Pruning and pumpkins
Mike Morgan, of Llansantffraed Court Hotel I
’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween. It’s another import
that hasn’t enhanced my life, but as our walled garden restoration project continues, I am beginning to warm to it. I don’t mind a trick, but I’d much rather have a treat. In our case the ‘treat’ takes the form of the gorgeous comforting sweetness of our pumpkins, the cheerful colours of the squashes, the tantalizing sight of parsnips breaking the surface of Bed No 4, and the velvety smoothness of puréed butternut. It’s rewarding to see the menu
content driven by the seasons, and as the veg garden heads towards a winter hibernation and while there are not so many greens in crop, the vibrant colours of carrot, turnip, swede, celeriac, red cabbage, salsify, curly kale and golden beetroot make the rainbow on every plate an autumnal joy. We continue to taste test and
fine tune our choice of varieties for next year, and work is well underway on planning the new berry beds, figuring out rotations and progressing the glass house. For the record, the purple carrots beat the white and orange ones in blind tastings hands down every single time … In the polytunnels we are
enjoying the last flavours of the summer with the remaining beefy tomatoes, chillies, sweet peppers and a few cucumbers. The micro greens continue to flourish and we are still able to cut pea shoots almost daily. As the pace slows, we’ve had a few happy surprises with the strawberries flowering a second time, and as the purple sprouting has bolted it has produced a short-lived second cutting of small succulent heads. If, like me, you were put off cauliflower, seemingly for life,
during school dinners, the small tight hearts that we harvested today, that it transpired were destined for the plate of an AA inspector, will change your mind. Monmouthshire deliciousness … if that’s even a word. It’s fair to say our first crop
of asparagus wasn’t an unrivalled success. Of the 100 crowns we planted
three years ago, only 89 survive, and those that are left frankly didn’t show much determination to break the surface. Our more horticulturally minded visitors tell me that if you don’t cut them too hard the roots will be strengthened for next season, and you can look forward to a heavy crop. Well, next summer, if indeed that’s true, we’ll be exporting. Time will tell. Now to read up on pruning for
trellised fruit trees while I munch on an Egremont Russet.
Mike Morgan
mikemorgan@llch.co.uk www.llch.co.uk
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