Local

Another sunny but not sweltering summers day.   We heard our first cicadas yesterday and at night the crickets play their gentle melody.  Hard to believe that it is almost midsummer and the days will start getting shorter.  We haven't even reached those days of relentless heat yet.   Those lazy, hazy days of summer are still to come, 2 months of heatwaves, sweaty nights.  I wonder if there will also be the hustle and bustle of tourists.

Our neighbour has started de-leafing his small vineyard.  The more leaves that are removed the more the vine will give strength to the grapes, or something like that.

Soon these plants will be a mass of sunflowers 

Our favourite honey

We bought thyme with a hint of wild flowers

She also sells honey comb, their own honey lip balm, a healing balm for cuts and burns and royal jelly 

These may look like a large zucchini but they are a variety of cucumber. Called xyloagouro in greek .  Literally woody-cucumber

They are a pale green and much bigger than the usual cucumber

They are crunchy and full of flavour.  All you need for an ideal snack.  Keep them in the fridge so they are nice and cold.  Simply cut them into long slices, scrape out the seeds and sprinkle them with salt

    The green leaves in the middle are called vlita and are the favourite summer green of most greeks. They grow in our garden, wherever we water, from seeds left in the soil.  We are given bags of them by neighbours.  K loves them.  I prefer other greens.  He eats them boiled and served with vinegar (not his usual lemon juice), fresh olive oil and a garlic clove which he will slice raw over the plate.