It was one of those picture perfect days on the west coast of ireland as I cycled to a neighbors small paradise nestled between the limestone beauty of the Burren and the crystal blue water of the Atlantic. When I arrived they were drying the dillisk they had just collected from the beach. But what I didn’t expect to see was this beautiful tobacco plant in their polytunnel. I guess if you choose to smoke why not grow your own! It’s their first year and they have already started drying it and smoking it. “Very mild” is how this experimental gardener described it’s taste.
In the same tunnel I admired this gorgeous Lychee tree next to an exhausted peach tree. Unfortunately, I was a few weeks late to taste the big, juicy peaches that it bore. Oh well, mark it in the calendar for next year! I am now craving Georgia peaches! In the same tunnel there was an overflow of ripening tomatoes of all shapes and sizes and these gorgeous jalepeno peppers. Gazpacho anyone?
This bounty of fruits and vegetables was a feast for the eyes as well as my palate. Finishing off the visit with a cup of lemon verbena tea, picked right from the herb garden, I was in heaven only a short km from home! Just goes to show you that despite Ireland’s unpredictable weather with good healthy organic soil, a strong polytunnel to resist the winds coming off the Atlantic anything is possible.