making the most of it

although autumn is officially here it still seems to be some way off in this part of australia. certain parts of autumn that signal the change of season like being able to buy new season apples and pears from a local grower, calm days that are growing ever shorter and the planning and preparation of autumn crops to go into the garden are well and truly with us.

... but it's hot!

we are in the midst of a heat wave. quite a nice heat wave though. i like the humidity (most of the time), the moisture in the air is very pleasing to my skin, the temperatures eased at times by cooling sea breezes coming off the ocean, the cloud cover welcome relief, the few drops of rain appreciated. much, much nicer than hot northerly winds blowing day after day, i can tell you.

we have been making the most of this late burst of summer... swimming every day, enjoying the water and the beach, making the most of it.

oh little fig tree

only one fruit tree was here when we bought this house two years ago. a fig. it looked so neglected back then. i gave it a prune, loaded compost, manure and pea straw underneath during the first winter. when summer came it returned the favour with a nice crop of figs. this year the tree has grown quite a bit and the size of the crop increased quite a lot. for the past three weeks it has been giving us luscious ripe figs day after day. i leave them on as long as i dare and pick them just before the skin starts to burst open. the chickens get some and the birds get their share but that hasn't been too much of a problem. there is plenty to go around.

i gave some away to one of eloise's teachers and she made the most delicious crystallised dried figs with them. we ate a couple each for morning tea today and they were just like eating toffee. so sweet.

twice this week i have made a deep, dark jam, beautifully infused with cinnamon and vanilla. it is truly divine. the recipe comes from here which i just found by chance the other day. i now have a new (to me) blog to read and a new favourite jam recipe. 

i have also put up a couple of jars of figs in vanilla syrup, requested by my dearest. they are lovely with some home made vanilla ice cream and i haven't made them since before jessica was born so i guess it was about time.

next on my fig cooking list is a fig and pistachio frangipane tart. after that i am not sure what i will do with them all. any suggestions? there are still loads of figs left on the tree, maybe two more weeks and it will be finished for the year

one thing about figs is that all my recipes do seem to incorporate sugar and quite a lot of it. for someone that eats very little it is all a bit too much sweetness but then...

 fig season only comes once a year!

garden details

late summer in our garden.

it feels so good to type that because it means autumn is nearly here! my favourite season. our best growing season (i think anyway). sometimes summer can linger for quite a while around here though so it is a little difficult to know whether it is too early to be planting out autumn crops or not. but no harm in being prepared i think.

walking around the garden at the end of summer i keep coming back to the stalwarts that have given the garden colour throughout this hot, dry season. cosmos, hollyhocks, verbena and a tiny little pink rose have all continued to flower for what seems like months now. they are hardy, they are survivors, they never complain and hang their heads if i forget to water them, they just keep on keeping on. never a day goes by that i am ungrateful for their presence in our garden. other heat lovers i have growing that just get better and better over summer are mint, rosemary and sage, they are thriving.

some things haven't gone quite as planned this summer. the trellis along the top of the stone wall is there to accommodate grape vines. they all died except two. we lost a couple of fruit trees and i haven't had much luck with my strawberries.

in the veggie patch all but a bit of basil has come to an end. tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini and corn have all been ripped out and thrown on the compost heap. there is spare ground aplenty. two beds are earmarked for rejuvenation and will be planted out with green manure in the hope that they will be ready for winter crops (or at least spring!). seeds have been planted in trays and i intend to be very attentive over the next week or so and ever so hopeful that something grows. i have put in many leafy greens, fennel, leeks, herb and spice seeds as well as a few flowers. 

i am wishing we lived near to a garden centre and could just pop in to pick up some seedlings today. i really have an itch to get my hands in the soil and start planting!

garden details

mid summer in our garden.

beginnings and endings.

beginnings: lush green growth of corn that seems to grow half a foot every day, new hollyhocks inching their way ever taller, sweet zuchinnis, beans climbing bit by bit, entangling themselves to their supports, basil for pesto, green butternut pumpkins baking in the sun and a tree full with green unripe figs.

endings: lots of seeds on worn out, dried out plants.  i am leaving them all as long as i can and trying not to mind the messy look too much. my hope is that they drop their seeds and next season there will be lots of new plants for free.

summer time is here

its official, summer has begun!

to celebrate we added a new candle to our table in a delicious shade of green and i made jessica two little bendy doll people.

they are really sweet and are completed with backpacks to carry their babies in. these little people love to gather flowers i am told ('just like me' says jessica, who doesn't come in from the garden empty handed at the moment).