Sun on my face . . . and short hair!

This week, like last week, has been quite busy.  

I tried to take it easy while waiting for the steroid injection of last

 Friday for my back/leg pain to literally kick in, and sheltered indoors

 due to the continuing heatwave.  I did manage to get out for an

 afternoon tea with a dear friend. We had much to catch up on as we

 had both been across the pond since our last meeting, she to Paris and

 Provence, me to England. We both had a wonderful time and there

 was so much to chat about.

I also had to get my hair cut as I was two weeks overdue and beginning

 to appear a bit shaggy . . . . . . and yes it's really short for this hot spell

 which isn't promising to end any time soon.  Summer in the south is

 always like this so not such a surprise for us.

~ A few more notes for the week gone by ~

• The figs are now ripening fast on the monster tree!
• I made my first Roasted Feta Pasta dish - it was great.
• Baby rabbit sticking close to the house nibbling mostly grass and growing big.
• Robins, dozens of them, eating the figs high in the tree along with ones falling beneath.
• Hydrangeas fading BUT a few new blue ones opening.
• Rain yesterday, just a shower, but heavy and the garden soaked it up.
• Cat sitting Ms. Nala - she's warming up to me this second week as always.
• An 'ant attack' in the kitchen, coming through the electrical outlets, yikes!
• Cleaning countertops and putting out bait - think they've gone as of today.

Oh yes, the spinal injection seems to have worked this time (first one in

 Jan. didn't help) and I'm so thankful. Have tucked the big bottle of Tylenol

 away for now in hopes I won't be needing it.

Stay cool, those of you in your unusual overly hot locations.

Water bottles, lemonade, iced tea/coffee, extra chilled wine if that's

 your thing - I put my wineglass in the freezer for a little while, makes

 a difference to a great rosé or white on a hot evening!

"Cheers" to a good weekend.

Beat the heat - if you can!

The garden is suffering after many days of really oppressive heat. This is the time when I start pulling plants out, especially annuals which I know will never regenerate now that August is here. Spring is definitely the best time in the garden here in the southeast. Biggest disappointment this year is that the morning glory and moonflower seeds just didn't flower well at all - yesterday I cut them all down as they looked really untidy struggling on the front porch. 

Luckily, I still have a few great pots of healthy basil so pesto making will continue for a couple more weeks and there will be plenty of little pots stashed in the freezer for the winter soups etc.

The Celeste figs are now ripening fast. Bob picked a lot yesterday and we've started sharing with neighbors who enjoy them. Today I'm planning to bake a fig and peach crisp - or crumble as we call it in England.  Served with a scoop of good quality ice cream (I'm loving Talenti Madagascan Vanilla Bean Gelato) it will be perfect after a mixed salad/grain bowl which has become my daily meal in this heat.

As you can see, the squirrels really love figs. The ones they drop under the tree are then nibbled by what have become our live-in bunnies. . . . .the baby one below and a larger one who might be its mama!

This little guy actually comes up on our front porch now and

 doesn't appear to be afraid of us!

Canna lily above, Rose mallow hibiscus below, blooming but requiring a good

 watering every day in this heat.

We visited Raleigh's local sunflower field before leaving on the New England trip. The blooms were just opening and were lovely. Today we're returning to see them once more and hope to take some photos before wet weather arrives tomorrow. Sunflowers bring back wonderful memories, especially of summer visits to Provence.

Hope you are enjoying your summer days.

Coming soon -

Nothing special happening. . . . . . .other than Bob picking more figs and

placing another huge bowlful on the kitchen counter this morning!

These are going to an elderly handyman who has done work in our garden. 

He lives in the country and has often brought us sweet potatoes direct from

 the fields. North Carolina is the largest grower of that good for us vegetable - we

 grow more than the rest of the USA combined.

As he loves figs, we are doing our little bit to share the bounty.

Just picked!

I took this photo this morning, framing the house in my window so I can

compare it with whatever appears later!

Looking out my kitchen window I'm really sad.

Knowing that this cute smaller house may soon be gone is very upsetting.

I've pulled up the window blinds every morning for 34 years to this view.

