Sweet corn days of Summer

 The sweet corn crop is ripening so most days we pick and consume some. Deliciously sweet, as those who have grown their own will know. Passing visitors will take some away with them too. As a last resort any surplus will be frozen. Leaving them unpicked for too long is to be avoided as they soon lose their flavour.

In the kitchen various jams, relishes an chutneys have been bubbling away and for us it is also passata-making time as the outdoor tomatoes ripen.  

We are having a massive crop of plums this year and soon we will be dehydrating quantities of these along with apple slices. The apples seem to be ripening early this year.

This morning we collected up a pleasing crop of onions this year. We wanted to get them in as, after a period of dry weather, it is forecast for rain this afternoon. Janet plaited them for hanging up to dry in the workshop. Six plaits plus a few loose for more immediate use.

We have also been saying gradual goodbyes to the piglets as they find new homes. Two more departing to Essex later today.

We have been continuing to get assistance from kith and kin as my activity levels remain restricted. Two weeks after a retinal detachment and emergency surgery I had a second detachment in the same eye followed by more surgery. Then Monday of this week there was concern that a third operation might be necessary. Thankfully this was not the case. I had had a bleed at the back of the eye and a duty eye specialist I had seen at the weekend possibly mistook the resulting blood clot as the retina coming away again.

My vision is still impaired in the affected eye and I have to be careful not to over-exert myself for the time being but matters do now look like they are moving in the right direction at last. No heavy jobs, but I can manage picking sweetcorn.