Wednesday 18 September 2013

Remaining Positive

I haven't blogged recently because my husband Tim has been here for the last three weeks both working and holidaying. We both find it difficult to be apart but time spent together at Petas refreshes us both spiritually and physically. He reminds me of how much progress I am actually making, fruit trees cropping, meals eaten on the patio and grown here are extra special. It has been said before but fruit and vegetables which have just been picked are really completely different from the mass produced offerings from supermarkets wrapped in plastic. The blackberry jam is superb and breakfast usually includes stewed fruit (in season) and watching the sun rise over the trees and the changing view as the light changes is magical.
The vegetable garden is becoming very Autumnal now, the squash has been uprooted, the superb field beans have been harvested, saved for seed and resown to stand over the winter. The butter beans are drying nicely and today I saved some more seeds which have been hanging from the porch roof drying for a while.
I have bare patches where summer crops were, which are waiting to be planted up with the seedlings I have raised, kale, chard, quick growing broccoli more kohl raabi and various other brassicas and some more lettuces. Winters are milder here, still some frosts but many veggies make it comfortably through to Spring, as indeed I hope I do.