The 2010 AGM was well attended in spite of the outbreak of flu and general lurgy that has been going around Thornbury. The associations officers all volunteered to stand for another year for which we are reallty gratefull. Once again it was decided to make a donation to Thornbury in Bloom and as last year the sum of £200 was agreed.
Members ordered over £1100 worth of seeds from the seed catalogue this year which has meant a healthy contribution to the finances. The NGS Open Day will be held on Sunday 11th July, volunteers will be sought out nearer the day. Our secreatary John Mansbridge is trying to organise some visits to different gardens, members will receive the details by e mail.
Everyone should have received a seed catalogue by now along with a seed potato order form. Peter Bird has once again negotiated a really good deal with the Seed Company and Sue is giving us a good discount on the potatoes. Please make sure that you return your seed order to Peter by 30th
November to give him time to collate the order. Seed Potato orders should be taken directly to Sue.
Forms and money for the Allotment Supper should be back with dave makepeace by now to ensure a place. We are restricted to around 45 and it is a popular event
At the recent Open Day Janet Mansbridge told me how popular her reicpe for Courgette Cake had been. As courgettes are now growing as quick as they can be picked I have put the recipe below so that you can all try it.
Courgette Cake
60g raisins
250g courgettes (2-3) weighed before grating
2 lge eggs
125ml veg oil For the icing
150g caster sugar 200g cream cheese
225g self-raising flour 100g icing sugar, sieved
½ tsp bicarb of soda juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
½ tsp baking powder 2-3 tbsp chopped pistachios
(or as I did on the open day - lemon icing on the top)
For the filling
Lemon curd
2x21cm sandwich tins greased and lined
Preheat oven to 180oC
If using raisins, put them in a bowl and cover with warm water to plump them up.
Wipe the courgettes with kitchen towel (but don't peel them) then grate. Coarse grater. Turn them into a sieve over the sink to remove excess water.
Put the eggs, oil and sugar in a bowl and whisk until creamy. Sieve in the flour, bicarb of soda and baking powder and beat until combined. Now stir in the grated courgette and the drained raisins.
Pour mixture into the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Leave in tins for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool.
To make the cream cheese icing.
Beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth, add the sieved icing sugar and beat well to combine, then stir in the lime juice to taste.
Assemble, if cream cheese icing needs firming up put finished cake in the fridge. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top just before serving.
(Lemon icing) - I used 4 tbsp of icing sugar and 1 tbsp of lemon juice, beat well. Then spoon onto assembled cake and sprinkle on the chopped pistachios.
The judging has been completed for the 2009 Best Kept Allotment and Scarecrow competitions. The Allotments were judged by an RHS judge and the scarecrows by Sue Aitken. The results are:-
Best kept allotment First Prize- Peter Sage plot 1/5. Second Prize- Mike Ginns plot 20/4. Third Prize- Gill Gilligan plot 18/4. Highly Commneded Awards went to- Merv Tout plot 6/2. Di Clark & Margaret Hall plot 20/8 and Jill Stone plot 3/4.
The Scarecrow Competition results are:-
1st Prize- Nick Large plot 15/2 for a Suspicious Bird Feeder
2nd The Ocone family plot 5/2B for Mary Mary Quite Contrary
3rd Di Clarke plot 20/8 for Hemlock Holmes
Highly Commended were Alice & Tom Gregory plot 15/3 for Santa and Jenny Powell plot 7/3 for Wigan Girls.
Pictures of the plots and scarecrows will appear on the Photo gallery soon
Sometimes its good to go to the allotments just to sit and look over the magnificent views of the plots and the Severn Vale. Thanks to Tony Lines this can now be done in comfort as he has installed a bench in memory of his wife Janet who passed away earlier this year.
Open day is next wekend and I hope that members have put the finishing touches to their plots making sure that any obstacles or obsructions have been removed. Anne Harrison is organising the cake stall and if any of you are able to help out please contact her. We also need as many plotholders as possible to be on their plots to talk to visitors so please come down if you can.
The trip to Kew Gardens was very successfull and all who went thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Members spent about six hours wandering around the gardens and the pavillion and hopefully have picked up some tips to use at the allotments. I assumed that Ray would lead the singing in the mini bus on the way home but the rest of the passegers thought he was best left sleeping!
At last, fresh supplies of green netting have arrived and is on sale at the shed.
The Kew Garden trip on June 9th will now be by mini bus. There are still a couple of places not taken at £23 a head. Contact John Mansbridge ASAP if you are interested.
Any member who is interested in visiting Kew Gardens on June 9th should get their payment to our secretary John Mansbridge as soon as possible as the transport has to be booked by May 22nd.
The results of the Newcomers Competition are:-
Place Plot No. Name
1st 10/2B Sara Cant
2nd 4/4 Kim Webber & Associates
3rd 2/5A Howard Yeomans
HC 16/3 Ashley & Janet Haigh
HC 11/4 Alan Heath
The presentation of the Tony and Janet Lines Perpetual Cup and other prizes will take place at the barbeque on July 19th
On May 3rd judging takes place for the 'Best Newcomer' competition. The judging is carried out by two committee members and this year the competition is particularly tough. Entrants have to have had an allotment for less than two years and there are about 15 people in the competition this year.
Most newcomers have waited several years to get their allotments and when they eventually have thir own plot they are very keen to get them to the high standard of the other plots
