Where did summer go this year?
(Last pickings from the garden - summer cherry tomatoes)
It will certainly be a memorable season - but for all the wrong reasons. However, despite all the devastation caused by rain and wind and cyclone, there is still delicious fruit and vegetables on the greengrocers' shelves. There's also that appetising prospect of hearty stews and comfort puddings to look forward to as we move into autumn - "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" (OK, John Keats was describing an English Autumn when he wrote that but we get pretty close here in Toowoomba!).
So, even for those of us who love the sunshine and heat, the cool seasons shouldn't loom too large because we can all warm up from within. I'm already dusting off the slow-cooker, the tagine and the casserole dishes in readiness for the chilly days ahead. If I can get my act together, I might also do something about the veggie patch over the Easter holidays - it's rampant with convolvolus after all the rain. What a pity it's not edible.
Anyway, for anyone who wants to make to make the most of the current fig crop, try this simple and delicious tart from Taste.com.au - ( http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/5362/fig+goats+cheese+tranche+vegetarian or check out last week's Toowoomba Chronicle for recipe) . I'm hoping to get some figs from a colleague who's currently picking from her property in Grantham. I suspect I'll savour them even more knowing that they survived the deluge down there.
