It’s been a wonderful summer here in southern New Zealand, in fact a record breaking one temperature wise. My garden has certainly loved the extra warmth, I’ve had a bumper crop of tomatoes and more cucumbers than I know what to do with, and the pumpkin has gone berserk, as a result my pantry shelves are laden with jars of pickles and preserves. I’m in the midst of bottling unsweetened apple puree at the moment, I use it though the year as a base for smoothies, the apples (and all the fruit) have been very early in ripening this year.
