1st harvest and meal

What a day!!! Today is Lammas, or Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-nass-a, thanks to Liz for telling me how to say it!), a festival to celebrate and give thanks for the first harvest. I only know this because I have recently started reading Celebrating the Great Mother. We had lots of activities planned for today but, as always since children, things didn't go quite to plan! Making corn dollies, collecting seeds and making pictures from them and baking bread haven't happened, however the first harvest has - it is was better than I imagined. We harvested broad beans, courgettes, lettuce, beetroot (one tiny bulb) and leaves, nasturtium flowers, radishes (although none of us like them), basil and chives. We did this at lunch because I didn't think there would be enough to make a dinner - I was wrong!

This turned into this:

The broad beans were boiled for a minute and then drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, the salad was lettuce, beetroot leaves, grated beetroot, nasturtium flowers, basil and chives and the courgette became little courgette omelettes. It was DELICIOUS :) !!!! I can't believe that I grew this all from seed (if only we had chickens then the whole meal would have been from our land). I am amazed and delighted at the veggie patch and would love to get more land devoted to veggies for next year.

The rest of the day has been spent making things for tomorrow. Myself and the two girls have entered some of the classes at the local village Flower Show. All the girls' entries are finished and I just finished the handmade toy before tea, leaving just a handmade doorstop to make tonght - let's hope I get some inspiration whilst bathing the girls!!!