Harvest Time

While the combines are busy day and night in the fields surrounding our house my own small scale harvest is also underway. There is something amazingly satisfying about being able to turn this array of vegetables into the gift of pickles artistically displayed below

Pickles in the Rosemary

What started life as just four seeds purchased from the varied and reliable www.gardenorganic.org.uk has already yielded thirty mini cucumbers. Thank goodness I did only plant a few unlike the great mountain of a couple of years ago. Bitter to eat raw, these beauties do well salted over night and immersed in garlic and dill infused vinegar.

Vert Petit du Paris

Before and After

I like the simplicity and variety in The Preserving Book by Lynda Brown whatever produce you have there is inspiration to be found for both sweet and savoury things.

So as well as the cucumbers there are prolific quantities of jewel red tomatoes ripeing daily and ready soon for turning into to more of the delicious Thai Chilli Jam.

Dwarf beans have done well, green peppers were late starters but are now coming into their own. The summer fruiting raspberries have ended to be replaced seamlessly by the autumn variety.

The garlic is fat and juicy and the best onion crop for years is up and drying in the now overcrowded greenhouse.

Red Baron

September is looking pretty busy in the garden and kitchen