Make the most of outdoor tomatoes before they are gone

Crisp mornings, brilliant blue sky, long walks on the beach, there’s nothing not to like about Waiheke at the moment. Last week saw thousands of visitors descend on Te Motu vineyard for the wine & food festival. Some people planning to come listened too intently to the weather forecast and decided to put off their visit, but HA! What ya don’t know is that rain in Auckland does not mean rain on Waiheke! It was a brilliant day, gloriously sunny and warm, and the festival went off without a hitch. On Sunday I managed to score a bunch of black-skinned figs and a huge bunch of red chard from the farmers’ market held at Poderi Crisci, and they inspired a couple of recipes.

It’s now time to get the garden ready for the season ahead. The tomatoes have been taken out and I’m eyeing up broad beans. Too early, perhaps? Make the most of outdoor tomatoes over the next two weeks because then they’ll be gone for several months.
While we are moving into cooler months, Ilaria is relishing the warmer lighter days in London. She took a car trip to Belgium. Looks pretty grey there in the pics, but she’s raving about the food and beer.

If the weather is still warm where you are, give the barbecue one more crack and sizzle up some pork chops. The seasonings and little salad make this dish.

And for all the info on cooking classes see here.
Ciao for now
Julie