Organic Allotment

Fantastic Mr Fox

Okay... I admit it... This isn't the most inspiring picture that I have ever posted on this blog but I've posted it because the dullness of the image is no reflection of the great drama and tension that it represents.

The picture is taken right at the top of my allotment where there is a fence to separate our plots from the neighbouring park. If you squint carefully at the middle of the image you should be just about able to make out a neatly dug hole going under the fence. When I first spotted this my gut instinct was to block it back up - we've had problems with rabbits on our plot in the past so I suspected they may be using the hole as a way of getting in and out of the allotments. However, the other morning footprints on a freshly raked bed on my plot suggested otherwise... Instead of the distinctive prints of a rabbit there were the prints of an adult fox with, what looked like, the prints of a litter of fox cubs playing alongside her. It is these prints and nothing else that have saved the hole under the fence for now...

As I mentioned before, we have had problems with rabbits in the past. They are an absolute nuisance and cause terrible chaos on any veg plot. This is why the hint that foxes are around is great news. The best way to deter Bugs Bunny and his pals is to have a resident fox patrolling your site and making sure no unwelcome bunnies help themselves to your hard grown crops. So for now the hole under the fence is safe and I've got everything crossed that the foxes will decide to stick around, keeping the rabbits at bay.

Urban Farming in Detroit

Amazing film from The Guardian on urban agriculture. Inspirational stuff!

Sorrel - A Spring Super Food

As soon as spring was in the air I knew it was only a matter of time before sorrel reappeared on the allotment. It isn't the most handsome plant by any means but it's always a welcome sight because it's the first salad crop that starts growing after the winter. In fact, it's actually tough enough to cope with the frosts that we can still experience into late spring / early summer making it a real winner as a reliable early leafy green.

Sorrel is a green leaf vegetable native to Europe. It is also called common sorrel or spinach dock, and is actually considered less a vegetable and more an herb in some cultures. In appearance sorrel greatly resembles spinach and in taste sorrel can range from comparable to the kiwifruit in young leaves, to a more acidic tasting older leaf. As sorrel ages it tends to grow more acidic due to the presence of oxalic acid, which actually gets stronger and tastes more prominent.

Young sorrel may be harvested to use in salads, soups or stews giving an amazingly zingy taste wherever you use it. If you are planning on using sorrel in salads, it’s a good idea to stick with small tender leaves that have the fruitier and less acidic taste. Young sorrel leaves are also excellent when lightly cooked, similar to the taste of cooked chard or spinach. For soups and stews, older sorrel can be used because it adds tang and flavor to the dish.

From a nutritional standpoint sorrel has high levels of vitamins A nd C. It also contrains moderate levels of calcium, potassium and magnesium meaning it packs a big nutritional punch for a little leaf. However, it is worth noting that it contains very high levels of oxalic acid meaning it may not be suitable for people with kidney problems or rheumatism. And when you first start eating it try it in small doses - it's got a laxative effect if you eat too much of it!