Pickled lemons and pesto

As I watched the Swee Waxbills feeding on the seeds of the winter grass in the lawn, I was reminded that we are nearing the end of August. The herb garden has yet to be cleaned but until then, I am still enjoying the fresh rocket in salads. They are going into flower at the moment, but I am not going to keep them to harvest their seeds. I still have enough seeds from the previous season.

Swee Waxbills

When I picked the rocket leaves to make a pesto, I found an arum lily frog sitting on one of the leaves. I made a mental note to take the rocket out carefully so as not to harm the arum lily frog.

Rocket pesto

The vegetable beds need a last weeding before I start the planting. My seeds are all ready for sowing and I am looking forward to an abundant summer vegetable season. The coriander lasted very well through winter. Most likely because we had a fairly warm winter. They have been perfect with the curries and spicy stews that helped keep the chill at bay and make the colder days more bearable.

Coriander pesto

It is time for the current herbs to make space for the new season’s herbs. To put them to good use, I decided to make coriander and rocket pesto. That is one way of using up large numbers of leaves. Pesto is a delicious way of preserving the fresh taste for summer meals.

The lemon trees are still decked with fruit. I decided that the best way to use more of this versatile fruit is to pickle some in salt. I enjoy Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes. They often call for pickled lemons. Something one does not find easily on the supermarket shelves anymore.

Pickling lemons is an easy way of preserving them. Especially if one is privileged to have organic lemons in abundance. Pickling lemons is a perfect way of preserving them for use when they are not available in the garden.

With my creativity inspired by the organic citrus in the garden, I decided to make a jar of bitter orange liqueur. For this, I used freshly picked Seville oranges. I took eight and washed them. After I had dried them, I removed the zest and placed it in a jar. I covered the zest with brandy. The peel will macerate on alcohol for about 8 weeks before I add a simple syrup. The homemade orange liqueur will be quite a treat to use in cocktails this summer.

The balmy days were too good to waste and we enjoyed our lunches on the lawn. A Portuguese style roast chicken, stuffed with fresh lemons and garlic and served with roasted potatoes, was enjoyed with a crisp Springfield Sauvignon Blanc. Life at Towerwater felt just right.