Natures Bountiful Harvest...

Well, I finally worked out a schedule to get to OZ and do all the things I have to get done there by certain dates...but the internet went out today, Monday, as I was trying to get my ticket! Dohhh, of all the times.

I also will be heading off to Hamburg to see Love Never Dies, the Phantom sequel, before I go, as it ends on 29th September, so that planning all came crashing down to a standstill too!

BUT, in the meantime, the produce has gone crazy here...It is multiplying like breeding rabbits! 

I am not complaining, but I have never seen or experienced anything like this before.

Last year I was in OZ about this time or in Serbia, with all the bazillion of refugees, plus the year before I was in OZ, so missed it all.

Now I know why they have harvest festivals and set times for preserving and so on. It is a very short window of time, but...oh, so bountiful, exciting, abundant and really makes you get things done!.

When I'm out jogging in the mornings, I see plums all over the roads as they drop and no one collects them, crab apples everywhere, so will pick some in the next few days and make crab apple jelly.

The cherries are finished and the place is awash with tomatoes, plums, kohlrabi and watermelons everywhere.

Amazing!

Exciting

Fulfilling...

and feeling very, very full!

I suddenly realised that all these 5 vegies on my lunch plate are grown by moi! The black tomatoes aren't really black, but close to it and are really meaty as you can see and very, very tasty. Beans, kohlrabi, with leaves...didn't realize the leaves are edible, like kale. There is a squash that grew wild, have no idea how that grew, plus none of my melons or crawly things grew, so I threw all the remaining seeds out a month or so ago...and now I have baby cucumbers everywhere! 

Invader tomatoes! I have to climb under the bushes on my tummy, to hunt for these little guys as the bushes have grown rogue the last 3 weeks after the rain. Crazy...but it is so much fun...I get to pretend I'm in hunting in the jungle...really, it feels like it and it smells so gooood...Nothing like the smell of fresh, wet tomato plants. As they say...hunter-gatherer!

For you Tom Warne and Karen King! Truss tomatoes, my very own home grown ones too!...and my first cucumber...(I think...or it could be a gherkin, but it was so  flavorful and juicy, who cares!)

Yummy stewed plums from the paddock, yoghurt and pureed stewed apricots. Bought a big basket of cheap apricots at Tesco and stewed then pureed them. I don't use sugar in cooking, (except when I cook cakes for visitors), so you can imagine how nice and tart they are! I don't like the horrible taste in my mouth after eating sweet things...but will eat a bit of chocky now and then these days.

Nature's abundance! Anyone who wants to experience this rich reward and de-stress, get ready to visit me next year for a few weeks in the last weeks of July and first weeks of August. We can stew apples and plums, make plum and apple jams, jelly, concentrated juices for soda water summer drinks and purees. Plus we can make lots of tomato sauce and chutneys, even apple sauces, apple pies, tarts and so on.. Have been cooking for nearly a week now and my freezer is almost full...and the season is only 1/3 way done yet! It is so fulfilling and relieves stress so wonderfully...Nature knows best.

Made some basil dressing with garlic, olive oil, heaps of fresh basil, vinegar,, lemon juice, lemon zest and a spoon of plain mayo.  Yummo...

The second pick of tomatoes. One day after the girls from OZ left, tomatoes ripened everywhere, really fast too. 

Very meaty black skinned tomatoes...Amazingly delicious too.

Apples just keep on falling every day...so that means cooking apples every day too!

About to storm...the biggest one ever in the  middle of the night after taking this pic. Was trying to show how high the toms were last week, but they are a foot higher now!

Amazing, Never seen anything like these tomatoes! My hair is all wet from navigating my way on the ground, under the bushes, searching for ripe tomatoes. So much child like fun, but hey...who wants to be a stodgy old adult anyways?

Found a bunch of these...cucumbers or gherkins...but they sure are juicy!

Apricots cooking to make puree...

The weird coloured black...ish tomatoes...about to be given the chop to make fresh sauce now

Some nice big ordinary tomatoes. I have 7 different varieties from Tom Thumbs to big red! The yellow egg tomatoes are not real big yet, but it will be strange to make yellow tomato sauce/puree!

This morning's pick...

The tomato bushes are predator, rogue bushes! I have to go on a hunt to find the tomatoes...I feel like I'm channeling my friend,  Kym Evans, who is over in the Amazon jungles somewhere, at the moment!

Kohlrabi and a strange squash are at home in my flower garden. All peaceful here in Tiszaigar, Hungary at sunset on Saturday night, 30th July, 2016....

Sunset...

oops, a bit blurry...

And the sun sets on another purrrrfeccc day in my little piece of happiness. Bring on Gerry Butler (Phantom of The Opera)and Colin Firth, (Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice) and you very well may never see or hear from me again!

Over and out from this big "storing up for winter" episode!

It is still very hot...just under 30C outside, but a nice 25C inside, sitting in the breeze here, writing this.

Will catch you later with pics of some massive hibiscus I saw up the road today and a walk on the quiet side...

Bye for now,
Cheers,
Mary
xxxx