Food and Friendship

We arrived home on Friday with the evidence of the extreme heat experienced in the valley over the past week visible everywhere in the garden. Scorched fruit, vegetables and rosebushes looked sad and sorry for themselves.  Temperatures in the lower 40 ° were just too much for the garden despite Shawn’s best efforts to keep everything watered.

Morning Harvest

The scorched fruit and vegetables are a sad loss but the bulk of the garden survived intact for which we were grateful. Shawn harvested a healthy crop of tomatoes and on Saturday we harvested the first of the baby corn as well as some baby leaf lettuce, brinjals, courgettes, green peppers, Hanepoot grapes, purple figs, plums, pears and limes.

The Wolffs were in residence at Hooggelegen and Heinrich could fetch a healthy basket of vegetables for the weekend on Saturday. With friends visiting from Cape Town and England there was lots of opportunity to use the fresh organic produce for a variety of meals.

Vetkoek made in a Cast Iron Pot

The weekend was spent under the oaks enjoying salad lunches with produce from the garden and the company of friends that we have not seen for a long time. There is a certain contentment that comes with good food and good company and to enjoy it in open serene surroundings makes life seem perfect.

Seasonal Summer Salad

The comfort of lasting friendships is like traveling to exciting places. One feels rejuvenated after spending time with them. A shared journey is a rich one with layers of laughter and sadness that solidify a friendship. It is amazing how shared laughter amplifies the happiness and shared tears reduces the sadness, which must be part of the magic of friendship.

Cous-Cous Salad with Baby Corn and Courgettes

In our circle of friends we enjoy food and we love to cook. It was a pleasure to give Heinrich a basket of fresh vegetables and to see the creative supper that appeared on the table at Hooggelegen.

Summer Fruit Tartlets with Fig,Pear, Plum  and Grenadilla 

The garden is ever present in our lives. It provides our meals and becomes a shrine to friendships shared  around tables, under trees, on lawns, next to the canal and with lots of laughter.