the reality...

of trying to feed a family in a third world country on a frugal budget means shopping carefully, cooking from scratch and taking good advantage of what the market has to offer when prices are relatively low.

We're reaping the rewards of good weather with an abundance of summer fruits.

Apricots, nectarines, Strawberries and peaches are all affordable enough at the moment for most people to be able to indulge in at least some...

The trick here is to wait it out a bit and resist the temptation to buy fruits when they first make their way into the market.  The price of fruit at the end of May and beginning of June was so high in my area that it meant fruit was beyond alot of pockets. 

However as we've moved into summer, prices have come down and people are busy buying fruits not only to enjoy now but  also for preserving  (mostly as Jam) for later on in the year.

Vegetables too will be preserved before ramadhan comes in, to try and avoid as many of the price increases as possible.

It becomes essential for people to stock up on what they use most before the innevitable happens and the prices are hiked up enough to break even the hardiest budget.

We're mostly enjoying our fruits as they come, chilled a little in the fridge but eaten fresh and healthily... sometimes though when the craving calls for it...  a summer crumble hits the spot nicely.

 

For me the math is simple..it's just as much fruit as you want in an oven dish big enough, perhaps with a little sugar tossed in if the fruit is too tart, perhaps also some sultanas and chopped nuts...though not always... and then crumble topping and for me,  it's a no nonsense half fat to flour combo with a fistful of sugar thrown in for good measure. I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to crumble, the more freeform and rustic the better, It's not meant to look pretty but to soothe the soul and comfort...

and on a good day I would have been able to upload the photo of peach crumble that goes with all this waffle, unfortunately my connection isn't playing ball and obviously has me on a one picture per post quota!

So you'll just have to go out and make one of your own to drool over... we had ours with ice-cream....

xxx