Everything is Growing Well

Hello Everyone,

Bob and I hope you are all very well.

It is at this part of the Summer Season when the produce just keeps coming! Everything is growing at a prolific pace. It is amazing how all crops seem to grow ‘a mile a minute’. It is great to see a little aubergine one day and the next day it is a medium sized aubergine. Or broccoli and cauliflowers which were not seen yesterday but some how have flower heads today. We harvest twenty three cucumbers today and tomorrow you just know that there will be another two dozen! The tomatoes are all shades of green to deep red, ripening in hours. Now don’t get me started on the courgettes! They need to be attended to twice in a day as they grow soooo quickly. But are we complaining? Oh Nooooo! It is wonderful to know that the crops are healthy, happy and harvest ready. Enjoy what Mother Nature brings to the table.

There is no shortage of duties during this season. We will decide where our attention is needed after consulting the weather forecast. If it is going to be really sunny and hot then we take to the outside areas of tending and harvesting. When the temperature is lower, which could be very early or late in the day if the weather is proving to be a hot one we will work and harvest in the tunnels. 

The tunnels can be extremely hot during these sunny days. When the sun shines outside, the temperature increases rapidly inside. A judgment call has to be made as to how long work can be carried out inside the tunnels. But, we do have to go in, as lots of our summer fruiting crops, which tend to be the most popular selling crops need attention. This could be to remove leaves from the cucumbers, check for damage from little creatures, asses the number of tomatoes which will be ready for the week or just simply to harvest. Shorts and t-shirts are worn and plenty of liquids are drunk…non alcoholic of course.

The courgettes we grow are all shapes and sizes. We have yellow ones as well as the regular green ones, as the above pic shows. It is interesting to note that the round ones are far more popular around the Mediterranean than the ‘regular’ long ones. We very rarely, if ever, find the round ones in our shops. Personally, I do enjoy the round ones, which are really a ‘Summer Squash’. I find them tasty and interesting to cook with. Bob and I had a round courgette with a cheese sauce poured over on Friday evening. Simple but delicious.

Bob and I hope you are enjoying your goodies and eventually, making the most of this Summer Season.

Thank you for your continued support and take care,

Ann👩🏻‍🌾