A Winter Garden

The winter garden at Towerwater is very much dominated by citrus in the orchard and garlic, peas, brassicas, carrots, beetroot and young onion plants in the vegetable garden. The herb garden needs a good clean up with the refreshing of culinary herbs and the pruning of the perennials.

Kumquats

The citrus trees are a feast with kumquats, Seville and Valencia Oranges, smooth and rough skin lemons, limes and  Cape ‘naartjies’ (tangerines) all in fruit.

They introduce a freshness into winter dishes that reminds one of summer.  Citrus time is also marmalade time and with the making of the marmalade the cycle of production for me and the garden starts.

Citrus and Vegetable Garden

Lemons

Limes

On Saturday we had supper with Susan and Michael.  Susan made a themed supper in memory of a Clementine orchard that was removed on a neighbouring farm during the week. 

Starting with a Clemintine Negroni as a pre-dinner drink and ending with a Mille-feuille decorated with fresh clementines dipped in dark chocolate. Mille-feuille (‘a thousand leaves’) is a desert made with layers and layers of pancakes with a crème filling in between the leaves. 

Mille-Feuille with Clementines dipped in dark Chocolate

The rich and decadent desert punctuated with the burst of clementines seduced with a dipping of dark chocolate, made me want to run out and remove another clementine orchard just to inspire Susan to make it again. 

Sugar Snaps enjoying their Trellis

Baby Peas

The peas seem to enjoy their trellis and are flowering with promises of lots of sugar snap and green peas for the winter table. Food possibilities include a fresh pea and mozzarella pasta with lime and olive oil or a fresh pea and ham soup with rocket and homemade bread. I had better stop before I drool all over the keyboard at the thought!

Furry Fennel

Fennel and geranium abound in the herb garden adding to the fragrant wetness of the winter garden.

The Garden from the Cellar