Autumn Ripening

What a rich time this is, as under the sustained heat of the sun, fruit and vegetables ripen into sweet lusciousness! This year I grew acid-free tomatoes, a variety that produces quite small fruit, but oh so red and firm. And they last, there in a blue bowl on my kitchen bench. Beefsteak tomatoes however, so bulging and juicy from the organic gardener up the valley from my bach, turn to mush pretty quickly. Last night I gathered up a bag-full and cooked them on the stove with a big squeeze of garlic juice. My house filled with the aroma of autumn. Now this delicious pulp sits in jars in fridge and freezer, waiting to be used in whatever dishes I concoct with autumn’s courgettes, capsicums and aubergines.