From My Garden

When the weather looked as though it was going to be wild this morning I went out and picked some fruit and vegetables. The cucumber, strawberries, grapes and tomatoes are from the greenhouse, and the beans are growing outdoors. The grapes are bordering on ripe. If there’s a bit of colour they are sweet enough to eat. Although I prefer scarlet runner beans I do like the purples ones. They are easy to grow, cook up green and have a good flavour. The large tomato with the split shoulders is an heirloom brandywine pink, a richly flavoured one with hardly any seeds. The little yellow ones have a different rich flavour. Over the last few days I have made red and yellow tomato purée and baked tomato slices for the freezer. About 4.5 kg altogether. This is just a start. I like to have plenty for the winter and spring.

Today was wild at times. There were low clouds and rain so I couldn’t see the moonset, then partly cloudy with hot sunshine, calm for a while, then a turbulent nor’west gale that rocked the house and sent small branches sailing from the trees. A sou’west storm with cooler temperatures is expected this evening.