Usually there was a car, or two - that driveway is wide enough to park two 

next to one another - and there were people coming and going, fortunately 

always nice people who made good neighbors.

Now the property is sold and the small house is doomed.

When the wrecking ball comes things will be so different. 

Once construction commences on a larger house, life will be dirty and noisy

for many months.

The surveyors came yesterday - next will be the sign down at the mailbox,

 one we are now seeing often around the neighborhood. . . . . . . . .

 ~  COMING SOON  ~

Flying and figs. . . . . . . . . .

 As I prepared to fly away to New Hampshire, the garden birds continued

 to fly in. . . . . . to the the fig tree which is still producing a lot of fruit. 

Most of the sweet, ripe, juicy figs are up high though and beyond our reach.  

Yesterday while checking the figs I heard a rustling just above my head.

Looking up I saw this beautiful Brown thrasher, a large but somewhat timid 

bird, the size of an American robin, making a meal of the ripe fig. 

We actually made eye contact, then I headed to the house to get my camera, 

never expecting the bird would still be there when I returned, but it was, 

and I managed to get a couple of shots before it flew off.

Special moments in the garden like this make me so happy.

 An American robin also paying a visit to the fig tree recently.

Fig Crostata . . . . .

What to do when life gives you lemons figs, make lemonade a crostata!

CROSTATA: An Italian baked rustic tart or pie, same as a

    GALETTE, the French version! 

Both lovely names for easy desserts to make/bake.

Still gathering figs and sharing with neighbors and friends, however the figs are

 slowing down and will probably be finished by the end of the weekend.

Dozens of birds have devoured the ones on the treetop which we can't reach -

and I'm happy to share with them.

For this one I made almond frangipane and spread it over the piecrust base

 before piling on the sliced figs from the garden and scattering toasted 

chopped almonds on top.

  I must have used too much as it did leak out but it still baked well.

 I cut off the frangipane on the parchment - who could bake without amazing

 parchment and no messy pans to wash - which made good rustic almond

 'cookies' to nibble!  

"Waste not, want not."

It's raining figs!

They're sweet, tasty, healthy, and there are pounds and pounds of them 

ripening on the huge Celeste fig tree in our front garden!

Yesterday afternoon we had some heavy rain which lasted long enough

to give the parched garden a good soaking.  Longed for rain always

looks and sounds wonderful and it caused the temperature to drop

 by 20 degrees which was awesome! There was thunder and lightning

 but we were thankful the predicted strong damaging winds didn't 

accompany the rain.

Here's the tree in the rain - I noted many birds leaving the feeders 

and sheltering in the branches when the rain was heaviest.

People stop in their tracks when they realize this is a fig tree - it certainly

has become a talking point around the neighborhood.

Fig and Finch

I will definitely be pruning again in late winter when the branches are bare

and I can see where to remove old wood.  The tree is impeding parking

and walking up the driveway now!

This morning, the tree in the sunshine - and the grass looks greener since the rain.

Many figs end up such as this one - a meal for a bird!

Birds enjoying dining in the tree include many cardinals, finches,

robins, catbirds, and blue jays.

On the ground, enjoying fallen fruit, are mourning doves, brown thrashers, 

towhees, and of course the never ending visiting squirrels!

Glorious figs - summertime sweetness!

In the sultry August garden. . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . not an awful lot is happening here in the southeast.

 Funny how all the scurrying about in the Spring months, preparing for Summer

 blooms and fragrance, suddenly comes to a full stop once the weather changes.

Yes, weather dictates everything happening in the garden here. 

Once days become torrid under a blazing sun, and bugs are biting non-stop,

I have to pack away my garden tools and leave most outdoor chores to

nature. . . . . . .and Bob with the mower! 

The lantana is one of few plants blooming right now and is obviously 

 loved by these really huge swallowtails.

How perfect is this gentle painted creature!

We're harvesting figs just about daily. As we can't reach fruits 

at the top, birds, bees and other insects are feasting up there non stop

 which is fine with us. Share the harvest say I.

For the readers who wanted to see what a fig tree looks like,

here's the Celeste which has matured into a giant - it started 

here as a small 18" potted plant several years back. 

