tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76968487373223161792024-03-05T06:15:36.618+01:00Our Tuscan GardenWe bought our apartment in a Tuscan hill town because it had a generous, but long neglected, terraced garden. This is a largely pictorial story of our garden's evolution.Robyn Sinclairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01663604160297996421noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-18681328164523071962010-05-25T16:33:00.002+02:002010-05-25T16:39:47.245+02:00The Garden in May<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzA8scnUqli9rNoDWSrs6EkvFUt5W7-X20Lh7iAS3jc0KKvcrcvgXBZxHEsK6YLZ4IkxrOfXgIAq9dZIfpoz7IjSNMJeJrpr4fFp8wtLOc3xyVj4AfFQecMzUYzFyvoqF2erZ-Y-CcuDE/s1600/yellow-iris.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzA8scnUqli9rNoDWSrs6EkvFUt5W7-X20Lh7iAS3jc0KKvcrcvgXBZxHEsK6YLZ4IkxrOfXgIAq9dZIfpoz7IjSNMJeJrpr4fFp8wtLOc3xyVj4AfFQecMzUYzFyvoqF2erZ-Y-CcuDE/s320/yellow-iris.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475216224280522850" border="0" /></a><br />Yellow Iris<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Apologies if you've been having trouble downloading the images from my previous post. I will try to resize the photos to see if that helps. Meanwhile here, by way of a test, are some of the flowers blooming at the end of May.<br /></div><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD0oEpTYRIJC161rYmStgzCbkKmTyOb1OYnZql4OhGAarcdRnXS4dCJ1fcJWX14xoMMRJIs-LP2g63Kg6vvaRpxbqk9g-LtX_1WdCPuvYDxbrLkfZGYyfb7kq3imuZsSKrp0gx3dYQoU/s1600/Clematis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD0oEpTYRIJC161rYmStgzCbkKmTyOb1OYnZql4OhGAarcdRnXS4dCJ1fcJWX14xoMMRJIs-LP2g63Kg6vvaRpxbqk9g-LtX_1WdCPuvYDxbrLkfZGYyfb7kq3imuZsSKrp0gx3dYQoU/s320/Clematis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475216218583618930" border="0" /></a><br />This lovely huge clematis survived the winter without any wrapping and is back bigger and brighter than ever.<br /></div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehHwrEOLQSTdYSUYgJAUkAC09ceHbJZGHYe4wd1BuEEy9pzrJlew5BxQzmUo1BK6nO2Q5vio7lMTDOAs-W1HY7jkBZCGmVfJSLRuj2gErzJfVmIZqqKxtYIqZTWYG0fO5C8hXldWyqt8/s1600/poppy-weeds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehHwrEOLQSTdYSUYgJAUkAC09ceHbJZGHYe4wd1BuEEy9pzrJlew5BxQzmUo1BK6nO2Q5vio7lMTDOAs-W1HY7jkBZCGmVfJSLRuj2gErzJfVmIZqqKxtYIqZTWYG0fO5C8hXldWyqt8/s320/poppy-weeds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475216213110688114" border="0" /></a><br />Fortunately I didn't get to weed the top terrace of the garden, so we have poppies - and weeds - but heck, one has to have poppies.Robyn Sinclairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01663604160297996421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-83561460080940921382010-05-14T18:30:00.014+02:002010-05-25T17:13:21.723+02:00SpringI don't have to tell many of you what a long cold winter it's been, even in Tuscany. The garden has been feeling particularly neglected because The Gardener has had to refocus on being The Writer. I finally realised it was up to me to get the season started. Fortunately I had a helping hand to crank-start my enthusiasm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnWLSTHxI0ObHa-TBK-nGBDUiHbTwhQ_4jWtthJzv_s0yWjD1qsV9Rj48k2rvWXj7f3Ni4ZsIAj97TZpHXEbPU29Hp00w2Gbt9IvzAX5rhHrpQfCx2O8sJQlrcT1hpovgOKIuIfIQS1w/s1600/helper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnWLSTHxI0ObHa-TBK-nGBDUiHbTwhQ_4jWtthJzv_s0yWjD1qsV9Rj48k2rvWXj7f3Ni4ZsIAj97TZpHXEbPU29Hp00w2Gbt9IvzAX5rhHrpQfCx2O8sJQlrcT1hpovgOKIuIfIQS1w/s320/helper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475223788773773186" border="0" /></a><br />Now that's what I call A Friend!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">So I was now inspired to toil on my myself.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Nobody told me it would look worse before it looked better!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROXkd9TRtWEEenwOELggYQdorD7iaEF1GL3ccLMGznAA6M8UstK9DF8hx1LJGQIGhBBwaVjBFz0hKcLMZBa4eYjH05DX_X-rMHsfJvbDo0FDrrNA-fM-P2T5ftTiDB7MOuw-DnhriErA/s1600/ws-garden.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROXkd9TRtWEEenwOELggYQdorD7iaEF1GL3ccLMGznAA6M8UstK9DF8hx1LJGQIGhBBwaVjBFz0hKcLMZBa4eYjH05DX_X-rMHsfJvbDo0FDrrNA-fM-P2T5ftTiDB7MOuw-DnhriErA/s320/ws-garden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475223790181790226" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Of course it wasn't long before The Writer emerged from his studio for an official inspection.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbpFaSjgtv83DM2YEH4IUUW1ADmOMJf2HsDLhOigGLFJYJAg67CE3Q2GSa-1s7kwFIW6FYOAq9uBLZgudyoh3mDijrxsK-rHFB0b2vhagUDC0J8YL695n32MLx4iMOxu5Z3jfN4bm1x0/s1600/garden-inspector.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbpFaSjgtv83DM2YEH4IUUW1ADmOMJf2HsDLhOigGLFJYJAg67CE3Q2GSa-1s7kwFIW6FYOAq9uBLZgudyoh3mDijrxsK-rHFB0b2vhagUDC0J8YL695n32MLx4iMOxu5Z3jfN4bm1x0/s320/garden-inspector.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475223795895576802" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44coW-VVW77uDC1G3LsixHS0sao5CwKaop_RCnAt-T_J11IxJc5lD1Cm9j7v4QK_gMuABgHqQ-9a2U7htS_rGR_Tkjl1-YcfK6UipJFmeUTxpcSjgaZhJaTerbxrmk7opSoZD9u_xfcQ/s1600/inspection.jpg"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Apparently I passed because he disappeared back into the studio.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Fortunately there have been spots of colour here and there.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztp3odUnnsywzwdxqIpT22W6Yr6c8SKFrUkJ0YZ-QvQTtzPYXaxU0HQ1C47qGCIz5CaB24enTCFByhgiFz0FN35LeH-IyAL_2f3zNozxk-whc7n5B_a9VSba-7yr_uuJ8SQcbkkUIvAE/s1600/red-tulips.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztp3odUnnsywzwdxqIpT22W6Yr6c8SKFrUkJ0YZ-QvQTtzPYXaxU0HQ1C47qGCIz5CaB24enTCFByhgiFz0FN35LeH-IyAL_2f3zNozxk-whc7n5B_a9VSba-7yr_uuJ8SQcbkkUIvAE/s320/red-tulips.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475224561651643202" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fCovJ1uW0RKg42demCwA4x-Sv1vZ_HVUb-3ylWpsLTnThiw2cqWmnGBlxrT4qbG1LOUey3pM6QkvM_09Y9Zv4gZrtmE0R_xWYbadfzXaz8Sd9nZ7E-sJebG5jYr6BsrA1-0lfE-pQnY/s1600/yellow-tulips.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fCovJ1uW0RKg42demCwA4x-Sv1vZ_HVUb-3ylWpsLTnThiw2cqWmnGBlxrT4qbG1LOUey3pM6QkvM_09Y9Zv4gZrtmE0R_xWYbadfzXaz8Sd9nZ7E-sJebG5jYr6BsrA1-0lfE-pQnY/s320/yellow-tulips.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475224569992194754" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64PSz3ql07NlMh4jIxtW1YWcr85DL2XowNrsCjRPrBUH77LbC3_iXI2EEhoyu4IkaaMRR1_HW4O2a2ljFA4HFB4y80ZPbmn7sGCFfOlFygUbudxv4E2ookLhM09I8zL4b_Zx4wM3_dGw/s1600/striped-tulips.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64PSz3ql07NlMh4jIxtW1YWcr85DL2XowNrsCjRPrBUH77LbC3_iXI2EEhoyu4IkaaMRR1_HW4O2a2ljFA4HFB4y80ZPbmn7sGCFfOlFygUbudxv4E2ookLhM09I8zL4b_Zx4wM3_dGw/s320/striped-tulips.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475224565009752578" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Pansies have flowered right through the winter - amazing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWVx-8sIU_OePM-uyJAUWPq2Z_qwj_q4vzec9D0yjy0Rrr0ckyVkJcCIxl45kHkJmKcgJ83G-YIwlPC3fC-Z6F_fFR6K8NC4ew8P4M3RbL4-upMlINco8Aoaq5A6g4jW4DRkP5HkTAEI/s1600/pansies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWVx-8sIU_OePM-uyJAUWPq2Z_qwj_q4vzec9D0yjy0Rrr0ckyVkJcCIxl45kHkJmKcgJ83G-YIwlPC3fC-Z6F_fFR6K8NC4ew8P4M3RbL4-upMlINco8Aoaq5A6g4jW4DRkP5HkTAEI/s320/pansies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475223803077715250" border="0" /></a><br />Gorgeous little green beetles have appeared all over the mint.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjsSO-ydQT063mMZYC8cpgd9Bv905V3Bf9JKwdnxRvOcmEppcqdv955k8An2IiHhKyxkq0YfGg8y9P45mwLFBsQK-wxTVruvVCbPRlM6Su5vuxTGCo1qbL_GHv850yRZ5yPLsOAtdGGI/s1600/green-beetles.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjsSO-ydQT063mMZYC8cpgd9Bv905V3Bf9JKwdnxRvOcmEppcqdv955k8An2IiHhKyxkq0YfGg8y9P45mwLFBsQK-wxTVruvVCbPRlM6Su5vuxTGCo1qbL_GHv850yRZ5yPLsOAtdGGI/s320/green-beetles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475225301937302530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Now The Gardener would probably evict them but I figure we've tons of mint and they are so pretty. Fingers crossed they don't eat tomatoes!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6ynSfCg8bWl94gwfZci260OQhhFRpvRfLY_QKCByTZbrpjQ_XI4LyGfIBes3I3bZxlEv-DORjonCghgUkLsuVaTIE1RoByrLS9fxqbRo4nZ7Jq1weUw4DSeHJXD5jgslFQCkI5YE86M/s1600/iris-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6ynSfCg8bWl94gwfZci260OQhhFRpvRfLY_QKCByTZbrpjQ_XI4LyGfIBes3I3bZxlEv-DORjonCghgUkLsuVaTIE1RoByrLS9fxqbRo4nZ7Jq1weUw4DSeHJXD5jgslFQCkI5YE86M/s320/iris-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475225290999956946" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Sadly it's not been a great year for the irises.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dkY2eQxtM9TB1EyB07kssKg-3K-RDX1xNd8J0Cw-cZvtHzY5tuU86CrjmWkGSVU3sDTSTcGo5pcWscbz5jUAegMKehsqy2CqtFNyx8GkIDZ1zBjNyUeAbizlc9ehSUEGNjYKXdi22GY/s1600/iris-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dkY2eQxtM9TB1EyB07kssKg-3K-RDX1xNd8J0Cw-cZvtHzY5tuU86CrjmWkGSVU3sDTSTcGo5pcWscbz5jUAegMKehsqy2CqtFNyx8GkIDZ1zBjNyUeAbizlc9ehSUEGNjYKXdi22GY/s320/iris-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475225299149498626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I'm sure The Gardener will reappear soon to plant the rest of his vegetable seedlings and pontificate on serious gardening matters. He's never going to totally get rid of me again because I've developed quite a liking for weeding.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Edit Note: As the photos were slow to load in this post, I have edited for resizing so I apologise if the posts now appear out of order.<br /></div></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Robyn Sinclairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01663604160297996421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-36928650860866577952009-10-09T12:50:00.014+02:002009-10-10T18:36:02.156+02:00All The Dirt On Soil<span style="font-family:courier new;">It goes without saying, but I <a href="http://ourtuscangarden.blogspot.com/2009/08/hot-june-july-and-august-nights.html">said it</a> anyway - crap soil is the vegie gardener's nemesis.<br /><br />Take tomatoes. They're forgiving buggers, they'll grow in all sorts of conditions. They'll even try to grow in extreme - in terms of poor - conditions. The results will be less than optimum, but they'll give it a go.<br /><br />This has been our third summer with the <span style="font-style: italic;">orto</span>. For two years the tomatoes were less than what they should have been. Production was down on what I'm used to, the plants themselves never developed to sizes I was used to and nor did the fruit. I couldn't fathom it.<br /><br />Until, this year, I decided to test the soil. Wherever I tested across the three terraces, the soil was utterly alkaline, up to and beyond 9 on the pH scale.<br /><br />Quite a few vegies - for example, most brassicas - like alkaline soil. Except I don't grow them. I don't have the space. Tomatoes, on the other hand, don't mind neutral soil but they very much like slightly acid soil. Hence the <span style="font-style: italic;">orto's</span> soil couldn't have been less to their liking.<br /><br />Why should the soil be so utterly alkaline?<br /><br />As I thought about it, a number of reasons emerged. First, Italian soil is chockers with limestone, particularly closer to the mountains. Limestone, of course, is the principal means of sweetening - which is to say, making more alkaline - acid soil. So our soil has no option other than to tend towards alkalinity.