Ratatouille!

Look what we got at the market - can't wait to get cooking!

Well and truly pickled!

It's just too hot to do anything outside in the afternoons at the moment (35+ degs)- so we retired to the relative cool of the kitchen for a good old preserving and pickling session!
As well as our own glut of pretty purple plums, firm pears and jewel-bright tomatoes and chillies, the markets are all piled high with beautiful, colourful ripe produce that you just can't resist buying at such good prices!
So have made a huge batch of roast tomato, chilli and red pepper soup for the freezer - essence of summer we'll welcome in winter. Then to add to the plum jam from the other day we made another batch and some apricot, peach and pear and melon jams as well as spiced pickled pears and plum chutney.
There's something about rows of full jars on the shelves that makes me feel all warm inside!

Plums! From tree to jam in an afternoon.

The plums have been plopping off the trees all week so we gathered a basketful, added some sugar and hey presto - they're now delicious jam!

The Original Malbec

"France’s Cahors region stages a comeback with some help from the New World."
By Elin McCoy
Bloomberg Markets, August 2009
http://www.bloomberg.com