Foraging for the last of the blackberries...

A few weeks ago (when it was still warm and the sun was still shining!), we found lots of lovely juicy blackberries ripening and waiting to be picked in our hedgerow.  It always amazes me how fruit grows so easily in this country!

Harvesting Apples in October!

October is a time when fruit is plentiful in our garden.  Apples are never in short supply, and our sole humble apple tree produces more than enough fruit for the two of us.  It is a special feeling to be picking home-grown fruit straight off the tree or from the ground and it never ceases to amaze me just how many large lovely apples there are.

The challenge is trying to find clever ways of preserving the fruit so that none of it goes to waste.  We are storing boxes of apples in our rather cold garage - the old saying about "one bad apple" springs to mind so I am making sure that no apple touches another to ensure longevity.  Easier said that done, when there are four boxes full of apples and limited space in our garage.

Pretty in Pink Rhubarb for crumbles in the winter...

Of all the plants that are growing in the garden, our rhubarb is the one that requires the least effort.  For the amount of attention we give to it (which is virtually none at all), it certainly does give a lot in return. 

About two and a half years ago, we bought a "Timperley Early" variety rhubarb and put it into the ground.  Its more than tripled in size since then and has been most productive.  The only drawback is that it does need quite a large bit of space to grow in.  But since it is a perennial plant, it will come back year after year producing lots of delightful (and pretty!) stalks, so we think its a sacrifice worth making.

Harvesting Raspberries and what that hole in the middle is...

At the end of our garden, there lies a cage filled with raspberry canes, and each year in July, we are treated to the most delightful harvest of fuschia coloured berries of the sweetest kind.  My husband Johnonymous has been growing raspberries for the past eight years and now there are countless of these fruit canes which have self-sowed over the years.

Transforming our Freshly Harvested Figs into Caramelised Semi-Dried Figs

With our harvested figs taking over all our kitchen worktops, it was time for an action plan, so we decided to experiment with drying or dehydrating the fruit in an attempt to extend their rather limited shelf life (and hopefully be able to use our dining table again!).

Our Delightful Fig Harvest

Fig harvest 

Figs..... who doesn't love a fig?  When I lived in Australia, figs were pretty expensive and difficult to come by.  So its a pleasant surprise to discover an 'ancient' old fig tree in our backyard, and what's even better, it has edible fruit on it.

July - Eating our way through a month of colourful harvest!

July was a gorgeous month and despite the volatility of the weather, there was a steady supply of fruit and vegetables in the garden.  After all the greens from June, we received a much needed burst of colour with the arrival of purple beetroots and yellow courgettes (zucchinis).  

The flavours from these two vegetables is unsurpassed; homegrown courgettes are lovely and sweet and we mostly grill (griddle) them, but they can also be eaten thinly sliced and raw, carpaccio style, in a salad.  Beetroots are also bursting with flavour and taste amazing roasted Jamie Oliver style with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and tossed together with rocket.

We are also eating a lot of mixed lettuce varieties (Cocarde, Red Salad bowl) which we are growing in recycled containers and even from hanging baskets. 

And my favourite lettuce, the Lamb's Lettuce finally grew to a decent size, ready to be harvested.  Lamb's Lettuce tossed together with crunchy snow peas, grilled courgettes and red peppers makes a really tasty salad.  (Red peppers pictured are not from our garden)

The rocket we grew back in April started to flower and the leaves have now become rather peppery but we use them anyway, in moderation of course.

(Clockwise L-R) Cavolo Nero, Kale, Snow Peas (Mangetout), Chillis, French Beans

To fulfill our vegetable needs for South East Asian and Chinese cooking, we are continuing to use our leafy greens, Cavolo nero and Kale, both which substitute for Chinese vegetables like Kai Lan. I pick the young leaves of Cavolo Nero about three times a week.  I love having them sauteed with garlic, but it also gets thrown into Tom Yum soup, fried rice or noodles. The tougher kale leaves get thrown into stewed meat dishes.

Cavolo Nero, French Beans, Prawns and cod in Tom Yum soup with homemade rice noodles

Early July, our Snow pea (mange tout) plants were still providing lots of pods, but towards the end of the month, they were struck by powdery mildew.  Luckily we have French beans as a replacement and these can be eaten raw in salads or stir fried with garlic.  But my favourite way to eat them is by shallow (almost deep) frying them Chinese style, which makes them go wrinkly and become very sweet.
 

 
July was also prime berry season and we picked lots of raspberries and redcurrants.  During the hot summer season, it was necessary to water the berry canes frequently to ensure the fruit plumped up.

Cherry Tree

Our cherry tree also provided a generous supply of crimson fruit with little maintenance.  It was a little hard work twisting all those cherries off the tree though! See the full article here.

During the last week of July, we also had our very first cucumber and lots of chillis! We are growing 'mini' cucumbers (similar to Lebanese cucumbers in Australia) which are harvested young and do not have the bitterness that some of the larger varieties do.  Cucumbers are widely used in South East Asian cuisine, and we are having them tossed in garlicky vinaigrettes in Chinese Cucumber salad and Thai Beef Salad.  Our chillis are the variety 'Apache' and I am harvesting them green.

Some vegetables that did not go as planned include the Greyhound cabbage and the Chinese cabbage, both whom found themselves caught up in a battle between humans and caterpillars (the humans are losing), and the Ruby Pak Choi which has been riddled with holes following an attack by a swarm of ravenous flea beetles.  The Pak Choi grows better in cooler temperatures and the heat made it turn into a purpley green tie-dyed disaster. 

This month, what ended up on our dinner plates depended on what was ready to be harvested in the garden.  A little random, a little unpredictable, but what a wonderful way to live life!!

Harvest Cherries and Attract Vegetarian Vampires

If someone had said to me a couple of years ago that some day, I would be picking cherries from my very own backyard, I would probably have told them not to give up their day job for that fortune teller vacancy. But here I am, mid July, in my garden, looking up at a Cherry Tree laden with cherries that are literally ripening by the second.