Problem solving on a daily basis......

This interweb mullarkey is a wonderful thing. Once upon a time, pre-WWW, if you had a problem with one or more of your crops you 'lost' a season until showtime when you might be able to tell a fellow grower of your problem and hope that he came up with a solution for you to try the next season, then and only then. Nowadays however, a grower has access to all sorts of useful information and can often find a solution to the problem with a quick google. However, the best source of info I find by far is the NVS's own forum where several of the country's top growers have sod all better to do and are usually to be found lurking on there waiting to answer your questions. So if any of you aren't members I would urge you to part with your 17 quid and join up in 2012 as you need to be a member to access the forum. If you don't find it immediately worthwhile I will personally take it upon myself to refund you 17p.




It was on the forum that I came across this little gem of an idea offered up by NVS legend and pickled shallot maestro John Trim. A conversation 'thread' was started about the best way to store runner beans in the run up to a show. I've always wrapped mine up in damp towels, picking them three or four days before a show as they reach my selected length. However, I've always found this method quite unsatisfactory and never seemed to be able to get enough specimens to make more than a set of 6 when I may also want another set of 6 for a Top Tray, even though I grow a fairly substantial fence of 25 plants or so. JT mentioned his method of inclining the beans in a tray with the stalk end being submerged in water. Therefore I came up with this set-up, a pane of glass angled in a plastic tray so that the beans all have their toes in the small amount of water at the bottom.

And believe me this really does seem to work. At the weekend I won the runner bean class with a uniform set of 15 inchers, and managed to include an even better set of 16 inchers on my Top Tray that scored 15 out of 20 (although on that basis believe me Sherie Plumb's beans would score 53 out of 20!) The thing is all the 16 inchers were picked nearly 10 days before and were still as fresh as when they were first cut. I was very impressed and will certainly be adopting this method from now on.

Also on the forum JT posted his method of preparing pickled 'onions' which he said were the tastiest you'll ever put in your mouth. I said I didn't believe him and he'd have to prove it, and fair play he presented me with a jar at the National. These are without doubt the best pickled onions (actually shallots) I have ever tasted, not too sharp, pleasantly sweet with a mildly hot aftertaste. My youngest daughter and I have now polished off said jar having eaten them all like sweets for the past few days, so i'm going to have to make my own. JT's recipe is as follows:



One kilo of shallots-I use Hative de Niort (nothing but the best) but pickling onions will do.

900 mls of white vinegar-I use Sarsens

6 oz of white sugar

One red & one green sweet peppers-cut into strips

Sprigs of fresh Tarragon

Teaspoon of pickling spice to each jar.

THE METHOD

Put the vinegar into a saucepan with the sugar & heat until the sugar dissolves. Put to one side to cool. Peel the shallots (best done the day before bottling) put them into a bowl, sprinkle with plenty of salt & fill the bowl with cold water. Leave the shallots in the brine for 24 hours. Then drain off the brine & rinse with cold water. Tip the shallots out onto a tea towel to dry. When perfectly dry fill sterilised jars with shallots & add some of the peppers, a sprig of Tarragon & the teaspoon of pickling spice. Top up with the white vinegar. Give each jar a plastic cover & screw on the lid. They will be ready to eat 8 weeks from bottling.


This weekend I have another local show in the village of Seagrave which I always enjoy as it's a huge amount of fun. Then next week I shall be doing a daily countdown to the impending Bullshit Bloggers Challenge at Harrogate when I take on the might of the Yorkshire Homo contingent of Bastow and Unsworth (plus any others who want to take us on!) in the NVS Northern Branch's set of 6. A year's bragging rights are on the table as well as some ten quid side bets. Securicor will be on hand to follow me home.