Sultry Nights and Summer Scents

It’s been so hot! Lovely mornings and evenings but uncomfortable at night. One night when I couldn’t sleep and the cool fresh dawn approached I wrote a little poem about it.

Summer Contrasts

Sultry summer nights.
No rest the darkness brings,
The hours stretch out till dawn 
When the blackbird sings.
Air lies like syrup
In the stillness of the night
And naked skin begs for mercy
As it waits for light.
But a cooler morning,
A fresher feel, however brief,
Revives our spirits
And brings sweet relief.
These contrasts of life
Are far beyond measure
And give us the special gift
To turn misery to pleasure.

The garden has been thirsty. So much to sustain in the parching heat. Worth the work though when flowers glow and delicious food thrives with the attention. Although the weeds are winning in places and it’s too hot to tidy up there are still beauties to catch the eye here and there.

Where the flowers have faded interesting seed heads and berries are forming. These have their own beauty.

I pulled up a potato plant to see if enough were ready. I’m not a great fan of potatoes but I do love new ones fresh from the garden and briefly cooked. They were still tiny but just about enough for a light meal. I left the other plants to grow a bit more. There were some tasty carrots and a few yellow French beans ready, so I made one of my one-pan meals with haddock. Easy and speedy to do after a tiring day.

Just half a Kallo veg stock cube, a small crushed garlic clove, a little water. Brought it to the boil, added vegs, placed frozen haddock fillets on top, checked it was at temperature for simmering. Left with the lid on for about ten minutes, then mixed a little cornflour with a drop of water and gently stirred it in to thicken the stock. Then I added a spoonful of soured cream. Quick, easy and nutritious.

Soon the fruit will be ready so I need to use up the ones I bottled last year. I’ll have some empty jars then to preserve this year’s crop. I have a few jars of pears left so may not do much this time. Although I love doing it, to be honest it’s not easy and a lot of work. Extremely satisfying though to see a cupboard full of home preserves so I might be daft enough to do it again.

Even in the garden food is never far from my mind. I never seem to grow enough lettuce. It’s important to sow seeds every few weeks so more plants are growing while you eat the earlier ones. I’m not that organised! The other day it was too hot to cook but I’d stripped as many leaves as I could from the lettuce plants and I needed to allow them to get on with growing. So I thought what can I do for a simple cold meal? Well, canned beans make a good alternative salad so I put one together.

I drained and rinsed a can of baked beans to remove the sloppy sauce. The flavour is still there once they’re drained. Dabbed them dry a bit with some kitchen paper, then tipped them in a bowl. Added a finely chopped half of a small onion, salt and pepper and a peeled diced apple. Tossed them well to combine flavours.

If you’ve never tried this it might sound like an unlikely idea but it is really good. You have the sweetness and chewy texture of the beans and apple with the savoury piquancy of the onion balancing it out. Tastes very good with sardines or ham for extra flavour and protein. A cold meal for days too hot to cook.

The heat at night has been unpleasant but we have been able to use the moth trap because rain was very unlikely. We’ve had some lovely moths again. So pretty and delicate. Here are some examples.

I think the scent of the lilies and evening primrose attracts them on warm nights. I love the waft of the lily scent as I pass along the path. I only have a few but they look as wonderful as they smell.

I hope your evenings are cool and scented with garden flowers. With you again next week.