After a violent thunderstorm the night before last the hot, muggy weather that everyone was complaining about has been replaced by cooler nights, fresher air and a strong wind….that we’re now complaining about! In the garden the tomato plants are nearly over and the remaining fruit are being attacked by bugs of all colours and strips….and spots as well. We’ll pull them up and burn them soon – we have plenty of preserved tomato purée to keep us in sauces until next summer. The peppers plants continue to thrive and are laden with ripening fruit, so that almost every meal we eat contains some delicious variation on a pepper theme – today’s lunch was a stir fry of chicken pieces, peppers and red onions – and some of the red peppers are in the freezer waiting to brighten up a cold winter day.
The aubergine plants seemed exhausted a week or so ago, but now are starting on a second crop, with flowers and nice fat aubergines on the same plants:
Ready to eat – the autumn crop of figs
This morning we picked figs from a friend’s tree and one or two more from wild trees we passed while we were out. They’re perfect for eating as they are.
And I hardly dare hope for the olives – although last year’s crop was badly attacked by olive fly, we haven’t treated our trees with preventive chemicals as they are too close to the vegetable plots to be sure to avoid contamination. So we’re just keeping our fingers crossed that these olives will survive and ripen:
We’ve just had 2 really warm days but a change is coming tomorrow with the arrival of the remnants of hurricane Isaac. Some years, we don’t slide into Fall. It’s more like someone turns a switch and we go from blistering hot to cool in a matter of days. It is must have been very frustrating to have watched your olives ruined by those pests. Good luck with this year’s harvest.
Figs, aubergines and olives in the offing: am hoping for a long and clement autumn for you . . .
What delicious things. The figs look wonderful and I must go and raid our daughter’s fig trees. I’ve already got bags of her tomatoes, so I might as well complete the job. Good luck with the olives.
Good luck with the olives – they look great!
Every time I read your blog you make me wish I had a garden and a green thumb.
Your garden looks like my garden right now, except the olives! I have traveled to many locations in that part of the world. I would love to escape the hubbub of the US and retire on a little farm.