Autumnal Delights

Our jamon is a year old and I took it out of it's drying cupboard to inspect it. It looks beautiful and tastes lovely. Tim and I are very proud of it. It is slightly salty to my taste but the salt was needed for preservation and it is very edible without the use of any cooking or refrigeration so the whole process has been a success.

My beans are still drying, some for cooking and some for planting next year, most of the seed saving is over for this year and I am starting to plan my planting schedule for next year. Just more of almost everything. I want to try more pulses in the new year, lentils and chickpeas perhaps, I shall have to consult online to see what is suitable for the Galician climate. Flowers continue to bloom, these chrysanthemum cuttings were a gift and they are stunning.

  The veggie patch looks very different now, minus the climbing beans, achocha and exploding cucumbers, it all looks much flatter. I have been continuing to plant over wintering beans, brassicas and lettuces. My leeks looked great until the mole rats started eating them from underneath. There are a few left, hopefully enough for Christmas lunch. The parsnips are thriving and I am looking forward to my first ever taste of salsify, I have two thongs growing.

 The hens have produced 8 lusty chicks this year which are growing fast but proving fascinating to the dogs, the terrier in particular, so I am keeping them apart until the chicks get a bit bigger. The terrier feels the cold so he sometimes sneaks into beds when he is not supposed to. Family have been here for a fortnight and they were letting him get away with everything.

Caught on camera, he can't deny it.