The polytunnel also yielded a few strawbs and a few spears of asparagus early in the week – though HunterGatherer rapped my knuckles for picking the latter. Apparently you’re not supposed to harvest asparagus from June onwards (to let the plants regenerate for next season). Sad that, as there are another few spears already waving at me and I’m looking at them wistfully, but I dutifully haven’t laid a finger on them.
There’s been a lot of wildlife – in addition to the domestic animals – in evidence around the smallholding this week. Several swallows (or possibly housemartins?) have set up mudhome in our stable, keeping the poorly Shetland pony company. Here are the babies peeking out and saying “hi” from on high!
And last, but definitely not least, here’s a lovely wee toad who leapt out of the middle of the raised strawberry bed while we were working in the polytunnel this evening (HG has planted a bed of spinach so large we may feed the whole of Kinross-shire with it). Mr Toad crawled away under one of the wooden supports that holds the raised bed in place – he couldn’t get into our special terracotta toady des res, because it’s been taken over by ants! We’re fervently hoping that the distant thumping beat of T in the Park won’t deter him from coming out later to continue his slug feast. He’s got a lot of eating to do!
