Our Pomegranate Tree

I just love our Pomegranate tree. It is a couple of years old now and I love how it changes through the seasons. It is a deciduous tree and in spring just as the leaves emerge, they have a beautiful orange/red tinge which catches the sunlight. Going into the end of Spring the tree then blossoms into flower with big red blooms. Best of all it then produces the fruit (also known as the fuit of the Gods). Finally the tree goes into dormancy, ready to do it all again next year.

Raspberries

The first of our raspberries are changing colour and will soon be ready to be gobbled down by our daughter (if my wife doesn't get to them first!).

This is the first time I have grown these berries. Our neighbour gave me some surplus canes over winter which i stuck into the ground along our fence in a shadier part of our garden. I was quite surprised just how easy they were to grow and looks like I will get a few punnets worth off only about 4 canes. Will definitely grow a few more next year !

Broad beans

This time of year we eat a serious amount of broad beans. Our 13month old daughter is enjoying picking them and eating them fresh in the garden. If any make it inside the house we like to make this Broad Bean Bruschetta.

Recipe:

Broad beans (shelled twice)
Pecorino cheese
Olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Crusty bread

Thinly slice the bread, lay on a tray and drizzle with olive oil. Place them in a moderate oven and cook until a golden colour.

Meanwhile, in a mortar and pestle add the broad beans and generous amounts of pecorino cheese and olive oil. Smash to form a paste. Add some freshly cracked black pepper.

When the bread is golden and crunchy rub one side with a clove of garlic. Top with the broad bean mixture and serve immediately with an extra drizzle of olive oil.

It is simple but extremely tasty!

Preserved artichokes

1. Pick the artichokes (make sure you pick them early otherwise the leaves will open up and they will be in flower on the inside).
2. Remove the outer leaves and cut off the top spikey 1/3rd of each artichoke. Then cut into quarters or to a size which will fit into the jars.
3. Wash well and rub the cut surfaces with lemon to prevent discolouration.

 














4. Place them in a saucepan and cover with white wine vinegar and bring to the boil. Simmer until they are soft (approximately 5 minutes). Drain and discard the vinegar.
5. Place into sterilised jars and fill the jars with 50:50 vinegar and olive oil. Add some fresh parsley and 1-2 whole garlic cloves into each jar. Put the jars into a pot of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes to seal the lids.
6. Leave them for 2 or 3 weeks, then enjoy. We like them on pizza!

This is what it looks like when the artichokes have opened up too much. Nevermind- in a few weeks they will become beautiful vibrant purple flowers that last for weeks.

Artichokes!

First artichokes of the season!
We'll stuff them next week and preserve the rest. Recipes to follow. Yum.