As the holiday season kicks off across the pond we are still enjoying the last little taste of fall. Our fall meals change as the garden slows. We have cabbage, leeks, pumpkins, spring onions and garlic, broccoli, and a few peppers and tomatoes ready for picking in the garden. Fruit wise it's officially persimmon season. I like to bake with persimmons in replacement of pumpkin. Add a little cinnamon, nutmeg with the honey sweetness of the persimmon it's devine and reminds me of the flavor of a pumpkin chai. We've dried the persimmons this year and I am a fan, they are sweet and chewy. A fantastic addition to the pantry. What's your vote on pumpkin vs persimmon?
We are nearing the end of pomegranate season, but the orchard is little golden beauties. Lemons and orange tree are nearly ready to pick and our asian persimmon bloomed. It's grafted on our quince tree so we'll see how that does over the next few months of cold damp weather.
November has been full of little mini adventures. We had family visiting from the states and visited an area called Tale, Albania. It's little village north of the capital that sits on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The water is clear and the sand is beautiful. It has a few condo projects coming up but is rather undeveloped.
What do you think? Would you invest in this view?
Our next mini adventure included a movie premier starring my nephew Mateo. We graced the red carpet, met the cast, and enjoyed the movie, even shed a few tears. The movie is based on a true story and it captures the essence of Albanian Hospitality and part of it was shot up north in Boge near us.
He gave a wonderful performance and this was his second big screen appearance. We were very proud.
Our annual fall foraging trip to the Mokset hills did not disappoint. We came back with a trunk full of wild tart pomegranates. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had some wandering company. And we juiced about ten liters of juice and have had to some rearranging of the freezer to stock up all the bottles.
Our next adventure included a trip to Velipoje, Albania another town set on the coast to pay our respects to the family of our sister in law. It's off season and takes about fifty minutes from our front door to the water. During summer season it would likely take two hours but I digress. We checked out the new additions to the boardwalk and enjoyed a long week on on the beach all to ourselves. We've discussed the investing in a beachside apartment or condo over the years but they're locations are close. We can make a day trip and sleep in our own beds. But the idea of running out and going for a swim any time does sound amazing. The beach from the boardwalk to the water is almost 90 meters at the widest section and it's 14 km (8.6 miles) long. Water is clear and the sand quality is fantastic so between Tale and Velipoje it's two amazing options to enjoy the coast.
And last weekend we stopped by the small mountain village of Razem and captured the last of the fall foliage and a few grazing horses before the rain.
We've been busy this month and still have a few days left. I am happy to announce my novel Guide Time Inside, Book Four in the Ember in Time Series is with my editor and will be out in December.
And for those following my author's journey. I will be starting another mini book tour in December 26th through January 19th to celebrate the final series book and an upcoming mystery book, Twisting Hercules. I'll post the dates and locations soon.
From our homestead to yours, stay well and enjoy the holidays.
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