Sweet Mary

People who know me well will know how much I love the season of autumn. The intensity of colour after the heat of summer is especially evident in autumn fruit. I find it hard to describe how delicious these figs were this morning, just take it from me - they were! Cox's Orange Pippins are my favourite apples and we can only buy them for a few weeks each year. Cooked or raw they are pretty well perfect to me. Nearly the last of the blueberries and autmn fruiting raspberries. All this and much more at our excellent local Farmers Market and all grown within a few kms of the market.

This week I added two new products to my weekly stall outside Linens to Love on Market Street, Napier. Over the last few weeks I have had customers asking if I sell fresh lavender as well as my lavender gifts. So, I potted up Lavender 'Fouveaux Storm' into biodegradable pots and packaged them nicely for sale. I think they would make great Easter gifts for people who prefer not to go down the chocolate route. I also added lavender-filled, wool felt Doves in the run up to Easter which will come in a larger range of pretty colours from next week. These are lovely as hanging decorations at Easter or as a gift to a child or newborn. If you are in Napier next Saturday, please come visit my stall - I am there from 9.30-1pm. Corner of Tennyson and Market Streets.

Haven't got time to do a proper post today but just to let you know I will be at my usual spot in Market Street tomorrow morning.

This weeks project was lavender and wheat filled bags - to heat for a couple of minutes in the microwave and then apply to sore or aching limbs - bliss. They will be for sale at my Napier stall in the morning.

Last Saturday, in The Dominion Post Weekend newspaper, was a review of a new cooking/lifestyle book by New Zealander, Sally Cameron called Grow It, Cook It. The article included a couple of recipes, one being Tomato, Lemon & Chilli Jam. Sounded delicious and not at all complicated - a winning combination. I had to make it, especially as the recipe asked for 1kg of cherry tomatoes and I have a LOT of cherry tomatoes ( pear shaped ones!) to use up from the ever laden tomato plants. While the jam was bubbling away I sorted out a few jars from the cupboard, washing them and putting in a hot oven for 10 minutes or so. The lids I boiled up separately. Now, I love colour and prettying things up so I started to think about topping the finished jars with a bit of prettiness. I remembered the circles of fabric leftover from making my peg bags. Perfect - after a whip round with the pinking shears. All finished. Even though the jam bubbled away for at least half an hour, some of the tomatoe...