It’s that time of year when there seems to be a lot of excess in the garden, but nothing that really stands alone as a meal. The apples are falling off the trees, the last of the lettuce is going to seed, the marrows and courgettes have multiplied beyond belief and there seem to be a lot of beans around, not tender enough to steam and eat, but too good to throw on the compost heap.

The weather has also turned and when everyone else sees that as a signal to put on a jumper, I have had coat, hat and scarf out for over a week now, my thin African blood protesting the lack of warmth and sunshine.

I have great difficulty in forcing my protesting internal thermostat to acknowledge that a walk in the bracing English countryside (which is after all just outside my front door) would be a good idea. ‘Oh no, no, no, no, no!’ it yells at me, limbs splayed rigidly against the door frame, fingernails biting into the wood. ‘That’s not walking weather! Let’s just stay indoors and watch the bracing English countryside from these lovely big sash windows we have. That’s what they’re for really, like reality TV. And while we’re at it, let’s turn the heating on!’

Now even I am unwilling to turn the heating on before the end of September. It seems like giving up somehow. Buckling under pressure, or caving in to torture even. Still, I momentarily waver. I can hear my long line of pioneering ancestresses humphing at me in disgust and involuntarily I stand up a little straighter, stiffen me spine. But wait! God didn’t give me a brain for nothing. I can do lateral thinking. Surplus of fruits + cold + humphing = time to pickle. Time to jam, pickle, pot, preserve and can (for those of you across the pond). All this means no need to go outside, a steamy warm kitchen, no wastage of all the surplus unwanted veg. I’m on a roll. Ha, take that you disapproving forbears you. I’ve still got that pioneering spirit in here somewhere.

And it is to this spirit that my unsuspecting husband returns, finally tracking me down in the bowels of the kitchen which resembles an old fashioned laundry - steaming maslin pans everywhere and containers of vegetables in various states of preparation. Fruits too, pickled and savoury fruits are a great Cape Malay tradition, often served with rich game or the plentiful Cape Curries. ‘Don’t worry’ I reassure him through the fog of steam and vinegar fumes, ‘I’m just preparing for the winter.’

I’m pretty sure I heard him mutter ‘In case we get snowed in for 6 months?’ but I could be wrong. It hasn’t snowed more than a pillow fight’s worth in all the years we’ve lived in Somerset.

Spousal scepticism notwithstanding, I feel a certain sense of accomplishment looking at all my comforting rows of jars. Those early settlers who trekked over African mountains in ox wagons had nothing on me. And as a bonus I can enter a creation in WTSIM…Savoury Preserve. Johanna of The Passionate Cook is hosting this month and I did promise something.

So here it is, my nectarine & chili relish, I picked just one of the plethora I now have after my pickling frenzy. I will post about the others at a later date. The nectarine relish was chosen because it is just so yummy and it can be eaten straight away. I ate mine with a spiced oat biscuit and some truly delicious ripe Somerset Wigmore. Well I had to test it didn’t I?

Obviously it improves with time and becomes more mellow, but it is still a great addition right now to cheese and charcuterie platters, and is also delicious served warm with small game birds. It needs to be kept refrigerated, but will last under optimum conditions (not left out overnight and no crumb filled dirty knives stuck in the pot) for 4 or 5 months. Perfect for all that leftover ham at Christmas time.

My recipe for 500g of fruit makes around five small (8oz) jars, great for gift giving, but I’m not sure if I can part with mine. They’re all neatly labelled and lined up in my fridge and every now and again I just crack the door a little to check on them. I feel quite worthy of my pioneering DNA for once, and am going to savour it while it lasts…

Vanielje Kitchen Cook Book

Nectarine & Chili Relish

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