Friday, July 16, 2010

Pretty wonderful really isn't it?

Anybody remember January? January when the snow was as deep as a dog in a dingle? In the bleak mid-winter indeed. I'd stand at the window in a room with the log burner roaring and stretch my imagination. Leaves, flowers and fruit; an impossible notion. Suffice then to be sheltered and dream. Would green and warm and frutiful ever happen?

It's been a long slow haul this year; a late spring and dry months since. I'm an impatient soul and find it hard to tick off the produce we have actually enjoyed to date. I have worked hard on the garden - I want to reap the benefits. In truth there has been much to enjoy already.
Today I picked beans, courgette, cucumber, raspberries and (as they would say in these parts) a ruck of basil. I feel as if summer's harvest is now coming in. This is how it should be.

That ruck of Basil - what a wonderful herb it is. We will have pasta with prawns and pesto tonight. A handful of basil, pine nuts and Parmesan; a little garlic and seasoning and a gloop of olive oil. Wish I could say I made like it an Italian matron and using pestle, mortar and muscle power. Nope, it's all whizzed up in the Magimix, seasoning adjusted and ready to serve. Plenty for tonight and plenty to stir into new potatoes or dip a bread stick into. Oh, what greedy souls we are.

Pretty good really. I count my blessings.

9 comments:

Cait O'Connor said...

Yummy photos, yummy food.
It's been raining all day here.

Tattieweasle said...

I can just smell the basil! Bog Boy had his first cucmber of the season - he wasn't up for sharing. Just ate it outside sitting on the step! I never thought we'd get this far. Your raspberries look wonderful!

Annie said...

What fab produce from your garden. Ours is coming in fast too. The rain really has done a lot of good this week. :-)
A x

Pondside said...

Can't wait for our to start producing - we're just that much behind.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Beautiful broad beans !
Basil is being torn over everything (well , nearly) at the moment . And chervil is being added with gay abandon to anything that once clucked .
I agree . Having made a late appearance , Summer is here with a bang !

Carah Boden said...

Fabulous! What a harvest you have already - you are way ahead of me! Sadly I fear I will be heading for my summer sojourn in France just as all is coming to fruition (I should have listened to my mother and not bothered with cultivation - but I can't - it is too exciting!). I am hoping there will be something left when I return.

How I love basil. It is my favourite herb and it will always remind me of summer in Italy when the markets were bursting with freshly harvested green leaves and their most perfect accompaniment - juicy sweet tomatoes. Just chuck in some buffalo mozzarella and I'm in summer heaven...!

Carah Boden said...

PS: have been having a good old read and much enjoyed - have popped some more comments on older posts below too. Can't believe your sweetpeas are out already - but then you probably planted them rather earlier than I did!

Twiglet said...

Yep we ate french beans and beetroot yesterday from my tiny raised beds. Your produce looks wonderful.

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

You have done well out of the garden :)