It would have irritated him intensely that World Cucumber Day falls on his birthday in mid-June. Quite why it does —too late to sow and too early to harvest your own-is anyone's guess, but it has become a handy reminder: after taking flowers to the old man's grave, I check my plants. If they are growing well, I know I'm in for a good crop.
'Goblin's smaller fruits are perfect for pickling'
Cucumbers are about 95% water, but that remaining sliver does all the work. Choice of variety makes a huge difference to that 5% and the flavour and texture it provides. Indeed, the best homegrown varieties are so superior to those in the shops that they shouldn't go by the same name.
Cucumbers fall into two main groups; greenhouse and outdoor types. Greenhouse varieties produce early and reliably in the warm conditions, but they prefer humidity—which tomatoes don't -So you have a choice between growing either one or the other in a greenhouse or compromising optimal conditions for both. Also, bear in mind that male flowers (those without a mini-fruit behind the bloom) have to be removed in the enclosed environment to prevent cross pollination, which can result in bitter, seed-filled fruit. Some greenhouse cucumbers (including 'Merlin') have been bred to produce only female flowers, which saves this hassle.
Denne historien er fra April 06, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra April 06, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Save our family farms
IT Tremains to be seen whether the Government will listen to the more than 20,000 farming people who thronged Whitehall in central London on November 19 to protest against changes to inheritance tax that could destroy countless family farms, but the impact of the good-hearted, sombre crowds was immediate and positive.
A very good dog
THE Spanish Pointer (1766–68) by Stubbs, a landmark painting in that it is the artist’s first depiction of a dog, has only been exhibited once in the 250 years since it was painted.
The great astral sneeze
Aurora Borealis, linked to celestial reindeer, firefoxes and assassinations, is one of Nature's most mesmerising, if fickle displays and has made headlines this year. Harry Pearson finds out why
'What a good boy am I'
We think of them as the stuff of childhood, but nursery rhymes such as Little Jack Horner tell tales of decidedly adult carryings-on, discovers Ian Morton
Forever a chorister
The music-and way of living-of the cabaret performer Kit Hesketh-Harvey was rooted in his upbringing as a cathedral chorister, as his sister, Sarah Sands, discovered after his death
Best of British
In this collection of short (5,000-6,000-word) pen portraits, writes the author, 'I wanted to present a number of \"Great British Commanders\" as individuals; not because I am a devotee of the \"great man, or woman, school of history\", but simply because the task is interesting.' It is, and so are Michael Clarke's choices.
Old habits die hard
Once an antique dealer, always an antique dealer, even well into retirement age, as a crop of interesting sales past and future proves
It takes the biscuit
Biscuit tins, with their whimsical shapes and delightful motifs, spark nostalgic memories of grandmother's sweet tea, but they are a remarkably recent invention. Matthew Dennison pays tribute to the ingenious Victorians who devised them
It's always darkest before the dawn
After witnessing a particularly lacklustre and insipid dawn on a leaden November day, John Lewis-Stempel takes solace in the fleeting appearance of a rare black fox and a kestrel in hot pursuit of a pipistrelle bat
Tarrying in the mulberry shade
On a visit to the Gainsborough Museum in Sudbury, Suffolk, in August, I lost my husband for half an hour and began to get nervous. Fortunately, an attendant had spotted him vanishing under the cloak of the old mulberry tree in the garden.
