Goodbye Grenadilla

Six years ago, I planted a grenadilla on a modest Spanish reed trellis. Apart from providing a welcome fruit, the further purpose was to conceal compost bins at the bottom of the vegetable garden. I soon discovered the power in the growth of this vine. It soon vaulted from the trellis into the neighbour’s trees on the opposite side of the fence.

It wasn’t long before the vines were stretching 10 metres high. Harvesting the grenadillas, was on the terms of the vine deciding when to drop its ripe fruit. It is a miracle that none of us was ever hit by a falling grenadilla. One could sometimes hear the thud of one dropping from inside the kitchen, many metres distant.

This year we decided to take out the vine. Our patient neighbour was pleased to hear that she will at last have her trees free and cleaned of the grenadilla.

A commercial grenadilla vine is deemed to be productive for a three-year lifespan. After three years, it will produce less fruit and will no longer be considered commercially viable. Typically, the vine will produce for 5 to 7 years after which time it will start dying back naturally. Our grenadilla vine was still producing prolifically after six years. However, while removing it, we noted that the main root had started rotting.

Just as well we had decided on its removal. It might not have lasted much longer. Clearing the bramble-like growth of the old vine, also provided me an opportunity to clean up the garden behind the cottage and generally neaten the herbaceous border.

I decided to build a stronger trellis frame for the new granadilla plants. The intention is to keep them away from the fence and trees. After Fungai and myself built the new trellis, we could plant two of the young grenadillas that had come up in the vegetable garden about a year ago.

In the end, the grenadilla vine gave us new plants with which it could be replaced. It is now the second-generation grenadillas growing where the old vine used to grow. Hopefully the new vines will follow in their mother plant’s footsteps and produce prolifically for the next six years.

The fruit of the grenadilla provided for a feast. With the prolific, and almost continuous harvest, we could create cordials, liqueurs, desserts, sorbets and cocktails to our hearts desire. It provided a basis to celebrate the garden in so many meals.  As we say goodbye to a great plant that gave us so much pleasure through its fruit, we say hello to the offspring of the vine. Only time will tell what they will bring to the garden.

My other grenadilla blog posts about the same vine:

It’s raining grenadillas

Guavadillas, grenadillas and passion fruit

Grenadilla liqueur

Grenadilla sorbet memories of summer

The generous grenadilla

A passion for Grenadillas

Grab a ray of sunshine

The sun is moving into position for the vernal equinox on 23 September in the Southern hemisphere. This is when the night-time and daytime are of approximately equal duration. At Towerwater we do not need astronomers to tell us that there is a shift in celestial bodies.

The garden and all who live in it are showing it in a corresponding shift in energy. From seedlings, to birds, plants and insects. I am sure that if I stand still for long enough, I will see the leaves on the trees unfold. I can see the difference in the development of vegetable seedlings from the morning to the evening, in the course of a single day.

Birds are frantically building nests. The courtship of doves and rock pigeons are audible in the wind-still days. The change came last weekend when the temperatures unseasonably soared to 35˚C. With more sunshine available to everyone, the garden is making the best of it.

On one side, the garden is heavy with the fragrance of citrus blossoms and port wine magnolia flowers. A selection of blossoms in the orchard on the other side, provides for another enchanting fragrant experience. The orchard is a feast of white to pink blossoms, each as unique as the fruit they are going to become in summer.

Some trees are already covered in tiny fruit while others are only starting to blossom. Opening a bedroom’s curtains in the morning is like lifting a stage curtain on the first act of the day. Blossom adorned trees are the main actors and the birds and bees make up the supporting cast in this happy drama. One can only marvel at the private performance nature stages each passing day.

Watching nature happen as if on cue, is to realise that there is something consistent and reliable in the world. This is particularly so as long as one supports the natural order of the universe and does not disrupt the fine balance that exists in an organic garden.

Gardening is an immensely fulfilling exercise. Watching the birds, insects and plants embracing the extra sunshine, makes me eager to get out into the fresh air and grab a few rays of sunshine myself.

Scarifying the lawn into lushness

Preparing the lawn at Towerwater for summer normally starts in late winter or early spring. In winter, we mow the lawn less frequently because it tends to grow slower during the cold season. By the end of the season, the lawn resembles a shaggy carpet and the need to scarify it becomes apparent.

The lawn after scarifying

The way we scarify the lawn, and which has never failed to respond spectacularly, involves several steps. The first, is to set the mower on its lowest blade setting for mowing. The mowing process is much slower and normally takes about two days instead of the usual two hours. Then we thinly spread prime quality topsoil, taking the opportunity to level dips and hollows that might have developed in the lawn. We use a large garden fork to aerate heavily compacted areas. This is followed by feeding the lawn with an organic fertilizer. Finally, unless one is fortunate to enjoy some good rainy weather, heavy and regular watering is required to ensure that no drying out occurs while the lawn recovers.

The fertilizer we use, is an organic poultry manure fertilizer that is weed free, high in nitrogen and perfect for the lawn. It comes in the form of a slow releasing organic fertiliser pellet. It provides essential plant nutrients which are released slowly into the soil, stimulating microbiological activity, making further nutrients available to the new lawn.

Too much thatch in a lawn will give your grass a spongy feel when you walk on it. It is furthermore unhealthy for your lawn. One needs to scarify your lawn on an annual basis to give it the opportunity to regrow and to sport the look of a lush and green new lawn by the start of summer.

The benefits of lawn scarification include:

• Removing harmful levels of thatch
• Pruning grass roots and encouraging new growth.
• Allowing water to reach the soil.
• Allowing air to reach the upper layer of soil under the short grass .
• Allowing nutrients to reach the grass plants.
• Removing moss and dead weeds.
• Improving the overall health of your lawn.
• Refreshing tired or overgrown lawns.

