Don't you just love harvest time? Especially when it's olive harvest time. Every year we have to cover the tree with netting because otherwise the birds eat the lot in a very short time. I've no problem with wildlife having its share, but when they eat my olives before they're ripe, and I don't get any, then it's war!!
We bought this tree as a little sapling 15 years ago when we first moved here. I remember being told "you'll never get fruit on that!", but I'm pleased to say they were wrong. Each year my harvest is getting bigger.
This year I picked just over 3 kg of olives, which filled 21 small jars!
The most I've ever had previously was 12 jars, last year. They take about 10 or 11 days to "cure" in a salt water solution that has to be changed daily, but the final result is definitely worth it.
Can't wait to start eating them. Oh, and I did manage to leave one on the tree for the birds :-
A couple of days ago our neighbours harvested their pomegranates. They can't normally eat them because they live in the UK and only come over here 5 or 6 times a year, so guess what they do with them?
And there was a slightly smaller box of damaged ones, which will be used for dyeing. Pomegranates are full of tannin so don't need a mordant. These will just be chopped up, boiled, strained and the dye liquor is ready! The perfect fruit (above) will be squeezed and added to my morning fruit and vegetable juice for extra vitamins and nutrients, and the shell which is left can be used as a mordant for other dyes. I may just dry them and keep them until I need some.
Now, I just need to find something to dye!!!
We bought this tree as a little sapling 15 years ago when we first moved here. I remember being told "you'll never get fruit on that!", but I'm pleased to say they were wrong. Each year my harvest is getting bigger.
This year I picked just over 3 kg of olives, which filled 21 small jars!
The most I've ever had previously was 12 jars, last year. They take about 10 or 11 days to "cure" in a salt water solution that has to be changed daily, but the final result is definitely worth it.
Can't wait to start eating them. Oh, and I did manage to leave one on the tree for the birds :-
A couple of days ago our neighbours harvested their pomegranates. They can't normally eat them because they live in the UK and only come over here 5 or 6 times a year, so guess what they do with them?
And there was a slightly smaller box of damaged ones, which will be used for dyeing. Pomegranates are full of tannin so don't need a mordant. These will just be chopped up, boiled, strained and the dye liquor is ready! The perfect fruit (above) will be squeezed and added to my morning fruit and vegetable juice for extra vitamins and nutrients, and the shell which is left can be used as a mordant for other dyes. I may just dry them and keep them until I need some.
Now, I just need to find something to dye!!!
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