Springtime in Liguria

It is just glorious at this time of the year and there is no where else I would prefer to be than the Ligurian hills. With so much wonderful fresh produce in the garden and at our local market at Ventimiglia it is hard to decide what to cook.

There is nothing I like more than pottering around at the market but there is work to do in the groves! We have been busy giving the trees an organic feed and spending time checking each tree to make sure there is no sign of disease.  The feed is absorbed through the leaves which is the most effeicient way of feeding them meaning each tree needs a good drenching.  This is the first feed of the year after pruning and it takes about a week to treat all of the trees. Once the wild flowers have seeded the grass will be cut back and we pray for good weather whilst the flowers bloom and the new crop of olives set.

One thing for sure though is that I will be making cherry jam this weekend as the cherry trees dotted about in our olive groves are laden with their wonderful juicy fruits.