lately on the lottie

There's great excitement chez fenland lottie for we have our first apple harvest.
The little Rosette apple tree, a gift from my sister and brother in law, was planted on our allotment just over a year ago and this year we have about 15 beautiful little apples. They are similar in appearance to a Discovery apple and have the same sweet/sharp flavour.



Delicious! 



Just right for chomping on and a sign, along with the autumn fruiting raspberries that are ripening on the plot, that summer is retreating and autumn is stepping into her shoes.



It's also that time of year when the courgettes are coming thick and fast and trying to keep up with them is nigh on impossible.
By necessity, they begin to appear at every meal and in every guise and I was reminded of a particular week, many years ago, when I was at school and having school dinners.
I didn't normally partake of school dinners, preferring my Mum's homemade sandwiches, which were always made with wholemeal bread - something almost unheard of back in the sixties.
Nowadays, I admire my Mum's forward looking philosophy on food which at the time was very avant garde, but back then how I longed for sandwiches made with white bread and I still remember the thrill, when 
one day, having stayed overnight at a friend's house, I left for school with ham sandwiches made with white sliced Mother's Pride!

But, this particular week, for a reason long forgotten, I was having school dinners. 
Like my courgette glut, the school cooks must have had an over abundance of rhubarb and said fruit had made an appearance in one form or another every day that week until it got to Friday.



Back then, we were seated at tables of 6 for school lunches, with an older child, seated at the head of the table, given the responsibility of serving the food to the others.
We all breathed a sigh of relief to see that the pudding was trifle. 
No rhubarb in sight! 
Until, the older pupil, digging to the bottom of the deep bowl, through the layers of thick, yellow custard and wobbly jelly found a thick, gloopy, pink layer of rhubarb!
I can sympathise with those school cooks and their surplus of rhubarb.
I feel the same about the courgettes.
So this is my latest version of a courgette supper - lightly grilled atop a mound of couscous spiked with harissa paste and lots of herbs.



Happy weekend x




Comments

  1. The apples look wonderful. The rhubarb story made me smile, we have all been there with a glut of something or another.

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    1. Yes gluts at this time of year are very common!

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  2. Very pleased your little apple tree has taken so well to living chez fenland lottie and produced such lovely apples.

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  3. We only have a couple of old Bramley apple trees, really useful, but not nearly as beautiful as your Rosette's. A neighbour has one which looks just like a child's drawing of an apple tree, that appeals to me, too. We've had a bad year for courgettes but are snowed under with cucumbers.

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    1. I've not tried growing cucumbers yet. Maybe next year!

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  4. Your apples look beautiful. Something is playing havoc with my apple this year but I still am hopeful for a few perfect fruits.

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  5. Isn't soon for the apple harvest? Your photos are exquisite and those apple look delicious. Nice to meet you and thank you for your comment on my blog.
    See you on Instagram too!
    Olympia

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    1. Hello! Nice to meet you too and thank you for your kind comment.

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  6. Those apples look perfect. We don't have room for a fruit tree here but grew Discovery apples in our first garden and they were delicious. Pity local shops don't sell them (so many imported apples which seems such a shame). Love your school lunch memories. I thought my two now grown up children had enjoyed their packed lunches which I prepared oh so carefully. Then I was told recently, 'We wanted white bread sandwiches. What did you send us with? Falafel!'.

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    1. Hee He! I know how your children felt! And yes, it's a real pity the shops don't sell more local apples. British apples are delicious at this time of year.

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