A second tree, almost as large, is on the far side of the garden!

Pruning is definitely on the agenda later this year when these beautiful

palmate leaves fall and we can see the branches again.

Hope your Summer garden is lovely.  Enjoy the weekend.

Jam sessions. . . . . . . . . . . .

The jam sessions are done, over, finished, completed for this season,

honestly I just can't make anymore!

Bob must have picked 50 pounds of ripe and juicy figs over the past 

couple of weeks. They're still coming and I'm still sharing fresh picked 

ones with several friends who enjoy them.

 I've made enough jam to feed the neighbors and several friends, and I 

have enough of those little glass Ball jars in my mini overflow refrigerator 

to last 'til next year. . . . . . . and if you come by I'll definitely offer you one.

I've been baking with figs - an upside down cake, fig tarts - and tomorrow perhaps a 

fig-almond crostata, and a Turkish fig cake. Still too many fresh ones to eat in salads 

or out of hand so I'm now baking them. I trim the stems, cut them in half and add to a

large heavy baking dish with a little butter, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

On removing from the oven, all soft and swimming in rosy juice, I swirl in a couple of 

spoonfuls of French Miel de Lavande (lavender honey) or Wildflower Honey - but 

any kind will do, let them cool and then ladle into pint freezer bags.

I've marked the date and plan to use them within 6 months - they should hold their 

full Summer flavor that long. I'll be adding them to smoothies, breakfast Greek yogurt,

and probably bake more cakes and pastries through the Winter months.

I never knew until I planted my own little tree - now about 12 feet tall - that figs

would become one of my favorite fruits.

Figs made a liar of me!

OK, terribly sorry, I admit I lied!

Last week I mentioned the glut of Celeste figs arriving on my kitchen island daily 

thanks to my official 'fig picker', also known as Bob. I also said that I would NOT 

be making fig jam this year. . . . . . . . so what the heck are all those little jars doing here?

These were last evening's busy work for me - and yes, it's already the second batch 

as I made the same amount earlier in the week - that's 14 jars of jam - so have 

already shared with neighbors and friends!

These are my Celeste figs, and they are really good - I love that their sweetness 

is subtle, that they are medium sized and not at all chewy - even when enjoyed raw. 

I quarter them for preserves, cut in half to bake, do a chunky chop to toss with my 

morning Greek yogurt.

Figs really are good for you in so many ways. . . . . . . . . despite the fact they've made 

me a little less than honest!

P.S.   To dear Sara in So. California, if you read this, know I'm finding some

fabulous recipes in the wonderful fig cook book you gifted me with. . . . .

and I really miss you!

Celeste figs are ready. . . . . . . . .

Yesterday afternoon when Bob appeared in the kitchen with more figs than 

I knew what to do with (I may pass on jam making this year as we still have a lot 

remaining from last Summer), I decided to try this easy recipe as I had all the

 ingredients on hand. Fast and easy little pastries, really rich and light - I shared 

with my neighbors as we certainly didn't need to eat them all, and they are best

the day of baking while the pastry is crisp.

I'm also sharing bags of fresh figs. People are quite surprised when they 

bite into a fresh fig - many turn up their nose at first thinking they will taste 

like dried figs - but then love the soft, subtle fruit flavor with no tough skin or pits 

to bother with.

I enjoy them for breakfast chopped into Greek yogurt with a dab of wildflower

 honey, or baked in the oven with Acacia honey, butter, and scattered with 

walnuts. I'm now scouring my fig cookbook for new recipes - will share

them later as the figs ripen and pile up on the kitchen island!

Ah, a beautiful fresh and juicy fig, fresh-picked from the garden.

We've started harvesting beautiful plump figs from the largest of our two 

trees, the now huge Celeste. 

The Brown Turkey is also coming along but, as in other years, 

the Celeste seems to be doing much better here in our growing area. 

The little trees I planted in 2008 are now 10-12 feet tall, and it's just about 

impossible to reach the figs in the topmost branches. 

Guess who's enjoying those tasty tidbits, and it's just fine with us . . . . . . . . many 

birds, especially robins, catbirds, finches and cardinals, and of course our 

resident squirrel family!