I suppose it's been a pretty average year at Haddock's. The Onions have now been harvested, we have a crazy amount of Aubergines, and a rotten crop of Tomatoes.
Our fruit trees have excelled. We have plenty of Plums, plenty of Apples, and plenty of delicious Conference Pears. My Butternuts are beginning to swell, and we have lots of 'greens' to see us through Winter.
The freezer is now home to sliced green Peppers, chopped Courgettes, and plenty of Tayberries. My dwarf French beans have performed perfectly; the 3 week successive sowing was spot-on.
I'm not preserving so much this year as I still have stocks from last year, but I have followed Ninaschen's advice about Aubergines in Olive oil, and I've also been sun-drying some Tomatoes.
As usual we have 'glut', but I am trying to be more philosophical about such things. I now look upon it as essential compost.
Oh, and did I mention that our Peach trees are overflowing?
What does one do with all this stuff!
30 comments:
Those peaches make my mouth water. We have had such record heat that the tomatoes are as heavy as your peaches.
Underneath that Peach tree is thick with fallen fruit, and the good ones are nearly finished. Everything comes at once.
Yhose peaches look fab, they were lucky to miss the frost attack.
Don't you swap with neighbours? They have too many potatoes, you have too many aubergines...
I have never been successful growing things to eat. We have apples and damsons in the garden and none of my family likes cooked fruit. I've even made them damson gin but they prefer supermarket stuff. :(
We had good fruit on 3 of our Peach trees. In the end it was only the Walnuts and Grapes that were wiped out. Next year!
We do try to share, but most of our neighbours have the same problems. When I was in Shropshire (a big Damson growing area) they used to make pickled Damsons that were very good.
I am still eating the peaches from last summer. I cook them without added sugar and ten freeze them in small lots. I then have them on my daily porridge instead of sugar. Delicious.
We did wonder if there was anything we could do with them. They certainly don't make edible jam.
What about making wine from the excess?
It only seems like yesterday when you were preparing the ground. Tempus fugit.
We have bucket-loads of non-eating grapes. I did try to make wine once, but it tasted like petrol. My €1.10 per litre wine will have to do.
It just rushes upon you. One minute it's anticipation, the next it's either disappointment or glut.
Go into town and distribute it to the needy?
There are no needy here; everyone grows far too much, and ends-up having the same problems of waste.
The peaches are perfect. I use some peaches in a Chili sauce with habenero's. Our summer has been very wet so everything has been later than usual.
We down under have green grocers, where you can buy such things at a very reasonable price. No fruit or vegetable glut in The Highrise.
We've simply been eating as many as possible. I'm sure we could have made things with them, but as usual too late.
I would have thought that your balcony was a complete and productive farm.
Overeat?
Make wine, of course!
Ok - immigrants then? (I am quietly laughing as I imagine your reaction to this suggestion).
To quote my father, "We eat what we can and what we can't, we can."
Everything is looking so wonderful.
Happy to hear the beans have worked out, just the right timing for eating.
cheers, parsnip
We do with the Peaches. I can't pass by the trees without having a couple.
It's so cheap here that we buy it ready made!
Sound advice; I'm on a permanent diet.
It pays to read the packet. Regular 3 week sowing certainly worked well, and should continue for a while yet.
I haven't seen any immigrants hanging around. Anyway I expect the government would pamper them, as they do back in the UK.
We're finally heading toward spring. I'm so sick of the weather we've been having lately. I was excited to see tiny heads of purple broccoli making an appearance. It's the first time I've grown them as they aren't easy to come by, here. I hope you enjoy the eggplants in thyme and oil. :)
Yhose peaches look fab, they were lucky to miss the frost attack.
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