Something to warm you up!

 Thanks to a benefactor's kind donation of seeds, this year Br Jean Marie, F.SS.R. has grown a whole selection of chili peppers.  He has grown a selection of the different seeds which were so kindly sent to us, one of which is currently ranked as the third hottest variety of chili in the world!

The first batch of chilies to be ready for harvesting have been picked.

 Brother has grown eight varieties so far.  The only one which has not turned-out as well as it could have is the Basket of Fire variety.  The particular variety of the Bhut, or Ghost Pepper, which Brother grew is the third hottest chili in the world.  You can click the image if you would like to see it in greater detail :).

The chilies having been sampled, they are now going to be made into a hot sauce.  Here Br. Seelos assists in preparing the peppers.

 The Bhut pepper is in the foreground.

 Gloves are worn as capsaicin (the chemical in chilies which makes them hot) can burn the skin.

 Removing some of the seeds.

Br. Seelos drops some chopped chilies into the bowl.

 In case the chilies are too hot for you, Br. Gerardo Maria, F.SS.R. has some other greenhouse produce.  No, these are not marrow, but courgette/zucchini!!  They are also the average size of all our courgette/zucchini.  "They must be tough having left them on the plant so long" I hear you cry.  Not so.  These Courgette/zucchini were picked just one week after they were pollinated!

Or perhaps some beets?  Our beets have also grown with great rapidity and to a large size, not so far off the size of Br. Alphonso Maria's head in fact!

Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they? Matt. 6:26

DEO GRATIAS ET MARIÆ!

Some Winter Heat?

We may live in Orkney and it may be winter, 

but Papa Stronsay is feeling the heat at present.

Our Br Jean Marie, F.SS.R.

has been trying chilli's and peppers in the greenhouse this year

and the December harvest has just come in.

One may almost imagine one was in the fair climes of 

the great Indian sub-continent!

And what a joy that would be for all of us

 as we recall the privilege some of us enjoyed 

of visiting some years ago

the tomb of the Holy Apostle St Thomas,

whose feast it is today,

situated much like that of the confession of St Peter

below the magnificent Cathedral of Chennai-Madras.

 We wish all our Indian readers a happy and holy Feastday today.

More from the Greenhouse

The greenhouse team with this year's pumpkin harvest. Not quite record breaking like our cherries, but plenty to eat anyway! It took 2 people to lift each pumpkin and a tractor to move them down to the kitchen.

 In the last few months We've had plenty of strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, grapes and nectarines from the greenhouse. The pears have been excellent this year: very large and a delicious flavour. 

 Postulant Mr. Janes picks some of our apples for the table. 

 After being barren for several years, the kiwifruit vines have finally fruited. They are not quite ripe yet, but should be soon.

The weather has not been very good for tomatoes this year, but we still got a few that were a decent size! This one is just an ordinary tomato, not a a beefsteak or giant variety!

Record Breaking Cherries?

This year our greenhouse has been a huge success, especially in the fruit department.  Our cherries have grown fantastically; so big that we thought we should see what the record for cherry size is.

One of three cherry trees in our greenhouse.

Picked from the tree in the morning, and on the table at lunch...could they come much fresher? 

These cherries have very small stones.  Almost the whole thing is flesh. 

Guinness World Records give the heaviest cherry in the world as 21.69 g (0.76 oz).  The record was set in 2003 in Italy.  Br. Jean Marie, F.SS.R. places the contender on the scale.  He has done much of the work in the greenhouse.

Look at that!  Without even trying we have a cherry weighing in at 19 g (0.67 oz), just 2.69 g off the world record!  Could these be the heaviest cherries in Scotland?

The average weight for this years cherries has been 16g (0.56 oz).

Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they? - Matthew 6:26

Thanks be to God for the wonderful gifts he has provided us with!