Of Lemons, Loquats and Avocados

Aside from the citrus, we were too early to enjoy most of the fruit grown on Cyprus, although I did eat some bananas – I had no idea they were commercially grown anywhere in the Mediterranean. The plants were being cut back to make way for the new growth and look pretty tatty, but the fruit was small and tasty. It was the end of the citrus picking season with blossom of the next crop already covering the trees and the glossy-leaved avocados were also in full bloom. The loquats were colouring up nicely – they must be one of the earliest of the new season fruit to ripen. Out in the countryside locals were gathering ‘horta’, the wild leaves that are used in spring cooking. We tasted a delicious dish of greens and eggs that uses the young leaves of the bladder campion as its main ingredient.

Avocado Blossom

Loquats

Orange blossom

Young leaves of bladder campion are eating both cooked and raw