Scarifying is scary. Immediately after completion of the process, the lawn resembles a large expanse of soil with patches of thin lawn. However, thankfully, with good feeding and watering, it quickly recovers with an abundance of lush spring growth. 

The lawn one week after it was scarified

The Towerwater lawn forms an essential part of our lifestyle. The lawned outspan is where we spend our most treasured moments of relaxation and entertainment. In summer, the lawn under the big oak becomes our outdoor dining room. A verdant lush green carpet of grass is an essential requirement for this purpose.

Marmalade weekends

This year has been a tough one on the citrus fruit at Towerwater. Even the electronic beams installed alongside the citrus lane did not prevent the larger part of the crop from being stolen. The naartjies (tangerines) were almost all stolen apart from the few that I could rescue early in the season. The rescued fruit was zested for making a naartjie infused gin.

We did however rescue enough of the Valencia and Seville to cook seven batches of a variety of Marmalades. These included batches of Seville and Ginger, pure Seville, pure Valencia and an Earl Grey Valencia marmalade.  The Earl Grey marmalade was made using a loose-leaf premium black tea, loaded with extra Bergamot.

Loose leaf Earl Grey tea

Earl Grey tea with Bergamot

At least one batch proved to be particularly adventurous. Earlier, I had made a naartjie infused gin and a lemon infused gin for use in unique Towerwater cocktails during the summer. To ensure that we did not waste any of the naartjie peels, we decided to re-use the peels that had been macerating on gin for two months and make a gin infused naartjie marmalade.

Naartjie zest

Naartjie infused gin

For two weekends, the Towerwater kitchen became a Marmalade hotspot. A feature was the four pots of marmalade on the stove at different stages of the marmalade making process. From cooking the peels soft, melting the warm sugar into the juice, to the final stage of cooking the peels.

The historic kitchen was infused with the fragrance of citrus oils and the warm and comforting aroma of cooking orange peel. We prefer to cook the marmalade in small batches. We understand that our method of preparing and cooking the marmalade will not be commercially viable. The absence of the use of electrical appliances, and the use of fully organic vintage citrus varietals for these small-batch marmalades, would have to be priced at a premium to recover costs and still make a profit.

The batch of marmalade made the first weekend

The batch of marmalade made the second weekend

At this stage, the marmalades are a sheer indulgence for exclusive use at Towerwater breakfasts. The small-batch, hand-sliced, organic, preservative free artisanal marmalade made in the historic kitchen is so worth the effort. The result is naturally extraordinary. We appreciate our garden and its organic fruit each day. Breakfasts remind us of how blessed we are as we bite into the wholesome fragrant citrus peel spread on slices of toast.

The Seville oranges are a luxury we treasure as an indulgence of our one weakness, marmalade. We must agree that Seville oranges are simply the best for making marmalade.

Famed 19^th Century Cape cookery authority, Hildagonda Duckitt, in her book entitled ‘Hilda’s Diary of a Cape Housekeeper’, printed in 1902, mentions in regard to the fruit available in the month of August “…Seville or bitter oranges are now in season, which makes excellent marmalade, …” and on page 140 of ‘Hilda’s where is it? of recipes’ printed in 1891, she provides the following recipe for Seville orange marmalade.

Our trusted Towerwater marmalade recipe is one that has become second nature to us. However, we still look at other recipes and are sometimes tempted to make them. Perhaps next year we might again introduce a new recipe, or at least a new kind of marmalade into our vintage repertoire.

Towerwater Organic Seville Orange Marmalade

The planting of the Seville orange tree in the Towerwater garden was never planned. It could best be described as an act of the universe. The universe knowing that one day we would need a Seville orange tree.  A citrus tree, wrongly labelled by a nurseryman many years ago, has inadvertently become a great blessing.

It remains the one tree that supplies enough fruit for endless baskets of oranges. These organically cultivated oranges are our first choice for making our favourite breakfast condiment.

It is important for us to always use our own organic oranges. Doing so ensures that we always have the freshest and healthiest untreated orange peels with which to make marmalade.

 Towerwater Organic Seville Orange Marmalade Recipe

Ingredients:

1 kg organic Seville oranges (about 6 large Seville oranges)

1 large lemon

1.8 kg sugar

2.25 litres water

Method:

1. Halve and juice the oranges and lemon.
2. Cut the orange rinds in half. Remove extra pith and slice thinly.
3. Tie the seeds, pulp, extra pith and roughly chopped lemon peel in a muslin cloth.
4. In a large heavy base pot, combine the juice, thinly sliced orange rinds and 2.25 litres of water.
5. Tie the muslin cloth to the handle of the pot so that the bag hangs suspended in the juice.
6. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the peel is very soft. Stir occasionally.
7. While the peels are boiling, sterilize 6 to 8 medium jars and place in a low oven (210°F, 100°C) until dry.
8. Place two small saucers in the freezer.
9. Remove the muslin bag from the pot and set aside to cool. After cooling, squeeze as much of the liquid remaining in the bag as possible, back into the pot.
10. Heat the sugar in the oven and then add to the pot, stirring over a low heat until dissolved.
11. Increase the heat and boil the marmalade for 15 to 20 minutes or until it reaches its setting point. Do not stir at this stage. 
12. To test for setting, place a teaspoon of the boiling marmalade onto a chilled saucer. If, after a minute, the surface of the marmalade wrinkles when you push it, but doesn’t run, the marmalade is ready. If not, boil for a further few minutes. Retest using the second chilled saucer until the setting point is reached.
13. Remove the pot from the heat. Let it cool slightly to allow the peel to distribute evenly. Skim away any foam that may have formed from the surface. 
14. Fill your sterilized jars to 3mm below the brink. Seal tightly immediately and store when cooled.