We are well into April and spring has certainly hit Athens. Budding neratzi trees flower all over the place, the temperatures hit mid-20 C. It is the season you leave the home with a coat in the morning and come back half roasted in a t-shirt later in the afternoon. I am also saying goodbye to the wonderful winter citrus fruit, oranges. Continue reading
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Have I told you mum is a great cook? Perhaps not, but I am sure you can guess. I have always admired Lena’s energy, I can hardly remember her tired or complaining and I will never change her strawberry preserve for anything in the world. Continue reading
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Mum has a lovely friend who tends to her garden, Olga. She is from Ukraine, grew up in a farmer’s family and Athens has been her home for quite some years now. The garden is certainly her territory, except perhaps for a few ‘exotic’ Mediterranean species that grow down here: neratzi (also known as bitter orange or Seville orange) being one of them
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I was out in the market again, where in the hussle and bustle my gaze landed on a yellowy pile of plump fruit. I had to ignore it and move on as the auntie behind was pushing her way towards a crate of beets. But five steps further, there was another pile. My eyes lit up and my heart started racing, there they were: quinces!!!
I was elated because, I could now make my favourite jam! For me, quince is the best, with apricot a close second followed by forest fruit and orange marmalade. OK, I like fruit preserves, a lot! Perhaps more than one should.
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