Fiddlesticks Update

According to the oracle, up to 200 species of young ferns are widely eaten in the tropics. We seem not to have acquired the habit for some reason although they have been shown to be very nutritious. Even bracken is apparantly edible although considered carcinogenic but then what isn't? Here, the Royal Fern (Osmunda Regalis) would be edible but I'm not going to be trying this anytime soon as I can't tell one young fern from another to save my life which it might as you can bet that, like mushrooms, some of the ferns will be toxic for us to eat. I wonder if the early inhabitants of these lands tried them? Oh well, just have to go to Canada in the spring sometime I guess.

Digression Over......The greenhouse seedlings are going bonkers.



The path by the shed got (sort of) finished.













Sown in greenhouse: Cauliflower (goodman); Courgette (dundoo); Carrot (flyaway) in big pots; Winter Squash; Sunflowers; Pumpkings; Cabbage.

Clodhopping till about 7.30pm last night in sunny warm conditions and then straight to the pub - aHHH! does it get any better?

Outside everything is doing its stuff...the only slowcoach being the sprouting broccoli which is on work to rule or something.

But what's with the woad? Is herself planning to daub ma knees (or worse) blue and pack me off to No 10 or the White House to effect regime change? A laudable aim in itself, but I will not do this unless sanctions have failed and the weapons inspectors have finished their business and certainly not without the full backing of UK Allotmentholder Resolutions.

Maybe she's found some sort of legal loophole like that reported on Allotment 21 whereby it is legal to kill a Welshman in Hereford with a bow and arrow except on Sundays.

Do I get to wear a kilt too I wonder? Better stop this thread right there.