AERIALROOTS003

Aerial Roots

Some handy plot tips for sowing on a budget, harvest and yield updates as well as a spot of kitchen action with Chef Samrai! Original music from Aerial Roots crew. Produced, recorded and edited by Antonia Canal & Balraj Samrai.

Show transcript:

Antonia: Hey everyone. Thanks again for joining us at Aerial Roots.

Balraj: I'm Balraj.

Antonia: And I'm Antonia

Balraj: On the last episode we shared what we've been up to at the plot, and how some of our crops are getting along.

Antonia: This episode includes some of our latest planting, reflections on getting started with an allotment, plus some yield and kitchen action.

Balraj: All right, let's get into it, starting with a recent arrival at the plot, a well known root vegetable.

We put in some really, really late potatoes, like literally, as late as you can.

Antonia: Bal's dead proud of these potatoes!

Balraj: Yeah. Cause they're coming up and the plants are there and I mean, we might be able to dig these up maybe November, December time, perhaps. I mean, they were those kind of potatoes where they looked like they were growing already, you know, without any soil. We got them from the garden cetnre, and they actually gave them away for free. So shout out Hulme garden center!

Antonia: Shout out Hulme Garden Centre - big up, big up!

Balraj: Some garden centres will sometimes do that, I think, when there's things that are just going to go to rot and it's late in the season. They might just discount things or give them away. So I guess that's a tip, if you're a little bit low on cash money. Cause we've not been spending a lot, have we? Money-wise, we're trying to keep it to what we can really afford.

Antonia: Yeah, that's the advice we got from Ev at the plot. Big up Ev who does loads of stuff for the allotment society and everyone growing out here. But he was like, don't spend loads of money on it, cause you could just throw so much money at this. Like we could've spent ,theoretically, hundreds of pounds. Not that we would have!

Balraj: Hmm thousands though even maybe

Antonia: Yeah loads and actually we've been kind of trying to make use of what was already here. And making use of the generosity of other growers who've given us plants. And then we've invested in a few things, like the hose, big up the hose!

Balraj: Yeah and also some kale protection, but we we're looking at it weren't we and we were just looking for a few simple tools and you're looking for like a hose, some kale protection, some seeds.

Antonia: And I mean, when we started out, Emily who is our great friend and was the link to the plot, she was just letting us into her shed to use her tools, so for the first four months we hadn't even bought a single tool, had we? We had some gloves. Literally, that was it, the gloves and the keys to the allotment and the watering can that came with our house!

Balraj: Yeah true. I think like with a lot of activities, it's like this, you know, if you've got other hobbies, it's not worth buying the stuff before you need it, figure out what you really really could use.

Antonia: Hope some of those tips and tricks were useful.

Balraj: Yeah, it feels good to share our experience on getting started with a plot and how little you really need to get stuck in.

Antonia: If you've got any questions about this or anything else allotment wise, feel free to message us or comment on Insta @aerialrootsmcr, you can also drop us a line at [e-mail]. Now we're going to share a little slice of Balraj's recent yield glow up after a bumper harvest.

You've just returned home from a solo allotment trip. And I was just commenting on the fact that you're glowing. You're actually, I feel like you're just emanating this green energy. Tell us about your little trip today.

Balraj: Yeah, I went over cause I haven't been for about a week and a half, there’s been quite heavy rain. It's been quite blustery. So I was quite eager to get down there cause last time we were there, the courgettes were looking really good and the kale and the beans. And yeah, it just looked great! I mean, I was so surprised, but then also not surprised at the same time, because I knew that this is a peak time, but, you know, I could see as I got to the plot that the courgette plants were just...

Antonia: So like, as, as you were approaching, you saw the courgette plants and you were like, I've hit the courgette gold rush!

Balraj: Yeah. I just could see how huge they were, you know, and I was just, yeah, it was quite kind of a powerful thing, I think. Cause you know, we'd sort of started these plants off from, from seed at home. You know, even when we first took on the plot, we were sort of in two minds, but to be in this place where you're sort of struggling to fit the yield in your bag on the way home is.. it's quite a nice look! So yeah, what I saw was huge, huge courgettes, the green ones just had gone massive and then some really nice gold ones as well. So both looking really, really great in their own way. And yeah, I kind of saved it till last, so I did some weeding and just tidying up, planted some radish, just general kind of like bits and pieces around the plot. Cause I think the weeds, as well as the plants have had a little bit of a party as well. Yeah. So I just kinda cut them back a little bit, but yeah, it was just a great, great yield. But I'm going to have to say, cause we get a bit of a fruit and vegetable box from McCall's organics, shout out Kaz, and we just, we ain't going to need any courgettes for a while I think!!

Antonia: We're sorted, we're sorted on the courgettes front!

Balraj: Yeah, sorted for garlic, sorted for courgettes as well now I think..

Antonia: Ah, that was nice. It's one of the great things about this time of year, enjoying the harvest, feeling all the good work you put in earlier in the year.

Balraj: But the next best thing to harvesting has gotta be cooking up! Those plots to plate moments.

Antonia: Mmm yeah and one of our fave things to cook up is Balraj's famous kale crisps, and you're going to get the exclusive breakdown. Enjoy.

Balraj: Okay. Kale crisps. So I've got my kale, allotment fresh. I'm gonna soak it in water because we've actually been getting a little bit of white fly, nothing too crazy. But it's good to soak it just in case, you know, we don't want to be getting that extra, extra protein! Just in case there's any bits and pieces. Then dry that off.

What I tend to try and do is actually use some scissors to cut the leaves from the stem, cause sometimes the stem can be a little bit, kind of tough and maybe not as appetising.

Okay, so we've got some nice crips laid out. If you've got a wire rack, it's amazing for it, but if not, don't worry. Just use a regular pan. I'm just gonna put the oven on as well to around 180℃ or so, our oven i...