Isla insists on feeding herself. Spoons are banned. Purees are too. It's a phase, I keep telling myself. Baby cannot exist on cucumber sticks and biscuits alone.

Baby biscuits - the type you buy in a box from the supermarket - cost a fortune. There are all of these new rules about what you can and can't feed a baby, but I figure that we all got by without Organix and Kiddylicious and Annabel Karmel, so there must be some baby-friendly recipes out there.

I've tried out a couple, and these are the first ones that got the baby-seal-of-approval. Katy's carrot and squash biscuits from I Can Cook.

I have food poisoning. It's awful. I'm forced to sit still here on the couch as I look wistfully towards the pile of sewing waiting to be made into something amazing. I haven't cooked in two days. There a honey cake recipe I'm desperate to try but the thought of food is just ugh.

And so, let's focus on something else, shall we? Something happy.

I mentioned last week that I would tell you about the Abbey Gardens Community Patchwork Rug project. It was started by the talented Lydia from EEWI and Abbey Gardens, and the idea was for the local community members to each take a patch (provided) and to add their favourite fruit or vegetable in a crafty manner. You could draw, appliqué, embroider, paint: anything. Then, you needed to return the patch along with your 'veg story' or join in on the spot at the Abbey Gardens Summer Fair (it was on the 9th of June - you can read more here.)

I loved the idea of this project, not least of all because I've been working (slowly) on a collection of vegetable-themed brooches and buttons.

So, I asked for three patches, and here they are:

















This is my crochet apple block. This is a block for me: apples remind me of my mom. It feels as if we're millions of miles apart, even though it is only thousands. She bakes the most amazing dishes, but her apple crumble has always been her 'go to' dish for desserts or baking emergencies. I haven't had apple crumble yet in the UK, and despite being fairly adept in the kitchen, I haven't yet attempted her recipe in case I don't get it just right.


















This is my crochet pumpkin block. When I was little, I would go with my older cousin to our day-mother Ouma. She would make us eat all of vegetables before we were allowed to play. I remember being appalled at the amount of pumpkin and squash we had to get through (and sadly, not much playing) - and I .must say that I didn't eat pumpkin ever again until only a few years ago.


















My final block was a set of cross-stitched cherries outlined with embroidered chain stitch. This block took ages to complete and I was up for many late nights cross-stitching away to try and get these done on time! This block was for my OH: he shares an unrelenting love of cherries with his mother, and will always pick up a punnet of his favourites when we go shopping. They're not as readily available at home in South Africa as they are here in the UK, so he's really spoilt that they're available in shops, in markets and in all of the fruit & veg stalls along the high road too.























I was worried that I wouldn't finish up in time, but I did. I even had enough time to work up a pretty carrot brooch which made the perfect finishing touch to the parcel of patches!

I love this kind of community project where everyone can get involved and share their stories. It's a wonderful way to share some 'crafty goodness' with neighbours and to see what everyone has done with their squares, and it's a great opportunity to hear everyone else's experiences of our favourite fruit and vegetables which is always so different from your own. I can only imagine how big this community rug is going to be when it's finished! You can see the flickr group of all the patches and the progress here.

Tuesdays are lovely days: they're the not-quite-Mondays of the week, the you're-already-on-your-way-to-the-weekend day, and, in our house: Veg Box Day.

















Veg Box Day causes quite a stir at Bakercourt. We order a mixed fruit and vegetable medium-sized box from Abel & Cole which arrives promptly on a Tuesday morning at around 7am. I'm up at 6.30 to put last  week's empty box out for collection, and to wait patiently for the new one.

Each week we get a selection of fruit and veg which ranges from the norm to the uncanny. As I was recommended by a friend, we got a selection of free goodies in our boxes which, of course, makes it even better. At first we got the rather beautiful Abel & Cole Cookbook, and then olive oil, eggs, garlic and a lemon. Today we got free organic yoghurt. You get freebies for signing up through a friend, for getting your first box, for just generally being a wonderful customer, etc.













While we're talking about it, I love the Abel & Cole website which is simple, neat and attractive. I've used it as an inspiration when designing other websites for clients and I keep coming back to it as a go-to guide for simple-yet-attractive digital hand-drawn specs.

But I digress.

I get really excited every week that the veg box is actually a giant brown cardboard box that is quite literally tied up with string (think: Maria, and The Sound of Music). You open it up, carefully, to reveal a brightly coloured array of organic fruit and veg, each of which is destined to become something delicious.

















Quite possibly the most exciting thing about the veg box is that you never know exactly what you're going to get. Each week they send us potatoes, carrots and broccoli. The rest is a wild card (which, admittedly, you can check online in case you feel like planning ahead) and inspires a whole lot of creative kitchenry as you try to decide what you're going to cook using your fennel, or your purple-sprouting broccoli.

I've made all sorts of wonderful things using our organic produce: mushroom and onion quiches, red pepper and aubergine pie quiches, vegetable and chicken pie, butternut, chicken and almond burritos, beetroot and spinach tart, pizza with red peppers and beetroot, and just general steamed vegetable accompaniments.

















Needless to say, we've also had a lot of banana bread lately, as well as fruit salad, mini pavlovas and next on my list: beetroot cake. I'm holding out for the rhubarb which, according to my account online, is going to arrive next Tuesday.

I don't think I've ever been this delighted by vegetables! Each week holds a new challenge for my culinary skills and provides a much healthier aspect to our daily meals. I thought it would cost quite a lot (at £18 per week, including delivery - it certainly has a hefty price tag) but surprisingly our grocery bills have dropped since forking out the extra for the delivered veg box. I suppose it means we visit the shops less frequently and we get to experience more interesting food.

This weekend is the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Fun Day, and I'm joining the WI ladies in the Dickens-themed festival to bake some interesting Victorian treats. The photo above is a look at this week's veg box so perhaps my Dickensian baking will include some courgette cake, or beetroot and chocolate gateau? Ho hum - off to find the Mrs Beeton, methinks.

This is the second week in a row that I've insisted on taking my Saturday off work. I feel quite liberated! This is definitely something I could get used to.