My whopper celeriac

Tuesday 17th January 2017
I took the dogs for a long walk along the Main Drain today. It took longer than usual as I just kept stopping to take photos. They are just snaps taken on the phone, but there are days when the unique qualities of our Fenland landscape really come to the fore.

So that was the morning taken care off. In the afternoon I started the task of pruning the apple and pear trees. Anything I've pruned gets thrown to the Shetland sheep who delight in stripping off the bark and with it hopefully any pests and nasty fungi.

I harvested one of my celeriac roots today too. I expected to find a crown of leaves with a missing root underneath, gnawed by the voles, or to have to pick most of the crop to get enough celeriac to be worth the picking. This is what has happened in the past and this year was celeriac's last chance.

But no! I harvested a real whopper. Even after I had trimmed off all the leaves, the side-shoots and the roots, there was still a sizeable root left. Success at last!


The plan was for a roasted medley of roots all from the garden. In the picture are parsnips and carrots  (already frozen), potato, celeriac, Spanish Black Radish, beetroot and a small winter squash.

These vegetables were to be an accompaniment for Seared Duck Breast with Blood Orange and Star Anise. This is all part of my new Tuesday cookery resolution.

The skies continued to delight all day

And after dark it was back into the kitchen for a spot of baking.