More strawberries!

So far, I have picked over 80 lb of strawberries and there are more to come. On the whole, they are a good size, very juicy and extremely tasty, with very few mouldy or with damage. I have been very selective with what I have kept, but have only had to discard 2 or 3 lb. So the hard work - weeding, feeding, putting up a cage etc - has been well worth while. We have given lots away, made jam, made puree (2 of chopped strawberries to one of sugar, boiled to sterilise then frozen in small pots - delicious on icecream or a steamed sponge pudding) frozen some individually (put a few in a glass instead of ice cubes) and of course eaten lots raw. However, although I put in 3 varieties (early, mid-season and late) they have all come at once!

This is my brassica plot. In the foreground are cabbages - quite small but we are eating them now - and purple sprouting broccoli. In the background are my broad beans. I sowed two separate batches about a month apart, but the later ones have now caught up, and I am picking lots of beans, some of which are being frozen. Other people sowed in the autumn, but success here depends on the winter weather, and they only produce about a week earlier, so I don't bother. We started eating the beans as 'mange-tout' when they were only finger sized, but many have gone well past that stage now!
In other beds, I have lettuce, beetroot, beans (French and runner), peas, broccoli, sweetcorn, courgettes, potatoes, onions, spring onions and, for the winter, parsnips and leeks. I shall  be picking peas soon - there are lots of pods on the vines - and other things shortly afterwards. The weather has been hot recently (over 30­­°C for the last 5 days) so things have been growing madly, but today is cooler (25°C) and we have had a little much-needed rain.