<br /><br />Second, and unsurprisingly given the above, Italian water is also chockers with limestone. Anything with which Italian water comes into contact - washing machines, kettles, dishwashers, espresso machines, hot water services, water-heated radiators, taps, you name it - will gradually build up an internal crust of calcium. Water pressure only a trickle? The filter on the tap is blocked with calcium. I flush the inner workings of the espresso machine once a month to keep the pipes clean. The Italian word for calcium is <span style="font-style: italic;">calcare</span>. The supermarket shelves are loaded with anti-<span style="font-style: italic;">calcare</span> products. So every time I watered the <span style="font-style: italic;">orto</span>, I was pumping up the alkalinity.<br /><br />Third, and crucially, I have been at a disadvantage relative to other Italian market- and home-gardeners. Our <span style="font-style: italic;">orto</span> was used for many years as a dumping ground for building rubble. One family owned our entire building:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zj0CYegisAufr0hkqlE4G7r2EuouHeIUaohaViH80jY4uyaaLu2oAelbny5S4tKQHW8sYMUUk-AH7d7-WBUchPp7npi0q4qnW6XYxCKIS4Lii-LuPOuaGuTialSi_B6c-MA52uREsX8/s1600-h/building.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zj0CYegisAufr0hkqlE4G7r2EuouHeIUaohaViH80jY4uyaaLu2oAelbny5S4tKQHW8sYMUUk-AH7d7-WBUchPp7npi0q4qnW6XYxCKIS4Lii-LuPOuaGuTialSi_B6c-MA52uREsX8/s320/building.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391004704132757938" border="0" /></a>Along with a lot of the building on the immediate left. There are four and a half apartments in our building, and, as the apartments were renovated over the years - along with the adjacent building - unwanted bricks, stone, concrete, timber, broken glass, metal, tin and goodness what else was dumped into our terraces and covered over with brought-in, very ordinary soil. All of which was left sitting untouched, uncared for, for 30 or more years, with the lime from the stone and cement undoubtedly leeching into the soil.<br /><br />Sadly, there isn't a single earthworm on the property.<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br />Enough history. The bottom line is that every time I watered the <span style="font-style: italic;">orto</span> over the last two years, I was pouring hard alkaline water onto already rubbishy, alkaline soil.<br /><br />What a dill. And no wonder the toms struggled.<br /><br />Now, such alkaline soil, in such quantity as in the <span style="font-style: italic;">orto</span>, is virtually impossible to amend sufficiently to turn it into neutral - or, better still - slightly acid soil. The amending products - sulphur, iron - would need to be in such quantities that they would create interactions likely to damage anything planted. Besides, given that the base soil will always be essentially limestone, the battle would be ongoing and mighty expensive.<br /><br />Other options? Replace all the soil. Well, for starters, I can't afford it. For closers, the only access into the <span style="font-style: italic;">orto</span> is through our apartment.<br /><br />Solution? I suppose it's called micro-management.<br /><br />For every tomato plant I put into the ground, I dug a decent-sized hole, sufficient to accommodate mature root systems in their entirety. I filled the hole with compost from the heap - essentially neutral in pH terms - mixed in with a couple of shovelfuls of potting mix designed for acid soil-loving plants like camelias and hydrangeas. The compost nicely balanced the acidity of the potting mix. Thus I created little oases of tomato-friendly soil in a desert of limestone.<br /><br />Next, watering. How to avoid pouring hard alkaline water into the soil and undoing any good I'd already done with the soil? Rain water? Great idea. Except in an Italian summer when it doesn't rain for months on end.<br /><br />So I improvised. I added a tablespoon of vinegar to every 8-litre watering can before watering. Someone told me it was <span style="font-style: italic;">storie della nonna</span> - an old wives' tale - but, combined with the soil, it seemed to work:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXw3pQtZURqN1FZHpsuC7vfABqkqLVklA_PJYQwB7tQKY_8XNX81ceOP4CF7l9DEiCNP9QXJVgeXLZpB93OQ2P-Ey-4ddSWlPMkpT9zY0h04qFYG2TIC6t9Nj3LXQ1f9KVk4KsAQdI3o/s1600-h/bigtoms.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXw3pQtZURqN1FZHpsuC7vfABqkqLVklA_PJYQwB7tQKY_8XNX81ceOP4CF7l9DEiCNP9QXJVgeXLZpB93OQ2P-Ey-4ddSWlPMkpT9zY0h04qFYG2TIC6t9Nj3LXQ1f9KVk4KsAQdI3o/s320/bigtoms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390979359408409554" border="0" /></a>A small portion of the best tomato crop in three years - a couple of Anna Russians with a pair of Pink Gaetanos, all between 450g and 600g. And delicious.<br /><br />I'll have to do it all again next year.<br /><br />But it will be worth it.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-28597599662361866142009-08-29T10:53:00.017+02:002009-08-30T16:28:14.384+02:00Hot June, July and August Nights<span style="font-family:courier new;">Neil Diamond <span style="font-family:courier new;">got it only one-third right. Younger readers might need to Google Neil Diamond+Hot plus one of the above-mentioned months. I'm not telling you which. You young people have it too easy these days.<br /><br />So what's been happening since April when I observed that spring had finally sprung?<br /><br />Summer. It arrived in late May, it's still here, and shows no signs of disappearing. Week after week of high 30s and low 40s. Typical Italian summer heat - baking, without a breath of wind, but, thankfully, mainly dry heat.<br /><br /><a href="http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/">L'Artista</a> is getting jack of it. I just tell her to wait five months. We'll be back to this:<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JeVIAv8C9JEXkCWlexoGitXulKfEF_kd8nJGnStVeQbZK_fgxdbNy642-lsqWyyhcTVzTXFg7Y-UaJNBXUDTABaTytUok8u3Fky1ZCrsGGwiAukiVLJ5s_NNrBigchKTGYZDNTMcvMM/s1600-h/winterlemon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JeVIAv8C9JEXkCWlexoGitXulKfEF_kd8nJGnStVeQbZK_fgxdbNy642-lsqWyyhcTVzTXFg7Y-UaJNBXUDTABaTytUok8u3Fky1ZCrsGGwiAukiVLJ5s_NNrBigchKTGYZDNTMcvMM/s320/winterlemon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375309946304633106" border="0" /></a>In the meantime, what's been happening in the <span style="font-style: italic;">orto</span>?<br /><br />This was the root vegie bed in May:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcq_jKulAB1i6id_KTZUrXDGJJE3KUIKGEVcQlN8Dhl4dgOJbbgBfMFVEFxxRys7cnqhe7rxk4vKeQ_Q9OAl0e5INffqxUi6V_rBXMVW37-Ta7H5phE-ezzpNCnB8TXilC_1IJlDqRzY/s1600-h/rootbed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcq_jKulAB1i6id_KTZUrXDGJJE3KUIKGEVcQlN8Dhl4dgOJbbgBfMFVEFxxRys7cnqhe7rxk4vKeQ_Q9OAl0e5INffqxUi6V_rBXMVW37-Ta7H5phE-ezzpNCnB8TXilC_1IJlDqRzY/s320/rootbed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375315764221394274" border="0" /></a>That's beetroot along the left hand side, adjacent to the first crop of spring onions - not root vegies, I know, but space is at a premium around here - with the first crop of carrots behind, radishes perpendicular to the beetroot, and very baby parsnip amongst some more radishes on the far side.<br /><br />How times flies in summer. The same bed today:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwUjnm7dnNEr7Boa0dM6BHNDzZCO6wbVtexEJZ8TUeTZmHWjVuKCq3OsfGM2UCmzyjAmKRqeVDAPCnq5biGwUsLTJHPM8tHgVlvNSuS8278u8IEzr1sB_sYIw2ScM-cPseqTVARwV2vU/s1600-h/rootveg1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwUjnm7dnNEr7Boa0dM6BHNDzZCO6wbVtexEJZ8TUeTZmHWjVuKCq3OsfGM2UCmzyjAmKRqeVDAPCnq5biGwUsLTJHPM8tHgVlvNSuS8278u8IEzr1sB_sYIw2ScM-cPseqTVARwV2vU/s320/rootveg1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375317212693076658" border="0" /></a>The beetroot are finished, that's the third crop of carrots in the background, the second crop of spring onions adjacent to the remnants of the first crop, and the parsnips going for their lives. They won't be harvested until at least early December providing they've had some frost by that time.<br /><br />Between times, we've eaten very well:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG42tT9IKlb8ONjn990BBuTuSJA3XQr_XaFGYFsSZaT4ZD0aWj-AcLJ3VvIDreAn30-ONLYrYIYxiPrTS_Ly8jW0TR9Gg0KdjKKA0G-HmkNADMZthdWZvGbeORdcXyyUc3WAaAodGM60/s1600-h/harvest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG42tT9IKlb8ONjn990BBuTuSJA3XQr_XaFGYFsSZaT4ZD0aWj-AcLJ3VvIDreAn30-ONLYrYIYxiPrTS_Ly8jW0TR9Gg0KdjKKA0G-HmkNADMZthdWZvGbeORdcXyyUc3WAaAodGM60/s320/harvest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375322107735224914" border="0" /></a>They're the Amsterdam Forcing carrots I've mentioned before. An early variety, lovely sweet flavour, very easy to grow. I've managed to squeeze in four crops so far this summer. The cuke is a Mini Lebanese, seeds from Australia via a friend, Trish. They run rings around the local cukes for sweetness and flavour. Though they need to be harvested no bigger than in the photo. Any more mature and the seeds will get in the way.<br /><br />In fact, we're onto our second crop of the Mini Lebanese cukes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaIRO_1kW7lMTsTqjAOXbKFSAqfssA8royBA-oTGNpaPlPYVPfkovthzXVcxMK5KXA9CuATpRYaeqncKdYJ4yQQs8WB4lo41ZNcnNXV3eNXAMKT_tl9jmjBnkGUapNqeD6iDU_9UEVI8/s1600-h/cukes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaIRO_1kW7lMTsTqjAOXbKFSAqfssA8royBA-oTGNpaPlPYVPfkovthzXVcxMK5KXA9CuATpRYaeqncKdYJ4yQQs8WB4lo41ZNcnNXV3eNXAMKT_tl9jmjBnkGUapNqeD6iDU_9UEVI8/s320/cukes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375750754118642514" border="0" /></a>The first crop was murdered by a couple of days of gale-force winds in early June. As tightly as the plants were tied to their trellis, the wind tore them to bits. Recognise the tub? In early spring, it was home to L'Artista's new early Aaron Pilot potatoes couresy of The Cousins from Dorset, England. And what a triumph the Aaron Pilots were. From only a handful of seed spuds, L'Artista had a dozen or more feasts of steamed new baby potatoes.<br /><br />Here's one of the cukes almost ready for harvest:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLku-4zNWlvbtKkh3ZTqlSxjH9IculB3Cc_K7QYOgUrrTrYMzDGVy5ZbVyOrJRufUTts9J46Iv_M6vNbuo6x7skAYh_CpCMebG3hiM26BmLgndt1GsnUJEyRbMBJ8gclM9UTLT9zDlA1k/s1600-h/cukeonplant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLku-4zNWlvbtKkh3ZTqlSxjH9IculB3Cc_K7QYOgUrrTrYMzDGVy5ZbVyOrJRufUTts9J46Iv_M6vNbuo6x7skAYh_CpCMebG3hiM26BmLgndt1GsnUJEyRbMBJ8gclM9UTLT9zDlA1k/s320/cukeonplant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375753110566632722" border="0" /></a>Onions? Who mentioned onions? Well, I tested out one onion adage and proved it right - that they will grow in just about any sort of soil. This, on the top terrace, is where I planted a mix of onion sets and seedlings grown from seed:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzLr95PjY1kZLbIRo8U7amvLaQaT9naEjNNar2kt4My6Y4jY5Qbrrn5CmXJK7IiFWTpKnlEEl2YEP7hzWM6OXkH4oF8SoljdgbltEGus5wegaAjzIsEZK97dbSi0JmAj3M68feidZgEM/s1600-h/onionsoil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzLr95PjY1kZLbIRo8U7amvLaQaT9naEjNNar2kt4My6Y4jY5Qbrrn5CmXJK7IiFWTpKnlEEl2YEP7hzWM6OXkH4oF8SoljdgbltEGus5wegaAjzIsEZK97dbSi0JmAj3M68feidZgEM/s320/onionsoil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375758776314659714" border="0" /></a>In gardening parlance it's called crap soil. I pulled out the weeds, dug over the ground, and, on the basis that I was short of compost and <span style="font-style: italic;">terriccio</span> - that's soil improver - I planted. Time to test the old onion adage. More about the soil problems in this <span style="font-style: italic;">orto</span> when I get to the tomatoes, but, suffice to say, I'd tested the soil and it came up pure alkaline - a pH of almost 9.