Page 49 - ALG Issue 2 2022

Narrowing the hungry gap...
New allotment holders may experience
quite a long hungry gap in spring and
early summer when there is little or no
fresh produce available from their plot,
though they have already put down tons
of work. I myself felt the frustration
when I first started more than 10 years
ago. of my 6x8 greenhouses. They are
squash. It has huge leaves like those of fig trees and very prolific, easily producing more than 4 fruits per plant. These gourds taste like cucumber/mallow and they make fantastic soup or jam.
To make jam, I simply add saffron, lemon and sugar to the pulp of the gourd and it comes out great. The gourd store extremely well and the mature fruit will keep well over two years.
Growing these gourds certainly will see off the hungry gap. I had so many one year that I had to distribute them to friends and even the local lunch club.
Last, but not least, is use the freezer to store up fruits and vegetables during the abundant months. I always add bags of berries and broad beans to the freezer when I have excess. Raspberries and blackberries freeze well. You can use them to make smoothies, jams, or tarts during the winter.
How wide is your hungry gap? You probably will never completely become self-sufficient all year round, but you can certainly narrow the gap with a few simple steps.
Nero Di Toscana kale grow well over two years without bolting and they have provided rich pickings this winter. Pak Choy could be a little tender. They grow better in the greenhouse and polytunnel. I grow Pak Choy and lettuce in two
In recent years I managed to narrow
the hungry gap by taking the following
steps: 2.
1. Growing cold hardy greens like kales, Pak Choy during wintertime. Our winter is quite mild compared to the Continental Europe or north America. Growing vegetables in winter is fairly easy. There are less pests around; there is little need for watering if you grow them outdoor. All you need is harvesting.
The success of winter growing is
timing i.e., sowing in late summer/
early autumn. I normally sow 3. a couple of trays of kales and
Shanghai greens in early August
and plant them out no later than
October so that the seedlings
could put down their roots well
before the winter comes.
The kales are particularly cold hardy. They also develop sweet flavour once the frost occurs. Red Russian and Nero Di Toscana are firm favourites of mine. Some of
great additions to our noodle soup and salad bowls.
Growing perennial vegetables like Jerusalem artichokes. I grow them at the front of my very windy plot as windbreaks. Their tubers are my hidden treasure in winter, and
I harvest as I need them. I make Jerusalem artichoke chips that rival any Michelin star restaurant: I also roast them with herbs. By the way, eating peeled and well- cooked Jerusalem artichokes won’t produce the dreaded side effect, ha-ha!
Selecting well stored winter squashes to grow. Crown prince store very well and are very tasty and versatile to use. It has bluish grey skin and orange colour flesh. It tastes like chestnut/sweet potato. We use in stew, curry, and bread making.
The other squash is a little exotic. It has several different names, such as shark’s fin melon the fig-leaf gourd, Malabar gourd, black seed
Growing these gourds certainly will see off the hungry gap. I had so many one year that I had to distribute them to friends and even the local lunch club.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 49