We still have parsnips, broccoli and curly kale in the garden. There are still plenty of delicious apples on the espaliered fruit trees and every couple of days I can harvest another punnet of splendid autumn raspberries. The tomatoes have just finished in the greenhouse and it is generally a time to clear up and clean up – I get on with this whenever the sun shines and the day is dry.
Our deepfreeze is well stocked now – and there are many bags of parsnips still to come (we've been distributing bags of frozen parsnips widely around our friends and neighbours).
It will soon be time to spread the compost and prune the soft fruits. I have also a major job to do in the greenhouse cutting back the old vine and making space for the new.
All in all, it has been a good year despite the carrots being badly attacked by the clever little carrot fly. We have several demijohns of wine bubbling away in our warm kitchen and we've already enjoyed our first bottle of grape wine we made from our greenhouse crop of grapes. We've made a regular habit now of sharing a bottle of our delicious pesto on pasta with friends every Wednesday – it's a wonderful reminder of the tastes of summer.
When the weather breaks I have been trying to perfect my skills on the lathe in the workshop – making pots and bowls (mostly from sycamore) which will make good Christmas presents.
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