Tomato sauce for pasta with end of season tomatoes

Tomato harvest 

Tomato sauce for pasta using end-of-season tomatoes...

I really can't believe it is that time of the year again... all of a sudden a chill is noticeable in the air, the evenings start to get dark before you know it, and it is time to harvest the laaaast of the vine ripened tomatoes. Yup, it is officially the end of summer.

Over the last few months, we have enjoyed eating the sweetest tomatoes plucked straight from the vine. Often, they are eaten just as they are, sometimes simply sliced thinly then topped with capers and finely diced red onion.  But these colder days call for something warming like a tasty homemade tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes.

Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms on toast

Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms on toast

Wild mushrooms on toast on Sunday mornings...

As winter approaches, and the days are shorter, there is little that thrives in the garden. The large beech tree out the front has long shed all its leaves, and the Japanese maples, normally bursting with life with their delicate red orange leaves, are now twiggy and bare.

With the low temperatures, the loose compost in the vegetable patch is looking compacted and frosty, but a hint of green peeking out from the dark soil catches my eye. It's the parsley we put in months ago which has now grown long spindly stems and leaves. It could almost be described as lush, almost.  Hardy herbs like thyme and rosemary soldier on braving the cold winds, although now they appear sparser and a few forlorn leaves have begun to yellow.

I’m always grateful to have any garden produce during the winter months.  But never more than now, for picking herbs from the garden is peaceful and the tranquillity seems at odds with the chaos of Christmas shopping that is inevitable.  I snip a few sprigs of thyme and stems of parsley and hurry back into the warmth of the kitchen, where fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms are waiting.

Making our own deliciously fresh Soy Milk!

If you have ever tried Chinese style soy milk (豆漿: dòu jiāng), then you probably would have come to the conclusion that it tastes somewhat different to the mainstream brands of soy milk that are sold in most supermarkets.  Have you ever wondered just how soy milk is made and what actually goes into it?

Well, this week we decided to make traditional soy milk at home.  The result?  Deliciously fresh soy milk free from artificial flavouring, additives and preservatives made from just two ingredients, soy beans and water.

Addictive Chinese Cucumber Salad

When I lived in Hong Kong and travelled to China for business, I was introduced to a kind of cucumber pickle that was served cold just before the meal started. These would be placed at the centre of the table alongside a plate full of whole raw garlic cloves and people would munch their way through them, like they were snacking on peanuts.  I didn't like the whole raw garlic much, but the cucumber pickle was sweet, vinegar-ey and crunchy, and I love that combination!