It’s been a hot summer in Sydney, with some much-needed rain after an extended dry period. So as usual, the summer glut of produce overwhelmed our immediate needs.

One of my favourite activities is converting what we grow into jars of pickles, chutneys and the like. This is what we produced this summer:

• Australia Day chutney
• cucumber relish (two ways)
• pickled beetroot
• pickled bur gherkins
• pickled cherries (two ways)
• tomato chilli pickle
• tomato & onion relish
• tomato passata
• tomato & tamarind chutney

By my count, that’s 42 jars, not including the half-dozen we’ve already given away or used. That’s not bad considering that half of our main raised beds were attacked by roots, and therefore struggling to produce anything…