Wednesday, 21 October 2015

SIZE DOES MATTER..

Yes, I know, that is a very thought provoking title.

She came across some small grapefruit in the market on Monday, the size of an orange. "Ruby's" said Karen "very sweet and six for a pound", at that price, how could you leave them behind? Into WW they went along with two fennel bulbs, a large celariac and a large bowl of big fat carrots.

A mixed vegetable with coriander seed soup was on the menu and, whereas we like small juicy carrots to nibble on, when you are making soup you need those old fat ones.

The grapefruit were delicious but she treated them differently. For the first time ever in her life, she ate them like an orange, instead of cutting them in two and using a grapefruit knife, she peeled them. Ooooh, SO sweet!

And happy autumn days are truly here! For her favourite big 'greens' are back in season!

Spring Greens (I know, we're in autum but they've always been called this by her family), I think they're called Collards in the USA. Sliced and put into a very little amount of boiling water with onions and cooked for only a few minutes (you can drink the vegetable water which is mighty tasty), we eat them drizzled with olive oil and lots of pepper, two big ones plopped into Wicker Wheelie.

Who has had a facelift! Joska, an allotment friend and our opposite neighbour, gave her some willow clippings and she has made WW a new top edge but curiously, the wicker, although very supple, has dried and turned black! But its' done the trick, the top edge is now bigger and much stronger.

And yippee, the BIGGEST variety of persimmons are back in season! Oh, indeed, autumn fruits are so very slurpicious. The trick is to buy them hard, take them home and ripen them in a brown paper bag. Do NOT put them into the fridge! When they're soft, you eat them with a teaspoon like a boiled egg. Makes old Beaky drool just to write about them!

What else is newsworthy and of a special size?

Ah yes, our apples! It is now the third week of October and the last three apples trees are laden with their spectacular fruit! Red, russetty, tawny coloured 'lanterns' are hanging in profusion on these trees. The tastes of these different varieties is glorious, we have had a couple of chilly nights but the days are still warm, this has to have been one of the best seasons in a long time for apples.

Crab apples and medlars.. now for these babies we need Jack Frost. He 'sharpens' them up and gets them ready to ripen. Strange fruits, so sour and quite bizarre in looks and taste, they, like our much beloved quince, require cooking for them to give up their unique flavours which are glorious in both their taste and the colour of their jellies. On hot rye toast with goaty curd.. dreamy dreams.

Well, I've come to the end of my list of different sizeable things to eat but this is the truly the best amazingamazing news! She's half a lb over her half-way mark, having lost 2.5lbs last week, she was happy with that! HAPPY? She's thrilled (so are her knees)! She's smaller.. but still my mum.

So big or small.. you see, everything has a perfect size!

GeeGee Parrot.
October 21st, 2015.

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