<br /><br />Did it deter the onions? Four months later:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY-wjA1URpl7GrtDlWumJirtxDbirnshQsbhfwLJ2k6DFk8lqctqJJKjhgvE3pY1GF1gU4xZKJrGb3jeUduYE9xNmcwG9jgJ7N1cW9NIp-CnGEzf5wzUNUb6ouC_w76U2VMpCfNR7XZM/s1600-h/onions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY-wjA1URpl7GrtDlWumJirtxDbirnshQsbhfwLJ2k6DFk8lqctqJJKjhgvE3pY1GF1gU4xZKJrGb3jeUduYE9xNmcwG9jgJ7N1cW9NIp-CnGEzf5wzUNUb6ouC_w76U2VMpCfNR7XZM/s320/onions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375760933088051714" border="0" /></a>Some of the 10 dozen I harvested. And, after they'd dried suitably, L'Artista added her touch:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTWg9WkmDacgeIGuRXjqSdI2DrP62Zx4LFWpst_Y96aZAYgmROuseQknbK2BEOpjq_zFsR-gpF0qPJyx6gn9dyPgS43RW5woXaZPtJC6j404dNbjrt3pIublRQv_Ly_UpTPHk7l2Hwls/s1600-h/onions1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTWg9WkmDacgeIGuRXjqSdI2DrP62Zx4LFWpst_Y96aZAYgmROuseQknbK2BEOpjq_zFsR-gpF0qPJyx6gn9dyPgS43RW5woXaZPtJC6j404dNbjrt3pIublRQv_Ly_UpTPHk7l2Hwls/s320/onions1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375761064231583586" border="0" /></a>I suspect onions would grow in concrete.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /></span></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-24995864010125029622009-04-23T14:00:00.013+02:002009-04-23T14:52:58.214+02:00Yup! Spring Has Sprung<span style="font-family:courier new;">Not a sign of a snow flake. He typed, crossing his fingers. Metaphorically, as it were.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkc4laNGMrKp5vWax0pDUNHWI2tLAyO8uxQa-5IvHJA_Yt6KT7bAboU6g_gvcxsJ2rcn1L52Nn8uwSA_vCBTeGVnn0vSMYt66B-rfyg8CfHpX2_DuXKq-bN9nNvHb-QSLrA_El-kOQRk/s1600-h/vista.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkc4laNGMrKp5vWax0pDUNHWI2tLAyO8uxQa-5IvHJA_Yt6KT7bAboU6g_gvcxsJ2rcn1L52Nn8uwSA_vCBTeGVnn0vSMYt66B-rfyg8CfHpX2_DuXKq-bN9nNvHb-QSLrA_El-kOQRk/s320/vista.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327856149062740322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclJ_ISjdaykfzFQhX9O8I8GtwMNar2tQQ_D16gW6kg5t3isnoLvC7MIiESulA9YNCO-2SI9w9fa_32jckQR_brx7ZKz2Izod66fQtGu5pBDXXC9EkLhiSggZ8hoMTZjOtwNmK5tWILKk/s1600-h/vista1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclJ_ISjdaykfzFQhX9O8I8GtwMNar2tQQ_D16gW6kg5t3isnoLvC7MIiESulA9YNCO-2SI9w9fa_32jckQR_brx7ZKz2Izod66fQtGu5pBDXXC9EkLhiSggZ8hoMTZjOtwNmK5tWILKk/s320/vista1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327856419390826274" border="0" /></a>Some things in the garden are raring to go, others are already on their way.<br /><br />In the mini-greenhouse, the tomatoes, hot chillies, sweet chillies, lettuces, capsicums, egg plant and some spring onions are raring:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jqlAPD4ogbapp78a2TsQTFdyTxWwxn2ZEBpEShhHHTdntGLNHXt0tsJC_B1BgnUz2s1G77az7BI4L6W6X7jqOfJpX_Wtz39_9X_sZHrYd5RZ_pcI3EZpzxQLve2FVHec-bRO-LdIeAM/s1600-h/babies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jqlAPD4ogbapp78a2TsQTFdyTxWwxn2ZEBpEShhHHTdntGLNHXt0tsJC_B1BgnUz2s1G77az7BI4L6W6X7jqOfJpX_Wtz39_9X_sZHrYd5RZ_pcI3EZpzxQLve2FVHec-bRO-LdIeAM/s320/babies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327857508737060562" border="0" /></a>Not to mention more spring onions, brown onions, zucchini, cucumber, Kent pumpkin, watermelon and Italian parsley:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83zMkmZnB-q5CvItq5pf8t2jIAOKv1PW2SR6ciBEUGgjBnTk0eZw_YDPA4JRS8_vst_vkEFCynsmh0GLTGCxASFciEDfTgdix3XrjRe9Er8Z2qu4nSPCnfcSVbOyIR2W-FPyHHnLmgtM/s1600-h/babies1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83zMkmZnB-q5CvItq5pf8t2jIAOKv1PW2SR6ciBEUGgjBnTk0eZw_YDPA4JRS8_vst_vkEFCynsmh0GLTGCxASFciEDfTgdix3XrjRe9Er8Z2qu4nSPCnfcSVbOyIR2W-FPyHHnLmgtM/s320/babies1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327857955942915682" border="0" /></a>We're getting mid-teen temperatures most days but it's still single figures overnight, so most of these have another couple of weeks before they hit the ground.<br /><br />Elsewhere, the precocious cherry tree, in its third season in the ground, in its second fruiting season, looks to have at least twice the crop it had last season:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVp0ZxM9ZaecHP2LRNCVQV5M4-C1nsEvYBxu1uquo7TEwAcYRquiZi9QMgK0Tgyr95cjWhxZu0eQNU8rnWpdrlL02ohRAcjw5ursbCfWebtMNl0T4cOQPhhyphenhyphenYZxBwiaiNGPsoAKoA5rs/s1600-h/cherries.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVp0ZxM9ZaecHP2LRNCVQV5M4-C1nsEvYBxu1uquo7TEwAcYRquiZi9QMgK0Tgyr95cjWhxZu0eQNU8rnWpdrlL02ohRAcjw5ursbCfWebtMNl0T4cOQPhhyphenhyphenYZxBwiaiNGPsoAKoA5rs/s320/cherries.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327859378684952114" border="0" /></a>And the Italian version of silver beet, over-wintered under a couple of layers of fleece, is repaying the patience:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8eC3Cr6FdPCUQ8bE_joEEfXhpdt2nn0r_j9L_pZlnjbDlCnozmD1L-uLQYnjvWbrrUhtuPJxUWNvpIMIW0pdDvun7WQ6A3FCmFBkUEwq7ED80-SpXiRx9u4BWBvgX_Mxsb-XsQsWrbw/s1600-h/sbeet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8eC3Cr6FdPCUQ8bE_joEEfXhpdt2nn0r_j9L_pZlnjbDlCnozmD1L-uLQYnjvWbrrUhtuPJxUWNvpIMIW0pdDvun7WQ6A3FCmFBkUEwq7ED80-SpXiRx9u4BWBvgX_Mxsb-XsQsWrbw/s320/sbeet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327859966247393474" border="0" /></a>Even the rocket is getting a shuffle on:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKCbsl1IWRN8QJ5OkemWzFJFs876JmWKgBP3cXTSRCZpUWt1n2wfTZzxGKT4GNxSQbeqOtwb63CbTTq2DephZ_qCBHCEXHzuFD-CMse7phKzCOVY_kuzp2tnOHxAtp3CUly56Ahx-RZk/s1600-h/rocket.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKCbsl1IWRN8QJ5OkemWzFJFs876JmWKgBP3cXTSRCZpUWt1n2wfTZzxGKT4GNxSQbeqOtwb63CbTTq2DephZ_qCBHCEXHzuFD-CMse7phKzCOVY_kuzp2tnOHxAtp3CUly56Ahx-RZk/s320/rocket.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327860533944081522" border="0" /></a>Rocket is very much an early spring crop around here, particularly in this garden. There are next to no shady spots in the garden, and a crop will bolt like a flash as soon as things heat up.<br /><br />The first stringless French climbing beans went in early:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmloIO8dP15f0zradZPf5dfCFi-ColbOF8eKyB5xkWUE7Xl-QOMRX9g3NrDer8iLTMRe9lNLFffn2O1C0-V4-qRR5XKNcnVEgSjP0raBDLuETwQdnOoDrQXV_pruE3_UxgyFzpKq__HA/s1600-h/beans.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmloIO8dP15f0zradZPf5dfCFi-ColbOF8eKyB5xkWUE7Xl-QOMRX9g3NrDer8iLTMRe9lNLFffn2O1C0-V4-qRR5XKNcnVEgSjP0raBDLuETwQdnOoDrQXV_pruE3_UxgyFzpKq__HA/s320/beans.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327861499852225538" border="0" /></a>And possibly a couple of weeks early. They were started in the mini-greenhouse, flourished, and two or three consecutive days of high teens temperatures seduced me into planting them out. Of course, things immediately turned chilly and damp. But they're battling along.<br /><br />Now, <a href="http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/">L'Artista </a>is altogether fond of steamed baby new potatoes. Trouble is, Italy doesn't really do potatoes in terms of a wide variety of same. Look for seed potatoes here and you have a choice of white, yellow or red, all maincrop. Our very kind English neighbours - they have a holiday apartment at the top of our building - offered to help out. Last time they came, they brought a handful of one of the nicest new earlies, <a href="http://www.thompson-morgan.com/potatoes1/product/zww5020/1.html">Arran Pilot</a>, and, on the basis that I have limited growing space, half of them went into a tub of compost:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP4B3xoiuHBQgARt2e0iCbvEvxklk2BtUet1IIcfJIsrP0fdJmqIDay5RTyPLuYvWHpKWUiW2qq2DgCwhdqyM4xKTvhFfTC371iK7n79jRT6Qzh8nsmtLf6AagemAxpQrR7w9wd9t81o/s1600-h/spuds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP4B3xoiuHBQgARt2e0iCbvEvxklk2BtUet1IIcfJIsrP0fdJmqIDay5RTyPLuYvWHpKWUiW2qq2DgCwhdqyM4xKTvhFfTC371iK7n79jRT6Qzh8nsmtLf6AagemAxpQrR7w9wd9t81o/s320/spuds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327864787542578066" border="0" /></a>They've already developed since this photo. In fact, they had their first hilling the other day. The other half went into the ground. L'Artista will have no complaints this potato season.<br /><br />Elsewhere, the carrots - Amsterdam Forcing, a wonderful early, sweet variety - are poking their feathery tops out of the ground:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqANdzZFSrRjOkLlY4xie1AFCC9CToqd5axDiBGAJ2b-37icqqStww-VxYyXvOwiEHntl1VpovEp5KhI9Pq2QKdwLv5ggYhT2BZ9bpCbOA17rY1lcOwYnTgouDIlPKAl5JR6hBBH1yRPE/s1600-h/carrots.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqANdzZFSrRjOkLlY4xie1AFCC9CToqd5axDiBGAJ2b-37icqqStww-VxYyXvOwiEHntl1VpovEp5KhI9Pq2QKdwLv5ggYhT2BZ9bpCbOA17rY1lcOwYnTgouDIlPKAl5JR6hBBH1yRPE/s320/carrots.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327865975495456946" border="0" /></a>And the radishes are doing their version of the same:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflJPbeTDhVlp34LBdcG7ProJ_WtLbD_POPQ3SubQ5puVe4xCy3K-kudbps07_wEH6g8C7fUaEGzI9IsUh9jC3Nala8tF4e3Y9IZu1eJ8x0gWoVu4F_5U-KDq_c8oQwvjf2mtvirXATAA/s1600-h/radishes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflJPbeTDhVlp34LBdcG7ProJ_WtLbD_POPQ3SubQ5puVe4xCy3K-kudbps07_wEH6g8C7fUaEGzI9IsUh9jC3Nala8tF4e3Y9IZu1eJ8x0gWoVu4F_5U-KDq_c8oQwvjf2mtvirXATAA/s320/radishes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327866089865266610" border="0" /></a>And last but not least, for this post anyway, the rhubarb is getting a rattle on:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtebQalRVkmlUmJ7Ak98sajUOm4bRaCWWuOkDPjwbxd5UgkfBVQer7oS6S89bNOdXvtwe5ioQfRvXPUm2V9MLh0YIZB_nAqgPgo7hsOwkS_Y5FA6LhME8cus9w4D0lN_MIbOn-H_MFmd4/s1600-h/rhubarb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtebQalRVkmlUmJ7Ak98sajUOm4bRaCWWuOkDPjwbxd5UgkfBVQer7oS6S89bNOdXvtwe5ioQfRvXPUm2V9MLh0YIZB_nAqgPgo7hsOwkS_Y5FA6LhME8cus9w4D0lN_MIbOn-H_MFmd4/s320/rhubarb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327866216868456818" border="0" /></a>Last year, I planted three seedlings started by a friend. Rhubarb grown from seed can be a dicey proposition at the best of times. Two didn't make it through the icy winter. This one did. The two fatalities hit the compost heap. L'Artista saved this one from a similar fate - as fond as I am of rhubarb, it takes up so much space in a small garden - and I transplanted it into a pot full of compost on the terrace. And it's booming. It can thank L'Artista.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-10951431000816036452009-04-04T13:39:00.006+02:002009-04-04T14:03:56.259+02:00Spring One Day, Winter The Next<span style="font-family:courier new;">Why are blogs like mouths? Because you open them and end up sounding like a proper dill.<br /><br />Last time I mused that spring was springing. Finally. I had started my onion seeds, followed rapidly by the tomatoes, capsicum, chillies, various lettuces - in fact, the whole gamut.<br /><br />About ten days later - which is to say, only a couple of weeks ago - this is what we woke to:<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU7JV3_5DN-Tk-QTjip5kfsy9tX-emZlNP4qVW85xRZvq9F51fG1Grh640cVtMuE8LBxm0Lu560N8kqa-d6OqXuXSMxyE4D1JHUjjzF8FlVgMm54Fxq3pJz2a5GwoGJcdrtaCaSqabjo/s1600-h/snow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU7JV3_5DN-Tk-QTjip5kfsy9tX-emZlNP4qVW85xRZvq9F51fG1Grh640cVtMuE8LBxm0Lu560N8kqa-d6OqXuXSMxyE4D1JHUjjzF8FlVgMm54Fxq3pJz2a5GwoGJcdrtaCaSqabjo/s320/snow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320800901024658386" border="0" /></a>That's not a photo taken through a dirty window. Nor has a cotton-stuffed cushion been disembowelled and tossed in the air.