I’m starting to pick the first of my crops this season. Everything was planted late so it is a later-than-usual harvest.

First up are the cordon plums: a variety called “Excaliber”. There are a few odd shaped ones and they have been picked slightly before they were ready, but were in danger of being eaten by the little creatures in the garden. They should ripen in a bowl for a few days before being turned into plum jam.

Next up are the mini cucumbers. They are growing in pots with a good sized water reservoir at the bottom and the plants are doing well. There are a lot of flowers and it takes about 3-4 days to change from flower to mini cucumber. I will pickle these the Swedish way - great to have with hamburgers and cold meat dishes. It is simplest to fill a large jar with the pickling mix and add the cucumbers one by one as they ripen.

There are a few broadbeans and mangetouts ready to pick. This will need to be done almost daily now as they plants produce a steady flush of the green pods. I use them in pasta dishes (peas, broadbeans and parmesan cheese) and tapas-style with serrano ham.

One of the apples has fallen - the others are on the cordon trees still and ripening well and with all this sun we have been having means it should be a good fig season this year. The trees are laden and will hopefully start ripening soon.