From A to C !

Ive already fallen behind on this new challenge !!! ok

A is for ants !

When we started on our allotment we had a  ants nest , we dug it up and ran away from the ants a few times ! lol. I wish i had a photo but my son was so taken with the ants who decided to march through our shed one day  ! we haven't found any this year and it looks as if they moved on and found a new home !

B is for beetroot !

I used to hate beetroot until i discovered Chocolate beetroot cake !! yummy !
so this year beetroot is on my list to grow !!

Recipe  ;

• 1 large cooked beetroot , about 175g in weight, roughly chopped
• 200g plain flour
• 100g cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 200ml sunflower oil
• 100g dark chocolate , (not too bitter), chopped into pieces
• crème fraîche or clotted cream, 
• 
  
• to serve

1. heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Tip the beetroot into a food processor and blitz until chopped. Add a pinch of salt and the rest of the ingredients, except the oil and chocolate. When completely mixed (you may need to scrape the sides down once or twice), add the oil in a steady stream, as if you were making mayonnaise.
2. When all the oil has been added, stir in the chocolate, then tip the mix into a lined 900g loaf tin. Cook for 1 hr until an inserted skewer comes out practically clean. leave the loaf to cool on a rack. Serve in slices with the crème fraîche or clotted cream.

C is for carrots 

What else ??? Ive sown some mixed colour carrots today in our poly in a bid to beat the carrot fly this year. 

The carrot fly (Chamaepsila rosae) is a pest of gardens and farms, and mainly affects the crop of carrots, but can also attack parsnips, parsley and celery

Crop damage is caused by the creamy-yellow larvae (maggots) feeding on the outer layers of the carrot root. In autumn, they may penetrate further into the root. The legless larvae are up to 10 mm in length.^[1]