The Gloria storm caused plenty of damage, but it also irrigated the Croft, and we have benefited throughout the year with better than average fruit harvests.
 |
| Happy to be olive... |
First, our arbequina olive tree. This cultivar was - according to Wikipedia - first introduced to Europe from the Ottoman Empire in the seventeenth century by the Duke of Medinaceli. It is named after the village of Arbeca, in Lleida province. Last year I pruned and cleared around it, and this year it produced lots of wee black arbequina olives. I have stored some in salt solution, and for some I have used a salt-dried olive technique that has worked well.
 |
| Don't call me bitter |
The Seville oranges Citrus × aurantium that I planted from seed years ago have, for the first time, given fruit. Yes, just the three oranges you can see in the picture, so a very small jar of marmalade.
 |
| Making a stamen |
My neighbour picks and dries the stamens of the saffron crocus - ours grow under one of our fig trees - but it is a mighty job to gather even a few grams of saffron, so I am happy to let the bees enjoy them.
It is not only the plant kingdom that has done well this year. Our nightjars - Caprimulgus europaeus there are at least three that regularly return to the Croft - hatched successfully. This despite the slightly suicidal method of building a ground nest next to the track, with two hungry dogs passing most days.
 |
| Ground floor apartment |
And while we are on the ground, here is a fertile wee snail making the most of the moist conditions.
 |
| Slowing your wild oats |
For next year, I have been clearing more of our olive trees. The target - many years from now - is to harvest 500kg of olives. With that quantity, we could press our own olive oil. Based on 2020's harvest, that's 496kg to go...
 |
| Oil have an olive, please |
No comments:
Post a Comment