More tomatoes picked in late October

A selection of tomatoes we have grown and  picked in late October. The small yellow

ones are the sweetest. The tomatoes plants have been very good this year, even

though we started later than usual. Many have been bottled for winter use, and,

some have been  roasted and then frozen, again for winter use. We have been picking                           raspberries since the beginning of August  and now they have finally come to an end.

              

 Late tomatoes have to be considered a luxury, and green ones make good chutney.

This year we have made apple and mint chutney for a change. It goes well with

 lamb, hogget, and mutton. Grab apple jelly is also a good accompaniment for lamb.

 Now, for us, it is time to tidy the garden and lay it to rest for the winter.

Our compost bin is full, so, after many years, we have resorted to using the local

authorities garden waste scheme. The council can deal with the difficult to

 compost materials and, of course, ground elder, potato haulm and diseased plants

 for example.

Christmas and a Gloucester Old Spot

Christmas is coming. Did you know that dogs think human beings are better than them,

pigs think they are equal to humans, but, cats know they are superior to humans.

This is a Gloucester Old Spot in an open field.

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Arundel

           The Roman Catholic Cathedral at Arundel from the  Earls Garden - I liked the border

Tomatoes we have grown this year.

Some of the different varieties of tomatoes that we have grown this year. The yellow ones are sweetest.

Scarecrows . . .

Even the scarecrows have to stop for a cup of tea!

Ceps and Chantrelle, and a good bottle of Soave

Ceps

Chantrelle, cleaned and sliced

Cooking

These were magnificent specimens and fried in unsalted butter had a superb flavour. Broad leafed chopped parsley is often used as a garnish, particularly in rubber tyre eateries. We opted to keep them simple and accompanied them with ciabatta. As we passed the vineyard we chose to wash them down with a good Soave.

Sheep in the park on a sunny day

Some sheep in the park at lunch time today. England at its best. Note the almost straight line of the foliage at the bottom of the trees; this is caused by livestock eating the trees to that height.

Unless we have some severe frosts before Christmas, and the birds eat the berries, it looks as though we will have plenty of mistletoe.