It's been a busy weekend!!
Condensing two days worth of jobs into just Friday we managed to have a whole day off to go to the Trelawnyd Flower Show and take some time for ourselves for a mooch about Prestatyn and a spot of lunch.
As you can see I did a little bit better than last year. when I got two Second places for my tomatoes and potatoes, this time I managed a First and a Second for two of my jars of preserves. I was really pleased.
None of my veggies cut the mustard this time, but it was lovely to be able to talk to fellow growers and see what they had been able to grow in this strange weather we've had up to now this Summer.
My tomatoes were pretty good ... mine are the ones on the bottom left.
My little Aloe Vera succulent was dwarfed by the other entries :-)
As was my trug of mixed vegetables!!
The readers of John's blog filled the walls with their photo entries.
And unfortunately although my egg was pretty perfect from the outside it needed another minute of cooking to get the yolk a perfect solid colour, although I was pleased to see I had managed to get the yolk bang in the middle. Mine is the one on the bigger lettuce leaves, second from the bottom on the left.
It was a brilliant day, and John's speech on behalf of Auntie Gladys went down really well, as did her little impromptu addition to it at the end. We met a lovely couple called Joyce and Bob and sat chatting with them for a couple of hours between coffee purchases, with us all having a good look at all the entries and having quite a few goes on the raffles. Bob had been in a similar line of work to Lovely Hubby before his retirement many years ago so it was nice to hear them chatting about changes in technologies in their field.
So its been a good weekend, lots done at home, a couple of certificates to add to my collection and I now know that a lot of my crops are very small for the time they've been growing. So I now have two weeks to water, feed and mollycoddle them ready for the next show.
I have a lot to live up to with that one :-)
Sue xx
Your pep talk was just what i needed, thank you ............x
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your show prizes, and good luck with the next one.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and well done!
ReplyDeleteWell Done, Sue! I saw your tomatoes on John's blog and thought they looked lovely. What do you have to do to ensure the yolk is in the centre of a boiled egg - I'm usually happy if the blasted thing hasn't leaked, and is properly cooked!
ReplyDeleteSimply put room temperature eggs into a pan of recently boiled water and as it comes back to the boil gently turn the eggs, I use the end of my knife, by gently rolling the egg you ensure the yolk stays central in the rapidly setting egg white surrounding it.
DeleteIt's not a perfect science obviously but it tends to at least get the yolk away from the shell. In John's Flower Show competition you just have to keep your fingers crossed that it's worked, as the first people to see inside the egg are the judges when they cut it in half ... no pressure then ;-)
This is so cool. I didn't know that. Will try this the next time I make eggs.
Deletecheers, parsnip and thehamish
So very sweet and perfect your comment on John's blog. Like I replied to your comment there -
ReplyDeleteYOU GO GIRL!!!
Congratulations on your Prizes !
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your next show !
I lost again.
cheers, parsnip and thehamish
Ah ... but you entered!!
DeleteSo many people don't bother, and it's sad when things like produce and flower shows die a slow death due to indifference :-(
One of my dreams is to visit the UK again and time my visit for the Flower Show. Just show up and surprise John. I wish I lived closer I would enter my strange Cactus and my prized (hahaha) Parsnips !
DeleteWe have County Fairs here which has everything in Johns show but add animals, and lots of rides and tons of food to eat. They can be small or huge State Fairs.
I send in the crazy veggie photo. I have also sent things to sell when John has his Open Garden . Next year I want to read what I can enter, like my photos and cards.
Please be sure to post photos of the next Flower and Veg Show you enter.
cheers, parsnip and thehamish
John's show is a small one in the Village Hall, but the next one I'm going to which is the Llanrwst Show is more like you are describing, as are most of the shows we visit. With animal classes, food stalls and big competitions for tractors etc, and with some fairground rides.
DeleteYour cards would have gone down great this year, there were only 3 entries in the handmade card section.
Congratulations on you prizes. I think your tomatoes look wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
So did I, and they taste delicious. But I think they have hybridised as I had two types of tomato in one pot, one Tumbling Tom and one Sungold. Looking at them I think they have been cross pollinated. But I had to enter them as they are the only tomatoes of mine to go red up to now!!
