Roehampton Garden Society

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

I hope that you have all had a wonderful August, despite the weather – and now is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness (with apologies to John Keats).

We look forward to another Allotment Gardeners’ Question Time on 6 September at 12.00, which hopefully, will emulate the success of the first. Please submit questions in advance and join us on the day…it has been timed to assist with the Autumn Show.

We hope to auction some of the exhibits at the end of the Show, as this was popular at the June show. If you wish to donate exhibits, please bring them to the Produce Stall at 4.30pm on the day. We rely on plot holders to support the Show by entering as much as they can – it is such fun so please get involved. If you have never exhibited before, consider the Novices Section. Any surplus plants, jams, chutneys, tools and books are very gratefully received for the Produce Stall and can be left on either site or at the Church Hall on the day. Many thanks.

The Society’s summer has been relatively uneventful – Site 2 is still without direct mains water. Apologies: it is not for want of trying. I hope to have better news by October. Thankfully, it has not been too dry (!).

The regular plot inspections, combined with judging for the Society’s best plot competition, took place on 13 July.

The inspectors were thrilled to see such a high number of excellent plots – congratulations to you all. A number of admonishments were needed but fewer than before: we hope that this downward trend will continue as we all prefer the positive side of Society administration. Wandsworth carried out its own inspection and judging for the Borough’s best plot competition on 15 July. Results of both competitions will be published shortly.

We had a successful New Plotholders’s Party on 5 July – thank you to those who attended. We hope to hold an annual Summer Party for plot holders to meet each other and the Committee. Let us know what you think.

The Society recently worked with Catch 22 to provide gardening experience to a group of young Roehampton children; the experience was enjoyed greatly and the children were not deterred by the wet weather. Many thanks to Georgina and John O’Reilly, Barbara McCall and Charles Gillbe for making this happen.

Your help is needed to identify the rubbish dumpers….particularly around the Pleasance entrance to Site 2. If you see bags left near the entrances to either site, please attempt to identify where it has come from and return it to its rightful owners. Plot holders, are being held responsible by the Council.

Happy harvesting – I look forward to seeing many of you at AGQT and the Show. Shirley Gillbe, Chairman

FUTURE OF FOOD

Raj Patel recommended this programme to me (BBC2 9.0 pm Tuesday 17 September). George Alagiah investigates the increasing global food crisis and concludes that climate change; oil crisis and water shortages are going to drastically affect yield and ability to grow food in the future. He visited several countries to examine things first hand. There was an interesting interview with a farmer in Cuba who grow a mixture of vegetables and claims that biodiversity can feed far more people. This rang true as it is the way allotmenteers work. There will be more next week or you could catch up this weeks programme on the BBC iplayer.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

ALLOTMENTS & BIODIVERSITY

Thank you to Jeanette Sweetman who drew my attention to the following website which links nicely to the previous item.

www.glasgow.gov.uk/biodiversity

Glasgow Council’s website has an interesting section on biodiversity which is worth browsing. They produce a regular e-publication called “Glasgow Biodiversity News’ and have also produced a booklet ‘Allotments & Biodiversity’, which is an excellent read, reminding us that our allotments are a habitat for wildlife and providing some useful tips for enhancing activity, using less water, more effective composting and lots more. The site is worth adding to your favourites!

NO FLY TIPPING

Barbara McCall highlighted that Wandsworth Council have been very rigorous in drawing attention to ‘No Fly Tipping’ in the roads around the allotments. She hopes that this will mean less dumping of rubbish near the entrances to our sites.

RECIPE FOR SEPTEMBER

I make no apologies for giving you a blackberry recipe at this time of year. I have a huge crop and have already frozen lots and made Bramble Jelly. The recipe is a rich one and a bit fiddly but worth all the effort. I often make it on Boxing Day as it is light and has a fresh taste, after all the rich food of Christmas Day. You can substitute thick Greek yoghurt for the cream.

