There are a few foods that are really seasonal and are with us for just a brief period – my two favourites are Cherries and Asparagus. I absolutely love both of them and neither of them are anywhere near as good eaten out of season. So when the season is right we eat them most days and enjoy them while we can. Asparagus is really easy to grow and even a small patch will provide you with some mouth-watering meals. Read More…
We had our first rainy day today so decided to drive the short distance from where we’re staying in the National Park at Lokve to Krk Island where it was fine.
Over the the causeway by 7am and down to the bottom of the island for an early coffee at 8. On top of the beautiful little village of St Baska we saw this gorgeous vege patch with an incredible view – straight out to sea, over the islands and back to the coast of Croatia.
Every possible space in the villages is used – mainly for vegetables and at this time of the year many are edged with flowering tulips. The tulips are so strong over here, and the colourings beautiful. Everyone who can grows potatoes, if they can grown nothing else, they always have potatoes.
In the countryside the larger patches have 3-4m poles around them. I initially thought these were for beans – but there weren’t any cross supports. I’ve since seen a little painting in one of our b&bs of sunflowers surrounding a vege patch – so that must be what they’re for. It’s too early yet for the sunflowers to have germinated, or be planted. They must look wonderful late summer when in flower. Drat, we will be well home and in the cold by then.
One of the treats of Andalusia is the air dried ham. Quite different from our NZ ham, this Jamon Serrano is dried in the mountain villages. The most famous of which is Trevelez which was only 20 or so kms further up the valley from where we were staying at the tiny village of Ferreirola.
The population of Trevelez is only 1000, however with practically every soul there and in the surrounding area employed by the ham industry they manage to produce a staggering ONE MILLION hams per year, so I was told.
To air dry a ham you have to be at a minimum of 1000 metres above sea level and Trevelez boasts the highest air drying plant in Spain at very close to 1500m. The large size hams sell at around 100 Euros each but of course keep for months and months hung up – as long as you happen to live at 1000m or higher, otherwise they transform back into meat and of course – go off.
A favourite dish of mine is Habas con Jamon which is basically incredibly young broad beans gently cooked in a lot of olive oil (surprise) and ham. So glad my broad beans are growing strongly in the vege patch at home. My Mum has sent me pics!
