Mirabelles Galore!

The Mirabelle harvest at the cottage this year has surpassed our wildest expectations, with all four trees dripping with fruit. The challenge as always is to get as many of the small yellow plums from the highest branches, and inevitably many are left for the birds. But we got at least 12 kilos off the lower branches, and some from higher up using a step-ladder and rake, which then sparked an impressive production line of Mirabelle jam and tarts. There is nothing more delicious than a freshly-picked ripe Mirabelle. This year's crop benefited from warm spring weather and just the right amount of rain during the summer, managed to survive a late spring frost in the region and was undoubtedly among the best crops in the past two decades.