In an orchard with quite a view
Then later made jam for you
And then home
A few months ago a very nice couple bought some strawberry
jam from my Auntie Allie stall and mentioned that they have some plums trees.
They said they can never harvest all of them and would I like to have some when
they ripened.
That would be a resounding “yes please”.
I got a call to say they were ready and so Dad and I headed
out there with our full plum picking kit which, as it was a very sunny day,
included hats, water, sticks with a hooked end to pull branches towards us
without damaging them and crates for putting the plums in.
We turned up at the address, which turned out to be a lovely
farmhouse where we met their very friendly Staffie dog.
These poor dogs have gained a terrible reputation, but from working
at an animal rescue centre I just know them as very loving animals, who really
struggle in the kennels because they crave human company. In fact, many people
refer to them as ‘Nanny dogs’, as they are seen as being very suitable pets for
families to have. Of course, as with all animals, it is nearly always about how
they are raised and treated, but I digress from my perfect day!
It was then a short walk down a farmhouse track to the orchard
– a bit more than just a few trees then. The orchard was created in the 1920s
and included many varieties of plums including Blue Tsars, Victoria and Greengages.
We were there for the Blue Tsars, as the Victoria and
Greengages aren't quite ready yet.
The trees were dripping with fruit. Blue Tsars are a variety
I haven’t tried before and they are yummy. However, the key with fruit picking
is to collect more than you eat!
There were quite a few wasps around, attracted by this
fruity bounty, but I found that if I just kept calm and out of their way, they
were happy enough to share.
Oh and this was the view from the orchard – not bad!
Once we had filled a couple of crates, Dad and I headed
back to the farmhouse where we were treated to homemade scones, with homemade
jam. Theirs is a kitchen that sits at the heart of the home, and they even have a
Rayburn range cooker in the corner.
Although I could have moved in permanently, we did eventually
leave with our haul. There was no cash payment made, instead I left them with a
jar of homemade jam and chutney (not plum flavour) along with some salad and
vegetables from the allotment.
I then decided to take full advantage of the sunny day, by
heading up to the allotment.They are also looking fabulous at this time of year and this was my afternoon view, which isn't bad either.
This is harvest time on the plot as well and my bounty included raspberries, lettuce, spring onions carrots, green beans and of course courgettes!
You can always tell someone who is new to veg growing, when
they turn up at the allotments with ten little courgette plants for their plot.
If you suffer with having too many courgettes, then here is a blog I wrote earlier http://auntieallieproduce.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-courgette-conundrum.html
but again I digress...
The final part of my day was starting to make delicious stuff
with the plums – there were so many, that I spent the next couple of days
making various jams and chutneys for the Auntie Allie stall, oh and friends and
family as well.
I have made a couple of batches of plum and cinnamon jam,
some plum and apricot (also home grown) jam and finally a spicy plum chutney.
So this is the recipe for Auntie Allie’s perfect day - A
farmhouse, a dog, an orchard, meeting nice people, working at my allotment, harvesting
produce and making stuff from it.
This growing your own and making your own lifestyle is not
an easy one, but it is one that soothes the soul, which is why I would love the
opportunity to do it full time!
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