Adventures and misadventures
As summer is drawing to a close, it's time to bring in the harvest of produce that grows so easily and abundantly here in southern Spain. Because all of our ministry team are out of the country at the moment, no one is picking all the figs that grow in the garden of Villa Eden. So I asked a neighbour if she'd like to come on a fig picking outing with me. We took the dogs for a walk in the countryside, picking figs and pomegranates that were growing wild. Then we headed back to Villa Eden to pick the figs that were growing on the trees there in the garden.
Then, as we were filling out baskets with figs, Matilde noticed that all the almonds were ready for picking too. With great enthusiasm, we got a shopping bag and began to fill it with kilos of fresh almonds. Mati picked the ones on the lower branches, while I found a broken chair that had been thrown out, and used it to reach the almonds growing on the higher branches. Well, I underestimated the weakness of old plastic that has been perishing in the sun; I'd only been harvesting for twenty minutes, when suddenly there was a horrendous CRACK and I found myself falling right through the seat of the chair and scratching myself to bits as I landed clumsily on the soft soil below. Fortunately, no serious damage was done.
We took time also to pick some walnuts, before I had a quick swim and doctored all the scratches down my shins. Thrilled with the adventure of picking several kilos of fresh almonds, Matilde is going to make me "ajo blanco" - a cold almond and garlic soup that is a speciality of these parts. If you'd like to know how it's made, click here to find a recipe (in Spanish) by one of our well known TV chefs.
Then, as we were filling out baskets with figs, Matilde noticed that all the almonds were ready for picking too. With great enthusiasm, we got a shopping bag and began to fill it with kilos of fresh almonds. Mati picked the ones on the lower branches, while I found a broken chair that had been thrown out, and used it to reach the almonds growing on the higher branches. Well, I underestimated the weakness of old plastic that has been perishing in the sun; I'd only been harvesting for twenty minutes, when suddenly there was a horrendous CRACK and I found myself falling right through the seat of the chair and scratching myself to bits as I landed clumsily on the soft soil below. Fortunately, no serious damage was done.
We took time also to pick some walnuts, before I had a quick swim and doctored all the scratches down my shins. Thrilled with the adventure of picking several kilos of fresh almonds, Matilde is going to make me "ajo blanco" - a cold almond and garlic soup that is a speciality of these parts. If you'd like to know how it's made, click here to find a recipe (in Spanish) by one of our well known TV chefs.