Our Nigella moments - spring slips into summer (From The Argus)

Our Nigella moments - spring slips into summer

6:30am Monday 31st May 2010

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Plate of Aparagus

I and my Bhogg friends have a confession to share with you. We have been away enjoying our Nigella moments, Love in the Mist, as the tender shoots of hot Asparagus Spears -soft with butter and peppered with salt- are touched, kissed, tasted and melt into mouths. May was a month of mouth-watering delights, while I neglected you. Sorry!

People.

Seedling Sunday with Lottie gestates three months after Seedy Sunday…....and what a day that was as part of the eternal cycle of winter, leading into Spring and Summer. ( Feb Blog Savouring Seedy Sunday ) The BHOGG (www.bhogg.org) seedling swap in May is an ever green event through sunshine, showers or storms the show must go on. It was a cold, dry but windy day, we were sheltered by the hedgerow that reflected the glory of the apple blossom through the purple Mirabelle. Swap til you drop, as every little helps in our beautiful Brighton’s, organic gardening group. No Money Maker tomatoes here.

Apple Blossom.

The baby tomatoes seedling stand tall with strong sturdy plants, the Black Russian Prince leads to Gardeners Delight, Alisa Craig was there looking at the Brandywine. Black Aztec corn on the cob sat with Golden Bantam, Cambridge Strawberries with Champagne Rhubarb, rainbow chard, Kale, cucumbers, courgettes, and cabbages in a multicultural cascade of colours to come and diversity to enjoy.

Pictures of Strawberries

Beans

Seed Tray

Then the coup de grace, the cutting of the spears, the rushing of them to the steaming pot and, within five minutes of being picked, the munch and the crunch of softly steamed asparagus. Is it the butter that adds that luxury and the texture or is it the pepper that draws out the contrasting taste? I really don’t care, its utterly fabulous.

Asparagus in basket

Tasting divine

But don’t tell the allotment ruler or the terminator that we had more than 12 people plotting together, not so. The 44 of us naturally came and went in successive groups of eleven holding hands and singing songs (based on the allotment rules) into the sunset. Seedlings swapped, spring slips into summer and the growing excitement comes again. Love in the mist will flower soon.