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| The roses just keep blooming and blooming . . . |
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| . . . and the water lilies seem to like the refurbished pond. |
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| Arctotis (Heidi) in three green pots. |
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| Because of the long hot summer, the fruit and vegetable harvest has been bountiful this year. We've had copious amounts of potatoes, French beans, mangetout, lettuce and plums. However, the birds ate most of the gooseberries and blueberries, and, even though we'd netted the strawberries for protection, I wish we'd planted more. Leeks, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli are on the way. The photo shows new crops of potatoes, lettuce and beetroot. They've shot up really quickly. |
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| Oh, and there are lots of chillies! I love them. They're on the bush, in the fridge, in the freezer and hanging up to dry. And some are just about to go into a salsa verde. Yum! |
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| These gorgeous blackberries were picked in a secret spot in the countryside where few people venture. Here everything's ready for a blackberry and apple pie. Just the pastry to make . . . |
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| . . . mmm . . . not bad! |
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| Here are some of the ingredients . . . |
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| . . . for blackberry fool. Sheer indulgence! |
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| There's a glut of plums. Amazing, really, since last year there were hardly any. The freezer is full. The wasps and butterflies have had their fill. But there are so many more we scarcely know what to do with them. We've had plum crumble, plum pie, stewed plums with custard . . . |
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| . . . and plum jam, which proved delicious with butter on a baguette . . . |
7 comments:
Beautiful.
These are days for the strong of heart! Your harvest is spectacular, and your stamina commendable. I'm getting better at actually cooking or preparing something with the "glut" of produce, which can be daunting indeed. I just need a bit of inspiration for each thing I make. Enchiladas verde last evening were out-of-this-world. (I'll send the recipe.) I find pleasure in seeing the same crops there in your yard as we have, with a similarly populated freezer.
As for plums with custard ... I did not know about warm custard on dessert until I went to London in 1975: rhubarb pie with warm custard instead of ice cream ... ! thought I'd die. Then an American friend stewed plums in Istanbul and topped with warm custard. Heaven.
Bravo for the green thumb and chef's apron!
Here, too, we're inundated by plums this year from our 7 trees. Fortunately, though, we have a farmer friend with a still, so over 100 litres of them are now fermenting merrily in barrels, awaiting their eventual transformation into rakija (the local plum brandy). And in the kitchen we're still overflowing with plum jam.
Wonderful bounty!! And I have to say thanks for the reminder....to get my next batch of lettuce planted! Then I need to find some blackberries!!
We have had so many plums that we have ended up giving lots away to anyone who will take them - the trouble is that everyone else has a lot too.
Amazing, Robert! You are a man of many talents. To be able to both grow and prepare great food is extremely satisfying, I'm sure. I do a little of both, but not with the same success.
I am experiencing severe fruit envy here....
Wish I lived closer to you to help you with your fruit surplus!
Thanks, everyone, for your comments!
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