The weather has been atrocious; it has severely battered the area, landslides, roads collapsing and many friends’ properties suffering under the storm the other day. Each day new stories come to light of peoples plights and the area was put under a “State of Emergency”. So not good, and certainly not much happening in the garden. However we were one of the fortunate ones as we had one small landslide on the second corner of our drive, but thankfully it is passable with the jeep. We also had another small landslide on the shared road to Abetaio again passable by the Jeep. Some of the road has water damage with the topsoil being washed away, and the pathway to the house has a small water channel eroded into it. Luckily my dry stone wall stands tall and proud with all the battering of the rain I was worried that it would have a problem, but no.
We have had to go around and clear all of the water channels along the road, making sure that the water flows swiftly away but thankfully over the last three years of living here this is something that we have become really good at maintaining. So thankfully very little water has entered the house, a little came through in the kitchen but I think most of this could have been the washing machine!
Been busy using some of the garden’s produce: at the moment it is the turn of the green tomatoes which at this time of the year are normally going to waste. Last year Sergio showed me how to conserve them so this year I had Mother (who is staying with me for 10 days) cutting away the bad bits and slicing them very thinly. I then place them in a bowl and put a layer of tomatoes and then a layer of salt (not too much, this is to help remove the water from the tomatoes), then another layer of tomatoes and then another layer of salt. Keep doing this until all tomatoes are processed. Cover and leave overnight or for 24 hours. Providing you have not used too much salt you will just be able to pour away the excess water, however if you have used a lot of salt you will need to rinse off before putting them into a clean jar. Then all you need to do is to top up the jar with oil, add pepperincino and parsley to taste, seal the jar and leave. These will now last until the summer when they can be used with salads, or used as a side dish of vegetables. They will last longer if they are not used.
My guests love them they are slightly crunchy but this is very simple, quick and easy to do. I have also been experimenting with making and English Chutney – the recipe is here
However, be careful the vinegar here is much stronger than in England, the first lot I did had a slight after taste which I cured by adding more sugar, the second lot I made was much better as I used the red wine vinegar instead of the white and used almost half of the recommended amount, this I found worked and produced four jars which taste almost as good as Branston Pickle but mine has not added chemicals. Very tasty for use with salads, cold cuts of meat, cheese or my husband likes to use them when he is doing a stir fry, or sometimes he adds to his sauces . A very versatile product which is extremely tasty and will keep for years .
Have my fingers crossed that the weather will infact improve, need to make the “Serra” before the cold weather comes in and at the moment we are a long way off, choosing to make a bespoke greenhouse rather than purchase at this stage. Will update you over the next couple of days.
We are also busy gathering the chestnuts in, it has been a poor year we are guessing because of the very dry summer but we have found some really nice chestnuts which will be ideal for processing for flour. For those of you who do not know Chestnut flour is really good for you, it has many healing properties:
It is a gluten free product
It is good for High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels with ingredients that actively lower both high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
It is good for healthy gums and teeth
It is not a nut it is a legume so anyone with a nut allergy this doesn’t affect them
In the supermarkets it is a product that carries a premium price however in the old days it formed part of the stable diet of all folk in this area. We are hoping to educate and bring the chestnut flour back to our tables. Again we use it a lot as we process our own and our guests love it.
I am also readying the seeds from the flowers and plants. I go around and take the seeds, bring them into the house to dry and will use in the early spring (hopefully in the “Serra” once it is built) so that next year Sensone will be a palate of beautiful colors.
This afternoon the sun has popped its bright and cheerful face intermittently through the clouds which is great for the plants which are swimming in excess water. But a couple of dry days will keep them in full bloom. They seem to like these cooler temperatures with many of the gaining last minute growth.
So here’s fingers crossed that the next few days will now be sunny and dry
Article by Sensone