BLACKBERRY MOUSSE serves 6

450 gm blackberries

100 gm sugar

little water

juice of ½ lemon

I envelope of gelatine

3 tablespoons hot water

3 large eggs

100 gm castor sugar

300 ml double cream

1. Stew the first 3 items on the list, blackberries, first 100gm sugar and water together until soft (10 minutes).

2. Sieve the blackberries (to remove pips), add the juice of ½ lemon. Cool.

3. Put the 3 tablespoons of hot water into a small bowl and sprinkle on the gelatine. Place the bowl in a saucepan with a small amount of hot water in it, and stir gelatine & water until dissolved.

4. Separate the eggs and put the whites into a clean bowl.

5. Put the yolks and sugar in another bowl and whisk them over a bowl of boiling water until thick and creamy.

6. Put sieved blackberries into a large bowl and whisk in the dissolved gelatine, then fold into the egg yolks and sugar mixture.

7. Whisk the egg whites till stiff.

8. Then whisk the double cream until it is in soft peaks.

9. Gently fold the egg whites and cream into the blackberry mixture.

10.Pour into a large glass bowl or into individual glasses.

11. When set decorate with some cream and a blackberry.

AUTUMN SHOW 3.0PM SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER ST MARGARET’S CHURCH HALL, PUTNEY PARK LANE (Opposite end of Hawkesbury Road) Cars can be parked in Putney Park Lane or in neighbouring roads. 430 bus stops in Dover House Road at end of Hawkesbury Road. SHOW SCHEDULE AND ENTRY FORM ATTACHED ENTRIES CAN BE TAKEN TO CHURCH HALL BETWEEN 10.30 & 11.30 ON MORNING OF THE SHOW Volunteers are needed to provide refreshments (home-made cakes, buns and biscuits – please bring along on the day), raffle prizes (Pip Melotte (8876 3665), items for the produce stall (see Chairman’s report), act as stewards, move furniture before & after the show. Muscle needed Friday evening at 5.30 to put up tables etc. (only for 30 minutes!) Please offer your services. Phone Jenny on 8870 1885 or just turn up.

AUTUMN SHOW 2008

ENTERING THE SHOW

Please enter something: fruit, vegetables, flowers or food you have cooked. You can enter as many items as you like at 10p an entry. The success of the show depends on you – the members.

ENTRY FORMS

Please take entry forms to the Store (Site 2) on Thursday 10^th September between 7pm & 8pm or on the morning of the Show, between 10.30am and 11.30am at St Margaret’s Church Hall

GARDENING NEWS

1. Tomato & potato blight, a fungal disease that spreads rapidly to foliage and tubers of tomatoes and potatoes.

There is some useful information on the RHS website. Unfortunately, one of my neighbours has tomato blight so please keep a careful watch on your own crops and destroy the plants if you get it.

www.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch

2. NEW BOOKS

FROM RHS

New Gardening By Matthew Wilson

A flagship practical gardening book that gives hands-on advice for a new generation of gardeners. Thematic chapters look at all aspects of the garden- soil, sustainability, gardening with wildlife in mind, structural and planting design. Includes a year round gardening chart and useful A-Z Dictionary.

£18.99

‘Book of the Month’ from Gardening News

Teach Yourself Allotment Gardening by Geoff Stokes

Recommended for new allotmenteers.

£7.99

CHILDREN ON SITE

Several people have expressed concern about children running unsupervised on Site 3. The main concern is for their safety, as tools are being used, paths can be slippery and bumpy and produce such as blackberries hanging over paths have there own dangers. Can parents, grandparents and carers ensure children are kept occupied and supervised. Could you also see the Site Manager or one of the sub-committee if you think the children have come into the site from local houses, as their parents need to be informed.

CORRECTION (FROM JULY BULLETIN)

The RGS Site Manager is Paula Alderson; sub-committee for Site 2 is Vicky & Robert Donaldson, Janet Long & Georgina O’Reilly; sub-committee for Site 3 is Paula Alderson, Derrick Ratcliffe & Raj Patel.

2009	Diary dates
RGS gardener’s question-time	12.00 pm 6 September at the Store
Autumn Show	12 September at St Margaret’s Church Hall Entries to Hall between 10.30 & 11.30 Show 3.0pm,
AGM	26 November, St Margaret’s Church Hall