen, Gateshead, contacted me last week to tell me there was a bee swarm next to their gate. So in the evening we popped up with our swarm box. We collected the swarm but had to leave the box overnight so that the remaining bees could find their way to it. It meant a return at 5am to collect the box. The swarm was then successfully added to a hive on our Farside plot.



Many thanks to David and Sarah for the tip off.

How to make gooseberry chutney

We've picked lots of gooseberries recently. We've made various types of jam with them but we've also made them into chutney. It has a tart edge to it and is good with smoked foods such as fish, meat or cheese.

Giving the quail chicks an adoptive mother

With 13 quail chicks having hatched, I decided to give them an adoptive mother. We took a quail hen we thought was broody from the quail house to the brooder box in the hope she would adopt the chicks. The problem was she was in no mood to adopt and she remained separate from the brood.

Gooseberries and quail chicks

Recently our gooseberry crop was ready to pick. We got most of them in but we are yet to pick the wild gooseberries near our allotment. On the same day, our quail chicks hatched.