Saturday, August 9, 2008

Well, it's Saturday afternoon. I put the kids down for a nap, put a chicken in the oven and logged on to see what's up in cyberspace. I have two million things to do but I much prefer to veg-out online. I think that it's the few quiet moments like this that I use to gather my strength for the next round of the day. It's hot, but we have a light wind breezing through our wind chimes. The sound is cleansing. Gigi is on the couch and Kosta is working in his office. Finally, some time for me.

We've all been sick, since last Friday -the 1st of August. It started with Alexandra, then went to Iza, then Foti and finally, me. We spent this last week fighting sore throats and fevers and now we're all fine. Luckily, Kosta escaped this round.

I haven't had much time to do anything important but I did manage to walk around the property to see how the fruit trees are doing. Our peaches are ready and delicious. I think that they're more delicious than any I've ever had because they're ours. :)

Most of the figs are ripe and ready to eat. It's fun to go back and pick them randomly. I have yet to make anything with them. I really wanted to make spoon sweets (sikalaki gliko) with Lulu's recipe, but they were ready for that right as we were nearing the baptism. Sometimes I just want to do more than I can- realistically. But, I did pick a bag and MIL made spoon sweets for us with our figs. So, we do have our spoon sweets. Maybe next year I'll surprise her by making my own. I've found a great marmalade recipe so I'm motivated to make some of that, since it seems like I can fit it into my day. (ok, I know- I've fit blogging into the day why can't I fit more cooking in? --because it's just that-more cooking) Anyway, here's the fig tree...

It's huge and the birds love it. We've given bags of figs away. So, if you're in the neighborhood, I bet that you can guess what you'll be walking away with. I'm glad that I can share because we certainly can't use all of them. Here are a few shots of the figs...

As you can see, some of them are overripe. These are fine to eat as long as you make sure that there aren't any little bugs inside. They're very sweet!

We have tomatoes coming out of our ears so I've preserved some and also given tons away. The cherry tomatoes are perfect for snacking on, the kids and the dog usually help themselves. Our green beans are finished and we're planting some leeks and celery this week. My eggplants have finally appeared! I've really been waiting for those. Our honeydew melons are growing amazingly, we've been giving those away too. I have a neighbor that made a melon sorbet once, I'll have to ask her for the recipe.

So, I've wasted a little time and given a little garden update. Now, it's time for me to wake up the kids so that they'll sleep tonight -as well as throw some BBQ sauce on my chicken. I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend!

8 comments:

  1. i am so jealous of your garden and fruit trees! those peaches look sooooo gooooood. ours have hardly grown (possibly because it's only the second year? i wasn't even expecting fruit this year).

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  2. Hopefully, you and the boys can come visit someday and enjoy them with us. It's a lot of work though!
    I think that your tree probably doesn't have fruit because it's so young. Our cherry tree is pretty small(young) and we really didn't get too much from it. We also have young walnut trees that haven't produced either.

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  3. Nice looking figs! I've got to get myself outside and see how mine are doing!

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  4. Thanks Lulu! I hope that yours are ready to eat. I did make that marmalade yesterday-it's fantastic. I hope to make more as it was almost effortless.

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  5. isnt it wonderful having your own fruit in the garden? preparing eatign and preserving your own fruit and veges make them more delectable in wintertime

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  6. Maria, yes...it is. As I've mentioned before, I've always wanted my own garden and when we bought this property we still hadn't realized just how valuable it was...with all of it's mature fruit trees etc. We are overwhelmed most of the time but it's worth it. We take great pleasure in watching our children help themselves to a fruit fresh off the tree or vine.
    Also, this is really my first year to preserve anything and I'm loving it. I have great resources available to assist me in my learning. (ah-hem...including YOU! :)

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  7. My dad was on the phone with uncle in Greece tonight and Mum said, trembling with excitement, "Oh ASK him if the grapes are ready!" She really regrets missing the fruit season. Milk it for all it's worth you lucky girl!!! :)

    XX

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  8. Greek Goddess...we are. We love it. Our grapes are diseased and need to be replaced but we received some from a neighbor and they are just wonderful.

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