I went on another apple pick for the Fruit Tree Project the other day, or tried to. When we got there the owner explained that a fellow who’d picked his apples last year to make wine had turned up again this year and been told the fruit was going to LifeCycles; a couple of days later the tree was completely stripped,

leaving only this one little windfall to show what a gorgeous apple it was:

And this is what the skin looked like:

The owner didn’t know what it was; the pick leader thought maybe Gravenstein. So we picked what few apples there were on two other trees

and headed for a grapevine that was growing all over a house and into the hedge

and picked about 140 lbs of grapes from the one vine.

Then I made a cake from some of the grapes.

I admit I was suspicious of the recipe’s description of the “rustic crunch” of the grape pips, but in fact it was just so, and an excellent cake. We had some assorted appetizers – artichoke dip, Greek Salad, and some of Delia’s courgette & potato cakes with mint & feta (aka kolokythokeftedes) which I have made before and always have trouble turning as they get mushy, but they dry out eventually and are delicious. Had some beautiful yellow zucchini which I picked myself at Haliburton on Wednesday and made that into a respectable zucchini alla scapece.

So a good old feed.

Ready to feed the soul with the opening night of Planet Earth poetry later this evening!

As the canning season progresses, it might be useful to refer to the Table of Condiments for guidance. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but it’s entertaining!

The Slow Food Vancouver Island & Gulf Islands convivium has been eventless for some months, so it was with joy and sunshine we celebrated the love-apple yesterday at Haliburton farm, hosted by the delightful Dayle of Terralicious gardening & cooking school.

We brought tomatoes for tasting

enjoyed a seed-saving demo

and then chowed down

on some extraordinary grub. I must say that Slow Food events have the best tasting food, and the most enthusiastic diners.

Dayle even dropped a perfect loaf of hot bread

on the table which we fell upon with as much enthusiasm as we could muster, given the wonders that had preceded it. She had made this pretty Andy Warhol Cake

which turns out to be a reincarnation of ye olde tomato soup cake, but she made it with heirloom tomatoes, of course. And Joan’s green tomato and apple crisp was an inspiration!

Then we had a tour of the farm which was, like us, baking gently in some late season sunshine.

And then gave out the raffle prize – seasonal condiments plus a bit of Slow Food swag –

but are holding off awarding the grand prizes (a place on a Terralicious course, a night for two at Sooke Harbour House) to award with signed copies of Michael Pollan‘s books, at a Slow Food sponsored screening of Food, Inc. at Cinecenta on September 22.