Figs

Would you look at the size of these figs! They come from Gonzalo, our next door neighbour, who thinks he's feeding a family of 10. Two evenings ago he came round with a strawberry box full of figs. If they're not eaten within half a day they are unedible, but if we ate all that he gives, we'd never get out of the loo! They really are delicious and very more-ish, but there is a limit, eh.

Ours are growing but they're the late-ripening variety - sometime in the Autumn, I think. We have black and green figs and will welcome their eventual arrival when many other fresh fruits are finished.

Apricots - up to me armpits in 'em.

It's that time of year again - clearing space in the freezer to make way for bags of blanched fruit. The apricot tree is laden, fruit not quite ripe.....but, look....

Brown rot on the fruit . Que pena - que bloody nuisance. It seems that this and the nectarine and peach trees have to be drenched all over in the Autumn with a fungicide and again just before the blossom opens in the Spring. Some fruit is totally unblemished and are as hard as bullets.
I've harvested one crate, halved them and cut out any brown sides, blanched and bagged. And below is a batch I've simmered with Muscavado sugar to eat tonight with a creamy Greek yoghurt.
The bags are now in the freezer for eating when the fruit season is over. The fruits will make a lovely almond crumble. I'll continue harvesting and freezing the good bits and those that do ripen that are unblemished will be eaten au naturel.

By the weekend, the damsons will be ready and I'll be tied to the kitchen again repeating the whole process. I might even try my hand at jam.