We have recently endured a spate of heavy frosts, and for us it was very cold – minus 7.6 celsius etc. The first morning I got up and wandered down to the vegie patch, before heading into the garden for the community in Stratford. As I worked in the garden there I was kicking myself for not having got up earlier and taken photos of the beauty that a frost creates. I know that it also causes devastation, but all I saw was beauty. Continue reading
Garden
Horseradish in the garden
I recently posted some images of freshly made horseradish mustard on a forum page and was fascinated to receive quite a few questions about growing horseradish. So for anyone who may be interested, I have put together the following information. Continue reading
Figs
Figs evoke such wonderful memories…
To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean. (Elizabeth David)
A Stroll Through The Vegie Patch – The End of Summer
Today I thought you might enjoy a stroll through our Vegie Patch. Lots of photos and very few words – A break from the kitchen…
Aubergine / Egg Plant
The Aubergines / Egg Plants
Aubergine / Eggplant / Melanzano – Violetta di Firenze
Aubergine / Eggplant – The Flower
Aubergine / Egg Plant – Lebanese
Aubergine / Eggplant – The Flower
Aubergine / Egg Plant – Hand-Grafted Bonica
Beans
Bean – Climbing – Purple King
Bean – Borlotti – a failure
Bean – Dwarf – Gourmet Delight
Beets
Beetroot
Swiss Chard
Berries
Brassicas
Broccoli – Romanesco
Broccoli – Romanesco
Brassicas – looking a bit mottly
Corn
Courgette / Zucchini
Courgette / Zucchini
Courgette – Zucchini – Gold Rush
Courgette – Zucchini – Ronde de Nice
Cucumbers & Cornichon
Flowers
Calendula for the bees and our salads
Nasturtiums
Green Stuff
Lettuce – Oak Leaf – running to seed
Red veined sorrel
Rocket
Sorrel
Herbs & Aromats
Chives
Coriander flowers – Seed Saving
French Tarragon
Garlic Chives
Horseradish
Lemon Grass
Lemon Verbena
Oregano
Parsley
Savoury
Spearmint
Thyme
Vietnamese Mint
Basil
Mint
Onions
Shallots
Spring Onions
Spring Onions & Clumping Red Spring Onions
Other Stuff
Asparagus – from Navarre – it was so hard not to pick it this yet
Celery
Florence Fennel
Peas
Peas – Telegraph – all finished
Snow Peas
Peppers
Capsicum – Long Sweet Yellow
Capsicum – Sweet Mama
Chilli Apache
Potatoes
Pumpkins
Pumpkin – a baby
Pumpkin – Turkish Turban
Pumpkin Flower
Pumpkin Vine – From the Compost
Rhubarb from Navarre
Rhubarb from Navarre
Rock Melon
Rock Melon – From the compost
Rock Melon – Noir des Carmes
Seed Saving
Coriander flowers – Seed saving
Parsley – Continental – Seed Saving
Swiss Chard – Seed Saving
The Bees
Coriander Flowers – for the bees
Cornichon flower being polinated by these wonderful little friend
Pumpkin – The bees at work – First there were two
Pumpkin – The bees at work – Then Three
Pumpkin – The bees at work – Then four – a bit of a party happening!
Savoury – The bees at work
Tomatoes
Tomato – Yellow Pear
Tomatoes – Andy’s – seeds from our late friend and neighbour – he was such a wonderful source of knowledge
Tomatoes – From the compost
Tomatoes – Green Tiger
Tomatoes – Rouge de Marmande
Tomatoes – Rouge de Marmande
Tomatoes from the compost
My favourite pics…
I hope that you have enjoyed joining me on a stroll through our vegie patch. It’s one of my favourite places to be. Can you believe that just three months ago, we did not have a vegie patch! I am looking forward to working and watching it through the seasons ahead.
Until next time…
Happy gardening and…
Bon appétit!
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Apricots
I still remember the joy of fresh bread, lashings of homemade apricot jam, and the cream! Fresh cream, real cream, not the homogenised, pasturised stuff from the supermarket shelf – just fresh, runny cream, no sugar, not whipped, just pure fresh cream dribbling over the edge of the bread.- Oh the memories …
We now have two apricot trees in our garden, a Moorpark – supposedly rich in flavour making it great for fresh fruit, jam, drying, stewing and juice, and a Blenheim, said to be one of the most flavourful of apricots around! However, like all of our fruit trees, they have only been in the ground for six months, which means that we must be patient, and wait until they grow before we see a nice crop.
We did have a tiny surprise though – just after Christmas I spotted one solitary little apricot. It had been hiding and growing out of our sight and, fortunately, out of the sight of the birds. I watched it carefully, trying to make sure that the birds did not beat us to it. Then early last week, when I checked on it, I discovered that a grub had made it’s mark – I hadn’t counted on that, so quickly whisked it off the tree, and took it to the kitchen, where it became a simple little sweet treat to finish our evening meal – A simple apricot pastry.
Given the lack of fruit from the garden at the moment, I am constantly on the watch for a good buy, and was delighted to read a little add in the local newspaper for apricots. I made a call and was able to pick up 10kg, which lead to a couple of heavy days in the kitchen! But from that 10kg, we now have 14 jars of apricot halves in a light syrup, 15 jars of Worcestershire sauce, and 10 jars of apricot jam in the store.
A few apricots!
Apricot Jam
There were a few left over so whipped up an apricot and pine nut tart – gluten free.
You know, apricot jam is not only great as a spread, but it can also be used to flavour meat dishes too, and the apricot halves can be used to make delicious sweet treats such as clafoutis, charlottes, tarts etc, but will also used in savoury dishes, including a favourite – Spicy Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Rosemary and Ginger! As for the Worcestershire sauce, it’s always handy to lift an otherwise dull dish!
So now that the store is stocked up with apricot preserves, it is my plan to highlight some of them in recipes over the coming months.
Until next time…
Bon appétit!
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