An echidna in the garden

This little guy turned up in the garden today.  He did not seem to take the least bit of notice.  My neighbour said they might be deaf.  He was very busy looking for ants. About the size of a rockmelon.

tamarillo - an autumn tableau

Tamarillo are the small red fruit.  Inside is a strong orange/red coloured flesh with seeds you can eat like passionfruit.  They have an interesting semi sweet flavour when ripe, the flesh near the skin is bitter, though.  It is easy to peel, just blanch in boiling water.  It keeps forever in the fridge.

It makes nice chutney, or it can be roasted with root vegetables.  This gives a sharpness and brilliant colour. 

tamarillo - a recipe

Autumn's bounty.
"Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness"  (Keats) has arrived.  This is the harvest so far.  The small red fruit are Tamarillo.  Tamarillo are plentiful and make a great chutney which goes beautifully on a cheeseboard.


Tamarillo Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 kg tamarillos, peeled (3lb)
• 1 1/2 kg apples - peeled, cored and chopped (3lb)
• 500 g (1lb) onions, chopped
• 1 Cup sultanas
• 1 kg brown sugar (2lb)
• 2 Cups vinegar (white or cider)
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to the boil,
   Stirring (making sure the sugar is dissolved before it boils).
   Simmer uncovered for approximately 2 hours, stirring often.
2. Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately.

A Beautiful Meal last winter

Even though it is winter, we can have a long lunch outside.  The patio offers a view of the countryside, and we are alongside our pool.  Much too cold at the moment to swim, though.