Growing vertically

 Saw this and want to make this for next year . This man is growing cucumbers but the same can be done for tomatoes.

Growing in buckets

Courgette and apple chutney

I used Glo's pears and Tom's elderberries instead of dried fruit.

After a holiday I had taken my eye off the ball and low and behold I had some whoppers of courgettes. I also harvested some apples the other day and had some left over  so with today's from spade to plate group we made Courgette and Apple chutney

As this recipe asked for a lot of vegetables to be grated, Jenny and Peng Un were in charge of the food processor. Here they are in action

Meanwhile  June, Glo, Rozenn and Melendra, chopped and chatted around the kitchen table.

Sarolta mixed all the spices to go into the mix.  We mixed them all together and left it to marinate for 30 minutes whilst we headed to the allotment to pick the tomatoes and take in the autumn air. 

It was sunny and a lovely temperature, blessed again after such a wonderful summer.

We also went out into the back garden to pick more tomatoes, carrots  and basil for our soup.

For lunch we have some fresh tomato soup 
with some home made bread

end of August and one more day of strong sunshine forecasted

As the US is battling with hurricane Gert, I am expecting lots of rain and wind in a week or so, so now the weather is hot for another day, I decided to turn a cardboard box into a solar drier so that the tomatoes I harvested yesterday with the from Spade to Plate group can be turned into sundried tomatoes.
 Some very large tomatoes from the back garden. Next year, I need to grow more red, blight resisting cherry pear tomatoes (had too many yellow ones, albeit sweet and delicious) a few red ones would have been nicer for the gaspacho and sun dried tomatoes.

sundrying red and yellow tomatoes with salt and basil. in 11.55 am

Just made a sundrier for the tomatoes, the apples are drying on the washing up rack

Selection of tomatoes to be dried

From Spade to Plate: 28th August Gazpachio, bean salad and poached pears

Coming back from holiday and 10 days of no harvest the garden is full of goodies that need immediate attention.

Constanza, Serolta, maria Jose and June picking sunflowers

The tomatoes have started to show signs of blight so will be harvested immediately and turned into soups, sauces, cakes and will be dried.

Where are the tomatoes?

yellow pear and cherry tomatoes for the soup

Today we will make a Gazpachio as it is lovely and warm outside, a perfect cold soup for a hot day.

Gazpachio
1kg tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 cucumber
2 garlic cloves
100ml olive oil
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar
pepper and salt

Maria Jose dishing up the Gazpacho

Cut the vegetables roughly and put in fruit processor together with the oil and vinegar.  Puree until very smooth if too thin add some bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Top with finely chopped cucumber, yellow tomatoes and basil.

Constanza 

The beans that we sowed a few weeks ago are ready for harvest and we will turn them into a warm bean salad à la Jamie Oliver.

As a desert we will have poached pears with chocolate ice cream and a splash of blackberry cordial
To make the syrup I use 1 liter of water to 250gr sugar and  a vanilla pod.

June picking her pear for the dessert

Sharing our meal together

A bag of eating apples appeared on my doorstep this morning, so we will turn them into some nice nibbles, Personally I will dry them in the sun the next few days