<br /><br />It's snow. That's right. S.N.O.W.<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br />The seeds that had germinated were already basking in their little greenhouse warmed by the spring sunshine.<br /><br />Well, they were, until they discovered they were looking out on snow:<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl37utaAXW4oLiz8FQ-Bhl1kC6kacMt2Uud3PJ0Et7N_XX23_xmxZVS9yhurDJ30FQGS1UYT6ESONCvwssDJ0MLltn0UmQp7YlL-RYiYxuXzFrPzznBx0xegDRQVqU-wkq7tSuvlOOxNo/s1600-h/snow1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl37utaAXW4oLiz8FQ-Bhl1kC6kacMt2Uud3PJ0Et7N_XX23_xmxZVS9yhurDJ30FQGS1UYT6ESONCvwssDJ0MLltn0UmQp7YlL-RYiYxuXzFrPzznBx0xegDRQVqU-wkq7tSuvlOOxNo/s320/snow1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320802230629064386" border="0" /></a>I'd also uncovered the strawberries from their winter cocoon of a triple layer of garden fleece:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxNlTdn20awtqIBGBNmezanKGWw5RYRU6V7wIYOQy2wvGjZ04bi_IVBfTaEFwb9jCaboZn5MbPqoANJWjb1AXxxRidjVtx6Q7nTtiAyiVus4_6WMbWwTtYoljMzFYOADqfmho2mMV8sI/s1600-h/snow2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxNlTdn20awtqIBGBNmezanKGWw5RYRU6V7wIYOQy2wvGjZ04bi_IVBfTaEFwb9jCaboZn5MbPqoANJWjb1AXxxRidjVtx6Q7nTtiAyiVus4_6WMbWwTtYoljMzFYOADqfmho2mMV8sI/s320/snow2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320803658403358706" border="0" /></a>That's them just visible on the right. They coped. Remarkable plants, strawbs. Now they're flowering.<br /><br />Tomorrow, 19C is forecast. The day after? The garden shudders to think.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-64396989957860455542009-03-08T13:22:00.009+01:002009-03-08T13:55:23.804+01:00Spring Is Springing If Not Yet Entirely SprungBarely three weeks ago, this was the sight that greeted us in the gardens just outside the town's front gate:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMB_Ot1OPZpDtItirr6qTWlJDMOY4x5PQd_gRCiJXxcWT8NRK4WcSMiHjkqt8ibbbWmOXh5zMjjrsX97ZUl8XtQZTFvqbYav6elrrJXNJB1hbUMiZndGDhB6G_ALWAu9qNfT0oWQVCHY/s1600-h/fountain.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMB_Ot1OPZpDtItirr6qTWlJDMOY4x5PQd_gRCiJXxcWT8NRK4WcSMiHjkqt8ibbbWmOXh5zMjjrsX97ZUl8XtQZTFvqbYav6elrrJXNJB1hbUMiZndGDhB6G_ALWAu9qNfT0oWQVCHY/s320/fountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310792215800352370" border="0" /></a>Yes, that's ice. The flowers around the fountain were doing it tough, too:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5LrTM4bNGfsLj_7bDRx_idLZByTW89mTy7UH3I22fWCXKvDkdIAjm8ko35mhaaNNa42tZ6031TM7sPi8SHzuPzSQkyTEqCbZIZ0nw4UJ3tuUimn614qhoP5GmDggkaxxEY23enXKK4E/s1600-h/ice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5LrTM4bNGfsLj_7bDRx_idLZByTW89mTy7UH3I22fWCXKvDkdIAjm8ko35mhaaNNa42tZ6031TM7sPi8SHzuPzSQkyTEqCbZIZ0nw4UJ3tuUimn614qhoP5GmDggkaxxEY23enXKK4E/s320/ice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310792593578036130" border="0" /></a>Today, the sky is as clear and blue as three weeks ago, but it's 14C. A good enough excuse to start the first vegie seeds of the season:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhq0UllPFluIYDT5Xlw9jeYbITZVUM2MgKwTYmh3iD33EPQDYCimP8C25XA-swMQZjVIOUOPHx4I-IeS1HaXDg-nEC0OeUAORo2zDtwmNKQkxa5zxbc0zj2yXmy3wY7S2c_UzhkEShug/s1600-h/onions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhq0UllPFluIYDT5Xlw9jeYbITZVUM2MgKwTYmh3iD33EPQDYCimP8C25XA-swMQZjVIOUOPHx4I-IeS1HaXDg-nEC0OeUAORo2zDtwmNKQkxa5zxbc0zj2yXmy3wY7S2c_UzhkEShug/s320/onions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310793188328014994" border="0" /></a>That's <span style="font-style: italic;">Cipolla Tropea Rossa Lunga</span>, the long red onion from Tropea, Calabria, in southern Italy. Almost cigar-shaped, they're the sweetest onions you'll come across in a day's march. Absolutely delicious very finely sliced in salads.<br /><br />And here are the seeds keeping warm in their improvised greenhouse until they germinate:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43SxH6XBqDdN6vQqj_lKNdo7jRC4F2ByumHZS3vXk1jLxHqqZ6BwjjzmEK8YX4lN6iiXaseOnC9Mv1ru-uMqSSTpSMLb2t2b5175m6dgmPghs51QQoIfb1Ky-rPdZaZCPpYFWMwCjjQg/s1600-h/keepingwarm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43SxH6XBqDdN6vQqj_lKNdo7jRC4F2ByumHZS3vXk1jLxHqqZ6BwjjzmEK8YX4lN6iiXaseOnC9Mv1ru-uMqSSTpSMLb2t2b5175m6dgmPghs51QQoIfb1Ky-rPdZaZCPpYFWMwCjjQg/s320/keepingwarm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310797261442510066" border="0" /></a>It's impossible to underestimate how thrilled <a href="http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/">L'Artista</a> is every spring to have the espresso machine and every heater in the place loaded with seed trays inside plastic bags.<br /><br />In the next week or so, it'll be time to start the tomatoes, capsicums, chillies and all sorts of other good things.<br /><br />The distant thuds you hear is L'Artista beating her head against a wall.<br /><br />In the meantime, there are winter weeds to clear.<br /><br />Send down the sun, Huey.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-68860216750441153062008-12-28T13:38:00.003+01:002008-12-28T13:49:13.565+01:00Remember that Pumpkin?<span style="font-family:courier new;">That <a href="http://ourtuscangarden.blogspot.com/search/label/Kent%20pumpkins">single solitary Kent pumpkin</a>? The paltry end result of three vines producing a zillion male flowers and only one female flower over an entire summer?<br /><br />It sacrificed itself in a very good cause - lunch on Christmas Day:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFvznU6iYbVrBaYT1jVDv5b3d47y86pyAxgYfZg6POphk2WjB61wEtFPqTlnNLe0OSzFJfNFd8khkOsBdt-JrndoyZuk3yWA2f9aam8GUKzzBG3Bvb1a8Swj8lcojngMUPX2NrAQMlLc/s1600-h/DSC_1886.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFvznU6iYbVrBaYT1jVDv5b3d47y86pyAxgYfZg6POphk2WjB61wEtFPqTlnNLe0OSzFJfNFd8khkOsBdt-JrndoyZuk3yWA2f9aam8GUKzzBG3Bvb1a8Swj8lcojngMUPX2NrAQMlLc/s320/DSC_1886.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284820810507610834" border="0" /></a><br />And it was scrummy. Nothing roasts as wonderfully as a Kent pumpkin.<br /><br />More next summer, please, Garden God.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-67483720782747965042008-12-28T10:22:00.007+01:002008-12-28T10:34:36.993+01:00You know it really is winter ...<span style="font-family:courier new;">... when the first snow falls on your Tuscan garden.<br /><br />The strawbs snuggle up under their fleece blanket:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuwL4ZM0IVKmFHK9qe4qJ73aFsPu7kEHi2wL0Zw0plHCZaog-jAOYZMp1_WnwE7OodTyn1KIqxda9cKso_pJW5puRgKahcBCRz3s5LFTRj2qhJg1tFGiSQPYmPWFBqWOK1uwWZdJBDGQ/s1600-h/strawbsnow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuwL4ZM0IVKmFHK9qe4qJ73aFsPu7kEHi2wL0Zw0plHCZaog-jAOYZMp1_WnwE7OodTyn1KIqxda9cKso_pJW5puRgKahcBCRz3s5LFTRj2qhJg1tFGiSQPYmPWFBqWOK1uwWZdJBDGQ/s320/strawbsnow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284769728869792466" border="0" /></a>The broad beans tough it out:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZP7ibyCbF_fqEXVKu4zHz8-XYuzuCGcZ5pDxdb3keiMUGjMXzhuKI3kxrjJRQiDx87HgiiTcMt2c1exApveDVH2Mp7cOwAFpxpLOAeoWurSlAxRyJ2PZdpkHwfTYl3xYpDr1_xkxtxh0/s1600-h/favesnow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZP7ibyCbF_fqEXVKu4zHz8-XYuzuCGcZ5pDxdb3keiMUGjMXzhuKI3kxrjJRQiDx87HgiiTcMt2c1exApveDVH2Mp7cOwAFpxpLOAeoWurSlAxRyJ2PZdpkHwfTYl3xYpDr1_xkxtxh0/s320/favesnow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284770031206849890" border="0" /></a><br />As does the garlic:<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O7OoyekNyxqDlLlrEcR3zE3BFZ0zozzMXs-v-9D_UKtpRUKraYw-Hv_drp-f8ycNXVFsI2uda0J12BuYmL-RPQSeB6zeSFFQfzwHToKXORLhsy5ShPktsW1ouHBO_3ZHW63bsus9KX4/s1600-h/garlicsnow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O7OoyekNyxqDlLlrEcR3zE3BFZ0zozzMXs-v-9D_UKtpRUKraYw-Hv_drp-f8ycNXVFsI2uda0J12BuYmL-RPQSeB6zeSFFQfzwHToKXORLhsy5ShPktsW1ouHBO_3ZHW63bsus9KX4/s320/garlicsnow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284770301533725154" border="0" /></a><br />And the lemon tree shivers inside its overcoat:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD59sCgRkrTMgDvBPYEqRwXtL-R_MGEa62sWPjLdVPFGvuF_WvwulatiZsC27N4AivjSBPLMoo7wq9c3CAW5lolu8NvV-_z_6RD4fyksAv2e2r6T3cdSKHqu1EioFpIudaS9ZHkWKTiY/s1600-h/lemonsnow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD59sCgRkrTMgDvBPYEqRwXtL-R_MGEa62sWPjLdVPFGvuF_WvwulatiZsC27N4AivjSBPLMoo7wq9c3CAW5lolu8NvV-_z_6RD4fyksAv2e2r6T3cdSKHqu1EioFpIudaS9ZHkWKTiY/s320/lemonsnow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284770910904383618" border="0" /></a><br />In five months time, it will be 35C.<br /><br />Variety is the spice.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-10522390134542159252008-12-20T10:56:00.004+01:002008-12-20T11:11:25.366+01:00One good thing about winter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH7GOOFT02EPGIDQh46LHHOLOAqqvnFnc1WqpmHU4OFaXtjlyP8MP2qfSbiXUHDR0MsUeN3BrGr-y1FdvA1ilHJaIbfagRvMC0GMoMI7LHmUuLx2OHzWBfT-zHRlwblZtPFO5AI4EIg4/s1600-h/parsnip.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH7GOOFT02EPGIDQh46LHHOLOAqqvnFnc1WqpmHU4OFaXtjlyP8MP2qfSbiXUHDR0MsUeN3BrGr-y1FdvA1ilHJaIbfagRvMC0GMoMI7LHmUuLx2OHzWBfT-zHRlwblZtPFO5AI4EIg4/s320/parsnip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281809205174060818" border="0" /></a>Harvesting parsnips!<br /><br />In Italian, parsnip is known as <span style="font-style: italic;">pastinaca</span>. But try to find one anywhere in central or southern Italy. They're virtually unknown. Lorenzo, our neighbour, didn't even recognise the photo on the seed packet. His wife, Marina, did. She had seen them in Prague. But never tried them.<br /><br />They're known in the north, especially around Parma, because they're fed to the pig population, source of the glorious Parma ham. A noble cause, but the locals don't know what they're missing out on.<br /><br />I feel a bit like Emperor Tiberius. It's said that he brought parsnips to Rome from France and Germany.<br /><br />Well, a couple of thousand years later, I'm bringing them to central Italy.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-24995028820507873462008-11-17T12:14:00.013+01:002008-11-17T13:12:00.943+01:00Grey, Damp and Chilly<span style="font-family:courier new;">It's autumn. It's seriously autumn. The occasionally sunny day, but mostly grey, the air heavy with moisture, and nothing above 10° Celsius.<br /><br />The strawberries are already under cover:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH7TwV5iGuEL91EarTOXbLODE2DkeZeatnSEdN19uUKramJYWjbayqEXP7_zR7XwV8DW-qItwlxgrnWv8sbi6RIHagBYm6xRm4KdaakYC8NxWx_f21FgOrGEMqWQzRZUIqrtdfJesorw/s1600-h/strawbs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH7TwV5iGuEL91EarTOXbLODE2DkeZeatnSEdN19uUKramJYWjbayqEXP7_zR7XwV8DW-qItwlxgrnWv8sbi6RIHagBYm6xRm4KdaakYC8NxWx_f21FgOrGEMqWQzRZUIqrtdfJesorw/s320/strawbs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269584395012084130" border="0" /></a>That's a double layer of fleece. Should see them through till spring.<br /><br />Next door to the strawbs, the Florence fennel is going gangbusters:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZlvNnmJ699wDPsnpv7xYgNVAuQsZ8yYUli79GYJPj1vay3nrxOpg07yQr78ILVurg0XxzVByhMQGGzoC07Psa1KCPjHXkOuuISRlqXU2XKSKJXveDYwvNSTXEr864k_jqlt8TZTab6Y/s1600-h/fennel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZlvNnmJ699wDPsnpv7xYgNVAuQsZ8yYUli79GYJPj1vay3nrxOpg07yQr78ILVurg0XxzVByhMQGGzoC07Psa1KCPjHXkOuuISRlqXU2XKSKJXveDYwvNSTXEr864k_jqlt8TZTab6Y/s320/fennel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269584822422796610" border="0" /></a>Late-summer into autumn is the only time to grow Florence fennel around here. Spring-planted, it bolts as soon as the summer heat arrives.