Sunday 27 October 2013

Harvest Time at Albaston Farm Barn

Our guests have been enjoying the start of the autumn colours in the Tamar Valley.  Local mixed woodlands with a good network of local footpaths take you right into the heart of the valley.  A wonderful time of year for nature photography with the nearby Cotehele National Trust estate just down the road from us.


Tamar Valley, Cotehele Gardens.

Our soft fruit season is now coming to an end with the freezer well stocked with produce from our garden field allotment.  The sunshine this year gave a bumper tomato and cucumber harvest. 

Albston Farm Barn Tomatoes

The kitchen has been busy with the fragrance of cooking our own apples from the little orchard. No sooner have we finished one crop than another is demanding our attention.  This valley is famous for having a much longer fruit growing season than the rest of the country with its sheltered sun facing hillsides.
 
Tamar Valley Apples, Albaston Farm Barn

This is the time for woodland sweet chestnut gathering which is a good reason to get out walking in the woods.  Paths are full of the green spikey outers and these beautiful freebies are well worth the effort.  These sweet soft floury nuts are ideal for baking in an oven and then the social time munching the cooked centres straight from the shells is a delight.