Green Shoots

A spell of warm, damp weather is seeing off the snow that has lain here since the end of November. And some of last year's winter crops are surfacing.
These are the rotting remains of the leeks that we should have been eating at Christmas.

And these are the cardoons, ditto.

In October I planted a shedload of garlic and I honestly thought that the three months of blanket snow would have seen them off. But look, here they come!

Remarkable. As was a weekend with Fred Fibonacci who left this morning. "Blimey" were his last words on the station platform, "I can remember virtually everything from this weekend." I must be slipping.

Good grub

Just about recovered from Fred's visit; he certainly made a big impression with the locals. There was a lot of wine taken. And I thought I thought I was the one with a drink problem!
Anyway, I must try and look forward. Mrs Combo has a cousin who is a real peasant (in the nicest sense of the word). They are virtually self-sufficient, living a truly bucolic existence, seemingly unaware that their house is falling down around them. I had a 'phone call this morning telling me to pop by as they had gone mushrooming yesterday. These little beauties were duly thrust into my hands; they have a name in local dialect, something like pinerung. Whilst there hasn't been the rain followed by a hot spell that is needed for a classic mushroom season, apparently if you know where to go, then they can be found.
I washed them, sliced them, finely chopped up a handful of parsley and a clove of garlic and chucked everything in a frying pan with a little oil. Bingo! Delicious, washed down with half a bottle of Cabernet Franc out of the 'fridge. I had to prepare this one for luncheon whilst Mrs Combo was at work as she isn't too keen on the smell of funghi. I once put her in hospital for three days after some unfortunate mushroom selection. Live and learn I say.