Time to reopen the Little Shop at the end of the garden!

My shopkeeper seems to move from glut to glut without a decent spread of produce. First it was strawberries, then peaches and cucumbers. He says the next delivery will be mostly courgettes with a few beans and mangetout for his favourite customers.
I have to keep in with him as he's my best source of fresh produce in these difficult times.
Would you believe it, he's offered me a job working on the land, growing some of his produce. Its very tempting because I know he has access to some black market goodies at times. Maybe he would slip me some chocolate if I work hard?

Shopkeepers are a strange lot, always moaning and can be a bit bad tempered, I wouldn't want to rely on one for treats, especially if they're not homegrown. Mine was ranting this morning he found two green tomatoes on the ground. Thinking he'd been invaded by vermin again he threw a wobbly and went to do battle with whatever 4 legged beastie had the nerve to invade his shop. Luckily I visited the shop when he'd calmed down a bit. He said it wasn't a beastie at all, just that a couple of heavy tomatoes broke away from the stem a rolled along the floor. He's got a ready supply of beans and courgettes, a glut of cucumbers, beetroot aplenty and some manky raspberries. He tells me there might be some lovely autumn rasps in a week or two.

My shop keeper hasn’t got a clue if he’s coming or going. Very little time to keep on top of stock or tidy the shop. The french beans are invading the flowers, the chillies have fallen over you have to step over the pumpkin. There is a good stock of french beans and kale also a slow trickle of broccoli. Courgettes are over for the season. Apparently space was needed for the pumpkin. If I’m honest, shop keeper seem a little obsessed with the pumpkin. Soon I’ve been promised a few onions and a good selection of spuds and chillies. Soon the shop won’t be so far away and I’ll be able to get there early before the rush.

The shop it the best stocked it has ever been at the moment. Lots of special offers due to multiple gluts despite the ravages of slugs, spider mites, fungus diseases and vermin.

Lots of potatoes; salad/maincrop and bakers. Onions, carrots, beetroot, dried beans, courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages, sweet peppers, aubergines, apple, rspberries, pears and in the freezers, peas, raspberries, red/black currants, gooseberries and ice-cream.

My shopkeeper is trying to sell a load of apples at bargain prices. He doesn't have much else on the shelves apart from courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and the occasional delivery of beans. He's hoping to have some raspberries soon - they'll make a nice change from all those apples.

My shop keeper seems to be packing up shop again. Sold out of nearly everything. There’s a few onions & quite a lot of small potatoes. That’s it. Apart from that flipping pumpkin which no one is allowed to touch ……. …………….. yet. Walked in the other day to hear him saying I’m not doing this, just to feed **** SLUGS! While chopping things down & ripping things out. I think he’s getting ready to start back at his other job as a builder over the winter months.

Supplies are a little haphazard at the shop. The beans dried up (pardon the pun) because of prolonged hot weather then they were blown down by the wind. All the shop has to offer is dried ones, that you even have to shell yourself! He's got those funny rude squashes aplenty, which is good as the courgette supply has also dried up. Autumn raspberries are a great crowd pleaser but apples are nonexistent. He's tried getting some on the black market but no luck so far. As with every year the shopkeeper promises he'll be more organised and not order quite so much in the spring to leave space for an order in early summer to ensure succession of produce. He's been saying this for years and it never happens, so don't hold your breath.

My shops been having a sale, of toms, raspberries, blackberries, lettuce chard and kale.. Limited stocks of courgettes and cucumbers plus only a few french beans left. Apples will be due in soon last years jars of dehydrated apples are down to half a jar.

I took a stroll down to the little shop this morning to see what I could use for my salad lunch and evening meal! I was pleasantly surprised by how much stock there was on the shelves.
I bought three cornered leeks, rocket, a carrot, lovage, mint, daylily shoots, lambs lettuce, land cress and beetroot leaves for my salad.
For my dinner I have leeks, kale, leaves from an unknown brassica, and I'll be going back later when he has a delivery of chard, perennial spinach and oriental leaves.
So thankful that the shop has re-opened!

I fear, the little shop is going to be lacking in every department this year. I will get a good supply of rhubarb. Hope & pray my asparagus supplier will come through, but not a sign of them as yet. Herbs should be ok and perennial leeks are expected very soon. I’ve heard a rumour of onions, chillies, sweet peppers and aubergine later in the year later in the year. Only if shop keeper gets the correct infrastructure in place in time and that doesn’t seem to be going well. He was mumbling about boulders and waterlogged ground or something. I didn’t really understand what he was talking about. Everything else is dependent on time & materials & management! This may not go well!