Hello there, how are you?

This morning we picked the first Smyrna quinces (above), going row to row, checking everything. It is disheartening how many windfalls we do get just before they are ripe and no, we definetly don’t sell the windfalls, they go into the compost, nothing is wasted. It is that time of the year when the Quince Orchard starts to look untidy, leaves and windfall quinces on the ground, suckers coming up around the trunk of the trees, the leaves of the trees looking scrappy from weather damage. It takes a little time but is easy to get back into shape before the trees get their yearly prune.

The quince fruit looks beautiful.

I’ll be making Quince Jam this afternoon.

If you are new to growing or buying quinces and are not sure when they are ripe, I have made a fact sheet for you HERE

If you would like some quince recipes, you can download my free ebook by clicking HERE

Yes! Quinces are definitly a favourite at Fairy Wren Cottage.

Just in case you were wondering the plural, is it Quince or Quinces? I did a heap of research after someone not so politely tried to correct me, it can be either, tomato, tomata!

I’ve  also spent some lovely time in the kitchen with our daughter Liliana. We made lunch, homemade pastry triangles. Ricotta cheese and a colander full of home grown greens (Italian parsley, spinach, kale, beetroot leaves and broad bean shoots) all mixed together with two diced onions fried in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Shop bought pastry sheets divided in half to make two large triangles.

Kitchen coversations are always the best arent’ they?! We talk about everything from Ancient Rome to Quince Jam to how the media favours dysfunctional relationships and the impact positive role modeling can have, the season finishing for growers and what projects we want to work on next.

The kitchen has had its weekly deep clean. Tomatoes frozen in one kilo batches to make chutney when the weather is cooler and the harvest are finished. I’ve made a chocolate cake and the zucchinis have been grated and put into meal size portions for the freezer as well. Little by little, step by step, the to-do list is getting done.

Take precious care,

Jude x