Just eaten my first outdoor tomatoes of the season

[elephantoverthehill]

I have had courgettes, herbs and strawberries but nothing tastes more like summer than outdoor tomatoes. I've also started picking sweet peas so the house smells lovely. What makes you think summer is really in full swing?

Our courgettes have been great, and just dug up the onions! First time ever grown them, a bit small but look OK. Tomatoes look healthy but still green......

I've never grown onions. . I have a very small garden. I applied for an allotment last year, I really must chase them up again. I am now drowning in courgettes. Tonight we had thai green curry, mostly featuring courgettes, I have made a courgette and chocolate cake and I am going to start pickling this week. The tomatoes are coming slowly and steadily and lovely just picked with a lump of cheddar.

Strawberries were good but raspberries - mmmmmmm. And fresh runner beans sliced by my mum.

There is no law that says you have to eat every courgette. They make fantastic chicken food and excellent compost.

I haven't grown any runner beans this year as I can buy them from the side of the road really easily, and they always taste better when Mum does them! Yes there is a law about eating every courgette, it is wrapped up in my parents' war years upbringing and watching the 'Goodlife' as a child. However if I find someone I know who has chickens...............

I don't garden but my neighbour called me over and asked if I wanted 3 kilos of French beans as her crop was overwhelming her. She threw in a few mini courgettes and some assorted tomatoes which really smelled of lush greenhouse air.

I nearly kissed her!

After an hour of topping and tailing, I wasn't quite so enthusiastic...
I made a quarter of the beans tonight with onions, garlic and tinned tomatoes. The rest are safely in the freezer. The courgettes didn't even make it to the fridge!

www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/11734355/Courgette-with-lemon-and-Parmesan.html
This is really rather nice.

We've grown a new variety of toms for us this year - Black Russians. They are purple in colour and taste quite sweet. A lovely addition to our cherry and money maker varieties.

I've just googled 'Black Russians' they look really tasty. Did you grow them outdoors?

No they were grown in our greenhouse alongside cucumbers and lettuce (we find we get less slugs on the lettuce if we grow them indoors). We don't grow outdoor tomatoes as our veg plot is usually full of carrots, peas, broccoli, radish, spring onions and onions.