DeleteYour tomatoes look delicious. We are growing tomatoes but there still green. We water and feed regularly. Unfortunately they were left a bit neglected so they were growing other plants aswell as trying to grow fruit. I know this means they don't concentrate on growing the fruit so we've been out there getting rid of all extra and new growth in the hope they'll focus and the tomatoes will turn red....so far they haven't. The wind has picked up so am worried now they wont go red if it goes too cold.
ReplyDeleteThere grown outdoors. In a makeshift homemade green house but the cover doesn't go over the front only the sides and back as the wind ripped the front cover off.
Any tips Sue? You're an experienced grower we're newbies lol.
Ps we think there money maker tomatoes? Was a pack of seeds out of a magazine lol
Don't panic, my tomatoes are still green too, see my comment above.
DeleteIt sounds like you just need to clip away as much of the foliage as you can to let the light, and any warmth get straight to the tomatoes. Always leave the plant with some leaves but once all the trusses of tomatoes have set it doesn't need a huge amount of leaves.
The changeable weather this year has sent a lot of usually reliable crops either forward and going to seed, or else as in the case of our tomatoes, staying unripe for too long.
Don't worry even if they never ripen, look at what I got Second place for in the photo at the top. You can never have too much Green Tomato Chutney :-)
Thank you. Been back out there removing more leaves. I really need to do more research I dont know what set trusses & going to seed means?
DeleteSome of the plants were really worse for wear so we've dug them out removing the green tomatoes which are in a cupboard with a banana...see if they'll ripen. If not I may research how we can make green tomato chutney too (something I've never heard of until you won a prize in it :) well done btw so cool to win a prize for producing your own foods/preserves etc
Keep up the hard work Sue & thank you for your help
Sorry, I didn't mean to sound technical.
DeleteTrusses are when the flowers have all gone and been replaced by two lines of tomatoes down the little branch where the flowers were. Once the tomatoes are developing this it is called a truss of tomatoes. I'll try and remember to take a photo of one.
Going to seed doesn't happen to tomato plants as their seeds are in the fruit. All plants have to go through a cycle of foliage, flower, vegetable and then seed in one form or another. So for instance with onions, you have the seed, the plant, the onion bulb then swells, then either through intense heat, lack of water or simply being left too long, the plant then decides its season is over and produces a flower and which then turns into seeds for the next generation. This is what is called 'going to seed' and is something fruit and veggie growers don't want to happen until we have a good crop of the plant for ourselves, although saving your own seed is really helpful and money saving. I have Leeks and onions 'gone to seed' in the net tunnel ready for harvesting later.
As well as putting tomatoes in an enclosed space with a very ripe banana you can try lining them up on a sunny windowsill, this will make picked tomatoes ripen very quickly ... and they look lovely if you do it in size order, you can't beat an edible set of ornaments ;-)
My simple recipe for Green Tomato Chutney is at the top of this blog, on the 'Recipes I Use Regularly' page.
Just spotted this. Thank you so much for the info. Feel more informed now. I'll try the window thing but if not I'll definitely look at your recipe thank you for sharing :)
DeleteI tried the sunny window and a few have started turning bad :( so the good ones have gone back in the bowl in the cupboard. Quite gutted coz we grew so many even with a bit of neglect but there not turning red. I think we've left them too long but i was hoping for a few red ones at least :(
DeleteOh well hubby says we can try again next year but i feel a bit deflated
Congratulations on your prizes. All your entries look very presentable to me :)
ReplyDeleteWell done on your winning entries !
ReplyDeleteJean
Well done Sue - Your preserves look wonderful. I think it's lovely that so many people joined in and took part in the Flower Show (although I think John thought there could be more). I love flower shows and hope that they don't die off with people losing interest. Good luck with your next show - let us know the details of that one. Regards, Louise S, Cheshire.
ReplyDeleteWell done on your wins! Very gratifying. I love flower shows, even tho I rarely enter, I love looking at other peoples exhibits
ReplyDelete