The fruits of the arbousier can be eaten fresh, but don’t have much flavour, unless you want to make “medronheira” (strawberry tree firewater), a Portuguese brandy…but the kaki chutney is delicious.

In the P-O we are usually blessed with a fabulous autumn – for many people here it’s their favourite season. Mountain and vineyard vistas have turned yellow, orange, red. If we’re lucky, rains have refreshed the parched land and refilled our rivers, sometimes to over flowing!

On 7th November 1659, the kingdoms of France and Spain signed the Treaty of the Pyrenees, which ended the 30 years war between supporters of Louis XIV of France and those of Philip IV of Spain.

There are still some harvests to gather in the garden – the last few marrows and gourds need to be picked before the frosts, and the rows of parsnips are now demanding to be harvested to provide winter delights such as parsnip chips and curried parsnip soup, which are practically unknown to the French.

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