The Fig Tree

The Fig Tree

Ah the wonderful fig tree. It grows everywhere and the figs appear mostly in October and November, although there are, of course, winter figs, even spring figs, and summer figs I have heard. But there is something special about the fig tree. Forget the milky sap that some are allergic to, forget even the lack…

Sweet Chestnuts

Sweet Chestnuts

Today is the nutty season in Crete. Perhaps we are all nuts for living on such a beautiful island, but I would live nowhere else. But now nuts are the thing. The lovely chestnut trees are disgorging their wonderful nut for us all to pick up. The nuts are wonderful. They appear in October just…

Milking Sheep for St George

Milking Sheep for St George

On Saint George’s day in the village of Asigonia in Crete, the shepherds bring all of the herds down from the mountains to have them milked. Shepherds milking sheep From the other side, it looks just like this: Five sheep at a time Then, of course, the milk has to be pasteurised: Pasteurisation Then the…