Cherry season ... but where have all the cherries gone?



Where have all the cherries gone?

Cherry shortage hits Cubbington
Well, am I the only one fed up with all of this rain? How gloomy was it today, it was like a late autumn day, and very hard to believe that we are slap bang in the middle of summer! At least the rain has been good for the fruit and veg on the plot, and the water butt is full to the brim, also, the new chickens have settled in well, and are eating everything that they are given - and the eggs are still coming thick and fast.

I went to pick some cherries on Sunday morning ... but I couldn't find any! The birds have eaten the ones at the top of the trees, and I'm sure that my dad hasn't eaten the rest so I'm at a loss to explain where they have gone. I was going to bake a couple of nice cherry pies on my day off tomorrow but I'll have to think of something else now!

I'll be spending a few hours on the plot, and I'm going to pick some more spuds, some peas (eating them as I go), and some carrots, then I'll have to see what I can rustle up for tea. I brought an apple home yesterday and asked David to try it, it looked nice but he took one bite and the look on his face told me it was a cooker ... very funny!

I'm off for an early night now but I will post an update tomorrow, along with the recipe for whatever I delight I manage to come up with.

Cindy xx

How it all started

I live in Cubbington, which is also where I was born and grew up, and as a little girl I can remember my nan and grandad having an allotment on this very site. I am one of nine children, and throughout my childhood I was a regular visitor to the allotment, and my earliest memory is of sitting in the pea patch, shelling the peas, but eating more than we kept!

Our village church

My nan used to feed us with the produce from the allotment, and there was a constant stream of goodies, including, home made apple pies, various jams and fruity chutneys, all of which were delicious. A particular favourite of mine was the plum jam, which I used to enjoy on some nice fresh bread, and I remember that my nan always used to leave the stones in it. Sweets were scarce in those days but a stick of rhubarb with a bag of sugar was a more than adequate replacement, and was also a real treat! 

When nan and grandad passed away, my dad took on the allotment, and when it became too much for him, he retired, and my youngest brother Simon took it on. Simon sadly passed away in January 2010, so I decided to take on the allotment, with help from my sisters, and my eldest brother Christopher, and my dad also came out of retirement to boss us about. The idea was for the allotment to provide a wide variety of home grown produce, and to be a place where the whole family could meet up. We also invested in some chickens, a brand new hen house, and a rather boisterous cockerel called George, and we were soon producing a regular supply of fresh eggs as well.

Christopher finished building the shed that Simon had started, and between us we soon had the allotment ship shape, then earlier this year another plot became available. This was a much sought after plot, nicknamed "The Orchard", and we asked if we could also take this on as well. To our delight, the answer was yes, so we now have two very productive allotments ... I think we are going to be busy!