<br /><br />Up on the second terrace, next year's garlic supply has not only been planted, it's already up:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGukASTxcYyYegUntlQ_cSNh_2wbRlIwRGNf20wynKV1j_ARNACo_ZbaUt5Yv76EFQ0c4WwG0_FEbhELhXaQsayCh-o_m4gnEdD4PKHZoVvfxcWHhkXT2iSpwdV6vWMyTZ6BYF4HmDgU/s1600-h/garlic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGukASTxcYyYegUntlQ_cSNh_2wbRlIwRGNf20wynKV1j_ARNACo_ZbaUt5Yv76EFQ0c4WwG0_FEbhELhXaQsayCh-o_m4gnEdD4PKHZoVvfxcWHhkXT2iSpwdV6vWMyTZ6BYF4HmDgU/s320/garlic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269586156062295154" border="0" /></a>The shortest day of the year - December 21st in these parts - is traditionally the garlic-planting date. I start earlier in order to give them a head start before the serious cold hits. I bought White Italian seed garlic from the local <span style="font-style: italic;">Agricolo</span> or agricultural supplies store.<br /><br />And, from experience, I selected and planted only the fattest, healthiest cloves. Growing garlic really is a case of harvesting what you sow. Plant skinny, shrivelled cloves and that's what you'll harvest.<br /><br />Next door to the garlic, for the heck of it, I've established a test-planting of Savoy cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_ljjJbY12O5lb43tk8M8h7n3c1fHS63NtQ75EXZ-W3ssFiGVjgLgLnxOq3kh1eyJUybAAq0wV8uSKQjFPQfOKXOB4ccB8OFJBqx7eJi_g224OJ6RUGiTNVVw4OhM8629uhif74R0VWc/s1600-h/cabbage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_ljjJbY12O5lb43tk8M8h7n3c1fHS63NtQ75EXZ-W3ssFiGVjgLgLnxOq3kh1eyJUybAAq0wV8uSKQjFPQfOKXOB4ccB8OFJBqx7eJi_g224OJ6RUGiTNVVw4OhM8629uhif74R0VWc/s320/cabbage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269588300485014386" border="0" /></a>It's a test because I didn't bother trying to grow anything - apart from garlic - over last autumn and winter. The fact is, the garden is south-facing and sees no sun at all after early October because the sun, low in the sky, never gets above the medieval wall that forms our back fence. Such is the price of a medieval back fence.<br /><br />In the same experimental vein, I've planted an early variety of broad beans:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3BEW4Z5AVY3jWPaMq37z8hpYdxuiQ5XNs08Xu1Xha5w9vt2527_rHgAE5AsJot96nmaf4pPsCI6J805fPeBQzpm1P9TghdTzBj_D-PAg0IvKZ6jb69cnosBm7cSsuLJT7-afdwKvp80/s1600-h/fave.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3BEW4Z5AVY3jWPaMq37z8hpYdxuiQ5XNs08Xu1Xha5w9vt2527_rHgAE5AsJot96nmaf4pPsCI6J805fPeBQzpm1P9TghdTzBj_D-PAg0IvKZ6jb69cnosBm7cSsuLJT7-afdwKvp80/s320/fave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269596138137454402" border="0" /></a>They will cope with the low temperatures, whether they'll cope with the lack of sun is a different matter. Thus far, fair enough. And, yes, I need to weed.<br /><br />The English Spinach, next door to the broad beans, are equally in need of a weed:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8xfFE9lXVIkGhobbne-Nmj1yz4j7nS_kH9Q-jSd3Of7CfO87nC16pU6L_Cve11Lq1AkOiy-vWyt0mW411EeEOthjhkIGVJwm6tzaaW0c4mK0LMNoVwmO1vgtyX0cia1DIZdW64NeXZQ/s1600-h/spinach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8xfFE9lXVIkGhobbne-Nmj1yz4j7nS_kH9Q-jSd3Of7CfO87nC16pU6L_Cve11Lq1AkOiy-vWyt0mW411EeEOthjhkIGVJwm6tzaaW0c4mK0LMNoVwmO1vgtyX0cia1DIZdW64NeXZQ/s320/spinach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269596769165391570" border="0" /></a>Meanwhile, on the top terrace, <a href="http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/">L'Artista's</a> penchant for black figs has been addressed:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcYNviWeIsP7Wn5Nq0cQomfNY6QJGyLJVKzeEB35HrUWS2TsnT1Ua2SoWYVRjx6SyPRS7MkPa15yzCnXi3Kji9niEIl9IJDfaLG-lWrDwNmk46r3zqqTPlrQhUUPbhPTYk1W0nCnWIRQ/s1600-h/blackfig.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcYNviWeIsP7Wn5Nq0cQomfNY6QJGyLJVKzeEB35HrUWS2TsnT1Ua2SoWYVRjx6SyPRS7MkPa15yzCnXi3Kji9niEIl9IJDfaLG-lWrDwNmk46r3zqqTPlrQhUUPbhPTYk1W0nCnWIRQ/s320/blackfig.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269590812913711362" border="0" /></a>I established this baby from cuttings taken from a friend's black fig tree earlier this year. I've also planted it in what amounts to a bottomless box - the roots contained on four sides by large tiles buried on their edge. The theory goes that containing a fig's roots produces a more compact tree and superior fruit production. We shall see.<br /><br />It, along with its mates, spent its first couple of months on the terrace in pots of barely moist potting mix, out of the hot sun, partly enclosed in a plastic shopping bag to create a sympathetic, slighty humid growing environment.<br /><br />Eventually, with root structures developed, the plastic bags came off and the babies were left to develop:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoxlOPSjZCz3Q4ImZt8TM4qlEMYPASOTVq4iS1NoT5f17F9HunTeBAl4RPa9jupvU3aqjdZaCO-JsWZzPh96of9mvr0sTWzw0KSludatxrpjPudCo84TrsbE3hAFr7v-vSRv2QBlbo_U/s1600-h/figs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoxlOPSjZCz3Q4ImZt8TM4qlEMYPASOTVq4iS1NoT5f17F9HunTeBAl4RPa9jupvU3aqjdZaCO-JsWZzPh96of9mvr0sTWzw0KSludatxrpjPudCo84TrsbE3hAFr7v-vSRv2QBlbo_U/s320/figs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269593795323797970" border="0" /></a>The one on the left is the one I've planted. Of the other two, one is for a friend's garden and the third is a spare.<br /><br />Roll on the black figs.<br /><br />And roll on spring!The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-79193003690863458522008-11-17T11:53:00.015+01:002008-12-09T12:45:30.273+01:00Olive Stuff<span style="font-family:courier new;">Which isn't to say Stuffed Olives. But you can.<br /><br />This is our token Tuscan olive tree:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5XUsihYF6VtWHRKNCB2HhbHMXuz2Eeprb8z6aipduhBidenv8IUD38y1z1kgtaneYK1fxP7kseMlUCQZfzFN0VXU784L2CDoVtdfv_xJdrdT_Axo2R_HvF2smgRm_YG80u1h1PNCAaw/s1600-h/olives.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5XUsihYF6VtWHRKNCB2HhbHMXuz2Eeprb8z6aipduhBidenv8IUD38y1z1kgtaneYK1fxP7kseMlUCQZfzFN0VXU784L2CDoVtdfv_xJdrdT_Axo2R_HvF2smgRm_YG80u1h1PNCAaw/s320/olives.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269578680810064386" border="0" /></a>It's had a curious history with us. Two autumns ago, our first year here, it fruited. If not bountifully. <a href="http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/">L'Artista</a> managed to pickle a single small jar of olives.<br /><br />Last autumn, zero. Zilch. Zip. I investigated. There is, apparently, a syndrome that causes olive trees only to fruit every two years. I still don't understand it. Why should today be different?<br /><br />Be that as it may, this year, after some deft pruning and other appropriate care, it coughed up a surprising number of the little beggars:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbEwqNuTpR0whBJxOMXeiqeqkumABEZ-jX52d1c10oVDLSqiHC6PbiCsYwVxu_z_cOB9zFfO9YQjF4CcR-hd56fS6fisyzcjjT1SLz1PXn5XeVN5fBuqLMKzH2qsXT7Nq82LIrIWdQ7I/s1600-h/olives1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbEwqNuTpR0whBJxOMXeiqeqkumABEZ-jX52d1c10oVDLSqiHC6PbiCsYwVxu_z_cOB9zFfO9YQjF4CcR-hd56fS6fisyzcjjT1SLz1PXn5XeVN5fBuqLMKzH2qsXT7Nq82LIrIWdQ7I/s320/olives1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269580469319628978" border="0" /></a><br />And here, for your edification, is <a href="http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/">L'Artista's</a> quick and handy guide to pickling olives.<br /><br />First, use a sharp knife to slice into each olive, creating just enough of a slit to allow the brine solution to penetrate:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WhOuQ-68Ya7q-aQ1TSzK6WR7s95LLRyfbrfMK-T1MCYqjQuQIwUHrP7ZmSzqziQai_0KXJZ23b1CkuLa_Jz8wqyUtu3nm6-UTqoYrTo6IN_sk6v-3nrxJ6oQx1EoJMvxowHr6ZZtUHo/s1600-h/olives2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WhOuQ-68Ya7q-aQ1TSzK6WR7s95LLRyfbrfMK-T1MCYqjQuQIwUHrP7ZmSzqziQai_0KXJZ23b1CkuLa_Jz8wqyUtu3nm6-UTqoYrTo6IN_sk6v-3nrxJ6oQx1EoJMvxowHr6ZZtUHo/s320/olives2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269581391965981202" border="0" /></a><br />Next, tip the prepared olives into a container large enough to hold all the olives and the brine solution:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5LnMLCtrXqJPax9ok7txDZvF3_KcO9B7eICsFkVXcglYjSFGYB0UwTaaMO-XuLzut78i4myCG6BRQnr57vMUxSCtCRxtFndE6Tt2WqSaLSGz7AKHR_7ObVswNJ5Xtds3RLp9EjrvR7o/s1600-h/olives3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5LnMLCtrXqJPax9ok7txDZvF3_KcO9B7eICsFkVXcglYjSFGYB0UwTaaMO-XuLzut78i4myCG6BRQnr57vMUxSCtCRxtFndE6Tt2WqSaLSGz7AKHR_7ObVswNJ5Xtds3RLp9EjrvR7o/s320/olives3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277744705249046322" border="0" /></a><br />That's them in the container with coarse salt, the beginnings of the brine solution. <span style="font-family:courier new;">The brine solution is 1/2 cup of coarse salt to 10 cups of water allowing sufficient water to cover completely the olives.<br /><br />Cover the container.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeBZI6FGv5npTy6Zh0o6J-KW1hRdVCrQFl7OXsYEbdKKIurSVw8IkbctrvJB263NTPlTXJt6iWgDSQzJ29xBB349ta9Nmllp1y94BrL9iio-6hwQ2pjjWrFP-EurMtkWI5laFoDA87rM/s1600-h/olives5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeBZI6FGv5npTy6Zh0o6J-KW1hRdVCrQFl7OXsYEbdKKIurSVw8IkbctrvJB263NTPlTXJt6iWgDSQzJ29xBB349ta9Nmllp1y94BrL9iio-6hwQ2pjjWrFP-EurMtkWI5laFoDA87rM/s320/olives5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277749892731077858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br />Next day, drain the brine solution, replace it with fresh solution and cover the container. To save having to measure out the water each time, mark the water level on the container and fill it to that level. Repeat the draining, replacing and covering process every day until the olives have lost their bitterness.<br /><br />As a rule of thumb, black olives take around 10 days, green olives around 12. Towards those deadlines, try the taste test on an olive. If there's still too much bitterness, give it another day, draining and replacing the brine solution. Or another few days. Until they're right for you.<br /><br />When you're satisfied, sterilise your storage jars by submerging them in boiling water for 5 minutes.<br /><br />Drain the olives and transfer them to the sterilised jars.<br /><br />To preserve the olives, prepare a brine of 1 cup of coarse salt to 10 cups of water. Bring the solution to the boil, then cool. Add the cooled solution to the jars to cover completely the olives:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2-Z4lBPOtbuP1oprtuagnlEaKBUpa2MkF1xYOUuFg4qHa-rBAuP1YsEtIkrTxckD2Jg0VY8td94TCcAwyu5IW5_3Q84lUnkuDNTOsWvIU6Q7HRG4AzULApJMDfG6fB-LfDFTzYLbVpk/s1600-h/olives6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2-Z4lBPOtbuP1oprtuagnlEaKBUpa2MkF1xYOUuFg4qHa-rBAuP1YsEtIkrTxckD2Jg0VY8td94TCcAwyu5IW5_3Q84lUnkuDNTOsWvIU6Q7HRG4AzULApJMDfG6fB-LfDFTzYLbVpk/s320/olives6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277750410055716674" border="0" /></a><br />Then, to protect the olives from any air, add 1cm of olive oil:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP0CQ8cz_JFI2k4ukDiRSGm306zodtyq3x66qgXBuhgWOIIXIUgb9vC6xspkYtDII66dQdr3EaQOfg923F2c7lYWW0d0jQ8-UOpanC17uWsPtHizxAtKAO7gYov4RpclVVVfOhR_buyo/s1600-h/olives8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP0CQ8cz_JFI2k4ukDiRSGm306zodtyq3x66qgXBuhgWOIIXIUgb9vC6xspkYtDII66dQdr3EaQOfg923F2c7lYWW0d0jQ8-UOpanC17uWsPtHizxAtKAO7gYov4RpclVVVfOhR_buyo/s320/olives8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277751041849011458" border="0" /></a><br />Until you're looking at this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsntGBr0OOXsc8T-ubiwGro1ew6H872UT4N2HLWqRxFi6nOjHgH1TWJbAn9C0bPKwIqxK9-URrHGJzFQ503-Xnt4r2M-KLVBSIHVbwwUtazXDu0T2Pjrp0OJCRiAERNlcxeDnRUNHswBI/s1600-h/olives9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsntGBr0OOXsc8T-ubiwGro1ew6H872UT4N2HLWqRxFi6nOjHgH1TWJbAn9C0bPKwIqxK9-URrHGJzFQ503-Xnt4r2M-KLVBSIHVbwwUtazXDu0T2Pjrp0OJCRiAERNlcxeDnRUNHswBI/s320/olives9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277751516062121106" border="0" /></a><br />Screw the lids tightly onto the jars and store them until you feel the urge for some home-pickled olives.