The bike ride was followed by a gathering of gardeners, families and friends to picnic in the garden and enjoy the wonderful accordion, mandolin and guitar playing and singing of Salvatore Rossano and Haley Egan... a peaceful and convivial summer evening...
Meanwhile in the garden, vegetables continue to grow, and none more plentifully and vigorously than the splendid zucchini (and we all know the old joke about not leaving car doors open in summer)...
The zucchinis have not gone unnoticed by garden visitors, or the ever-observant Lena who has been in touch with the following:
Here is a great zucchini recipe from Sicily that can absorb some of the glut of these gems in harvest season, if you like pickles I can almost guarantee you’ll love these:
Pickled Zucchini
Wash and slice young zucchini fine (3-4mm thick)
Place in colander, salt at 1/2 cup per 2kg, or to taste. Toss the slices until all coated.
Leave to drain for 10-12 hours – a lot of the water will drain off.
Rinse briefly under cold water, squeeze out the water.
In a saucepan prepare a brine of 1/3 white wine vinegar and 2/3 cold water
(enough to just cover the zucchini).
Boil up slowly, keep simmering for 3 min.
Very important not to exceed three minutes, this timing is really important
(they will be mushy if over boiled).
Drain again, squeeze out the water. Place on or wrap in clean tea towels, for 10 hours,
to absorb more moisture.
Add slices to a bowl, mix with chilli, garlic, chopped mint and olive oil (to taste).
Pack into clean jars, topping up with extra oil. Store in the fridge.
The pickle will keep for several months. Enjoy!
And here's a pic of Lena and Patrick, sampling a drop of Patrick's full-bodied home-made red, crafted from the Library garden grapes, literally!
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