In the Garden with GiantVeg : Autumn's End

Our Giant Cucumbers are still growing and the tomatoes are still ripening.  

What to do with the harvests?

Making chutney is a great way of preserving a glut of fruit or veg. Have a go yourself and make some chutneys with tomatoes, chillies, apples, pears and runner beans.

With the remaining tomatoes and peppers, these will be turned into a chilli sauce and a base for bolognaise sauces.  Below is a chutney recipe that has been handed down through our family.

Here’s what you need to get started

1kg ripe tomatoes, chopped

Chillies finely chopped

450g onions, red or white chopped

2 Giant Garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 fresh eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 tsp mustard seeds

2 cloves

2.5cm piece fresh ginger, grated

300g sultanas

200g light muscovado sugar

600ml Malt Vinegar

Let’s get preparing

It’s really simple to make…

Mix the ingredients in a large pan.  The deeper the better. Add half the vinegar and season.

Place the pan over a medium heat. Simmer until the mixture is tender.

Slowly add the vinegar into the chutney. Cook for a further 30 minutes until the mixture is sticky.

Wash your jars and leave to drain.  Place on a baking tray in a preheated oven on low heat for up to 10 minutes.

Divide the mixture between sterilised jars and set aside to cool.

Place a disc or greaseproof paper directly onto the chutney and seal with the sterilised airtight lids  Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, for at least 1 month before eating. 

Chutney is easy to make with so many different ways to add excess fruits and vegetables.  Try it now and you should have some to open over Christmas.

From the kitchen to ground preparations for next season

Now that the season is almost over, the ground preparation starts for next season.  We have already started to clean out the cold frame and the green manures have recently been scattered.  As we get a dry spell during October/November, we will lightly rotovate over the growing areas to allow the green manures to be buried under the surface of the soil. A great machine for this task is the lightweight STIGA SRC 775 RG

Over the next few months, you can start to plan your existing growing areas, create new growing areas, as well as carry out those tasks that have been waiting to be done for a while.  Motivate yourself over the Winter and the Spring will be here in no time with more time to prepare for another season in 2022. Remember to plan which seeds you will grow and buy the seeds early in readiness for the season ahead.

Here’s a few things to keep you out enjoying the great outdoors.

• Clean down your growing areas so they can't harbour pests and diseases through the winter

• Cut fruited stems of blackberries and autumn raspberries down to the ground.

• Harvest your pumpkins and gourds and store them in a dry shed ready for Halloween

• Plant Garlic just below the ground and they’ll be vernalised for larger crops next season

• If you’d like to grow your own fruit, you can order bare-rooted fruit trees and start planting now

In the next edition, we will provide some tips on cleaning down your equipment and wrapping up for the Winter.  We will also talk through some essential Autumnal tasks, including pruning, as well as some handy tips to get your gardens all set for the Winter. 

In the meantime check out our competition to 'Guess the weight of the Giant Marrow' to win a STIGA SAB 50 Li battery leaf blower. 

All Images : Credit Kevin @GiantVeg