<br /><br />When the time comes, drain the oil and brine solution from a jar, fill the jar with cool water and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.<br /><br />Maybe even drizzled with good quality EVOO and some fresh herbs.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-7689915479804384492008-10-18T14:12:00.004+02:002008-10-18T14:26:08.071+02:00When too much Basilico isn't enough<span style="font-family:courier new;">Last year, with a poultice of basil in the garden and winter rapidly approaching, <a href="http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/">L'Artista</a> kept promising to do something about it. No sense letting lovely fresh basil go to waste.<br /><br />No Sirrrrrreeeeee, Roberto.<br /><br />She promptly let it all go to waste, shrivelled and blackened by the cold.<br /><br />Sheesh.<br /><br />This year, I've taken charge:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr3UInI2fbt-DULyi8qyNkKYc8ExurdFolORTtON5Q_5p8iQA0IQRnTllw-cHQISTjmQ7a-kDHWnJdR8ao6ACAXzgq9AzZW8Q_SfRP-fzYrhnQGJcpNz1OhgNqy3_NHIpllY7BrzI7RQ/s1600-h/pesto1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr3UInI2fbt-DULyi8qyNkKYc8ExurdFolORTtON5Q_5p8iQA0IQRnTllw-cHQISTjmQ7a-kDHWnJdR8ao6ACAXzgq9AzZW8Q_SfRP-fzYrhnQGJcpNz1OhgNqy3_NHIpllY7BrzI7RQ/s320/pesto1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258467208093216546" border="0" /></a>Thus we have plenty of Pesto. Fresh, stored under oil in the fridge for immediate use, with the balance in the freezer, in variously sized portions, minus the <span style="font-style: italic;">reggiano</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">pecorino</span> and butter, which will be added when the Pesto is thawed for use.<br /><br />Go you good thing, Pesto.<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-68148357178139654892008-10-18T10:30:00.006+02:002008-10-18T10:55:08.727+02:00Pumpkins Shmumpkins Redux!<span style="font-family:courier new;">Sure enough! Yesterday I was prowling the pumpkin patch, railing against the dearth of female flowers and subsequent lack of pumpkins, and what do I find?<br /><br />This:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rHLpxYV-sMY6I_cnSuR6HQZY5qIXTPX9P9VD4q3L0iCAJgtjywbJ83izo4cSSWfzRtvF69JIUyXyFqmLftIUttOAZ_vJOmjUKwjtGBzhi-_HgnaC8RInHMJBT71zXKTOWNe8eSpgvCY/s1600-h/pump.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rHLpxYV-sMY6I_cnSuR6HQZY5qIXTPX9P9VD4q3L0iCAJgtjywbJ83izo4cSSWfzRtvF69JIUyXyFqmLftIUttOAZ_vJOmjUKwjtGBzhi-_HgnaC8RInHMJBT71zXKTOWNe8eSpgvCY/s320/pump.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258409734710166274" border="0" /></a>And, yes, that's another one developing to its left. And, what's more, there was also this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aBUHalJUQHSHd_UMSg_bH6klY5cHo6n7bXwWv8WPNr9TvWIrlUznM07D3Ya7s0XtEGApdv0N3zzqjvh8GXsMtHuOCG-ioHveFPbrB_OBQpPjz2PZxtNe89HoaPai3eSaKgZxrEsqbug/s1600-h/pump1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aBUHalJUQHSHd_UMSg_bH6klY5cHo6n7bXwWv8WPNr9TvWIrlUznM07D3Ya7s0XtEGApdv0N3zzqjvh8GXsMtHuOCG-ioHveFPbrB_OBQpPjz2PZxtNe89HoaPai3eSaKgZxrEsqbug/s320/pump1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258409950971943778" border="0" /></a>Two fat female flowers -<br /><br />- and nary a male flower in sight. Not even a glimmer of the prospect of one. Not, now, that it matters anyway. It's late October, the patch is in permanent shade, autumn chill is announcing itself, too late for a pumpkin to grow from scratch.<br /><br />Hence these potential pumpkins will wither, shrivel and die.<br /><br />Alongside their chances of being planted again next season.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-85977343052452166492008-09-22T13:03:00.007+02:002008-09-22T13:26:57.946+02:00Pumpkins Shmumpkins!<span style="font-family:courier new;">As I might have vented before, one of the frustrations for pumpkin lovers in Italy - by which I mean lovers of roasted pumpkin, pumpkin with rich flavour, firm flesh and a decent sugar content, at least enough to caramelise the pumpkin in the roasting pan - is that Italian pumpkins, on the whole, are watery, soft-fleshed things, prone to turning to mush in the oven.<br /><br />So one does the only sensible thing. One grows the real thing. One imports from Australia seeds for the Kent pumpkin, one of the truly fine roasting varieties.<br /><br />One plants three vines. Two, to ensure pollination, and a third for luck.<br /><br />What one doesn't expect, and what pisses one off immensely, is that the three vines should produce a grand total of one female flower over the course of the summer. Of course pumpkins need a male flower and a female flower and an inquisitive insect to orchestrate what might delicately be called pumpkin rumpy-pumpy.<br /><br />A zillion male flowers on their own are useless. Except for stuffing with goats cheese and herbs, dipping in a light batter, deep-frying and eating, but that's grist for another blog-post mill.<br /><br />Here are the vines:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxKjyTlKIyfL2EXauY0fMB7HrgdVjCY2zNNHnSsZ6gA4h1b4V-fLhHLWW8bDzjLnmvR4BE4IOHYvVSR9k166c4wUABov7yTkpBz5k0UxE9UqYIZDAnWW2pFOskCWqApNI2rFsSrGjeR4/s1600-h/pumpkin2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxKjyTlKIyfL2EXauY0fMB7HrgdVjCY2zNNHnSsZ6gA4h1b4V-fLhHLWW8bDzjLnmvR4BE4IOHYvVSR9k166c4wUABov7yTkpBz5k0UxE9UqYIZDAnWW2pFOskCWqApNI2rFsSrGjeR4/s320/pumpkin2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248803574463365442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RfUbtd4d5C6UOo_ZrggwKf2nNsxYn_omB52FoRPufMl9lcDteuEa-RH1yIT6jt5orJNSFqaqh_foityoE5hlgj_F_v2NgbBpXOKgT0R7ZSVBorBSHnC75RCeSv5kgIeIav4mv07M5IY/s1600-h/pumpkin1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RfUbtd4d5C6UOo_ZrggwKf2nNsxYn_omB52FoRPufMl9lcDteuEa-RH1yIT6jt5orJNSFqaqh_foityoE5hlgj_F_v2NgbBpXOKgT0R7ZSVBorBSHnC75RCeSv5kgIeIav4mv07M5IY/s320/pumpkin1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248803422641609666" border="0" /></a>Miles of vines, zillions of male flowers.<br /><br />And here's the end result of their summer of travail:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6zsvKxJ9HovPAIKNWh2zCAGvYMNizyPi51Yn_ImkdMM4E0PfeyQd1PZvwXvFNLsI8rkXlf1DCWvhcmEv12uzhb_o14OZWWBBgUx0V0gC7BT2vxvG0Pt7PzG7bDEhscHCTERLyzRhOlw/s1600-h/pumpkin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6zsvKxJ9HovPAIKNWh2zCAGvYMNizyPi51Yn_ImkdMM4E0PfeyQd1PZvwXvFNLsI8rkXlf1DCWvhcmEv12uzhb_o14OZWWBBgUx0V0gC7BT2vxvG0Pt7PzG7bDEhscHCTERLyzRhOlw/s320/pumpkin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248804023193218322" border="0" /></a><br />One female flower that produced one single, solitary pumpkin.<br /><br />Enough to make one spit chips.<br /><br />Or even pumpkin seeds.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-22370589880019620062008-07-29T12:26:00.011+02:002008-07-29T12:52:31.586+02:00Using up Zucchini<span style="font-family:courier new;">We're suffering a bit of a glut of the delicious <a href="http://ourtuscangarden.blogspot.com/2008/07/if-youre-ever-going-to-grow-zucchini.html">Romanesco Zucchini</a>. Even after doling them out to neighbours, they keep accumulating.<br /><br />So I revisited an old recipe for Spaghetti con Zucchini.<br /><br />Very very simple. Take your trimmed zucchini and an old-fashioned box grater:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DBJlyU_jU1eP_EWlLeb_6rlmlS-3ZdsUcIcSgmQSeUKuxYuKjsxgGdMdWiR6aLUCTlA8T5Ty6E8ceaNsM8wFFx8TVvnBUopev03NfYLkXbjSPGgfYvrXv906uNBkkB5JlYjayOOF9V0/s1600-h/DSC05451.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DBJlyU_jU1eP_EWlLeb_6rlmlS-3ZdsUcIcSgmQSeUKuxYuKjsxgGdMdWiR6aLUCTlA8T5Ty6E8ceaNsM8wFFx8TVvnBUopev03NfYLkXbjSPGgfYvrXv906uNBkkB5JlYjayOOF9V0/s320/DSC05451.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228381728409206802" border="0" /></a>Grate the zucchini using the biggest holes on the grater:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkwIjmRmIEJTnusBmXxkJelK7iapV0GR0NK0dxs-RH5oH9sZg9v5MiKXyyOwAv8vlxbzKnjgeiS6AIsDcETKT6U0Y4vnqnATBALUjcKP_tP7DlzOyeZKn-S8ZXnuYIXMrn9jCXea6sUs/s1600-h/DSC05456.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkwIjmRmIEJTnusBmXxkJelK7iapV0GR0NK0dxs-RH5oH9sZg9v5MiKXyyOwAv8vlxbzKnjgeiS6AIsDcETKT6U0Y4vnqnATBALUjcKP_tP7DlzOyeZKn-S8ZXnuYIXMrn9jCXea6sUs/s320/DSC05456.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228382017567992786" border="0" /></a>Drop a good knob of butter and some peeled, chopped garlic into a large pan:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhED6A3c_QDwN0PCQH0uAfi9r8QumrY_SeFMnAtzzwX9Wg9KAgD4Jwd79_dn_rO3HXWSHorB9lauQZLluRqDhJra3Up7Ibb503kWLzr71BYKgx9IDPgw98h62vZnIFPHo6o4U9_TrC9BV8/s1600-h/DSC05457.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhED6A3c_QDwN0PCQH0uAfi9r8QumrY_SeFMnAtzzwX9Wg9KAgD4Jwd79_dn_rO3HXWSHorB9lauQZLluRqDhJra3Up7Ibb503kWLzr71BYKgx9IDPgw98h62vZnIFPHo6o4U9_TrC9BV8/s320/DSC05457.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228382480747344994" border="0" /></a>When the butter has melted and taken the flavour of the garlic, toss in the grated zucchini and stir it around. The key is not to cook down the zucchini to a pulp. It should have texture to it. The process should take no longer than five or six minutes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD08JYV4Uv8TjgQJFcBmBJWOq55REYxF9_CjLMXOcYYiRopFEya9tX3Sg33meblfTt7A9814DqzzfAgJvOp3BMinfp-yrs5qnTFKmfxoKYsgvGSajfTREJa6QvKUPxg9WDhETSSNsOqMM/s1600-h/DSC05458.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD08JYV4Uv8TjgQJFcBmBJWOq55REYxF9_CjLMXOcYYiRopFEya9tX3Sg33meblfTt7A9814DqzzfAgJvOp3BMinfp-yrs5qnTFKmfxoKYsgvGSajfTREJa6QvKUPxg9WDhETSSNsOqMM/s320/DSC05458.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228383079297389810" border="0" /></a>Season the zucchini to taste, then drain your cooked pasta - you can use spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, any of the thinner pastas - and add it to the zucchini in the pan:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hFN5fQEp5QxpyS6JnX4NZgzYr_IUuovxXyukWhXsdPhkbBCN7Sy6dqJ-4Zc8mWWxJfg1Aq3qTs55fShBK7h_WZ6RMO9rmm0cXw2WWYUvn0tgkrXTXppwHfSSWA2qOWj_-w4n1aQhuZg/s1600-h/DSC05460.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hFN5fQEp5QxpyS6JnX4NZgzYr_IUuovxXyukWhXsdPhkbBCN7Sy6dqJ-4Zc8mWWxJfg1Aq3qTs55fShBK7h_WZ6RMO9rmm0cXw2WWYUvn0tgkrXTXppwHfSSWA2qOWj_-w4n1aQhuZg/s320/DSC05460.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228383706236223570" border="0" /></a>Stir thoroughly to mix very well.<br /><br />Then serve:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HrEjSKOAJg0iL8Fe-jUe_iCBkQATqr1qbTqWDvD5FOgXlmD7KOwhpS-QY0fj1FQ-RxH64PqtIHZYykhQKIepaqKCgywDBGTJ5O0GW98HM7Z6OYc1UmKZu7ZyR2gs91SymVJm-6vRsRQ/s1600-h/DSC05462.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HrEjSKOAJg0iL8Fe-jUe_iCBkQATqr1qbTqWDvD5FOgXlmD7KOwhpS-QY0fj1FQ-RxH64PqtIHZYykhQKIepaqKCgywDBGTJ5O0GW98HM7Z6OYc1UmKZu7ZyR2gs91SymVJm-6vRsRQ/s320/DSC05462.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228384306208587650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;">I've tried it with and without parmesan. I think parmesan renders the dish gluggy.<br /><br />All it needs is a grinding of black pepper and a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.