Letting the summer go

Here we are in the middle of October, and although it hurts we have had to let go of the summer. 

Yesterday we picked the last runner beans, the remainder are now just going to dry on the vine and give us next years seed. We also have our Borlotti beans drying, along with lots of bush beans. I am anticipating some interesting soups and casseroles this winter.

We also picked the last three cucumbers and although the courgettes are still flowering, I suspect that there won't be time to grow anything before the first frosts forecast for the next week arrive, so thanks to the courgettes again, what a wonderful crop.

We still have a large bed of late maincrop potatoes to harvest; we have lifted three plants so far and they were a revelation. 

We have never had so many potatoes of such a size before, over 20 large potatoes for each seed planted. 

The potatoes are Sarpo Mira, which we planted to test out their ability to withstand potato blight, and they proved to be successful. 

However, although I heard stories from my father about the old days when the last maincrop potatoes were lifted in late September and October we have been forced by blight over the last 20 or so years to harvest the maincrop potatoes much earlier. 

Lifting later does mean that if we look after them properly we could still have edible potatoes next spring.

It is a satisfying feeling, and I feel that they may become a regular crop for us.