Allotment Diaries Part 15 - Seed Saving and Pickled Green Tomatoes
Tutor: Rachel Moore, print artist
Join Rachel for the fifteenth instalment of her Allotment Diaries series!
Join keen wildlife gardener, allotment grower and resident VVH print maker and artist, Rachel Moore, for the latest instalment in her Allotment Diaries series. Rachel has been working her Kent allotment for nearly 20 years.
In this episode, Rachel focuses on tomatoes, starting with the first seedlings she grew in spring and ending with the harvests now filling her kitchen. She shares her favourite ways to cook with them, tips for saving seeds from heritage varieties for next year, and a final cook-up on the allotment using those stubborn green tomatoes that refuse to ripen.
How to save tomato seeds:
- Scoop seeds from a very ripe tomato and spread in a single layer on kitchen paper.
- Leave to dry for a week, then peel off gently.
- Store in a labelled paper packet somewhere cool and dry until spring.
- Sow a few seeds per pot, then pot on as they grow.
How to pickle green tomatoes:
- Wash and quarter green tomatoes.
- Pack into sterilised jars with garlic, dill, mustard seeds and black pepper.
- Heat a brine of water, vinegar and salt, pour over the tomatoes and seal the jars.
- Leave to cool, then refrigerate. Ready to eat in a week!
Recipe adapted from Urban Farm & Kitchen website.
In the greenhouse, Rachel shares an update on her chillies and peppers. Out on the plot, the sweetcorn is finally ready, and the giant pumpkin isn’t looking so ‘giant’! Next month marks 20 years since Rachel first started tending this allotment.
This video was recorded in August 2025.
In the Allotment Diaries series, join Rachel throughout the year as she shares tips for growing your own produce, along with the successes and challenges she faces each season. You’ll gain insight into what happens on an allotment, the unusual vegetables she's growing, and the wildlife that visits.
As Rachel says: “Don’t expect pristine produce or immaculately weeded, straight rows of veg!”
This is session is part of our Mindspace Week, explore more sessions in our Mindspace Week 2025 YouTube playlist.
Video time
5 minutes
Catch up on last month's Allotment Diaries
Don't worry if you missed the last episode in Rachel's Allotment Diaries series, you can watch part 14 here!
Mindspace Week 2025
We’re marking World Mental Health Day with Mindspace Week between the 6th and 10th of October. Take a moment for yourself as we explore the NHS 5 Steps to Mental Wellbeing. You’ll find a full programme of mindful and relaxing sessions to try, plus advice and support to help you build healthy habits for life.