<br /><br />Go for it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-55065900411454036192008-07-21T13:30:00.009+02:002008-07-21T14:05:37.951+02:00Tomato Genetics<span style="font-family:courier new;">They're weird things. Particularly when it comes to Heirloom tomatoes.<br /><br />This is a Cherokee Chocolate, fresh from the vine today:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2j3PuPl7EVVcld0qVciyGK4gHnHJXf0Dgho1JCp3i2-7mPFt6nAodVT1imY3WpYoDDhcKY8x1bUmh9nwGQdrLSOst5pNh39xAKvDWBcVHwhQ1d2Br9WXwb-5JwYSNXu6NM2mx3UxpsGA/s1600-h/cchoc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2j3PuPl7EVVcld0qVciyGK4gHnHJXf0Dgho1JCp3i2-7mPFt6nAodVT1imY3WpYoDDhcKY8x1bUmh9nwGQdrLSOst5pNh39xAKvDWBcVHwhQ1d2Br9WXwb-5JwYSNXu6NM2mx3UxpsGA/s320/cchoc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225428620433869810" border="0" /></a>It's a lovely mahogany-brown colour. Here's the underside:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRPBk4mke2EznpDCck4vkXgnd9_EX8xkcj8QoaPv0x4ljK2FfzQW8P-IRY9epCftipYCCih2BdEUWznoy5dqaJlAs8Vdykxca2WQO2jIPhUGKgE1NFCdzq70EBU4hX3Nu5t2Pi1oSuY0/s1600-h/cchoc1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRPBk4mke2EznpDCck4vkXgnd9_EX8xkcj8QoaPv0x4ljK2FfzQW8P-IRY9epCftipYCCih2BdEUWznoy5dqaJlAs8Vdykxca2WQO2jIPhUGKgE1NFCdzq70EBU4hX3Nu5t2Pi1oSuY0/s320/cchoc1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225428967664868386" border="0" /></a>It's also a delicious tomato - earthy, juicy, with just a touch of sweetness.<br /><br />It's a tomato with a fascinating history. This is its very closely relative, Cherokee Purple:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:AHWaP_rarDDNoM:http://www.ready2grow.co.uk/images/l/cherokee_purple_tomato.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:AHWaP_rarDDNoM:http://www.ready2grow.co.uk/images/l/cherokee_purple_tomato.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>And they're extremely closely relatives. Because Cherokee Chocolate literally sprang from the loins of Cherokee Purple.<br /><br />A number of years ago, Craig LeHoullier, an American grower and heirloom tomato expert, discovered a mahogany-brown tomato on his Cherokee Purple plant. Intrigued, he saved seeds from the brown tomato and grew them out the next season. Again, he saved seeds from the brown tomatoes that eventuated and grew them out the following season. Eventually, he stabilised the tomato variety now known as Cherokee Chocolate.<br /><br />All the result of a spontaneous mutation of the colour gene in a Cherokee Purple tomato.<br /><br />Lo and behold, the magic didn't stop there. Subsequently, one of Craig's Cherokee Chocolate plants threw up a green-when-ripe tomato, now stabilised and named Cherokee Green.<br /><br />I have my fingers crossed for the Tomato God to work his genetic tricks in my tomato patch.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-33219639868670641532008-07-19T09:31:00.009+02:002008-07-19T10:30:43.132+02:00First Toms<span style="font-family:courier new;">It's been a strange tomato growing season.<br /><br />Well, so was last year. Last year's summer was achingly hot and bone dry. My tomato crop was miles below par - not much fruit and a lot of it stunted. I wasn't alone. Adriana, who runs a commercial market garden just outside the town walls, had exactly the same problem. She didn't have enough tomatoes - or any other vegies, for that matter - to supply her regular customers.<br /><br />This year, spring was the coolest and wettest in either 20 or 200 years. Depending to whom you speak. Suddenly, though, in mid-June, the daytime temperatures shot from an average 18C to around 30C. We somehow missed the 20s altogether.<br /><br />The result? The plants that had started to set fruit were all right. Those that hadn't, struggled in the sudden, intense heat. End result? They weren't setting fruit:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8Y1E0OcbgnZ6zzJMnWYXvAg1e3-N7fJNh245NfdKtC3lz6zWSvuvpwQEPE9DaTGgW-_U8Vav1WzPoBaZd3inB-exYagvI06e_yGaln4BcxgidMl_VH0cjTaygz-Q6V0X8CB2PBYXHsc/s1600-h/deadflowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8Y1E0OcbgnZ6zzJMnWYXvAg1e3-N7fJNh245NfdKtC3lz6zWSvuvpwQEPE9DaTGgW-_U8Vav1WzPoBaZd3inB-exYagvI06e_yGaln4BcxgidMl_VH0cjTaygz-Q6V0X8CB2PBYXHsc/s320/deadflowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224629929554922562" border="0" /></a>The luckier ones did:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i9cJvsnVhaPHm1aX4no7DCi9ggqQwaBYST1pbgox_O_aKTna2SXQFM68BUF0DzcELbnwF6ftFSqyW4-Ky80hHcqzyN8-C4H-hV0PNCtpV4nCuQdOYab4Kj2gwBI8e9XuD-QvhyqClJM/s1600-h/firsttoms.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i9cJvsnVhaPHm1aX4no7DCi9ggqQwaBYST1pbgox_O_aKTna2SXQFM68BUF0DzcELbnwF6ftFSqyW4-Ky80hHcqzyN8-C4H-hV0PNCtpV4nCuQdOYab4Kj2gwBI8e9XuD-QvhyqClJM/s320/firsttoms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224630586216919506" border="0" /></a>The yellows on the top RHS are Jaune Negib, a French heirloom. They're a very early variety - usually around 60 days from planting out - and their major flavour attribute is a lovely creamy aftertaste. Most very early varieties - Stupice and the like - are usually flavour-deficient because, developing and ripening quickly, as their genes insist they do, they simply don't have the time to develop real flavour or complexity. They're really only worth growing if you have a very short growing season and later varieties aren't viable. Jaune Negib, though, is rare amongst very early varieties because they do have something to offer in the flavour department. Even if I only grow them for <a href="http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/">L'artista</a> to turn into yellow tomato chutney.<br /><br />The gold/orange pair - one its usual golf-ball size, the other a freak midget - at the bottom are Jaune Flammée, yet another French heirloom. A lovely, much overlooked tomato with a fresh, very tangy flavour. The surprise is that they matured as early as they did. Normally they take longer than Jaune Negib.<br /><br />The two red cherry tomatoes are actually conjoined Camp Joy (aka Chadwick's Cherry):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvk2nEYjjKN-JTbL6csE8FL5iE6gtCCfKXIdNP-cAhvmfbaYGlu1zGY0lq-WPqA7V0_CCaNWdzC9UDgQFyhbkofRG8TclZdN56LxxounTrxhoHvfTqcTGluOocjfyVcN-dploMNrrUYA/s1600-h/conjoinedtoms.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvk2nEYjjKN-JTbL6csE8FL5iE6gtCCfKXIdNP-cAhvmfbaYGlu1zGY0lq-WPqA7V0_CCaNWdzC9UDgQFyhbkofRG8TclZdN56LxxounTrxhoHvfTqcTGluOocjfyVcN-dploMNrrUYA/s320/conjoinedtoms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224635009682572258" border="0" /></a>Siamese tomatoes. Take two tomato blossoms extremely close together, have them both fruit at the same time, and the resultant tomatoes can fuse together. Grow enough tomatoes and you'll see plenty of conjoined ones. These two are smaller than the usual Camp Joy, hence they ripened earlier than Camp Joy usually does. They normally takes up to 75 days. Here's one ripening on the vine:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZC-y4XX1T4nScVMMltK6eVEqc0S_Rc3ES6ph4f24ZKi7vKQ0RpGm8XogEz4lDQy-b8ey_g6JjxV9Pk0xEEhAS_I92b4BiGBfTgT9MrrSlq6rq9wrrWvDKWZxgZtM0fhM7hhuIxe4wBP8/s1600-h/cjoy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZC-y4XX1T4nScVMMltK6eVEqc0S_Rc3ES6ph4f24ZKi7vKQ0RpGm8XogEz4lDQy-b8ey_g6JjxV9Pk0xEEhAS_I92b4BiGBfTgT9MrrSlq6rq9wrrWvDKWZxgZtM0fhM7hhuIxe4wBP8/s320/cjoy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224636225117803362" border="0" /></a>I've grown most of the well-known cherry varieties over the years and I keep coming back to Camp Joy (aka Chadwick's Cherry) for their genuine flavour, reliability and huge crops.<br /><br />Now I have my fingers crossed for the stragglers to start setting fruit.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-30933413373315496132008-07-17T11:51:00.005+02:002008-07-17T12:03:59.591+02:00Meanwhile, Up on The Top Terrace<span style="font-family:courier new;">The air is thick with the sounds of stuff growing in the shadow of the medieval fortress wall.<br /><br />Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Corn:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0ILGnq-VuNHQos9EjCxnITfxqKB8csLKlAj1PuNZjJ-BRKI2xFlnsSGYdLOLMh84-HPbGFaqDlVcUCX71cG0Q2N4cFJdho2iO1QCUVe-YsSKw9-93JqHWxVCABe9-ROhrQkoQpe5lR8/s1600-h/DSC05424.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0ILGnq-VuNHQos9EjCxnITfxqKB8csLKlAj1PuNZjJ-BRKI2xFlnsSGYdLOLMh84-HPbGFaqDlVcUCX71cG0Q2N4cFJdho2iO1QCUVe-YsSKw9-93JqHWxVCABe9-ROhrQkoQpe5lR8/s320/DSC05424.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223919309384235730" border="0" /></a>Watermelon (on the left, being grown for Lorenzo next door) and Jap (aka Kent) Pumpkins, the seeds for which I imported from Australia on the basis that Italian pumpkins just don't seem to grasp the notion that they should be able to be roasted till they caramelise without turning to mushy pulp:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34fkkBcLxfw71L4d12cFy6JuB8BNhZBMxqgWZDCLYO_giDxyCPn-CRYSy33G-H_UJCSdCpB9p6zDHkzmbBN17ZOAqSuA2MS9CxZ-Hb5VfnH4GeQkjM_TdQfdK3XGVbcySR4mxcSlIG0g/s1600-h/DSC05421.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34fkkBcLxfw71L4d12cFy6JuB8BNhZBMxqgWZDCLYO_giDxyCPn-CRYSy33G-H_UJCSdCpB9p6zDHkzmbBN17ZOAqSuA2MS9CxZ-Hb5VfnH4GeQkjM_TdQfdK3XGVbcySR4mxcSlIG0g/s320/DSC05421.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223920385032942210" border="0" /></a><br />And there's already movement in the Watermelon camp:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorVQnmqAaG0JSUoPL0vkFSIbxcynj-pLQe0UXqzbNAJmiBd6n4O93Glw66iOrbXNHWNeg0Gb5iWGNTNbDbgrb8qhZ7APFR1-ZcKur1QW2i5ZU7LFYtCi4A8FpTn7Y_wbP6CimPM8sUPc/s1600-h/DSC05422.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorVQnmqAaG0JSUoPL0vkFSIbxcynj-pLQe0UXqzbNAJmiBd6n4O93Glw66iOrbXNHWNeg0Gb5iWGNTNbDbgrb8qhZ7APFR1-ZcKur1QW2i5ZU7LFYtCi4A8FpTn7Y_wbP6CimPM8sUPc/s320/DSC05422.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223921099797157778" border="0" /></a><br />Lorenzo has seen it.<br /><br />And approved.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-92071124912530858392008-07-16T16:23:00.005+02:002008-07-16T16:43:08.819+02:00If You're Ever Going to Grow Zucchini ...<span style="font-family:courier new;">Grow these:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblnCkaNPgFMYdniBMlH59_UNxVe81dqrdYpELcKSafsfqsfU203c8KKaUOIfUsMmdHEQs-wHHEnjH41Tj0AA_9-anU0xem0muw6zRlGkTwrTwdSGxzl9l411YCFE49UM85l8aPkd9zkg/s1600-h/zucchini.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblnCkaNPgFMYdniBMlH59_UNxVe81dqrdYpELcKSafsfqsfU203c8KKaUOIfUsMmdHEQs-wHHEnjH41Tj0AA_9-anU0xem0muw6zRlGkTwrTwdSGxzl9l411YCFE49UM85l8aPkd9zkg/s320/zucchini.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223617842266914482" border="0" /></a>The variety is Romanesco, used in a lot of better restaurants for their wonderful slightly nutty flavour.<br /><br />I've sliced them across very finely, raw, and tossed them into salads.<br /><br />I've sliced them thinly lengthwise with a mandolin and chargrilled them, tossing them with some mint, garlic, vinegar and oil for an antipasto.<br /><br />I've finely diced and braised them with some garlic, mint, Italian parsley, marjoram and finely-chopped lemon zest and spread them on chargrilled bread as a bruschetta.<br /><br />The only downside to growing them is that you need space. Lots and lots of space.<br /><br />Like at least this amount:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYm_EW2dUeIrOpT8EvCv5pQ7IOYxvoFH3OeETz-jpxbNTNuwdKggM3n7biGvFnamOCN8gVoJzmVRxX5vBSNEfhmVVhhh9BA36TsPRVoeiBEocIsICDgPQNfkk4zmjnLlh61eRT7yxfIWc/s1600-h/zukeplant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYm_EW2dUeIrOpT8EvCv5pQ7IOYxvoFH3OeETz-jpxbNTNuwdKggM3n7biGvFnamOCN8gVoJzmVRxX5vBSNEfhmVVhhh9BA36TsPRVoeiBEocIsICDgPQNfkk4zmjnLlh61eRT7yxfIWc/s320/zukeplant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223620863310248610" border="0" /></a>So dig up that waste of space of a lawn and plant these.