So, Christmas day came and I was out on the patch to see what I could dig up for Christmas dinner. You can just see the neck of this parsnip
'hollow crown' peeking up above the surface of the soil. Excitement builds... what will it be like?
Not that bad! I grow my veggies on heavy London clay soil which I have worked and enriched for the last 25years. Not really light enough for really good root vegetables, they prefer sandy soil. My parsnips were shallow and forked, but enough for a satisfying feed.
Other veggies I picked were some leeks. Quite small this year, not really a good Summer and I think I planted them a bit late, but still very tasty. And Jerusalem artichokes 'fuseau' which made a great addition to the plate.
Boxing day was a fantastic sunny, cold day so I went out and enjoyed a whole day's digging and tidying up! Isn't it great to get out there and blow out the cobwebs. I turned over my compost heap and mulched my rhubarb with a thick layer of compost! So satisfying to get a good day of work done down on the allotment!
It amazes me that plants are just so sensitive to brightness and daylength. This variety is an extra early PSB called 'Rudolph' which is usually ready to harvest in January (that's tomorrow!) I also have a few plants of standard PSB which should be ready in March so I should have a good succession of fresh Broccoli until Summer now!
Even the side shoots are starting to show now. I am thinking that when I do decide to cut off the lead shoot then the side shoots will start to grow more quickly. 
I am salivating at the thought of a plate full of freshly steamed PSB !! Happy New Year everyone!
