basket of veggies – The Gardening Blog

Whew! All I can say is I LOVE SUMMER! I am in the middle of really enjoying a few days of rest and relaxation. I had my beautiful family here with me on Christmas eve and it was a magical day. The weather was sunny and hot and the garden was glowing. I spent all week getting it to look nice and in tip top condition and it was so worth it. My veggie patch supplied most of the Christmas Table spread and it was all gone by the time the family left. Well, it is the first time that we had no Christmas leftovers!! Unheard of!

Let me share with you what’s been growing in the garden and what I was able to harvest for the Christmas Table …..

[one_half]Loads of beetroot – the eeps love the greens![/one_half]

[one_half_last]A handful of blueberries – so sweet![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Swiss chard or spinach (as I call it)[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Runner beans – green and flavourful[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Cabbage still needs more time[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Iceberg lettuce[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Baby marrow in abundant supply[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Sweet basil – my favourite herb[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Coriander – so easy to grow[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Delicate chives – a must for any garden[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Sweet corn! Nearly ready[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The peaches were sooo delicious![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Roma tomatoes are taking their time this year[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Various lettuces, broccoli, spinach and beetroot[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Butternut squash taking over garden[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Broccoli patch with sunflowers and tomatoes[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Harvest surprise – what a monster![/one_half]

[one_half_last]A full plate of garden goodies![/one_half_last]

I am so enjoying the fruits of my labour! The hard work was so worth it!

Happy gardening xxx

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I was in the garden today as the sun was setting with my basket ready to collect supper! I was so surprised at how quickly I could have filled it! I have a head of butter lettuce, sweet garden peas and sweet basil. I also added a few figs because they are beautifully sweet and ripe and ready for jam. I made the most delicious jam last year which I will share with you and next time I come and visit, I will bring you a jar ot two of jam!

Fig Jam
5 pounds chopped fresh figs (2.5kg)
6 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of water
1/2 cup of lemon juice

To prepare chopped figs: Cover figs with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain, skin, stem and chop figs (I prefer it without the skin on, but the extra schlep is worth it).

Combine figs, sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a large sauce pot. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly until thick (it took me 45min. I think the trick is to really let it boil until the desired thickness). Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Add lemon juice and cook 1 minute longer. Pour hot into hot, boiled jars, leaving a little head space. Adjust caps. Process 15 minutes on a boiling water bath. I got 4 jars of jam.

I added less sugar than the recipe called for because I wanted the jam to taste natural, rather than sweet. I noticed that the figs were a bit spotty when I started. I understand that when the small spots form, as in bananas, the natural sugar in the fruit is changing and rising to the skin as the fruit ripens. As the figs cooked the sugar dissolved into the jam causing most of the spot to vanish.