Page 55 - ALG Issue 3 2014

Me and my allotment plot...
I took on my allotment
plot in March 2011. The
secretary said “I’ll find you
a good one that doesn’t
need much work to clean
up, so you can make a
start on it straightaway”.
He offered me plot no.100; it didn’t look like a good one to me! Weeds... yes there were a few, well quite a lot really, 3ft high and also thistles, nettles, old carpets, tyres and a lot of broken glass which went up to the local tip, which luckily was not too far away.
There were some runner beans still left standing on the bean canes from the previous year. After taking them off l had around 1000 beans which was far too many for me to use so what did l do with the rest of them?...l made two gallons of wine with them.
What a good idea having an allotment
is, I thought. l could make lots of different wines and what produce is left my wife can have (the wife said different of course so whatever produce is left l can make wine). It was getting a little late in the day to dig a full plot so I had it ploughed then rotovated by another allotmenteer. Potatoes went in first; I thought I had a good crop until I saw the other people’s on the allotment. Mine were very small but never mind. My wife took all she wanted and told me I could keep the small ones that were left. Once l had dug them all up l realised that I could make five gallons of wine from this produce.
Over the last three years l have grown just about everything on my plot and do you know that you can make wine out of just about anything, even things like broad beans, peas, beetroot, pumpkins, parsnips, carrots and even cabbage, I have not made wine from onions or leeks yet but they do
make lovely soup. l also grow a few flowers as well, marigolds. These grow around my carrots as the carrot fly does not like the smell and yes you guessed it, I also make wine out of these as well; it tastes lovely. There is also an elderflower tree at the end of my allotment so I make elderflower and elderberry wine and I have a few nice red, smelly roses. Yes, of course, I make rosé wine. I have just put down a copy of the Allotment & Leisure Gardener magazine to pick up my wine making book and found a new recipe on carnations so it looks like l will have to find somewhere to grow them; this one l must try.
l do put all this wine to good use. On bonfire night we have a barbeque and
l provide wine and beer, oh did l not say, l make beer as well, but not on the
allotment?
We have just had a new pavilion built
so we will organise an open day soon.
We had an open day last year to promote allotments, just to show people what you can grow and we gave produce away
so that they could experience the taste difference of homegrown vegetables. We also help look after the gardens at our local day care centre. We plant the usual vegetables, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflowers and onions for them to pick and consume. Besides the winemaking, my wife also makes many different kinds of jams and pickles; beetroot chutney is my favourite.
Ralph Walker
Greenmore Community Allotment Association, Nuneaton, Warwickshire
...you can make wine out of just about anything, even things like broad beans
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