The Peaches Have Given

Our neighbours often check which of our trees or vegetables are 'giving' (donner), meaning which we are picking or harvesting. The last few days we've had some very welcome steady rain, and yesterday afternoon there was a long sunny spell, so we nipped down to the orchard to see how everything was responding to suddenly receiving adequate water after months of dry.

It's too late for the big nectarine by the potager gate, which had huge numbers of fruit, only to drop almost all eventually. The few we picked were small and dry, with tough bitter skins. The peaches have fared a little better. They've been small, but cook reasonably well. The rain has had an almost instantaneous effect on them. Suddenly, they have doubled in size, but the shock has been too much and they have all dropped off the trees. Fortunately, they are perfectly usable and I have been blanching, peeling, stoning and roasting or stewing them as fast as I can so they can go in the freezer.

Next to 'give' will be the apples. They are starting to be significantly targeted by birds, so I am planning to strip at least one of the trees today. Then the table grapes will come in. They are still a little sour, but edible. We don't know what we are going to do with all those grapes though. Sadly, the white table grapes have succumbed to a fungal disease, so it's just the dark ones.

Susan