This is the Saturday that would have been the date of the village Flower and Produce show. Although most restrictions are now lifted, I can understand why it’s cancelled (for the 2nd year running of course), a small hall, people handling produce, judges to organise, the worry that many might stay away. Instead, I’ll spend the weekend harvesting and admiring my own fruit and veg. So my #SixonSaturday this week is very much a ‘not the village show’ offering. The irony is that this year I have fabulous courgettes. Some years, when cold weather stalls the plants, there are a few shrivelled little fruit. I even won 3rd prize one year with one (of the 3) fruit that was just a wee bit mouldy…but not this year, look at this beauty.

It has been a good pea season. These last couple of years I’ve paid more attention to variety, growing one ‘standard’ pea..Kelvedon Wonder this year, and one climbing snap pea, Spring Blush. The latter have been lovely, crisp and crunchy, the former have grown very well, enjoying the long periods of warm dry, then cool wet. There would have been a bowlful to show.

I will admit that a lot of my more reliable veg are grown in the greenhouse. Tomatoes are a bit slow off the mark this year, but here they go. These are Latah, sold as a bush tomato, so easy to deal with, kind of sprawly, but about the right size to grow on the 1m high greenhouse bench.

Chillies are beginning to fruit well too, they are a little green (we’ve had some cool weather), but good enough to cook with already. I think these are a simple jalapeno. More exotic varieties may appear on the blog in later weeks.

I also grow achocha, a south American vine, best in greenhouse (but will also grow up a warm south-facing wall). About 3-4cm long. Don’t eat the scary spikey black seeds, but deseed, chop, and they are good in a stir-fry in place of bell peppers.

Back outside finally to the finale of the soft fruit season (excepting the autumn raspberries that are still maturing). Currants, my favourite are black, sweet and sharp, my other-half’s favourite are white (or might these be called pinkberries?). In a good year, I often win prizes for both of these — this year well focus on the eating of them.

That’s my #SixonSaturday for this week. I hope to sit in the garden today with a friend and she can judge my veg. I hope we’ll be able to get together for a local veg-growing group event next year. Don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.