Summer food

I love this time of year , no more stews or soups, winter is about winter warming foods, food that makes you feel good on a cold dark winters evening, but now the summer is here and now its about taste and colour. Using produce fresh from the garden and each week having something new ready to pick. 

In the garden now I have 3 types of lettuce, strawberries and radish, add melon and ham, the sweet melon and the strawberries, the salty ham, peppery lettuce drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, and crunchy radish.

Cold pork with apple

Buffalo Mozzarella, tomatoes and spring onion.

Slice everything up, sprinkle with Basil and pour on olive oil and leave in the fridge for an hour.

Serve any of the recipes with a medium Rosé or a Kir made from Muscadet, its what summers are made for.

This is the life

Not one of my normal photograph posts, I thought I might say something, although I'm sure I will add the odd photograph along the way. Paul's been on holiday this week, we were supposed to be going to the UK for a few days but the building of the extension has taken longer than we thought, its not easy for Paul to motivate himself after getting up at 3am driving 75km to work, doing a very hard days work then driving 75 km home,

Then with a week off the sun starts shining, to hot to work outside, our lawnmower is in the work shop so Paul had to use his petrol strimmer to keep the grass down, wearing a mask in this heat was not fun,so of course a beer is needed, then you can  forget work. But the insides finished(ish), it could do  with another coat of paint but for now I'm happy with it.
One of the jobs that was supposed to be done this week was the outside rendering, but Paul was relying on some help, unfortunately the helps not available till next week, the person who is helping render the house has been busy on his own house, removing the render. Next job is the patio, a friend has made the slabs and as soon as the rendering is done and they can be delivered (there only over the valley) and laid, I'm so looking forward to this.
Paul's in charge of the veg and I the plants, although I get Paul to water my plants for me when he goes to water his veg, Its great having a well, apart from a little electricity for the pump its free water, it is drinkable as well, I would love to get it pumped into the house but today it is drinkable tomorrow it may not be, I would have to keep getting tests done, but it would be nice to have it for the toilet and washing machine but were not sure its worth the cost of putting it in, I suppose if a new house was being built it might be economical, but I'm not sure if it would be now. Talking of new houses, although theres not going to be one, did I mention that we have Certificate du Urbanisme for our other piece of land, we wont build on it and its not for sale, but now it could be built on, before it was a piece of agricultural land worth not a lot to a 1000sqm building plot Value about €25,000, as I said not for sale, if I did sell I would want to sell every thing but I doubt I could be tempted till Paul retires,
I did say this was going to be written post rather than my usual photo blog, but I just stopped writing to take some photographs, so back in a minute.



Ok I'm back, just been for a stroll round the garden, I should have bought more strawberry plants and put them in the ground, next year definately, but for now the few I'm growing in bags have been very tasty but not enough to pick a lot so I tend to eat thm when I see them.

The veg, after a shaky start, I put them in to early, are looking good, its a shame Paul can't remember what he planted until they take shape.

 But even with this blurred photo I can see these are onions.

Yep lettuce

Cauliflower

Mostly sprouts, except for this plant at the front that is a root veg, a bit like a potato.

 Celiriac

 Tomatoes, Pauls got these in bags and in the ground, most looked a bit dead a few weeks back and we did lose a couple but the rest are starting to shrive.

Usually I can't buy turkeys till about July but I was in La Gacilly on market day and the pulrty man had some white turkeys in, I bought a couple, meet Christmas and Easter.

Unless of course they should turn out to be Male and female then the y may survive the cull, I have been thinking of getting a couple more, but may save the room for the bronze turkeys later in the year.

3 Males, 2 females and 24 eggs in 2 nests, result I Gosling.

The duck saw more action with the girls this year so I think the 2 white geese could very soon be dinner.

We have a grape vine in the garden, the fruit is usually very small and sour so Paul took his cutters to it, hopefully this year we will get better grapes.

And with no competition from the bantam chickens we are looking forward to a bumper year from the cherry tree.

In line with our house is a big mettle barn, we ae screening it with bamboo, I thought it would take a long time to do its job but the speed its growing it may not take as long as I thought, It will start spreading soon, thats why Paul now has his strimmer, but at the momment its growing about 6 - 10cm a day.

And I thought I might post a few photos from the bottom of the garden, across the valley.

 Note Pauls veg beds, its a lot easier to use this method than fill a whole field with produce.

Time for a drink, I may be back.

Caption competition

Mr "Taste of Garlic" Keef, whats the caption?

Finished

Well the inside is, hopefully a few dry days and the outside can be rendered.

My first ever visit to an Ikea.

Pauls says thats the easiest flat pack furniture he's ever done.

And relax

Coming soon

Festival photo Peuples et Nature La Gacilly 2012

 

Whats on

Lots of bikes around at the momment so if your free this weekend this looks a great way to spend it.

Organised by

To find out more look HERE

And on Face Book HERE
And the Hangar des Celts website HERE

Wall unit

I was offered this oak wall unit, well I think its oak  by my good friends Lorraine and Ray, its been sitting in their shed for two years, a friend of theirs was going to throw it away, all though I wanted a pine dresser this was to good to pass on.

Ray and his friend also Ray bought it over, and with Paul's help put it together, a bit of a jigsaw puzzle.

A good clean later.

One thing I have always been short of here at Half  Acre is storage space, now I've got more, I can now put my Mom and Dads stuff safely on display as well.

Pauls also building a cupboard under the stairs, I will post the results when its finished.