Plot to Plate April/May

Garden Visitors

I am always delighted to see my first little frog of the year, usually disturbed by me when I enthusiastically start clearing the garden in spring. This reminds me to be careful and not be too tidy, not that I need much encouragement on that point. Whilst digging up some Jerusalem artichokes after the snow and frost had finally cleared I came across a bee that had been hibernating underground. It was in a very sleepy state and I hope it survived. I have now put out my bee and insect boxes and bundles to encourage more beneficial insects and natural predators into my garden.
The visitors you need to encourage include bees, frogs, hedgehogs, lacewings, ladybirds, ground beetles and hoverflies. Most bees do not sting unless under attack, they just go about their business of collecting nectar and pollen and at the same time pollinating our crops for us. A large number of bees are solitary bees and do not go about in swarms. These include the red mason bee, the blue mason bee, the leafcutter bee and the white-face bee which nest in holes in wood and hollow canes. Some species even nest underground so leave some small patches of bare ground and maybe poke a few small holes into it to encourage them. If you have a pond you will always have frogs but be kind to them and leave plenty of hiding places such as piles of stones and dark damp places for them to hide over winter. Hedgehogs like piles of logs and leaves but need to be dry, so under a bush or tree would be a good place for them. Once you have frogs and hedgehogs in the garden the slug population should decrease.
If we use biological control to eliminate as many pests as possible we create a balance in the garden. Many insects develop resistance to chemical pesticides but biocontrol doesn’t have this problem - the bad bugs just get eaten. The problem caused by continually applying chemicals to the soil is that the vegetables grown in that soil, even after washing and scrubbing, may be affected by the chemicals and we would in effect be poisoning ourselves, or certainly making ourselves very ill. This is a terrible thought so do try and encourage natural predators into your garden.

Use common sense

Identify garden pests and study their life cycle and habits.
Plant borders of flowers and herbs such as fennel, coriander, borage, cosmos and calendula to encourage the good guys such as hoverflies, lace-wings, bees and ladybirds.
Try and have a wild flower comer in your garden.
Leave a few piles of logs, stones or a slightly untidy mound of natural twigs and grasses.
Be creative and build an insect and natural wildlife feature such as the one I saw at Ryton Organic Garden. Use old pipes, hollow canes, roof tiles, cardboard, pebbles, bits of sheep wool and any natural bits and pieces you think may look inviting to your visitors.
Don’t spend a fortune, the animals and insects will not mind your home-made efforts and you will be rewarded with, hopefully, an ecologically balanced, toxic free, productive and interesting garden.

Jobs for April and May

• Tie and train cane fruits such as rasberries.

• Protect plum blossom and tender shoots from frost with fleece.

• De-blossom perpetual strawberries until the end of May to stop them fruiting too early.

• Ventilate the greenhouse and water regularly all plants under cover.

• Sow chives and garlic chives - these have flat leaves and add a delightful mild garlic flavour to scrambled eggs or salads. Once you have them in the garden, propagate by division and you will never be without them.

Beetroot

Beetroot evolved from wild seabeet, which is a native of coastlines from India to Britain and is the ancestor of all cultivated forms of beet.
Sea beet was first domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East – although it was only the leaves that were eaten at that time. The root was carrot-shaped and the Romans were, at first, mainly interested in it as a medicine. The first recipes for preparing the roots appeared in the third century AD and were mainly for curative broth used to treat fevers and other ailments.
The rounded root shape that we’re familiar with today wasn’t developed until the sixteenth century and became widely popular in Central and Eastern Europe a couple of hundred years later.
After World War II pickled beetroot in jars was the most widely available form, but the vinegars could be strong and harsh - enough to put many people off beetroot for life! More recently smaller, more tender ‘baby’ summer-grown beetroots have been developed.
The Romans considered beetroot an aphrodisiac (it’s rich in the mineral boron which is important in the production of human sex hormones). The belief persists to this day that if a man and a woman eat from the same beetroot, they will fall in love (with each other, presumably).
Beetroot contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used to treat depression. It also contains trytophan (also found in chocolate) which contributes to a sense of well being.

Recipe

Borscht Soup

This is a quick version of the famous Russian soup. Delicious served with a swirl of sour cream or yoghurt and some snipped chives.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 carrots, finely shredded
half a head of celeriac, finely chopped
4 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 small leek, finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 large potatoes, finely diced
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground white pepper
2 x 250g packs fresh cooked beetroot
Sour cream or Yoghurt to serve

Put all the vegetables, except the beetroot and the stock into a large saucepan and season well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for 25 minutes. Stir in the beetroot and cook for a further 15 minutes. Blend until smooth and serve.

Beetroot and Spinach Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 cooked sliced beetroots
3 handfuls of spinach
Tablespoon of toasted pine nuts

For the Dressing:
Juice and zest of two oranges
50ml olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper.

Make the dressing by mixing together the olive oil, orange zest, juice and black pepper. Lay the beetroot on the spinach and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Article from issue 31 April/May 2010. To order this issue go to the Northern Life online store.