Picking grapes

We picked the first bunch of grapes last week. This is today's haul, two bunches. They are seedless sultanas. Juicy and sweet.
Do you think I could dry them for sultanas? Or what else could I do, once we are tired of munching on them? What would YOU do? It's not urgent, as we've only just started picking them. Also, there are plenty of bunches, but the birds may be eyeing them, too. So I wouldn't be surprised, if the vine was suddenly totally empty one morning.

Zucchini lasagne

We had zucchini/eggplant lasagne at City Gnome's place last week - and what a revelation that was! No meat needed for it to taste delicious and exactly like lasagne.

So, what better way to use up a few zucchinis from the garden?

This is my take on zucchini lasagne.
Slice zucchinis, put under grill until golden brown.
Make your favourite tomato/pasta sauce.
Then layer in a casserole dish with lasagne sheets and cheese sauce. Make sure the final layer is cheese sauce, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.Bake in oven at approx. 200 C for about 50 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!This really is a hit! We enjoyed it immensely. :)

More lunch

Again with home-made haloumi. Tomatoes (green, yellow, red) from the garden and some shredded lettuce. Oh, and there was an avocado. (The last two ingredients NOT from the garden, unfortunately.) Season with a little salt & pepper and drizzle over some extra-virgin olive oil.
Here a plate for those who like it meatier. Just add a few thin slices of bresaola (home-made).
It's great fun, being able to eat veg from the garden and top that off with home-made treats.

Lacto-fermenting...

...zucchini. We haven't reached glut proportions - yet - but I was eager to do something different. So, I decided to experiment with lacto-fermentation to make some zucchini pickles. I have no idea whether this will work out, hence no recipe here. Yet. I have written all the quantities and ingredients down, of course.

Here is the jar with grated zucchinis, spices and salt. Put smaller jar inside the jar so that the mixture is weighed down and covered with the juices from the zucchini. Cover with tea towel. Let ferment. Hope that this will result in something tasty. :)

Lunch with a difference

Cut up some home-made haloumi.
Grate some zucchini, mix in herbs, salt & pepper, an egg and a little flour.
Fry in pan.Serve with chopped tomatoes, herbs, salt & pepper, a little extra-virgin olive oil.Veggies and herbs from the garden. Egg from our chooks. :) Delicious.

Today's harvest

Plenty of tomatoes, basil and 2 zucchinis.
First bowl of plums. Flower Gnome immediately halved, stoned and froze them (in a single layer on a baking tray, then into containers, so that they are frozen individually). We are hoping for a good harvest so we can make plum & blackberry wine.

Bunnies are nice!

Especially when properly prepared.

Flower Gnome jointed a rabbit and we got 2 meals out of it.

First meal was bunny satay. Recipe from a River Cottage cookbook (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall). Tip: use only the saddle for the satay. It won't feed an army, but these are the tenderest bits. Just make sure you have plenty of side dishes. We had spicy satay sauce and various barbecued veggies with the satay.
Verdict: super-delicious! A real winner. Tasty, juicy, tender.

With the rest of the meat we made bunny burgers.
Mince the meat and add your favourite herbs and spices. Serve with your favourite toppings.
Verdict: Different texture, but very nice. Received the thumbs up, too.

Harvesting...

...before the heat hits. Today's forecast: 43C!

The Black Salsify (Scorzonera) has gone to seed. Aren't the seed heads pretty? This is a delicious root vegetable. Long, thin and black. Boiled and peeled, it has a lovely, slightly nutty taste. Some say it tastes of oysters. I could not say, but we all have different taste buds. I shall try to have a salsify bed for winter eating.
The basil "Lettuce Leaf" is going berserk. The leaves are aptly named. They are as big as the palm of my hand.I took my basket out for harvesting. Filled with zucchini, tomatoes and basil.
This is today's harvest.
3 zucchini ("Ronde de Nice", "Romanesco", "Lebanese"), several tomatoes ("Rouge de Marmande", "Black Cherry", "Ida Gold", "Broad Ripple Yellow Currant"). The tomatoes are not all fully ripe yet, but I picked them anyway, as I didn't want them to get cooked on the plant in today's heat. You can also see some carrots "Purple Dragon".

Now I'm wondering what to make for tea. Nothing that involves too much cooking. The additional heat of the stove or oven is not welcome today. Any suggestions? Anyone?

Ps.: I did make pesto. So no more basil leaves left. :)

Happy Birthday Vegie Gnome

What do I look like?

Well, my nephew (5 years) did a drawing of me. One thing's for sure. He captured me well! :)
- which is quite amazing as I last saw him 4 years ago.

Ps.: He wrote his name on the drawing. Mirror-inverted. He can't write 'properly' yet. Bloody brilliant, that's what he is. But don't mind me, I'm only his proud auntie. :)