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-82095871583506317912008-07-14T18:05:00.001+02:002008-07-14T18:07:57.389+02:00Talking about onions<span style="font-family:courier new;">Here's part of the first harvest:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCCxdqH-E_eVdvT9PHBZR2hYk_FZPYnQDbjb5ladRS5POtyhBUwznTjKQhB1CmUNxaVgaQjMKyQOu-vaKBQSmfYPgfno7fJNWN91j6bhe4X9A49rP5BKv4hAXOqnsQ6fT-7ftp923-dE/s1600-h/onions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCCxdqH-E_eVdvT9PHBZR2hYk_FZPYnQDbjb5ladRS5POtyhBUwznTjKQhB1CmUNxaVgaQjMKyQOu-vaKBQSmfYPgfno7fJNWN91j6bhe4X9A49rP5BKv4hAXOqnsQ6fT-7ftp923-dE/s320/onions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222901817183187218" border="0" /></a>Not paint on paper. The real thing.The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-88365182376013538802008-07-13T22:28:00.002+02:002008-07-13T22:31:22.698+02:00Looking at a Red Onion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu6SI5jG7hHs1mcw4hgO1seI6if1UcbL3Mw5AuqTucXRjAKb74vVPiCfKncdNg81Ia2nOP4wBzQIh_06kQwoLInGxBTg-ASL9t0zbBoWQAyCOZJkFdhyt2KYeCJAqf5wVvoLBcQOffHI/s1600-h/Onion-Fresh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu6SI5jG7hHs1mcw4hgO1seI6if1UcbL3Mw5AuqTucXRjAKb74vVPiCfKncdNg81Ia2nOP4wBzQIh_06kQwoLInGxBTg-ASL9t0zbBoWQAyCOZJkFdhyt2KYeCJAqf5wVvoLBcQOffHI/s400/Onion-Fresh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222598652295056546" border="0" /></a>The Gardener grew it, I painted it. He'll cook it, I'll eat it. Isn't life perfect?Robyn Sinclairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01663604160297996421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-31196069406601052792008-06-11T11:48:00.007+02:002008-06-11T13:20:52.671+02:00Pomodori<span style="font-family:courier new;">A brief digression from the history of this garden on the basis that re-living the hernias and broken back involved in restoring the thing has caused me to come over quite faint.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pomodori</span>, which is to say, tomatoes, are going to feature quite heavily here. Why? Because they're my vegetable preoccupation. Actually, fruit preoccupation, because, scientifically, a tom is a fruit. In the kitchen it's deemed a vegetable, scientifically it's a fruit. I'll go with the popular flow here and deem it a vegetable.<br /><br />My particular preoccupation is with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_tomato">heirloom tomatoes</a>. The beauty of heirlooms is that, unlike hybrids, which will normally produce tomatoes of the same size, shape, colour and taste year after year, because they've been bred to do so, growing heirlooms offers challenge.<br /><br />They can be erratic in terms of production. They can throw up, to varying degrees, different shapes and sizes, and even shades of colour. Sometimes even different colours altogether. But more of that at some later date when I'm, once more, faint.<br /><br />The tomato I always grow, the tomato to which I'm most attached, is this one:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmm-Q6j1MMTd585-w9IoS6VS2mDwkE1aOEASTR6ydjyOyUU7rZxnsPwtbGWNkCKrA9p7ieT-6Fgn_zOWG2vCmsHOojuBJ0Q-X80vue1XqPX9aGVNG7ogS_nU-UpvYnDruK7GRddXKx6o/s1600-h/pg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmm-Q6j1MMTd585-w9IoS6VS2mDwkE1aOEASTR6ydjyOyUU7rZxnsPwtbGWNkCKrA9p7ieT-6Fgn_zOWG2vCmsHOojuBJ0Q-X80vue1XqPX9aGVNG7ogS_nU-UpvYnDruK7GRddXKx6o/s320/pg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210568306719571058" border="0" /></a><br />Despite how it looks on your monitor, it's actually a very dark pink rather than red. And it has a history.<br /><br />It's called Pink Gaetano because that's what I named it. It would, originally, have had a name, but that name is lost in the mists of Italian time.<br /><br />I learned Italian in Australia. My Italian teacher's father emigrated to Australia from Calabria in the 1950s. He took the seeds for this tomato with him. He used to grow it in his backyard in Calabria and continued to grow it in his backyard in Melbourne, saving seeds, keeping the variety pure. When Antonella, my teacher, discovered I grew tomatoes, she asked her father for seeds and passed them onto me.<br /><br />His name for them? <span style="font-style: italic;">Sangue</span>. Italian for blood. He didn't know their varietal name. His name was Gaetano, so I named the variety after him. It's a lovely tomato with a rich, nicely complex flavour. The plant thrived in the heat and humidity of Sydney with, unlike a number of varieties, no problems setting fruit in extreme conditions. Hence it loves Italy.<br /><br />Beyond the name, the tomato's actual origins are a genuine mystery. It's a dark pink beefsteak variety with some degree of ribbing. Extensive research revealed that there are no known dark pink Italian heirloom beefsteak tomatoes. Yet it was grown in a Calabrian backyard. It might be that the original seeds came from elsewhere in Europe. Eastern Europe, in particular, has produced any number of dark pink beefsteak varieties.<br /><br />Regardless, fifty-odd years after Gaetano took the seeds to Australia, I brought them back to Italy.<br /><br />Here's this season's plant in the garden after about six weeks in the ground:<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji477XNqeXu7UJG3Y00qyPKUr9gTSMMmHRu_iYLsUhkFCZsaYf-sttOXYLyCaF-fry_RMHdBes2bIOrHUf0gjyB4fqWbM8ruzLzK8puhsFz296ZEpKkV3jeGpq4cYQ4aCeSOmuM0lc7fA/s1600-h/pinkg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji477XNqeXu7UJG3Y00qyPKUr9gTSMMmHRu_iYLsUhkFCZsaYf-sttOXYLyCaF-fry_RMHdBes2bIOrHUf0gjyB4fqWbM8ruzLzK8puhsFz296ZEpKkV3jeGpq4cYQ4aCeSOmuM0lc7fA/s320/pinkg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210579581780331586" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>Which reminds me: I'm getting low on seeds and I'll have to save some more this season.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Salute</span>, Gaetano!<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-85276548737470430412008-06-10T18:19:00.008+02:002008-06-10T18:46:48.571+02:00Sows' Ears and Silk-ish Purses<span style="font-family:courier new;">A couple of weeks, a couple of hernias and a broken back later, the sow's ear of a garden was at least heading in the right direction. Which is to say, towards silk purse territory. Or, to stretch the fabric metaphor just a tad further, which is to say, too far, the garden was now cut from a marginally different cloth.<br /><br />For one thing, the steps up to the terraces had reappeared:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUTebd3zMK_chyphenhyphendUZ71rLU8Vp77u1TqUI94q0RMylWlyFe5k0NGE7nv5QNQfuMAzG63SGD7k_w36kF3uup3r2Lt93zORttqrtqo_v76TccoDKQNtxxGgLhVpiu5TN5RFxU6MlqH_cSQ8/s1600-h/old3.JPEG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUTebd3zMK_chyphenhyphendUZ71rLU8Vp77u1TqUI94q0RMylWlyFe5k0NGE7nv5QNQfuMAzG63SGD7k_w36kF3uup3r2Lt93zORttqrtqo_v76TccoDKQNtxxGgLhVpiu5TN5RFxU6MlqH_cSQ8/s320/old3.JPEG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210290293484790866" border="0" /></a><br />The terrace on the second level, my planned vegie garden, had also re-emerged:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCurgzveWs7O6wZEvjXTXbngRSesPLgEH08iUuR1gbl7P2YcmdKU-KhurtC3TFecgEtsGx1MSQuexhG639vh6InZPUjZwcqgpMb9Nu_qExOQMmyPzxDP9KnMF93MV0bWFZioVsTP-bUdA/s1600-h/old6.JPEG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCurgzveWs7O6wZEvjXTXbngRSesPLgEH08iUuR1gbl7P2YcmdKU-KhurtC3TFecgEtsGx1MSQuexhG639vh6InZPUjZwcqgpMb9Nu_qExOQMmyPzxDP9KnMF93MV0bWFZioVsTP-bUdA/s320/old6.JPEG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210290794235603682" border="0" /></a>And the top terrace, while far from pristine, at least revealed the medieval wall that was our back fence:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGLsCMP9ck4TJMrTgfTJiGT8sawzCzR8yvczAARzT1kGIK2FaDnSGGjJF1kNRY_VhqnUsU3rmHulsM0lXOwOGPdW4ZUGJO5WWboue2L-XZ5Y1mcOS7JJhDXWhVGIhjSV4vrHczTkqY6k/s1600-h/topterrace.JPEG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGLsCMP9ck4TJMrTgfTJiGT8sawzCzR8yvczAARzT1kGIK2FaDnSGGjJF1kNRY_VhqnUsU3rmHulsM0lXOwOGPdW4ZUGJO5WWboue2L-XZ5Y1mcOS7JJhDXWhVGIhjSV4vrHczTkqY6k/s320/topterrace.JPEG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210293810670840130" border="0" /></a> Pain? Agony? You betcha.<br /><br />But all in a good cause.<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /></span>The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7696848737322316179.post-86075770503758768732008-06-06T11:08:00.006+02:002008-06-06T12:08:18.910+02:00Rewind<span style="font-family:courier new;">Back to the beginning. As Robyn <a href="http://ourtuscangarden.blogspot.com/2008/04/we-buy-tuscan-garden.html">posted</a>, we first saw the garden in March 2006, and it looked like this:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNAMbqjlHmlgXEUJAECS0_2gU3jliSAbI8Fyyxn_K1godf07kH1CkfFosNRbDq3HpJ3t0cVlu3MHdEPhfSlXArE97p5PcnEhvZm2fyuRs0nP3KIh2k64QX88-8zzHS_JfMZ9uug9gXco/s1600-h/earlydays.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNAMbqjlHmlgXEUJAECS0_2gU3jliSAbI8Fyyxn_K1godf07kH1CkfFosNRbDq3HpJ3t0cVlu3MHdEPhfSlXArE97p5PcnEhvZm2fyuRs0nP3KIh2k64QX88-8zzHS_JfMZ9uug9gXco/s320/earlydays.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208697413468829762" border="0" /></a><br />Okay, it wasn't the Chelsea Flower Show, but it wasn't a jungle, either.<br /><br />We formally signed to buy the property in May 2006, taking possession at the end of July 2006. That's a full Spring and a tad of Summer between first setting eyes on the place and taking possession. At which point it became abundantly clear that not a weed had been bothered by the owner in the interim:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho90iPk8WdCjQiDmvWaddfuxVH22cO0ipH9Xmj3_jXFsRNVFXHlkXsRjHLPAQy0Z5I4VxfogXNtRcC6UOrQJroXckNeTSSqNIGJsnFFVFX4jG-_2TnJqiMIerIiUAZtOs6h0OMIYdTmAQ/s1600-h/old.JPEG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho90iPk8WdCjQiDmvWaddfuxVH22cO0ipH9Xmj3_jXFsRNVFXHlkXsRjHLPAQy0Z5I4VxfogXNtRcC6UOrQJroXckNeTSSqNIGJsnFFVFX4jG-_2TnJqiMIerIiUAZtOs6h0OMIYdTmAQ/s320/old.JPEG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208703387768338514" border="0" /></a>They're the steps on the left.<br /><br />This was the second level terrace, destined to be the vegie patch:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_qt0bW68XsAecmx-pKRAfAYo22n3Khe9QzdUG19kIz1uuza_5XX_iKEHbtNi2FZeOQ3gYC5X26y_wsF41to80wHd0YqDD8L1b2MHPuZcwVaIFdKvQEs-z1nM1qYutH9MkP_GmKtapbo/s1600-h/vegbed.JPEG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_qt0bW68XsAecmx-pKRAfAYo22n3Khe9QzdUG19kIz1uuza_5XX_iKEHbtNi2FZeOQ3gYC5X26y_wsF41to80wHd0YqDD8L1b2MHPuZcwVaIFdKvQEs-z1nM1qYutH9MkP_GmKtapbo/s320/vegbed.JPEG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208707132979820674" border="0" /></a><br />And this was the top terrace beneath the medieval wall:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU77vhb8M7mNTTukcbpEpIHAoQB0dPnOxqk1OorfhGP6zD6fkahFCJDGFAYcsMRxDCFICroZ9BH-pYC5lgyDdAG7VyXyhZP1VbstPsmhcfyAd8jSjyYzxP5aCfJEdpqlqyKknfFNJ2AU/s1600-h/old5.JPEG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU77vhb8M7mNTTukcbpEpIHAoQB0dPnOxqk1OorfhGP6zD6fkahFCJDGFAYcsMRxDCFICroZ9BH-pYC5lgyDdAG7VyXyhZP1VbstPsmhcfyAd8jSjyYzxP5aCfJEdpqlqyKknfFNJ2AU/s320/old5.JPEG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208704341251078258" border="0" /></a>Guess who had just a bit of work to do?The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12097218348073711257noreply@blogger.com3