Little reasons to be cheerful.

Sweetpea.

Adding a little bit of colour to the plot. Next year I will add more, especially plants that deter slugs. A flower fortress!

Banana Shallots.

These shallots may not look like bananas, but they sure can make your eyes water, unlike bananas.

Mixed Garlic.

Excellent crop of garlic this year! A small, smelly triumph.

Fennel.

This is my first time growing fennel. It’s a bit diminutive, but tastes great. Looks a little exotic too!

Courgettes.

After a false start, it appears I may get a crop of courgettes after all. Very exciting altogether!

Carrots and Charlotte Potatoes.

This has been a poor year for my potatoes and carrots. The potatoes are ‘scabby’ in more ways than one, and have suffered a bout of blight to boot. The carrot tops and seedlings have been devoured by birds and slugs. Only a few have survived.

Garlic, glorious garlic!

The blonde guy from Depeche Mode?

I’m very pleased with myself. Yesterday I picked my first garlic bulb.

I’m surprised because it was from a batch I planted in mid January, while the garlic I planted at the end of October is not yet fully formed.

Also surprised because it was from an odd mix of bulbs that had been sitting in my car boot for weeks.

It’s no surprise that I don’t know what this garlic is called.

Good Garlic!

Grayscale Garlic.

You boys in green!

Raw ingredient.

This one is for the boys in green!

I reckon if they (the Republic of Ireland soccer team) had eaten some of this pesto before their matches, things could be different now. As it is, they were knocked out of UEFA Euro 2012 last Monday night after three disappointing games in the group stages.

Why would things be different? Because this pesto is like rocket fuel! Imagine eleven Popeye-The-Sailor-Men running around the pitch – no opponent, not the smooth Spanish nor the clinical Germans could handle such a team.

I’ll send the recipe to the Football Association of Ireland, maybe they can add it to the team’s diet in the run up to the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

Here is the link to the recipe: Paul’s Favorite Spinach-Walnut Pesto

I added a little more garlic and a little less olive oil.

C’MON YOU BOYS IN GREEN!

Pure Rocket Fuel.

Added pasta.