Having an allotment is all about glut and famine. Some times of the year you are inundated with fruit and veg and at others you scarcely have two carrots to rub together.

In this article we will give you some tips on how you can make your fruit and vegetables last throughout the year.

Storing carrots

In the past carrots used to be stored in a clamp. This was a way of storing them outside when we didn’t have the fridges and freezers we have today. If you want to give it a try the carrots should be lifted and left to dry in the sun to kill the root hairs and let the damp soil dry out. The foliage should then be trimmed away. The carrots can then be laid in a shallow hole on a bed of sharp sand with their necks facing outwards. The carrots should be stacked until they make a pyramid. The carrots can then be insulated with a layer of straw and covered with plastic sheeting.

Storing strawberries

If you have any strawberries left from your glut a great way to get the most from them for the rest of the year is to make strawberry jam. All you need to make a batch of tasty jam is a few cups of sugar, lemon zest and juice and your left over strawberries. Heat the sugar and the lemon juice and zest. When the sugar and lemon zest and juice is dissolved you can add the strawberries and boil the mixture slowly. When the juice gels on the back of a plate it’s ready. Make sure you put the liquid in sterilized jars and it will keep for months.

If you have a glut of fruit and veg from your allotment, you could try to pass it on to some of your no-so-greenfingered neighbours. If you post business cards though all your neighbouring allotment holder’s sheds, it can be a great way to share your glut and if you are lucky share some of their glut too.