August 2020

Normally I don’t write a blog in August, but this has not been a normal year! August is a time when The French Farmhouse is busy, busy with people having a wonderful holiday and Rob and I disappear to catch up with all the people and places that we love to see. This year things have been different. We have worked with our clients, listened to government advice in the UK and France and have rolled with the punches. Everyone has been wonderful and we have been able to make sure that all of our booked clients have a new plan for their holiday. Travel has not been easy this year, there have been little windows of opportunity and these have happily been filled. Rob and I have therefore been at The Farmhouse a lot more this summer and so I felt able to continue The Blog into August.

We have done a lot of fruit picking and freezing this summer. Everything seems to have been earlier this year and certainly we have had a lot of fruit on the trees. The damsons have been fabulous and we hope to make jams, chutney and wine in the winter months when all is quiet and we have got nothing to do!! This year we have had so many damsons that we are preparing to make “eau de vie” . This new venture seems to be all about putting as many damsons as possible into a barrel and letting it work its magic. At the appointed time the whole lot is taken to the local distillery and made into eau de vie. This harsh potent liquor then has to sit for a year or two to mellow. I’ll let you know how it goes!

The magical mirabelles have once again produced a marvellous crop. I have had serious concerns about this tree for a few years now. One year the crop was so heavy that the branch broke away. The bark on the trunk is splitting but still it produces fruit. We need to do a bit of forward planning and planting to make sure that there are always mirabelles at The Farmhouse. Picking the mirabelles, in fact all tree fruit, is time consuming. This year our acme collecting system….a blue bâche ( tarpaulin) was placed around the tree and then the tree was shaken…simples and effective!

Mirabelle picking.

Eau de vie in the making.

Damsons, all collecting vessels gratefully used!