Jack Frost jumps in

There's not much to update work-wise as the ground has been rock solid for most of the week, but I did pop out with the camera one morning to capture a few frosty moments, like the teasel above, just melting in the early sunshine.

These strawberries above also had their fair share of frost cover. 

I love cold, crisp winter mornings when the birds are singing, the sun is shining and your breath makes clouds in front of you. A few extra layers is all that's needed to enjoy it :)

If you're local, you might be interested in coming along to High Spen Primary School's Christmas Fayre next Saturday 6th December from noon until 2pm (located on the main road through the Spen, just down from the Bute Arms pub). We've kindly be given a stall by the PTA and will be raising money for the garden through selling some of our produce, as well as handmade goodies such as biscuits and dandelion coffee. It would be lovely to see you there!

Daisy, daisy

Despite a light dusting of snow over the past few days, these little daisies are still going strong - and I didn't even plant or sow them, so they've definitely defied the odds. It's lovely to see such bursts of colour this time of year.

So much for clipping the chickens' wings: Ginger shows just how simple it is to fly 3ft off the ground and into the high raised beds. I'll forgive her for now, as she's started to lay eggs this week - mainly in a little hideaway in the hawthorn hedge, which was probably the last place I looked after hearing her victory cackle from the house some time earlier.

There's been a biting Northerly wind blowing in over the past week, which has made working on the allotment a bit of a challenge. However, I still managed to prune the willow (enough to make 20 wreath bases) and dig up enough dandelion roots to make a large jar of coffee. If you haven't tried making dandelion coffee before, I'd recommend giving it a go: I don't even drink regular coffee and I like it, and I've even managed to fool a few hardened coffee drinkers along the way too.

Quite simply, you carefully dig up as much of the dandelion root as you can (don't bother with really piddly roots less than about 5mm wide), cutting off the leaves (I feed mine to the rabbits, so nothing is wasted!) as you do so. Then, the messy part is scrubbing all the dirt off, at which point I normally end up blocking my kitchen sink with mud. Once I've got the plunger out and normal service has resumed, I chop up each root into small bits with a knife so no pieces are more than about 6mm across (this makes it look like I'm really exact and I'm not at all - it just shouldn't be too big).

Then, the arduous part is the slow roast, as this bit takes *ages* on a low heat in the oven. It can take anything for 1hr 30 minutes upwards, depending on your oven (try and get the roots really dry before you put them in as that will help) so best to keep checking and putting it back on for a little longer as necessary. The roots should look almost burnt and smell a little like coffee and then you've got it.

To use, either grind like regular coffee (about a spoonful per person) or put the same amount of coffee pieces in a small saucepan and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, draining the pieces through a tea strainer.

The amount of work that goes into this coffee means it really is a treat for you and close friends and family, as if you tried to sell it at a price which reflected the amount of effort involved, it would be a pretty pricey cuppa.....

Brussels sprouts are looking good, and I've given them a little support from the wind (unfortunately too late for some, which have bent over, but never mind). They've had plenty of frost, so should be nice and sweet by now.

David has put the foundation post in for the orchard gate (just got to fell a tree for the wood now - a small detail) and has also made a very sturdy raised bed for the edge of the wildflower meadow outside.

Time to take stock

It's been a strange growing season this year: the late frosts in Spring finished off a few of the plants which had dared to risk some new shoots and the windy/wild/wet conditions that seemed to come and go for most of this year have certainly not helped the situation.

Still, a brief Indian summer did raise the spirits a little, and the late sunshine managed to ripen a few squashes and courgettes (a selection pictured above) - grown undercover of course! I'm thinking of making a mini polytunnel in the brick foundations of the former greenhouse (which blew away one winter long before I had the allotment) for squashes next year, as they tend to take over the polytunnel and the poor tomatoes struggle to regain some space.

I sat out on the shed step this morning as the sun struggled to break through the clouds, listening to the memorial service on the radio. It seemed fitting somehow to spend the two minute silence outdoors as it's where I tend to do most of my thinking. Even the chickens respected the occasion - ruffling up their feathers and puffing out like little proud soldiers standing to attention for the Last Post.

Most of the bulbs - 75 bluebells and snowdrops so far - have been planted in the orchard and I've dug over most of the ground around the hazel tree outside ready for some more bluebells, wood anemones and maybe the odd crocus. That's the trouble this time of year - very few volunteers mad enough to be outside in the cold, so it tends to fall to me to to these jobs. Still, I don't mind as it gets me out in the fresh air, but planting dozens of bulbs on your own can get a little monotonous...

Time to get some manure in the beds soon, and I may even try some broad beans as I've yet to do so and one of the other allotment holders has inspired me to have a go.