Goodbye Tomatoes.

It'll be a long time before we eat Tomatoes like these again.

My good friend and neighbour, José, has come up trumps again with his wonderful Tomatoes. As usual he has given me a free hand, helping myself to a few every so often. They are simply delicious. 

OK, they're a bit marked and split, but the flavour is so good. There really is nothing to compare with a good 'Marmande' type Tomato, grown outdoors in the sunshine.

In fact José grows several different varieties; I would guess about 6 different types. The two above, on the plate are Marmande, and the one by their side is (I think) a Coeur de Boeuf. He and his daughter make plenty of preserves, then the rest are either eaten, given away, or left to rot. He always grows far too many. 

Preserving my crops was always one of my greatest pleasures; other than actually growing them. To have various cupboards filled with bottles of fruit and veg was so satisfying (above). All was the very best quality, and all was delicious. N.B. When bottling, one only ever uses perfect fruits or vegs.

So, a big thank you to José and his daughter Laurence; without you our summers would be far less gastronomic! I'm just sorry that we won't be here to fill our pockets with Chestnuts. They should start falling quite soon.