Apple & almond tarts
It’s incredible what a difference a heap of compost can make to your vegetable garden. Now that the light and heat of the summer are far behind us and autumn brings a more contemplative mood, I’m moving forward with my plans for 2019. It’s important to keep evolving our green spaces. Naturally, flowers and edibles will move and new varieties are introduced, but, every so often the growing spaces should change too. Recently, we had fifteen tonnes of green waste compost delivered to our Bristol allotment site. Although green waste lacks micro-organisms because of the processing it goes through, it is still rich in nutrient, which makes it brilliant for mulching beds or (in my case) as a base for my no-dig garden. My allotment, although highly productive this year, could still be more efficient. there are areas of grass and perennial weeds which continue to plague my beds – whilst they grow, that soil that I could otherwise be using for crops or flowers goes to waste. I decided that, ready for the next growing season, I would not only be on top of things – I would also use all the space available to me to grow my own food. Using around thirty wheel barrow loads of compost, I steadily covered and filled these weedy areas. Charles Dowding, a champion of no-dig, recommends between four to five inches of well-rotted organic manure as a mulch to turn a weedy bed into a productive haven. Where perennial weeds are a nuisance, however, adding cardboard to the ground first is a more effective measure. I’ve done things a little differently. I didn’t have enough cardboard amassed for this colossal project, so I used the compost as a foundation over the top of the weeds. I will then place a layer of either newspaper or cardboard over the top of each plot, making sure that the sides are also mulched to discourage couch grass rhizomes from finding their way back. to finish everything off, my organism-rich home compost and a layer of well-rotted horse manure should do the trick. By the time March and spring arrive, this rich dose of organic matter will have encouraged the worms to the surface, breaking down those vital nutrients and loosening the clay soil with their tunnels. the warmth and the heat will also provide a fantastic base for beneficial mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria to spread and multiply. All in all, when I come to plant in April and May – my seedlings will have a fantastic growing medium to start growing and bulking out. And I won’t have needed to dig, pull out pesky bramble taproots or rake the soil.
Serves 8 Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 6/200C. To make things easy, roll out a roll of pre-made sweet shortcrust pastry. Pop a pint glass or cutter over the top of the pastry and begin cutting out your tart cases. Reform the dough and roll out to get the most out of your pastry. Into a greased cupcake tray, lay the cases out. Once you’ve used up the pastry, pre-cook the tarts for 3-4 minutes. This will help keep them firm.
In the meantime, core, peel and thinly slice four medium-sized apples. Taking the tarts out of the oven, arrange your apple slices over the top and finish by adding a shake of cinnamon, a dash of honey, a teaspoon of demerara sugar and a scattering of flaked almonds to each of the tarts. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the apple has browned on top and is soft. Serve on their own or with double cream.
For more recipes and allotment news from David Lifton, visit younggroundgrows.com