I decorated the cake with lemon icing and we all sang Happy Birthday to our esteemed leader!
Lemon and Chocolate Marble CakeThere were very many seedlings, brassicas and salad leaves, to pot on today and we had a team of eight volunteers on the job.
The squash harvest is in. Thanks to Amy for the beautiful photos.
Last night’s full moon was glorious!
A delicious salad supper this evening of fresh Roots tomatoes, little gem lettuce, Puy lentils and feta cheese with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
We have the smallest onion crop ever so in a way this doesn’t really qualify for ‘beautful things.’Â Two weeks ago, our onions were looking wonderful, all ready to be lifted and left in the sun to cure but with all that’s going on at home, I haven’t been down to get them. While she was here, Daughter no 3 came down to the allotment with me do the lifting and to help weed and pick raspberries but we were shocked to see all the onion stems black and crispy and when we lifted the onions they were squishy. We looked it up and it seems they have a mould called Aspergillus niger and that they shouldn’t be eaten! All we have are the few weedy ones that were grown in a separate bed. After the disappointment with the broad bean crop, we are feeling somewhat short of enthusiasm. I’m very pleased that I lifted the shallots a few weeks ago.
This week we have a veg bag from Community Roots full of delicious fresh veg including beetroot which we are not fond of! They are now boiling in preparation for being made into Chocolate Beetroot Cake, recipe here.
I’ve made pesto with the wonderful Basil leaves that were in the bag.
I’m joining in a local campaign #calltoarts and, with other people in Cornwall, I’m urging my MP and the UK Government to take immediate, decisive action to end the atrocity in Palestine. We have been asked to draw, paint, sing, sculpt – whatever we can and to share the image far and wide and to tag our MPs. #perranmoon I’ve chosen one of my angels in three of the colours of the Palestinian.
Yesterday I brought home our share of the Volunteer harvest, some delicious Roots tomatoes, all sorts of varieties, some of which I’ve saved for salads and some I made into a very delicious soup for our lunch.
I roasted carrots and Pattypan squash and courgette, also from Roots, for dinner tonight, so fresh and tasty!
All five flowers are open at the same time on our enormous lily.
Today at Roots, along with the indoor team, I sowed Little Leprechaun lettuce, potted on Savoy Cabbage and spread out the chilli plants to give them air. I also had a walkabout to see how the whole acre was progressing and, oh my, the wonderful crops all over the place. Enjoy the gallery of goodness and at the end, the two varieties of courgettes that I fried in garlic butter as part of our meal tonight.
Delicious!
I missed getting a photo of the full moon a couple of nights ago but managed this one of the still lovely waning moon last night.
Our Day Lilies are magnificent this year.
We have harvested our shallots grown at the lttie. They’ve been curing in the warmth over the last week of so and this afternoon I have plited those with long enough stalks and put the rest neatly in the basket trug.
I was picking the tops off the broad beans at the allotment this morning when I spotted a yellow ladybird. It might be a 22 spot but I can’t see enough spots to be sure. I was taking the tops off the beans to stop black-flies and to use tonight, stir fried quickly in garlic butter – delicious.
22-spot ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata)
We harvested our first new potatoes today and had them for tea too, boiled with mint and then tossed in freshly minted salty butter – another treat for the taste buds. 
The poppy that seeded itself continues to give us another flower or two each day.
Happy 4th July to all my readers in America. Our thoughts are with you.
I made another of the best ever chocolate cakes for the birthday of one of the volunteer team at Community Roots. (I’ll put the recipe up soon)
The marigolds in one of the poly tunnels are flourishing.
Just look atthe cucumbers!
What a joyful day we have had along with everyone else who turned up for the official opening of the Big Shed at Community Roots. There was cake, there was music, there were plant sales, there was a garden tour and a barefoot seed-bomb making session. There was an amazing plant based lunch and then of course, the Ceremony of the Cutting of the Ribbon. Only it wasn’t a ribbon, the bow and ‘ribbon’ had been braided during the day out of reeds and daffodil leaves and it was very beautiful. There were speeches, the most moving of all, one based on the daily thanksgiving of the Onondaga Nation. And, the sun shone all day! Please enjoy the gallery and click on any for a bigger version and the caption.
The Big Shed
About to cut the ribbon
The ribbon is cut
Jaclarabag, the band
For all the joy, times are hard. Along with the invitation came this ‘ask.’ I thought you might like to know the bigger story.
The Ask
Looks can be deceptive, and behind our beautiful new building, we find ourselves in a very precarious financial position. Growing food and community in planet positive ways just isn’t financially sustainable, and with the Hungry Gap this year (when we have very few crops ready to sell) we are struggling to make ends meet. Also, while the new building will eventually help us diversify our income, before it does that it is costing us money, and we don’t have the time to organise all the great things we know could be happening in it. To help us through this tricky period we really need an injection of money, so we’ve launched a Crowdfunder and we’ve secured match funding, so that every pound donated is doubled by Aviva, with an additional £5,000 of match funding being added from Cornwall Council’s Climate and Nature fund. If you’re able to support us at all, we would be incredibly grateful, and if you aren’t able to donate, sharing our Crowdfunder with others is also incredibly helpful. If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, liking, commenting and sharing posts makes a huge difference to how visible things are.
To see the Crowdfunder, to donate or to share it, please click here.
You’ll have heard of the Wassail,  the custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest Today was the inaugural Blossail held in St Day, singing to the trees, now in blossom, in the newly planted Community Orchard. It was a truly lovely day with Maypole dancing, picnics in the orchard and of course, singing. Enjoy the gallery.
Commentator Award
