Bits and pieces

Boring I know, but I also managed to harvest yet more swiss chard over the Easter Weekend.  Wow, I now have so much parceled up in the freezer - we certainly won't be running out this winter.  Spinach soup, spanokopita (hopefully cooked in the Dover stove) spinach omelettes, creamed spinach - yummy, another firm favourite vegetable that even RMan will eat.

Yet more swiss chard ready for harvesting

I had previously harvested the only pumpkin off a withered stalk and I was delighted to find another one - growing on the last plant I left in situ "just in case".  I'm not sure if it's going to gain much bulk as I fear it is too late in the season - I'll have to wait and see.

A baby pumpkin lay hidden - waiting to surprise
and delight me :)

You recall we left our potted Christmas tree behind in our town garden, and that we had to purchase a pomegranate tree from a local nursery in order to use it as a Christmas tree.

The pomegranate tree we used as a
Christmas tree

Well, before we left the farm in January we planted them, ensuring that they were watered via the timed irrigation hose.  One of the trees had had three small pomegranates hanging from some branches.  At Easter they were ripe, so we picked one.

Our first pomegranate fruit

To give you a sense of proportion, the fruit we picked was the size of two of my hands loosely cupped together (roughly 8 - 10cms diameter).  We cracked it open and delved into it's deliciousness.

All those arils (seeds)with their delicious juice are
carefully stored in different protective
compartments within the fruit

Pomegranates are delicious in a salad (a green or fruit salad), added as a garnish to meals, as an ice cream topping or squeezed for their juice.  Pomegranate juice can also be made into a syrup and used as a cordial, or added to sauces / gravies.  Dried pomegranate arils (seeds) can be used in granola bars.


A single pomegranate with a 10cm (4") diameter (weighing approx. 280 gms) has a high anti-oxidant content and is also high in Vitamin C and Vitamin K - the latter being essential for the proper absorption of calcium - obtained either from your diet or when taken as a supplement.

The fruit from one pomegranate - we shared it
between us :)

The other two fruits were too ripe and had cracked open.  So I scooped out the seed, rinsed and dried them off and set them aside.  I will and try and grow a couple more pomegranate trees next spring :)


RMan and I are very encouraged to finally be reaping some "fruits of our labour".  I have so many ideas of what I want to do, especially with the lemons and pomegranates - I can hardly wait for them to produce more fruit...




By the way, I am unable to post in the new Blogger GUI - I finally thought of, and have changed back to the old Blogger GUI to post this.  I have reported it, but, if the Old Blogger should fail, then I fear you are going to have silence from me until the problem is resolved.